instantphoto.eu Polaroid CU-5 Instant Camera System
This
special gear, the Polaroid CU-5 Instant Camera System. It is a modular large
format system mainly for Close-Up with a 5 inch or a 3 inch lens.
The camera can also be mounted onto a tripod and be used as a
studio portrait or enlargement camera. As the 4x5 unit accepts ordinary 4x5 Graflok film holders, it can still be used today.
It
allows to make easy close-ups of objects on
Pack 100 and 4x5 Polaroid film. Both films are no longer made. The 4x5
unit accepts other than Polaroid 4x5 film
holders. The pack 100 unit could certainly be adapted to Instax wide
film, but I have not seen such an adaption yet. Its main purpose was to
make high quality pictures from small objects for documentation.
It was also widely used in museums and universities. Another field was
its use as a dental camera. It has a built-in ring flash to facilitate
even lighting of the small objects. The lenses are fixed focus, so
there is a wide range of accessories to indicate the appropriate
distance.
Some pictures:
Some camera bodies, lens units, grips and extenders...
...more accessories...
...and fixed magnification indicators.
A standard camera consists of a body with its back and a lens unit, a 5 inch unit in this case.
Back open.
Seen from the front.
If you open the connection between the modules of the system, a flap rises automatically to protect the film from being exposed.
A 5 inch lens module seen from back.
The lens unit has a ring flash supply connection and a PC
flash socket for an external flash. As indicated, it's either or.
You cam add a grip.
The grip is screws to the bottom.
The grip and the shutter trigger work like a pistol. The trigger actions an ever-ready shutter.
Lens front and its ring flash.
You can add an extension unit or two. The lens unit has a lever on its top to adapt to the different film types.
The setting device is a flap that hides further settings. Under the
flap there is a good large format shutter with T, B and speed settings
from 1s to 1/125s. The no. 1 setting is a bit more than F 11.
The no. 2 setting is a bit mor than F 16.
The no. 3 settting is F 45...
... + a ND filter switched into place to adapt to the ISO 3000 of the B&W Polaroid film.
A 3 inch unit.
Under the flap it's F32 at no. 2....
...and F45 + ND filter at no. 3.
There a 3 fixed ratio attachments for the 3 inch lens.
It's a 1:1 ratio with a basic module. Size of an Instax photo or an old pack 100 photo.
If you add an extension, it's 1:2 magnification. If you add another extension, it would be 1:3.
An oscilloscope attachment with size indications.
It has a correction lens...
.. and yes, it's dirty.
So let us have a look at the ring flash power supply which is important to the system.
This is a standard flash power supply. There is the main unit and the power insert.
Unit front. On/off switch, flash power adaption knob and test button.
Back of the unit.
Front of the power insert. A standard American 120V supply.
Unit and power supply pushed in.
A 220V power supply.
Front of the 220 unit.
A battery or rechargeable cell power supply, fits into the main unit
instead of the line power supply, It makes the unit portable.
It takes 4 big D cells or batteries.
Another portable flash supply, not common-
Instructions on the unit.
It takes a #497 510 V Eveready battery, no longer made.
Front of the unit.
The 4x5 inch camera unit. This can be used as portrait camera.
A unit with a 4x5 inch Polaroid back.
The back is standard 4x5 Graflok, so you can use any standard Graflok film holder as long as it's not too thick.
The camera mounted to a tripod. There is a 25 inch (75cm) fixed focus
rangefinder. So you have to move the camera until your person or object
is in focus (focus shuffle).
Seen from the back.
The finder is parallax corrected.
Camera with a sheet film holder.
Seen from the front.
There is a +0.5 lens for a 2:1 ratio and its clip. An arrow indicates
the orientation of the lens. There were filters of the same size.
Drop the lens into the housing...
...and secure it with the clip. There is a 2:1 copy stand. I own one but I have not found it yet.
Up
left 2 dental attachments for the lower jaw. You put the curved side
against the gums and focus is fine with a 2x unit. The polished
attachment serves as mirror to make pictures from the upper jaw. The
attachment up right is the mount for the copy stand. Down left is the
25 inch finder.
In any case, this is a highly sophisticated system for multiple use. In
my opinion it is widely underrated, like the MP4 system. And it's a
wonderful source for tinkerers
