Camera Information - Automatic 104

Camera Info - Automatic 104

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

Polaroid Land Camera Automatic 104

Produced: 1965-1967
Original Retail: $59.95
Estimated Production: 1,250,000 - (1,400,000)

Lens: 114mm f/8.8 2-element plastic
Shutter: Electronic; 10 seconds - 1/1200
Has exposure compensation dial with range of -1/+2 stops ("Lighten/Darken" control).
Only has settings for films speeds of 75 and 3000 ASA.
Film speed selector is on top of shutter housing
Has plastic body and plastic shutter/lens housing; no tripod socket.
Has simpler, rigid viewfinder with "image sizer" distance estimator instead of rangefinder. A manual focus scale is also visible in the finder. Finder has projected framelines and automatic parallax compensation.

NOTE: The distance estimator device featured on this and a few other low-end folding pack cameras is not a true rangefinder, but can be used as a focusing aid for portrait work. Superimposed in the viewfinder are two horizontal lines. One of these lines shifts up and down as the camera is focused, while the other remains stationary. The photographer is supposed to adjust the focus so that the subject's head fits just between the two lines. [This, of course, assumes that the subject is an adult human.] The non-stationary line in the finder also has a pointer at one end which indicates the focus distance (in feet) along a scale.

I used one of these as the packfilm back to my two prototype conversions. I hacked the thing to bits until all that was left was the packfilm holding part.

However, I have come to find that these Automatic cameras are actually still useful in their own right.

The 104 is a model with few bells and whistles. The finder does not fold down, which isn't a huge deal I guess. But this one also lacks any real focus aid. Read the note above to understand why. The distance scale at least saves it from being useless entirely.

They are extremely common and, depending largely on the working condition and aesthetics, cost anywhere from $10-60.

Like all of these models the batteries are hard to come by and typically not cheap. This model takes a 3v battery. When looking for any Automatic packfilm camera, keep in mind to look for little or no corrosion in the battery compartment. If there is corrosion it may have spread through the wires making the upgrade to a 3v photo lithium battery alot harder.

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