Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 with Fitted Case

An early production example of the Polaroid Land Camera Model 95, serial number 07471311, the world's first commercially successful instant camera. Introduced in 1948, the Model 95 inaugurated the Polaroid Land photography system and marked a decisive turn in the history of photographic technology.

This camera dates from the initial manufacturing period, when production was subcontracted to Samson United of Rochester, New York, before Polaroid brought manufacturing fully in house. Cameras from this transitional phase hold particular interest for their construction and their moment.

It carries a 135 mm f/11 three-element glass lens and an Everset rotary-leaf shutter with speeds from 1/8 to 1/60 second plus Bulb. Exposure is set on Polaroid's proprietary Light Value (LV) scale, an early standardized system, and focus is by scale, adjusted with a distance lever. Further features include a folding optical viewfinder with parallax compensation, an ASA bayonet M-sync flash connector, dual tripod sockets, and a cable release socket. The body is polished steel with brown leatherette covering, and, unlike later Polaroid roll-film cameras, the Model 95 uses internal clips within the film chamber to secure the negative roll.

Offered with its original fitted hard case and a group of period Polaroid manuals and instructional ephemera, increasingly difficult to find intact.