The Polaroid 636 Talking Camera is an instant camera. It is a very unusual Polaroid 600 camera. When you press the shutter button, it can play sounds and music. For this purpose, the camera has a built-in speaker. It also has a microphone that you can use to record your own sounds. You can choose between three of your own sounds and three predefined sounds.
The other functions are comparable to the Polaroid 636 Closeup. It was introduced in the mid-1990s. The body of the camera is made of plastic.
The Polaroid 636 Talking Camera comes with a built-in flash and a close-up lens. The focus of the fixed focal length is fixed. The exposure time and aperture cannot be set by the user either.
Films for the camera
Polaroid 600 films are needed to take pictures. In the meantime, The Impossible Project has taken the place of Polaroid and is again producing instant films for this format. Since 2020, they are also sold with the original logo again.
Currently, the Polaroid Color Film for 600* and the Polaroid B&W Film for 600* are the current films for color and black and white photography. In both packs there is a film cassette with eight images.
Previously, there were ten images in one pack. The counter is also designed for this number of images. Therefore, with the new films, the film must already be replaced at “2”.
Power for the built-in flash, camera and speaker comes from a battery in the film pack. An external battery is not needed for the camera.
Other editions
- Polaroid 636 Polatalk (Black and Red)
- Polaroid OneStep Talking Camera (Gray)(Gray and Black)
- Polaroid OneStep Talking Camera (Blue) (Blue and Black)
- Polaroid OneStep Talking Camera QPS (Gray and Black)
Notes
The Polaroid OneStep Talking Camera was introduced in 1995 and cost around $40 USD at the time. It was advertised by the comedian “Sinbad.”
Technical datasheet
| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Type of Camera | Instant camera |
| Film format | Typ 600 |
| Film transport | Automatic |
| Film transport mechanism | Motor |
| Picture format | 79 mm x 79 mm |
| Focal length | 116 mm |
| Biggest aperture | f/11 |
| Minimum focus distance | 60 cm / 1.968 ft |
| Focus | Fixed |
| Exposure times | 1/200 second to 1/4 second |
| Light meter | Yes |
| Exposure modes | Program automatic |
| Manual exposure settings | No |
| Date imprinting | No |
| Flash | Integrated flash |
| Tripod mount | No |
| Cable release thread | No |
| Self-timer | No |
| Power supply | 1x battery in filmpack |
| Estimated value / Used price | 78,91 Euro 129,76115,6177,25613,1167,6813172,24921,1284,65 Estimate based on used prices of 4 offers (possibly with different scope of delivery and/or condition). As of 29.4.2024 |
| Average used price in the year 2023 | 85,66 Euro (92.00 US-Dollar) |