The day a customer's old Polaroid taught me about shutter tension

I'd been using the same adjustment for every 35mm SLR for years, but his SX-70 wouldn't fire right until I finally checked the manual and saw the spec was half what I'd been setting. Anyone else get schooled by a vintage camera they thought they knew?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_fox33mo ago

That "totally different sweet spot" is exactly it. I always thought more tension was better for old cameras. This one Polaroid proved me wrong and now I check every time.

park.iris3mo ago

Read somewhere that old Polaroids have a totally different sweet spot for that. Makes sense they'd need a lighter touch.

david_henderson61mo ago

Yeah, @grace_fox3 is right, it's like finding the right pressure for a handshake - too much and it's awkward, too little and nobody trusts you.