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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The Polaroid 150 is a folding roll-pack instant camera introduced in 1957, occupying the mid-range of Polaroid's lineup between the entry-level 80-series and the professional-grade 110-series. It accepts 100-series peel-apart pack film (later Fujifilm FP-100C compatible) and features a coupled rangefinder for distance-accurate manual focus, a selenium exposure meter requiring no battery, and a fully mechanical leaf shutter. The 150 shares a family resemblance with the 110A and 110B Pathfinder cameras but uses a simpler, less optically distinguished lens - a Rodenstock Ysar or equivalent sourced lens rather than the Ysarex found on the 110B.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the pack-film 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 →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Develop pack-film film
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About this camera
Mid-tier folding pack-film Land Camera of the late 1950s, with coupled rangefinder and selenium meter.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | Polaroid 100-series peel-apart pack film (later: Fuji FP-100C compatible) |
| Lens | ~127mm fixed; f/8.8 or f/11 depending on variant |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder; ~0.9 m to infinity |
| Shutter | Mechanical leaf; 1s - 1/300s |
| Meter | Selenium cell; no battery required |
| Exposure mode | Manual |
| Flash sync | M and X via PC port |
| Battery | None required |
| Years | 1957 - 1960 |
Edwin Land introduced the original Polaroid Model 95 in 1948 and spent the following decade building out a tiered product line as peel-apart chemistry improved. By the mid-1950s Polaroid was selling cameras at multiple price points: the 80-series (entry/consumer), the 100/150/160 series (mid-range), and the 110-series Pathfinders (professional/enthusiast).
The 150 was introduced in 1957 to replace the earlier 110A in the mid-tier position. Where the 110A had a Voigtlander Voigtar triplet, the 150 used a simpler Polaroid-branded or Rodenstock-sourced optic with a more modest maximum aperture, reducing production cost while retaining the coupled rangefinder and selenium metering that differentiated the mid-range from the basic 80-series. Production ran until approximately 1960, when the 160 superseded it.
The 100-series cameras of this era shot Polaroid roll-pack film, the peel-apart format that required the photographer to time development, peel, and then apply a coater to the print - a multi-step process that later 100-series cameras (post-1963 Type 100 film) streamlined. Working Polaroid 150 bodies today are used primarily with Fujifilm FP-100C (now discontinued) old stock, or in some cases adapted for 4x5 cut film back use.
The 150 is historically significant as a representative of the transitional era in instant photography when Polaroid was refining the pack-film format toward what became the definitive 100-series design. The coupled rangefinder - unusual for a consumer-aimed camera of its era and price - gave photographers meaningful control over focus at portrait distances, distinguishing instant photography from the point-and-shoot conception that dominated later consumer expectations.
The selenium metering system is also worth noting: it represents a design philosophy of maximum mechanical self-sufficiency, producing a camera that requires no battery to operate fully. This makes working examples significantly more usable today than battery-dependent contemporaries, where obsolete mercury cell requirements create modern operational difficulties.
Polaroid 150
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