[net.rec.photo] Polaroid Query

donald (07/02/82)

I recently acquired a used Polaroid Sonar Onestep at an auction and lack
an instruction manual for it, so here's hoping there are some Polaroid
buffs out there.

What is the red light below the eyepiece for?  It seems to come on every
time I partly depress the shutter release, is its sole purpose to confirm
the fact that the camera is loaded?

The camera has a programmed shutter/aperture system, but is there any
indication of over/underexposure or whether the shutter speed selected
is not hand-holdable?

What is the focal length and aperture range of the lens?
What are the limits of the exposure range of the camera?

What is the exact effect of the lighten/darken wheel on the front?
I notice that there is a glass port within the lighten/darken wheel
and another glass port beside the wheel itself.  Which one is the
metering port, and what is the purpose of the other port?

Is Polaroid Time Zero SX70-type film really as low resolution as it
seems to be, or does my camera just have a bum lens?

Observing the focusing scale in autofocus mode I notice that when
the shutter is released the lens is moved by a motor from "infinity"
to "25 feet", regardless of the distance of the subject.  Does this
mean that the autofocus mechanism is faulty?

I also got an ITT electronic flash with the camera, and on top of the
camera there is a slot for the flash contacts.  However, next to this
slot there is another slot which appears to have contacts in it.  What
is this other slot for?  The ITT flash only mates with the first-mentioned
slot.  How is the flash exposure determined by the camera, or is film
latitute depended on?

I'd appreciate any light anyone could shed on the workings of this camera.
Thanks in advance.

						Don Chan