How to Check a Used SX-70 Before You Buy

An SX-70 is a 50-year-old camera with a motor, a folding mirror system and electronics that can't be replaced with original parts. A used one can be a great buy or an expensive shelf piece, and most of the difference shows up in a ten-minute check. Here's what to look at, in person or in a listing.

This guide covers checking a camera's condition. For which SX-70 model to choose, see our SX-70 buyer's guide.

What to Bring

The SX-70 has no battery of its own; it runs on the battery inside each film pack. So you can't check much without a pack. The best tool is a finished pack that still has charge: all eight shots used, battery still good. It powers the camera so you can run the motor and shutter without wasting film. A small flashlight helps too.

Buying online? Ask the seller to do these checks and send a short video. A seller who knows the camera works can usually do that easily.

Power and the Eject Cycle

1. Open the camera fully until the support locks. It won't fire half-open.
2. Load the pack and close the door. With a new pack, the dark slide should eject right away. With an empty pack you'll hear the motor run briefly.
3. Press the shutter button. You should hear the shutter, the mirror flip, and the motor run, then everything reset. The viewfinder should go dark for a moment and come back.
4. Repeat a few times. The cycle should sound the same each time. Grinding, a motor that keeps running, or a viewfinder that stays black are bad signs.

If nothing happens, try another pack before you blame the camera, and look at the contacts inside the film door for corrosion.

Rollers and the Film Door

Open the film door with no pack inside. The two steel rollers at the front spread the developing chemicals across each print. They should be clean, smooth and turn freely. Dried chemistry, rust or dents mean marks on every print. Cleaning helps; dents don't come out.

Behind the rollers, a small metal arm pushes each print out of the pack. It should look straight, not bent or flattened. Check that the door closes and latches firmly.

The film door sits below the lens. Open it to check the rollers.

Bellows Light Leaks

The black bellows that unfold with the camera wear at the corners and folds. Pinholes let light in and leave streaks on prints.

In a dim room, open the camera and the film door, shine a flashlight inside, and look over the outside of the bellows, especially the corners. Any point of light coming through is a leak.

Viewfinder and Mirrors

Look through the eyepiece. On the manual models you should see a bright image with a split-image focusing circle in the middle. A very dim, hazy or spotted view usually means dirty or degraded mirrors inside the body. Haze in the viewing path doesn't always affect the picture, but it makes focusing hard. Check the lens front for scratches, haze or fungus.

Raise the viewfinder hood and look through the eyepiece. The image should be bright and clear.

Focus

On manual models, turn the focus wheel from one end to the other while you look through the viewfinder. It should move smoothly, and the image should snap sharp somewhere between about 10.4 inches and infinity.

On a Sonar, with a charged empty pack loaded, fire it at things at different distances. You should hear the lens move to focus before the shutter fires. Check the manual focus switch too.

Exposure and Electronics

This is the hardest part to check and the most important. The original 1972 control module sets every exposure, and nobody makes new ones. When it fails, the camera can't take pictures; as it ages, prints can come out consistently too light or too dark.

You can't judge it without film. Ask for a few recent prints from that exact camera, taken in different light, or shoot a frame or two yourself before you pay. A camera that cycles perfectly can still expose badly.

Every original control board we see is aged. They're 50 years old, which is why every SX-70 we sell gets an OpenSX70 board in its place.

Leather and Model ID

Peeling or yellowed skins are cosmetic; they don't affect pictures and can be replaced. Some SX-70s have had their skins replaced over the years, so don't assume the leather is original.

Make sure you know which model you're looking at. The Original, Model 2, Alpha 1 and Sonar are all folding SLRs. The SX-70 Model 3 looks similar, but it isn't an SLR: it uses a simple viewfinder in the top of the camera instead of through-the-lens viewing. Some listings don't make that clear.

Left: an SX-70 Original, focused by hand. Right: an SX-70 Sonar, with the autofocus dish above the lens.

Red Flags in Listings

Plenty of honest sellers simply don't have film or don't know these cameras. These phrases don't mean a seller is hiding anything, but they mean the risk is yours:

• "Untested" or "sold as is." Treat it as a camera that may need a full restoration.
• "Powers on" or "motor works." That's only the first step. It says nothing about exposure, rollers or leaks.
• "Film tested" with no prints shown. Ask to see prints from that camera.
• "No film to test." An empty pack with charge is enough to check the cycle.
• Only folded photos. Ask for photos of it open, with the film door open and the rollers visible.
• No returns. If it turns out to need work, you'll have no way back.

Cameras listed as working often aren't, once they're opened up and tested. We see it often with the SX-70s we buy.

When a Restored Camera Makes More Sense

A used SX-70 that passes every check above still has its original, aged control module. If you'd rather not take that risk, a restored camera removes it.

Every SX-70 in our SX-70 collection is fully restored in Brooklyn: rollers, gears, mirror, shutter and seals serviced, then fitted with an OpenSX70 board that replaces the 1972 module. Each one is tested on professional equipment, shoots both SX-70 and 600 film, and comes with a six-month warranty.

Already bought one that's misbehaving? Start with our SX-70 troubleshooting guide. For a full restoration of your own camera, join the waitlist on our Polaroid repairs page.

Frequently Asked Questions