Making GOOD Instax Prints

**Tin Can** · 1-Nov-2022, 14:07

I have a Horseman with special set of setback for Polaroid

**MartinP** · 1-Nov-2022, 15:51

Originally Posted by Tin Can

I have 3 cheap INSTAX cameras

Their problem is special battery, that nobody sells, it must be 1400 watt

My 2 current INSTAX printers are rechargeable, they work fine

A 1.4kW battery? Wouldn't that be really heavy? The Wide cameras available in Europe have used normal AA cells for about fifteen years or so, and I managed to find an unloved secondhand Wide for EUR48 in the camera shop in town. Ideal for small events and ice-breaking etc. I have a plan to amuse myself by exposing individual sheets in a normal 4x5" darkslide, by means of a polystyrene-sheet adapter (corner slots, as used to be used to mount photos in albums). If it is a rainy winter then I play indoors more!

**Neal Chaves** · 1-Nov-2022, 19:53

Originally Posted by Jason Greenberg Motamedi

Can you share some images or description of what you did Neal?

First, I must say that had been using an Instax Wide back from Mercury Camera Company (the owner is a member here) for some time. While the Mercury back is not as full featured as the Lomograflok, I was able to see the potential of the Instax film through various lenses. It can produce some excellent color images.

The Lomograflok looked promising so I bought one of the first available. I found the offset of the frame to be unacceptable. On the Crown Grafic, the ejected film would catch on the Top RF on the way out and be bent. As soon as I started using the supplied spacer to set infinity stops on the Crown I saw the images were not as sharp they should be. I made a focus aid from an empty film pack with ground glass at the film plane. When I put this in the camera and checked the stops, they were off.

I have fabricated a back for the Crowns from marine board. The back now has room to process and eject the Instax while staying in place. The Instax Wide frame is now centered in the 4X5 horizontal format. In operation, the camera is the same as a Crown with a roll film back. With the right masks in the viewfinder you can have very accurate composition and framing. I like the Self-cocking Copal Press shutters. You compose, focus, expose, eject and it's ready again.

I have fully informed the Lomography organization about the camera, but have no response from them. And so far, it remains confined to the lounge for reasons hotly debated on other threads. I call it the Lounge Lizard.