Polaroid SX-70 SONAR OneStep User manual

Polaroid introduces sonar
focusing -the ultimate inone-step photography
That unexpected moment, that
 perfect smile, will never again be
 lost while you pause to set the lens.
The instant you see your picture,
 just aim and shoot. With sonar
 focusing, the camera sets the lens
   i nstantly, automatical  ly.
Now, nothing interferes with seeing
the shot and taking  it.





(See "How sonar focusing works"
inside this loldout.)


Sold by
K mart Corporation
Troy, Michigan 48084
Made in U.S.A.

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How sonar focusing works
As you begin to press the shutter      The split second  it takes for the
button, your camera releases sound    sound to reach your subject and
waves to the central part of the scene   the echo to return is fed into a tiny
(approximate area marked in blue).     electronic computer inside the
                                    camera.
The frequencies are far beyond our
range of hearing and travel atthe      The computer uses this time mea-
speed of sound (1,100 feet per        surement to calculate the distance
second).                           between the camera lens and your
                                         subject, then signals a motor to turn
                                      the lens until your subject is in
                                     sharp focus.
                                       This extraordinary chain of events
                                     takes place in less than 7s of a
                                     second.

Contents                      Call us, freewww.butkus.us
Please spend a few minutes reading      lf you ever have a question about
this booklet.  lt could mean the dit     your camera or your pictures, call us
ference between taking consistently    tollfree...
good pictures or disappointing
ones.                        800-225-1384
 3 How sonar focusing works                                     from anywhere in the continental
 5 Film                                        U.S.A. except Massachusetts and
 6 Flash                               Alaska, From those states, callcol-
 6 Features                            lect- (617) 864-4568. Our Customer
 7 To ooen and close the camera      Service representatives can be 8 Camera parts                                    reached every weekday   f rom 8 a.m.
10 To load the  f ilm                        to 5 p.m., your local time. In Canada,
11 To hold the camera                    cal  I tol  I free- 800-268-6970.
12 How sonar focusing lets you
   "preview" the picture           Film13 To aim and shoot
14 Use  f lash for most                                     Your camera uses onlv Polaroid   indoor oictures                                 SX-70 Land  f ilm. Eacl-L oack pro-15 Watch for your camera's "use                                     vides ten color pictures and con-        f laslt qU poQ__!no Qelgl_      tains a battery that powers the
16 You can use flash in daylight       camera.
18Indoorflash  hints
20 Daylight picture hints24 Close-uos              il;m".PoLARoTD sx-70 LANDffirlr-u    l
25 Time exposures
26 Tips on outdoor lighting
28 To set the lens manually
31 Need help? Call Customer
   Service
32 Troubleshooting
38 Care of your system
39 Electronic   f lash
40 Accessories
40 Copies and enlargements
l1_Frll warranty_

Venmo @mike-butkus-camera  Ph. 2083
PayPal Name  Lynn@butkus.org      www.PayPal.me/lynnbutkus

Flash                       Features
 For  f lash pictures, you can now use   New with sonar focusing:
the standard FlashBar or Polaroid's       . Automatic and precise focusing
new Polatronic Flash. And with both,        in any light, even total darkness.
you won't waste a  f lash or film.             . Can "preview" before you shoot
When all the bulbs on one side of a        to see what you'll get in the
FlashBar have fired or when the          finished picture.
Polatronic Flash unit is off or not         . Built-in "use flash ortriDod"fully charged, your camera will not                                                  ind icator.operate- so you won't waste  f ilm.
And when the film pack is empty,                                   Standard with SX-70:
the  f lash will not  f ire.                         . Throug h-the-lens viewing     .
Standard FlashBar                        . Automatic exposure control for
Comes with 10 bulbs-five on each       daylight and flash pictures.
side. Your camera willfind the next                                               . Pictures from 10.4 inches togood bulb in a partly used FlashBar.
                                                    infinity (flash to 20 feet).The FlashBar range is 10.4 inches
to 20 feet from the camera.                 . Can shoot as fast as every
                                                1.5 seconds.Pofatronic Flash #2350
Supplies about 75  f lashes with a         . 4-element, 116mm, precision
fresh set of batteries..                    glass lens,
                                                    . Variable aperture from f/8Iotl74.And its 1/1000 of a second   f lash
stops most action for remarkably          . Variable shutter speed from 1/180sharp pictures. The Polatronic Flash                                    second to 14 seconds or more.range is 10.4 inches to 12 feetfrom
the camera,                                . Flash in daylight to eliminate
                                     shadows.
                                                    . Automatic time exoosures to
                                        14 seconds or more.





-Depending on battery type
 and frequency  of use.                                                                                                  I
6

To open and close                       www.butkus.us
the camera
Opening: Hold the camera in the      Closing: Push the cover support
palm of your left hand. Lift the thin     toward the rear of the camera. Press
end of the vieMinder cap and Pull  it   down on the viewfinder cao until
straight up until the cover support     both sides of the camera latch.
(A) locks.

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13 VieMindercap                  17 Remote shutter
                                           button connector
14 VieMindereyepiece
                                 18 Yellow bar
15 Neckstrap connec-                   (opens  f ilm door)
   tors (follow the
    instructions on the               19 Tripod socket
   neckstrap sleeve)                             (is on the bottom of
                                          the camera; accepts
16 Picture counter                     a standard tripod
   (goes to 10 when                     screw)
   you load a new or
    partly used film                20 Serial number
   pack into the camera;                  (underthis edge)
   counts down to show
   how many pictures
   are left)

To load the film
Push down on the yellow bar (A),
The film doorwill drop open.
Hold the film pack by its edges
only. (Gripping the pack above and
below the yellow tab may damage
the film.)
Push the film pack into the camera
until the narrow strip (B) snaps
open. Close the film door. The
camera will eject the  f ilm cover.
To remove an empty pack, pull
the yellow tab.





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To holdwww.butkus.usthe camera
Grip  it firmly in the palm of your
left hand, thumb and fingers behind
the hinge (A).
Place your right thumb on the semi-
circle, indexfingeron the shutter
button, and curl the otherfingers
into your palm.
It's important to hold the camera
as shown. Then, when you squeeze
the shutter button, yourfingers will
not press against the bellows or
block the picture exit slot in front.





                                              11

How sonar focusing lets
you "preview" the picture
To familiarize yourself with sonar     What you now see in the viewf inder
focusing and "previewing," stand         is a "preview" of what the  f inished
a few feet from your subject. Then      picture will look like.  lf it isn't exactly
look through the viewf inder. Notice    what you want, release the button,
that the scene appears unsharp.      change position or camera angle,
                                       lhen lightly press again for another
Lightly press the shutter button part-   "preview." When you're readY to
way and hold  it there. You'll hear a     shoot, hold steady and squeeze
brief whirring sound as the lens        the button all the way.
brings your subject into sharp view.
(lf  f ilm is ejected, you pressed too     "Previewing" helps you to plan a
hard and accidentally took a picture.)  picture carefully. Forquick snap-
                                         shots, however, there's no need to
                                           hesitate. Just aim and shoot as de-
                                     scribed on the opposite page.





12

www.butkus.usTo aim and shoot
Bring your eye close to the view-
findereyepiece so you can see all
four corners of the black frame
inside.

Squeeze the shutter button all
the way. Hold the camera steady
untilthe film is ejected.
Remove and handle the developing
picture by its wide white border.





                                                                           13

Use  f lash for most indoor
pictu res

For indoor pictures, you can now
choose between the standard
FlashBar or Polaroid's new Pola-
tronic Flash.
Flash pictures should not be
taken where the atmosPhere
contains gases or dust that may
be ignited by a spark.



Insert the FlashBar into the  f lash
socket. Always do this with the front
of the camera pointing away  f rom
you.

The FlashBar range is 10.4 inches
to 20 feet from the camera.





The Polatronic Flash attaches easily
to the camera. See the brief instruc-
tions oacked with the unit.

The Polatronic Flash range is 10.4
inches to 12 feet from the camera.





14

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Watch for your camera's
 "use flash or tripod" indicator
When you're not using flash, a red            lf you see the red light, release the
 light may appear in the right side of    shutter button. Then use flash or
the viewf inder as you beg in to press   place the camera on a tripod for a
the shutter button.                    Irme exposure.
 It warns that the lighting on the
scene is not bright enough for
hand-held picture taking Outdoors,
the red light will most likely appear
when  it is heavily overcast, at dusk
orwhen you're shooting in a shaded
area.  lt will also aooear indoors in
most room lighting.





                                                                       15

You can use flash in daylight

This exciting feature, called          Here are the typical ways  "f ill-flash"
 "fill-f lash," can correct lighting situ-   can help in daylight:
ations that might otherwise have
produced disappointing resu lts.
                                     Strong sunlight can create harsh
Although you can use "fill{lash"         facial shadows Flash can fill in the
overthe full FlashBar and Polatronic   shadowed areas with even. flatter-
Flash ranges, you'll get particularly     ing light.
good results when you're about 5
to 6 feet from your subject.



                                     Your subiect may be forced to squint
                               when facing bright sunlight. To get
                                        the natural expression you want,
                                       take your subject out of direct sun-
                                                light and use "f ill-f lash."





                            When the sun is behind your sub-
                                             ject (but not shining directly into
                                      the lens), your subject usually will
                                 be too dark in the picture. "Fill-f lash"
                                can provide the added light your
                                      subject needs.





16

Move in close and watch the
background
You'll get particularly good  f lash
pictures of people when they are 5
to 6 feet away and near a colorful
background.

When the background is dark, or far
behind your subject, or beyond the
flash range, itwillbetoodark  in
the picture





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Arrange groups carefu lly          To avoid a flash reflection
All the people in a group should be   When shooting toward a reflective
about the same distance from the      object or background (mirror, win-
camera. Then everyone will be lit      dow, eyeglasses,  etc.), stand to
evenly by the  f lash.                 one side of you r su bject and shoot
                                     from an angle to avoid a flash
                                           reflection in the picture (see below).
                                   However, when the reflective sur-
                                    face is smooth and flat and is the
                                        central part of your main subject
                                         (glass enclosed art, wall hanging,
                                                 etc.), shooting at an angle may
                                  cause the sound waves to reflect
                               away from the camera. lf this hap-
                                     pens, the lenswill be set incorrectly
                                 and your picture may be unsharp.
                                   To avoid this, you can set the lens
                                  manually (see page 28).





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                                                                       19

Daylight picture hints
It's easy to take beautiful daylighl
pictures. Just keep these points
in mind:
. In bright sunlight, stand so the
  sun is behind you or to the side.




. Move in close. You  ll get partic-
  ularly good results when your
  subject is about 5 to 6 feet  f rom
  the camera. Then important details
    f ill the picture and backgrounds
  :ro locc dictr:ntinn





. Don't just wait for a special
  occasion. Photograph your sub-
  jects when they least expect  it.
  Your camera is perfect for this
  type of shot- just aim and shoot

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. Save action pictures for bright,
  sunlit days. Then your camera's
  shutter will work at top speed. And
  for best results, have your sub-
 jects move toward you rather than
 across the picture.

 But indoors, Polaroid's new Pola-
  tron ic Flash wi   | | stop most action
 for remarkably sharp pictures.





 Give your subjects something to
 do. Then they'llfeel relaxed, not
  stiff or posed.





                                              ala1

Daylight picture hints continued





 . You don't always need direct       . Include color. Use props. Ask
  sunlight to get great results. This    your subjects to wear bold, solid
   portrait was taken on a bright       colors or pose them near a color-
  overcast day. Since the light is         ful background.
  diffused, shadows are soft, making
     it a  f lattering light for close-ups.





. When shooting scenics, include.  . Watch the background.  lt should
  something in the foreground to      complement your subjects, not
  serve as a natural frame or to show  distract from them. Keep  it simple.
  deoth or scale,





22

Close-ups
Your camera is designed to open
a newworld of beautiful, exciting
close-up pictures. You can take
them in daylight orwith flash and no
other camera does it so easily.
With no accessories, you can come
as close as 10.4 inches. Pictures
taken at that distance will show your
subject at half its actual size.
For medium close-ups (pets,
children, etc.), look through the
vieMinder and as you move in
close, lightly press the shutter
button partway several times to
"preview" the picture at various dis-
tances. When you see the picture
you want, just press the button all
the way.
To shoot at the closest possible dis-
tance, look through the viewf inder
and come closer to your subject than
10,4 inches. Lightly press the shut-
ter button partway and hold  it there.
You'll hear the camera set the lens
for 10,4 inches,
Move the camera back and forth
until your subject is as sharp and
clear as possible. When  it is, press
the button all the way to take the
picture.
To avoid possible discomfort from
the flash, extreme close-ups of
people should be made in natural
light rather than with  f lash.





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