Next to that is the switch that enables or disables beeps from the camera, a self-timer, autofocus override for situations that confuse the sonar rangefinder system like shooting through glass, manual flash override, exposure compensation slider, socket for the remote control receiver accessory, flash cycle indicator lights and, lastly, a frame counter. Starting from the left is the units setting (meters or feet) that will be displayed within the viewfinder which can be changed with the tip of a ball-point pen. Most of the Spectra’s controls are on the back as a series of switches next to the viewfinder. Once open, a newly revealed lever on the opposite side of the camera can be pressed to open the film door for loading and unloading. To activate the lens, the switch underneath the handstrap must be pulled. The camera uses this information to adjust the Quintic 125mm f/10 lens accordingly and takes a reading from the integrated light meter (located above the viewfinder between the lens and the flash) to calculate exposure. Using its sonar-based rangefinder system (the gold-colored disc hidden behind black mesh next to the lens), the Spectra emits a series of ultra high frequency soundwaves and then uses the echo delay to calculate the subject’s distance from the camera, much like the echolocation system used by dolphins and bats. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Spectra is its use of the sonar autofocus system pioneered by the Polaroid SX-70 Sonar OneStep in the late ’70s. With this new line of cameras came a new line of instant film named Spectra/Image/1200 film which, apart from producing rectangular instead of square images, is more or less identical to existing 600 series film. The Polaroid Spectra is the first model in the Spectra System line (also known as “Image System” and the Minolta Instant Pro in overseas markets) of instant cameras introduced by Polaroid in 1986.
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