Upgrade information

LiFePo4 BATTERY : The solution to an age old problem

LandCameras.com specializes in creating high quality, fully restored instant cameras. At the core of every one of our cameras lies rechargeable battery technology. Utilizing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePo4) batteries provides the advantages that are truly necessary for a camera like this.

Polaroid pack film cameras use power in two places; the light sensor and the magnetic shutter. Power draw from these two systems is low enough that a single alkaline battery can last a year or more with normal usage.  Most normal rechargeable batteries have a full charge shelf life of less than 3 months. This means that you’d have to recharge your camera even if you didn’t use it for a few months.

LiFePo4 technology does not contain any heavy metals and does not exhibit the “memory effect” of Nickel-Cadmium and Nickel-metal Hydride solutions. The lack of toxic materials used in LiFePo4 batteries bring the added benefit of environmental and health safety. Most importantly LiFePo4 technology has been shown to lose very little energy in a 2 year shelf life test while fully charged and unused.

Included with all new or upgraded camera is the battery, charger and new instruction manual.

ELECTRONIC FLASH : Solving the flashbulb delima

The X-Sync upgrade performed Deluxe models and above are a electro-mechanical modification to the shutter and flash system. The common wisdom has been that these cameras are not compatible with modern electronic flash units, completely true. The original flash system was based on flash bulbs which needed to be replaced after every exposure. The nature of flash bulbs required the flash to be “ignited” slightly before the shutter was fully open. This is known as “M-Sync” (reference from Wikipedia).

Modern “X-Sync” flash systems are fast enough that they need to be triggered at the moment the shutter is fully open. If one were to place an electronic flash on a “M-Sync” camera, the result would be uneven and cutoff light, as the flash would fire before the shutter was fully open. The modification performed on this camera corrects the timing issue.

In addition to performing the internal upgrades to the shutter, a ‘Cold Shoe’ will be installed on the top of your camera. This allows a convenient mounting point for any flash that you choose to use with your camera. The cold shoe is made of high quality stainless steel, and securely attached to the camera body.

Finally, with every flash upgrade or complete camera we’ve also included a “Hot Shoe” kit that. This kit includes the hot shoe block as well as a cable. The cable is used to connect the hot shoe to the lens housing in the front of the camera.