Specifications#
- Brand
- Polaroid
- Model
- SX-70
- Camera type
- Instant film camera
- Released
- 1972
- Film format
- Polaroid integral
- Image area
- 79.0 × 79.0 mm
- Crop factor
- 0.39×
- Weight
- 680 g (24.0 oz)
- Battery
- 6 V Polapulse cell inside film pack
- Lens
- 4-element 116 mm f/8 fixed glass
- Successor
- 600 series, including Polaroid Impulse
- Made in
- property linked P1071
- Production
- 1972–1981
Specifications merged from Wikipedia and Wikidata. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 0.39 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 mm | 11 mm | 109.3° | 109.3° | 126.8° |
| 32 mm | 12 mm | 102.0° | 102.0° | 120.4° |
| 35 mm | 14 mm | 96.9° | 96.9° | 115.9° |
| 45 mm | 17 mm | 82.6° | 82.6° | 102.3° |
| 55 mm | 21 mm | 71.4° | 71.4° | 90.9° |
| 63 mm | 24 mm | 64.2° | 64.2° | 83.1° |
| 80 mm | 31 mm | 52.6° | 52.6° | 69.9° |
| 90 mm | 35 mm | 47.4° | 47.4° | 63.7° |
| 110 mm | 43 mm | 39.5° | 39.5° | 53.8° |
| 120 mm | 46 mm | 36.4° | 36.4° | 49.9° |
| 150 mm | 58 mm | 29.5° | 29.5° | 40.9° |
| 180 mm | 70 mm | 24.8° | 24.8° | 34.5° |
| 250 mm | 97 mm | 18.0° | 18.0° | 25.2° |
| 350 mm | 136 mm | 12.9° | 12.9° | 18.1° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 77.5 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 mm | f/1.8 | 2.0 cm | 8.4 cm | 34.8 cm | 79.9 cm | 2.31 m | 11.0 m | 22.5 m |
| 56 mm | f/2.8 | 3.1 cm | 13.1 cm | 54.8 cm | 1.27 m | 3.87 m | 26.1 m | 14.5 m |
| 56 mm | f/4 | 4.4 cm | 18.8 cm | 79.8 cm | 1.91 m | 6.42 m | 568 m | 10.2 m |
| 56 mm | f/8 | 8.8 cm | 38.7 cm | 1.80 m | 5.28 m | 215 m | ∞ | 5.12 m |
| 112 mm | f/1.8 | 0.4 cm | 2.0 cm | 8.4 cm | 19.3 cm | 54.5 cm | 2.23 m | 90.1 m |
| 112 mm | f/2.8 | 0.7 cm | 3.1 cm | 13.1 cm | 30.0 cm | 85.1 cm | 3.52 m | 57.9 m |
| 112 mm | f/4 | 1.0 cm | 4.4 cm | 18.7 cm | 43.0 cm | 1.23 m | 5.20 m | 40.6 m |
| 112 mm | f/8 | 1.9 cm | 8.8 cm | 37.6 cm | 87.4 cm | 2.56 m | 12.8 m | 20.4 m |
| 190 mm | f/1.8 | 0.1 cm | 0.6 cm | 2.8 cm | 6.5 cm | 18.6 cm | 75.9 cm | 259 m |
| 190 mm | f/2.8 | 0.2 cm | 1.0 cm | 4.4 cm | 10.1 cm | 28.9 cm | 1.18 m | 167 m |
| 190 mm | f/4 | 0.3 cm | 1.4 cm | 6.2 cm | 14.5 cm | 41.4 cm | 1.70 m | 117 m |
| 190 mm | f/8 | 0.5 cm | 2.8 cm | 12.4 cm | 29.0 cm | 83.1 cm | 3.47 m | 58.4 m |
| 314 mm | f/1.8 | 0.0 cm | 0.2 cm | 1.0 cm | 2.3 cm | 6.6 cm | 27.4 cm | 707 m |
| 314 mm | f/2.8 | 0.0 cm | 0.3 cm | 1.5 cm | 3.5 cm | 10.3 cm | 42.6 cm | 455 m |
| 314 mm | f/4 | 0.1 cm | 0.4 cm | 2.1 cm | 5.1 cm | 14.7 cm | 60.9 cm | 319 m |
| 314 mm | f/8 | 0.1 cm | 0.9 cm | 4.2 cm | 10.1 cm | 29.5 cm | 1.22 m | 159 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors. (NPF needs a known resolution and is omitted here.)
| Focal length | 500 rule |
|---|---|
| 36 mm (14 mm eq.) | 35.9 s |
| 52 mm (20 mm eq.) | 24.8 s |
| 62 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.8 s |
| 90 mm (35 mm eq.) | 14.3 s |
| 129 mm (50 mm eq.) | 10.0 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 129 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 258 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 516 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Film stocks for the Polaroid SX-70#
Films currently made in 135 format.
- ADOX CHS 100 II ISO 100
- ADOX CMS 20 II PRO ISO 20
- ADOX Color Mission 200 ISO 200
- ADOX Color Mission Helios ISO 3
- ADOX HR-50 ISO 50
- ADOX Scala 50 ISO 50
- Agfa Copex Rapid ISO 50
- AgfaPhoto APX 100 ISO 100
- AgfaPhoto APX 200 ISO 200
- AgfaPhoto APX 400 ISO 400
- AgfaPhoto Color 400 ISO 400
- Argenti ARF+ Reporter Film Plus ISO 400
- Argenti Nanotomic X ISO 32
- Argenti Pan-X ISO 100
- Argenti Scale-X ISO 100
- Bergger Pancro 400 ISO 400
- CatLABS X FILM 320 ISO 320
- CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro ISO 320
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Polaroid SX-70?
The Polaroid SX-70 has a crop factor of 0.39× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 111.7 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Polaroid SX-70 frame?
79.0 × 79.0 mm (Polaroid integral), an area of 6241 mm² — 722% of full frame.
How long can I expose the night sky with the Polaroid SX-70?
With a 52 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Polaroid SX-70 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q3394062 — CC0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources