Camera Information - 900 Electric Eye

Camera Info - 900

The following information was taken from "The Land List".

Polaroid Land Camera Model 900 Electric Eye

Produced: 1960-1963
Original Retail: $159.95
Estimated Production: 460,000 - (650,000)

Lens: 130mm, f/8.8, 3-element glass.
Exposure set by standard EV (Exposure Value) numbers rather than "Light Value" numbers.
Flash: M-sync via Polaroid "hot shoe," X-sync via a special bi-pin connector.
Shutter: electrically controlled, 1/12 - 1/600, plus Bulb
Automatic programmed exposure by CdS cell; manual control also possible by EV settings.
Focus by wheel on edge of bed, shutter release on end of bed.
Has single-window viewfinder/rangefinder with projected framelines and automatic parallax compensation.
Polished steel body with grey textured covering

IMPORTANT FIRSTS: First electrically-controlled shutter, first camera with programmed (shutter and aperture) auto exposure (?).

I never ever used one of these before. I only purchased my first one because of the single-window finder. I knew right away I could swap it with the double-window finder of the 110A or any other model.

In my humble opinion, this is the only reason to purchase a 900: to steal the finder.

Everyone loves a 110B, with the nice shutter/lens and single window finder. But who can afford, let alone find one? The 900 is a perfect subsitute for the 110B finder. They are exactly the same.

Every one I've ever purchased has been broken in one way or another. Either battery compartment corrosion or a stuck shutter, etc. While its a precursor to the later packfilm automatics, this camera sucks in my opinion.

The design for the folding front door is nice, the pinch to open and close is neat. And the moving of the focus knob to the side frees up the tripod socket. And it folds up by itself when you slide the lensboard back.

Some choose to use the 900 as a base for a 110A/B conversion, swapping the lensboards. But this requires alot of work and tweaking, but the results can be very nice. Razzle is a pro at this.

These models can be found for relatively cheap, expect to pay about $10-30 for one. If you are going to simply remove the finder housing, you can get one thats in bad shape. As long as the plastic housing isnt cracked, everything can be cleaned.

The rest of the camera is pretty useless in terms of parts. The bellows can be salvaged and that's about it really.

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