Although popular, the Model 95 and subsequent Land Cameras required complex procedures to take and produce good photographs.

The photographic paper for each picture had to be manually removed from the camera and peeled open after 60 seconds to reveal the image which needed to be hand coated with a chemical stabilizer for preservation.

On stage, he took out a folded SX-70 from his suit coat pocket and, in just ten seconds, produced five photographs, both actions impossible with previous Land Cameras.

Although the high cost of $180[3] for the camera and $6.90 for each film pack of ten pictures ($1,311 and $50 respectively when adjusted for inflation[4]) limited demand, Polaroid sold 700,000 by mid-1974.

When many users complained that focusing was difficult, especially in dim light, a split-image rangefinder prism was added.

[6] Photographers such as Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, and Walker Evans praised and used the SX-70.

[9] Not until the $40 Model 1000 OneStep using SX-70 film became the best-selling camera of the 1977 Christmas shopping season, however, did its technology become truly popular.

A collapsible SLR required a complex light path for the viewfinder, with three mirrors (including one Fresnel reflector) of unusual, aspheric shapes set at odd angles to create an erect image on the film and an erect aerial image for the viewfinder.

The body was made of glass-filled polysulfone, a rigid plastic which was plated with a thin layer of copper-nickel-chromium alloy to give a metallic appearance.

The film pack contained a flat, 6-volt "PolaPulse" battery to power the camera electronics, drive motor, and flash.

All SX-70 models feature a folding body design, a 4-element 116 mm f/8 glass lens, and an automatic exposure system known as the Electric Eye.

The cameras allow for focusing as close as 10.4 inches (26.4 cm), and have a shutter speed range from 1/175 s to more than 10 seconds.

[12] OpenSX70 is a project to replace the printed circuit board (PCB) on the SX-70 with a modern open-source design based on Arduino.

Polaroid SX-70 "Time-Zero" film was phased out of production in late 2005 to early 2006 (differing according to regional markets).

Greek-American artist Lucas Samaras created a series of self-portraits titled "Photo-Transformations" (1973–76) which employed extensive use of emulsion manipulation techniques.

Polaroid founder Edwin H. Land was the primary driver behind the project, and many engineers and designers made key contributions.