Polaroid Land 95A
Art Deco Credentials ⓘ
Cameras with the last traces of Deco styling
Limited: Minor and largely incidental Deco elements
- Produced after the main Art Deco period.
- Brushed aluminium on faceplate.
- Horizontal ruled lines on faceplate.
- Body constructed of cast aluminium
- Body covered in brown leatherette.
- Handle of real leather.
- Many chrome highlights
Specification
| Manufacturer | : | Polaroid |
|---|---|---|
| Produced | : | 1954 |
| Classification | : | Medium Format |
| Body Type | : | Folding Bed |
| Bellows Deployment | : | Sliding Rail |
| Construction | : | Cast Aluminium |
| Film Type | : | 40‑series roll film |
| Film Width | : | 82 mm |
| ImageSize | : | 2.5 × 3.25 inches |
| No. of Images | : | 8 |
| Lens Type | : | 3‑element triplet |
| Focal Length | : | 130mm |
| Focus Type | : | Variable |
| Focal Range | : | 3.5ft - inf. |
| Aperture Type | : | multi‑hole Waterhouse wheel |
| Aperture | : | f/9 - f/35 * |
| Shutter Type | : | 5‑blade Leaf |
| Shutter Speeds | : | B, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50,1/150 sec * |
| Size Closed (w x h x d) | : | 130 x 245 x 60 mm |
| Size Open (w x h x d) | : | 130 x 245 x 200 mm |
| Weight | : | 1.925kg |
| * Measured on this camera | ||
Description
The early Polaroid Land Camera 95A represents a transitional moment in instant‑camera engineering, combining the rugged mechanical design of the original Model 95 with refinements that shaped later Land cameras. This rare early‑production variant features the original I/B leaf shutter and Polaroid's unique 1–8 Waterhouse‑stop exposure system, where settings 1–4 share a wide aperture with progressively faster shutter speeds, and 5–8 maintain a fixed speed while stepping down through smaller apertures. At its heart is a 130 mm f/8.8 three‑element triplet lens, capable of surprisingly sharp central rendering and classic mid‑century character. Built with heavy cast‑alloy construction, polished metal trim, and a distinctive folding bellows, the 95A stands as both a functional photographic tool and a beautifully engineered artifact from the dawn of instant photography.
How to Use
The Polaroid Land 95A camera was designed to use Polaroid 40‑series roll film, a format that no longer exists today.
The manual for this camera is found here:- Polaroid Land 95A camera
This camera has a 1-8 position exposure system. The specification of the 8 positions are shown below. These values were measured on the particular camera shown. The higher shutter speeds were not particularly stable varying between 1/100s and 1/120s. I have taken the worse case of 1/120s.
There is a good comparison between the EV values calculated from measurements and those quoted in the camera manual. The difference can be attributed to the fast shutter speed being unstable on this particular camera.
| Exposure Setting | Aperture | Shutter Speed | EV (Calculated) | EV (Manual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | f/9 | 1/11 | 9.8 | - |
| 2 | f/9 | 1/25 | 11.0 | 11 |
| 3 | f/9 | 1/50 | 12.0 | 12 |
| 4 | f/9 | 1/120 | 13.3 | 13 |
| 5 | f/13 | 1/120 | 14.3 | 14 |
| 6 | f/20 | 1/120 | 15.5 | 15 |
| 7 | f/25 | 1/120 | 16.2 | 16 |
| 8 | f/35 | 1//120 | 17.2 | 17 |