There are various cameras from Polaroid for the Polaroid 600 format. Most cameras are plastic, quite large, easy to use and in some cases colorful. But there are also, for example, the Polaroid SLR 680, a bit more sophisticated.
Films are made for this format, after Polaroid stopped production, by The Impossible Project / Polaroid Originals. For color pictures with a Polaroid 600 camera, you can buy the Polaroid Color Film for 600*. A good choice for black and white images is the Polaroid B&W Film for 600*.
Most of the cameras date from the 1980s and 1990s. Built up the models are quite the same, fixed focal length, plastic body, simple viewfinder to look through and a built-in flash. The operation of the instant cameras for integral film is deliberately kept simple. The power for the camera and possibly for a flash comes from a battery in the film pack, with a new pack of film you automatically get a new battery.
Roughly, the Polaroid 600 cameras can be divided into eight groups. Of these eight models tens of other editions, even with the branding of companies and organizations.
Models without flash
These models are the first Polaroid 600 cameras and still very simple. With the Polaroid OneStep 600 you can adjust practically nothing and it also has no built-in flash, only a socket for a flash bar. The successor model, the Polaroid Amigo 620, already has a close-up lens. However, a built-in flash is still missing.
Models with right-angled corners
This generation is equipped with a built-in flash and has rectangular corners. There are these models him various colors and editions. The basic model, the Polaroid One Step Flash, is equipped with a simple plastic lens. However, it is also available with a close-up lens.
Models with rectangular corners and autofocus
In terms of design, they are very similar to the above cameras, the round golden grill next to the lens is striking. This is necessary for the Polaroid Sonar autofocus system. For automatic focusing, the camera sends out sound waves that hit the subject and come back. This is how the camera measures the distance and adjusts it accordingly. A representative of this generation is the Polaroid Autofocus 660. Of course, other models exist in different colors and under different names.
Models with rounded corners
These cameras are very similar to those with rectangular corners. The main difference is in the design. A representative of this category is the Polaroid One Step (rounded corners).
Modern rounded models
These models are the fourth step in the evolution of Polaroid 600 cameras. They are a bit rounder and go a bit more wide. A representative of this generation is the Polaroid 600.
Impulse models
The Polaroid Impulse is quite different from the other Polaroid 600 cameras. It does not fold open and is more reminiscent of a non-folding Polaroid SX-70, like the Polaroid 100. The Polaroid Impulse comes with autofocus and in a variety of colors.
Single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs)
Yes there are SLR cameras for this film format. However, the selection is not very large, in total there are three pieces. The Polaroid SLR 680, SLR 680 SE and SLR 690 are similar in design to the Polaroid SX-70. The SX-70 cameras could actually also be counted as 600 cameras, since you can use the 600 films in them with ND filters. But they are just not designed for this format.
Polaroid One(600) models
The One(600) cameras were introduced in the early 2000s and are the end of the Polaroid 600 cameras. The design was greatly changed and modernized. The Polaroid One(600) comes with a built-in flash and has a 100mm lens.
More information about the models can be found in the respective article.
Note
As already mentioned, there are a lot of different Polaroid 600 cameras, but from the feature set they are mostly identical. To make it a bit clearer only the “main cameras” are listed on this page. Information and links to the different editions can be found either in the articles about the main cameras or directly on our page about the editions of the Polaroid 600 cameras.
