C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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instant
The SX-70 is a folding single-lens-reflex instant camera: pull a tab on the corner, the body unfolds into shooting position, an internal mirror pops up for through-the-lens viewing, and the autoexposure system computes shutter from a CdS cell behind the lens. After the shutter, motorized rollers eject a print that develops in your hand over 5–15 minutes. Edwin Land's instant-film vision in its definitive form.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the sx-70 format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →Develop sx-70 film
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Before you buy used
About this camera
The folding SLR that ate its own film. Edwin Land's masterpiece, a design object as much as a camera.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | SX-70 integral instant film |
| Lens | 116mm f/8, 4 elements / 4 groups, glass |
| Years | 1972–1981 (original); ongoing refurbs |
| Shutter | Auto: ~10s – 1/180s, electronic leaf |
| Meter | CdS, coupled |
| Focus | Manual (Sonar variants: sonar AF) |
| Body | Folds flat to 25 mm thick |
| Battery | In every film pack |
Released 1972 to enormous fanfare. Steve Wozniak called the SX-70 "the most amazing electromechanical thing I'd ever seen." The original chrome+leather Alpha 1 was followed by Model 2 (white plastic), the Sonar OneStep (1978, with sonar autofocus), and assorted promotional editions. Original SX-70 film stopped production in 2006 when Polaroid exited integral film; The Impossible Project (2008–2017) and later Polaroid Originals / Polaroid B.V. (2017–present) revived film for SX-70 cameras under the "SX-70" branded film.
The SX-70 is the most-cited camera in industrial-design canon. MoMA permanent collection. Henry Dreyfuss / Polaroid in-house team. The folding SLR mechanism alone — fitting a mirror, prism-equivalent reflex finder, and lens into a 25mm-thick body — was a feat of mechanical engineering nobody has matched since. Andy Warhol photographed his entire social circle on SX-70s. Walker Evans shot SX-70 obsessively in his last years. Ansel Adams collaborated with Polaroid as a consultant.
The film itself, with its slow color shift and unique chemistry, is the defining "Polaroid look." Other instant films (600, I-Type, Spectra) are derivatives.
Lens fixed. Accessories: original flashbar (10 disposable bulbs), Polatronic electronic flash (rare), tripod adapter, close-up lens kit, ND filter for shooting 600 film through SX-70 cameras (SX-70 = ISO 100, 600 film = ISO 640 native). Polaroid Originals sells modern flashes that fit.