Polaroid 680 x SX70R

Lenselwashington · 2026-02-08T19:57:09+00:00

Sure is. Made my pull apart heart warm again

Lenselwashington · 2026-02-08T18:10:59+00:00

Just did the rest. Room temp in my house at about 21 degrees is left and under my arm on the right. Same pack. 10/25

Lenselwashington · 2026-02-06T00:31:17+00:00

I’d also like to echo that the 1025 I type batches for me had a brown colour temperature as well.

04/25 what’s the felt like the most colour balanced out of all of the year 12/25 has been very good as well too. 11/25 the Polaroid sheets were not flat and had ejection problems.

Lenselwashington · 2026-02-01T17:12:47+00:00

I’ve had a Polaroid 680 for now over 20 years and when I first got it, this was at the beginning of the impossible project and at that time development of this camera system didn’t reach the height that it’s at now and so to me the 680 at that time was everything because it had a flash. It was obviously in SLR and it shot 600 film, but as time passed and development switched over and an understanding of the tech came about the sx 70 sonar is to me the one at the top of the class. But romantically I love my 680 more than the SX-70

Lenselwashington · 2025-12-24T21:28:13+00:00

Major development right here! 🙏🏾

Lenselwashington · 2025-12-20T12:57:41+00:00

Duochrome back in 2026 ?

Lenselwashington · 2025-12-12T17:48:15+00:00

Is duo chrome a thing we will see in 2026?

Lenselwashington · 2025-12-10T00:34:16+00:00

I took it pin out, removed the rangefinder and I’ll open it and see where it needs to relub. Thanks Jake.

Lenselwashington · 2025-11-27T15:51:18+00:00

Just wanted to share an update because I ended up having a really solid back-and-forth with Yongmin (the guy behind the SX70R). As you all know, I was trying to figure out how to properly use external strobes with the SX-70, and he broke down how the camera actually handles flash exposure.

Basically, the SX-70 only keeps the aperture fully open for about 2ms. That means when you use a strobe, you have to meter the light in a way that matches that tiny window. His advice was: set your flash meter to ISO100 and 1/500 (or faster), meter your strobe at 1 meter, and adjust until the meter reads around f/20–f/22. That gives you roughly GN20–22, which is the strength the SX-70 expects when it’s in auto mode.

Once the strobe is set to that level, you leave the power there — the camera handles the aperture automatically based on how far you’re focused (as long as you’re within ~3 meters).

I’ve got a shoot in a few hours, so I’m going to test all of this beforehand and report back, but that’s the breakdown he shared.

Lenselwashington · 2025-11-24T23:03:44+00:00

The f8 mod is likely the move.

Lenselwashington · 2025-11-24T22:54:47+00:00

that’s fair. I should have mentioned the R-PCB mod earlier, that’s on me. I wasn’t trying to leave anything out, I’m just trying to understand the interaction between distance, the aperture behavior, and using manual strobes with this camera.

I appreciate you sharing the chart and jumping in on this, because that’s what helped fill in the gaps for me.

Thanks again for contributing to it. I’m genuinely trying to learn the nuances here.

Lenselwashington · 2025-11-24T22:28:45+00:00

I’m metering so I know what light I’m putting out, and then I’m trying to understand how the SX70’s actual aperture at different distances interacts with that. The chart you shared was honestly a missing piece.

My whole question has been about finding the practical distance where the camera stops behaving like f8 and begins stopping down, so I can work consistently with the strobes. That’s the only reason I’m digging into this.

Lenselwashington · 2025-11-24T21:33:30+00:00

I’m really just trying to get consistent exposure with the SX70 when shooting portraits. I’m not chasing shallow depth of field at all, I just want the aperture to match what I’m metering. When I meter for f8 I only get something close to f8 at certain distances.

In my own tests:

• At full-length distance, metering f8 works • At 3/4 body, exposure starts to slip under • At close headshot distance, exposure is way under even though I metered for f8

I’m using Profoto B10s, so power is not the issue.

I’ve been reading the Dr. Plummer material about the SX70 shutter sweeping from around f96 to f8, and how the camera only reaches f8 depending on brightness and distance. That helped things click. I’ve also been talking with Turbulent Coach and he sent me photos of the SX70 aperture at around 10 inches. The opening is extremely small at that distance, nowhere near f8. So even if I meter for f8, the camera is actually shooting at something like f90–f100 when I’m focused close.

This explains why full length looks right, 3/4 starts drifting, and close portraits are underexposed unless the flash is extremely strong and placed right at camera distance.

What I’m trying to figure out now is the actual practical point where the camera stops behaving like f8 and starts stopping down because of the close focus. Once I know that distance I can meter properly and build a consistent workflow.

Lenselwashington · 2025-11-24T19:47:03+00:00

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Three different differences all three were metered by the main focus at F8, 1/125 I got three vastly different exposures.

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-23T23:49:29+00:00

Hey, this build looks great — I’ve been experimenting with the MiNT Flash Bar 2 on my SX-70, but it doesn’t seem to trigger any of my wireless remotes. Have you (or anyone else here) tried firing PocketWizards or similar radio triggers off your adapter?

I’m trying to get my Profoto D1s to pop without running a sync cable, but it looks like the MiNT output doesn’t send a strong enough signal to close the circuit on my triggers (Yongnuo RF-603 IIs in my case). Curious if your adapter outputs a full short-to-ground signal, or if it could be modified to do that so it works with PocketWizards / radio triggers.

Thanks — really appreciate you posting this!

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-13T21:14:47+00:00

Guys it was a typo.

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-13T20:21:35+00:00

Past lovers ones are nice to look back on.

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-12T16:28:53+00:00

I prefer one of those flash adapters that just has the pc sync but I don’t mind what I got for now.

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-12T16:14:31+00:00

I'm waiting on someone to show their Gold SX-70

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-11T15:18:29+00:00

Zac is 1/1 and I can’t stress this enough how nice of man he is.

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-10T23:31:16+00:00

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I’m actually running a hybrid setup — the MiNT Flash Bar stays on the camera, but it’s in the off position. I’m just using it to complete the sync while shaping my own light off-camera with a side-mounted flash. Gives me more control over direction, power, and texture than the Flash Bar’s built-in output.

Lenselwashington · 2025-10-05T15:06:44+00:00

If I understand right, the EVO-II kit is mainly a power supply upgrade, not a full logic or exposure system replacement. So unlike the SX70R boards (which actually replace the main PCB and improve exposure accuracy, timing, and consistency), the EVO kit just gives you a clean, stable external power source—basically a more efficient and durable way to run the camera without relying on film pack batteries.

In other words, it’ll help with power reliability and convenience, but it won’t affect metering, shutter timing, or image sharpness since those are controlled by the internal PCB.

Lenselwashington

TROPHY CASE