Polaroid Land Camera 185
This article refers to the original Polaroid-manufactured 185 Land Camera; see Polaroid Land Camera 185 (2000) for the Japan-market limited edition model; it has a non-folding viewfinder and the model designation at the bottom of its lensboard.
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The Polaroid Land Camera 185 is one of the scarcest models in Polaroid's series of professional-level folding packfilm cameras, which also included the Polaroid Land Camera 180, 190 and 195. All of these superficially resemble the consumer Polaroid 100-400 series, designed to shoot 3¼×4¼" peel-apart instant film. The desirable features of the 185 are a better grade Mamiya 114mm f/5.6 lens, and an excellent single-window viewfinder /rangefinder provided by Zeiss Ikon.
What makes this model a unique rarity is that unlike the 180, 190, and 195 (which require the use of a separate handheld light meter), the front panel of the 185 includes a CdS photocell, with a match-needle indicator on the back of the lensboard. The lens has a ring that can select from 75 or 3000 ISO meter setting. Flash sync modes can be changed with the M, X, V knob. M for flashbulb X for electronic flash and V for self-timer. The Model 185 may never have been put into regular production. The Land List gives an estimate that 50 to 200 were made[1], perhaps as gifts for those close to Polaroid founder Edwin Land. McKeown's says that some were sold, "only in Japan."[2]. The scarcity of this model makes definitive information hard to come by.
Notes
- ↑ Polaroid Model 185 (vintage and 2000 versions) at the Land List
- ↑ McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Page 795.
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