Is a Polaroid Pathfinder land camera Mod 110a any good?

[William E. Lindsay]

I have located a 4X5 Polaroid Pathfinder Land camera, Model 110a. I didn't know that Polaroid made a 4X5 field camera. It is all metal, heavy, with Rodenstock f4.7 150mm lens.

Can anyone tell me more about this camera? It supposedly has tilts, swings, & r ise. It accepts a seperate polaroid back (also available. And, what should I p ay for it?

Thanks

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I always thought a Polaroid 110A was a folding roll film camera that took type 47 film. Are you perhaps reading the model # off of the toilet seat that covers the lens? Perhaps the lens was transplanted from the original. If what you have is all original, I'd be curious to know more about it.

[Todd Frederick]

I have a Polaroid 110A. It is not 4x5. The lens is very high quality. In its original state it can not be used since the film is no longer available. Both the 110A and 110B (nearly identical cameras) can be converted to current film pack use (such as 669, etc). Four Designs company at 1-800-468-3399 does the conversions. I had my 110B converted and I'm having the 110A converted. The cost to have it converted is $255. It includes bellows change, shutter cleaning and adjusting, rangefinder cleaning and adjusting plus the up dated film back.

To purchase a 110A not converted, do not pay much over $75. That's what four designs told me the market value is.

Their website is www.fourdesigns.com

These cameras do NOT have view camera movements.

[Todd Frederick]

One item I did not mention. The lens on that camera is a 127mm Rodenstock-Ysarex f/4.7 in a Prontor SVS shutter...This is a particularly fine lens: very sharp and contrasty IMO. It can be removed from the polaroid easily, and used on a 4x5, which is what I have done on my field camera. Very thin compact lens/shutter assembly.