About a decade ago, a Polaroid J66 camera found a way into my collection of dusty, obsolete cameras. Manufactured from 1961 - 1963, the film vanished decades ago. Since I like to try exposures from old cameras, I was looking at ways to stuff 35mm or medium format film into it to see what delights might arise. I stumbled across a post that described a near-perfect fit for a single sheet of 4x5 film.
Since the original film was quite fast compared to the 400ASA sheet film I was using, I had to think of a way to slow down the shutter speed. The camera used a pneumatic shutter system controlled by a photocell on the front of the camera. I taped a piece of neutral density stock over the photocell to fool the system into the slowest available speed. With the manually controlled aperture set wide open, the exposure values would work with the HP400 sheet film in a bright, sunny 16 scene.
One the walk to work on a wintry day in Chicago about a decade ago, I stopped to make the exposure at the Gehry Bandshell in Millennium Park. At the time, I processed my own black and white film. I was surprised at the result.
Gehry Bandshell
Click for larger view
The one-shot wonder worked well. This is the only image that I have made with the camera.
