found at my grandma's house...

[paigew]

...anyone know what it is?? She said its some kind of camera but I can't figure out how to open the thing .

 

[Heitz]

I think it's from Star Trek.

 

[amolitor]

Looks like a Polaroid SX-70.

EDIT: You can get film for this thing from the Impossible Project guys. Word is that it's not very good film, but it works.

 

[paigew]

Looks like a Polaroid SX-70.

EDIT: You can get film for this thing from the Impossible Project guys. Word is that it's not very good film, but it works.

awesome! Yes that is what it is Now to find the film!

 

[SCraig]

I don't think you're going to find the film. It looks like it's a Polaroid, maybe an SX-70 but I'm not certain.

 

[amolitor]

IMPOSSIBLE - film

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, that's certainly a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera (I think all the similar models have that designation). I've got two or three of them around here somewhere...and one of mine came from my Grandmother's house too.

 

[Derrel]

The SX-70 is one of the COOLEST single lens reflex camera designs ever made!@@! I have one. It used to be lotsa fun! It was a fun camera to use, and was actually pretty easy to carry, especially compared with the older box-and-bellows size of the 100-series Polaroid cameras I grew up with. I believe that model there has some type of "sonic" focus assist, projected from that grille-like circular aperture....seems like they used a sonic emission as a rangefinder method...kind of a sonar-assisted focus system, as I think I recall...hell, it's been 35 years since that thing was advertised, and they did NOT last very long in the popular photo culture..

 

[Big Mike]

I agree, they are pretty cool. Especially the ones like that, with the metal (is it aluminum?) body.

If you could convert of of those to digital (maybe by finding a way to use your smart phone), you'd be king of all the hipsters.

 

[jaicatalano]

It's from the watergate scandal. The Smithsonian was looking for that.

 

[Jaemie]

I used a SX-70 waaaayyyy long ago, and it was a COOL camera!

 

[Jaemie]

Also... Edwin Land, co-founder of Polaroid, was a stellar scientist and inventer! Check him out sometime for a fascinating story.

 

[Derrel]

SX-70 Sonar One-Step is what I believe the model designation is. That is of course, a VERY cursory I.D, based on a total of ONE Google search, or a grand total of 12.3 seconds' worth of on-line "reeeeesurch"....it *IS* definitely a "Sonar" family member....not sure if it is the One Step or not...but it is,positively an SX-70 "Sonar". Not sure if there were variants or not...

 

[paigew]

Derrel, yes when I opened it up it says 'sonar one step'. and it has a little dial on it you can turn. not sure what that does though

 

[Jaemie]

Gosh, I even remember the ads for that camera and the sonar thing being a major feature. I oughta be carbon dated.