The Polaroid Land Camera 100A is a refined iteration of the original Model 100, introduced in the mid-to-late 1960s as Polaroid continued to develop and segment its pack-film lineup. It retains the core architecture of the 100 - folding aluminum-alloy body, CdS-metered electronic shutter, coupled rangefinder, and Type 100 pack-film compatibility - while offering an improved optical viewfinder with a brighter image. The 100A occupied the mid-range of the pack-film hierarchy alongside the simpler 104 and below the rangefinder-equipped 250; it was aimed at the serious amateur who wanted rangefinder focus without the higher price of the 250 or the later professional tier.
Reference
Find film for your Polaroid 100A
Recommended film stocks for the pack-film format your camera takes.
**Battery** - the Eveready 531 (3V) is no longer manufactured; a two-LR44 adapter is the standard substitute. Test voltage before blaming the shutter.
**CdS meter** - let the camera stabilise in consistent light before relying on meter readings; the CdS cells in 1960s cameras drift and are slow to respond.
**Electronic shutter** - strongly battery-dependent; sluggish or absent firing is almost always a battery-voltage problem first.
**Viewfinder brightness** - the 100A's improved finder is its main differentiator from the 100; inspect for haze, fungus, or coating separation which would negate the improvement.
**Bellows** - inspect at all fold points and strut joints in bright light for pinholes. Light leaks appear as fog or bright flares across prints.
**Rollers** - clean before loading any film pack. Residual chemistry causes uneven development and streaking.
**Film availability** - confirm One Instant or equivalent pack film is obtainable before purchase. Film scarcity affects practical value significantly.
About this camera
A refined successor to the original pack-film 100, with a brighter viewfinder and cleaner finder optics.
Key Specs
Frequently asked questions
What film does the Polaroid 100A use?
The Polaroid 100A shoots pack-film film.
What battery does the Polaroid 100A take?
The Polaroid 100A uses a 3V (Eveready 531 or equivalent; 2x LR44 adapter common) battery.
What lens mount does the Polaroid 100A have?
The Polaroid 100A uses the fixed mount.
What shutter speeds does the Polaroid 100A offer?
The Polaroid 100A's shutter speeds range from ~10s to ~1/1200s.
**Documentation** - the 100A is less commonly documented than the 100 or 250; service manual availability is limited, making professional repair harder to source.
Field
Value
Format
Polaroid Type 100 pack film (peel-apart; 8 frames per pack; ~3.25 x 4.25 in print)
Lens
~114mm f/8.8, 3-element (Tominon-type)
Focus
Coupled rangefinder
Shutter
Electronic auto; ~10s - ~1/1200s
Meter
CdS cell; auto with darken/lighten override
Flash
M and X sync; AG-1, M-3 bulbs and electronic flash compatible
ISO range
75 - 3000 (manual ISO dial)
Battery
3V (Eveready 531 or 2x LR44 adapter)
Weight
~1,400 g (unverified)
Years
~1967 - ~1969 (production dates unverified)
History
The original Polaroid Land Camera 100, launched in 1963, anchored the first generation of pack-film cameras. Polaroid's strategy during the mid-1960s was to rapidly extend the pack-film lineup across multiple price tiers, releasing numbered variants - 101, 104, 150, 250, 350 - that shared the same pack-film system but differed in optics, metering precision, and finder quality.
The 100A fits within this expansion as a mid-cycle revision of the baseline 100. The primary reported change from the 100 was a brighter optical viewfinder, which improved usability in lower ambient light conditions without altering the underlying exposure or focusing mechanics. The body construction, shutter type, metering cell, and film compatibility were carried over essentially unchanged.
By the end of the 1960s, Polaroid had consolidated its lineup around the 250 and 350 (both with rangefinders) and the entry-level 104 (fixed-focus). The 100A's position as a transitional model made it relatively short-lived, and it was phased out as the second-generation pack-film cameras took over.
The pack-film system these cameras relied on continued in production through Fujifilm's FP-100C and FP-3000B stocks until 2016. Since then, One Instant has resumed small-batch production of compatible pack film, keeping cameras like the 100A technically shootable.
Why It Matters
The 100A is a transitional camera in Polaroid's most important product lineage. By introducing a brighter finder, Polaroid demonstrated a willingness to refine the 100-series on the basis of user feedback before committing to the larger design changes that would define the 250 and 350. This iterative approach - maintaining format and mechanical compatibility while improving optical quality - became a hallmark of Polaroid's pack-film management strategy through the late 1960s.
For photographers interested in the history of the pack-film system, the 100A represents a visible inflection point: it is clearly of the first generation but carries forward an improvement that the original 100 lacked. It offers the same coupled rangefinder focus system, the same programmatic exposure, and the same film as the more-collected 250 and 350, but commands lower used prices due to relative obscurity.
Sample Photographers / Notable Use
Pack-film cameras in the 100-series tier were standard tools in journalistic and documentary photography contexts in the late 1960s for on-scene proofing; specific attribution of the 100A versus other 100-series models is not confirmed in published sources.
Police forensic and evidence photography in the United States relied on 100-series Polaroid cameras as a class through this period; the 100A would have been in service during its production run.
Medical and dental record photography used 100-series cameras for rapid clinical documentation; the 100A's rangefinder made it usable for close-up work with close-up lens attachments.
Christopher Bonanos, Instant: The Story of Polaroid (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012) - pack-film system development and the numbered variant strategy.