Research and
development of the project was conducted from the mid-sixties
until it’s release in 1972 at a staggering cost of three-quarters
of a billion dollars. It created a sea change in the idea and
perception of photography to the American public and the world.
It took the mysterious processes and delay that occurred after
the exposed film was left at the photo shop and placed the entire
process, from start to finish, in the palm of the user’s
hand in two minutes with no mess. There was no timing, peeling
and discarding of the processing components of the earlier instant
pack and roll films. Even more than the previous incarnations
of "instant " photography, this allowed an entirely
new way of using the camera to emerge.
Despite the
fine quality of the original SX-70 product, changes were made
to the system that eventually spelled the demise of the line of
cameras that accepted Time-Zero or SX-70 film. A lower price point
was necessary to generate enough sales for the line to continue
to be profitable, and the design of the camera suffered. The sleek,
folding Alpha models, the backbone of the series, at $300-350
(1972 dollars) were out of range for most Americans to spend on
a second camera. Polaroid started selling the plastic One-Step
model that most of us think of when we think of Polaroid cameras.
Inelegant, large and boxy, with a fixed- focus plastic lens and
viewfinder instead of SLR, the quality had diminished considerably
with the price. As Polaroid had always come up with new and better
imaging products, the public had grown used to buying a new technology
every three to four years. Advances in the chemistry of the emulsion
enabled Polaroid to release two new types of integral films, the
600 and Spectra series, which, unsurprisingly, required new cameras.
These cameras continued in the vein of the design and quality
of the One-Step, even keeping that name for the 600 series base-model
camera. The wide distribution of these lower-priced models virtually
excluded the 600 series SLR 680 and SLR 690 models which were
based on the SX-70 folding design. The Alpha was dead, destined
to be sold at yard sales and flea markets, given to charity, or
passed on to bewildered children.
Since the
camera’s release, photographers have used the SX-70 Alpha
models for commercial and fine art endeavors, as well as snapshots.
A brief introduction to how the film works is required to explain
one of the most intriguing uses of SX-70. After the film is exposed,
it is ejected through a pair of rollers which break a "pod"
of developing chemicals and spread them evenly over the image
area, which is protected by a transparent polyester cover, creating
what Polaroid calls an "integral print". While these
chemicals are still wet and soft under the cover, blunt instruments
can be used to manipulate the image by pressing with various degrees
of pressure to move the emulsion, creating varied effects, from
blurred edges to white and silvery spots. This aspect of the film
was seen as a drawback by the mainstream consumer and was eliminated
from the 600 and Spectra series integral films. Many artists over
the years exploited this "problem" to create a more
personal visual expression before the advent of digital image
manipulation technologies, like Adobe Photoshop. However, the
practice of manually manipulating SX-70/ Time Zero film continues
as an extremely exciting and viable form of image-making that
remains relatively cheap and easy to learn.
It's SX-70 ©Copyright
Joy M. Opfer, 1999. All rights reserved.
