Polaroid Integral 600 Series

When most people talk about Polaroid cameras, they mean the popular and relatively cheap models of the 1980s and 1990s that used film packs with integral batteries that were designated the 600 series. The "instant" prints measure 79mm (3.1") square with a white border around them and take around 3 minutes to fully develop at 21 degrees. The film has an ISO rating of 640. The film was branded with several different names over the years, including "Extreme 600" and "Notepad". A high definition "professional" film named "779" could also be used with cameras from the 600 series. Some of the cameras had 'sonar' autofocus and/or featured glass lenses, but most had plastic lenses with a fixed focus of around 4 feet. A "close-up" lens was often included, but this took the form of a simple plastic meniscus that slid into place. Many of the models are functionally identical to others but have different coloured fascia, names and stickers according to marketing territory. Several models were limited editions with tie-ins to icons of popular culture, such as Barbie or the Spice Girls, while other versions were promotional items made for corporate entities and are now highly collectible thanks to their rarity.

The 600 series can be divided into 8 sub-groups.

Models with no flash

The standard model is the Polaroid OneStep 600, which had a simple fixed focus 1-element plastic lens and lacked the close-up adaptor. The only user-control is the exposure compensation slider used to make pictures lighter or darker. Various versions were produced for international and promotional markets. These models can be partially folded to protect the lens.

• Polaroid 610 (Very basic model in beige)
• Polaroid Amigo 610 (UK and US models, beige)

Amigo 620 (closed) by hsalnat.

• Polaroid Amigo 620 (Black or beige, with close-up lens)

OneStep 600 (open) by hsalnat.

• Polaroid OneStep 600 (Very basic. Black. Also available as a limited edition with a transparent body)
• Polaroid President 600 (Similar to Onestep 600)
• Polaroid Pronto 600 (International variant of Onestep 600)
• Polaroid Quick 610 (Similar to 610)
• Polaroid Quick 620 (As above, but with close-up adaptor)
• Polaroid Revue 600 (Similar to Onestep 600)
• Polaroid Spirit (Black, similar to Onestep 600; Beige with close-up lens like Amigo 620)
• Polaroid Spirit Bordeaux (Black with red wine glass detail, similar to Onestep 600)
• Polaroid Spirit elf (Black with 'elf' (oil company) logo, similar to Onestep 600)
• Polaroid Spirit Henkell (as above, but with 'Henkell' logo in yellow)
• Polaroid Spirit L'EXPRESS (as above, but with 'L'EXPRESS' logo on back)
• Polaroid Spirit Martell Cognac (as above, but with 'Martell Cognac' logo on back)
• Polaroid Spirit Paul Masson (Beige, with close-up lens like Amigo 620, 'Paul Masson Vintage California Champagne' on back)
• Polaroid Spirit Hanshin Tigers (Black with 'Hanshin Tigers' logo, similar to Onestep 600)
• Polaroid Supercolor 600 (Black, similar to Onestep 600, also in red)

Models with square corners

These models were an advance on the initial series in that they included a built-in automatic flash in similar straight-edged bodies. These models have a 116mm fixed-focus 1-element plastic lens and an exposure correction slider on the front. The basic model is the One Step Flash, which came with or without a close up (CU) lens.

• Polaroid 600 (Red & black)

600 BE by mr.Wood.

• Polaroid 600 BE (Business Edition) (Black, with close-up lens. Also branded with 'Peachtree Project Recorder. Red & black w/ 'State Farm Insurance'.)
• Polaroid 635CL Supercolor Jubilee (black, with cu lens and 'Jubilee' logo)
• Polaroid 640 (SE) (black, no cu lens, blue or red shutter button)
• Polaroid 650 (as above, but with cu lens)
• Polaroid ADT (blue & black with 'ADT Security Systems, cu lens, red shutter button)
• Polaroid Camel (Yellow & black, 'Camel' logo, no cu lens, red shutter button)

Coca-Cola by hsalnat.

• Polaroid Coca-Cola (Promotional item in red, with drinks company logo, no cu lens)
• Polaroid CoolCam (Pink & yellow on black, no cu lens)
• Polaroid CoolCam 600 (Pink on grey; red on black; no cu lens)
• Polaroid CoolCam 600 Close-Up (Pink on grey; red on black; yellow on black; with cu lens)
• Polaroid EMS Photo System (Orange, with blue logo, with cu lens)
• Polaroid Job Pro (The Construction Camera) (yellow on black, w/ cu lens)
• Polaroid Lightmixer 630 (SL) (silver on black, 'LM Program', no cu lens)
• Polaroid Magical Camera (red on black, cartoon characters and flowers, no cu lens)
• Polaroid McDonalds (yellow and red on black, cu lens)
• Polaroid One Step Flash (black; beige on black; with 'ECOLAB' logo on back; no cu lens)
• Polaroid One Step Flash (Close Up) (black with red stripe, with cu lens)
• Polaroid Party (blue with yellow details; pale and dark green with cu lens)
• Polaroid PEP Educator Edition (black with 'Polaroid Education Program' logo, w/ cu lens)
• Polaroid Portfolio (as above)
• Polaroid Planum (gold, with cu lens)
• Polaroid Revue 640 (like One Step Flash)

Spirit 600 'LM Program' by siimvahur.

• Polaroid Spirit 600 (like One Step Flash, grey on black; 'Light Management System' or 'LM Program', no cu lens. Also available with 'Amtrak', 'Fuji TV' (in Kanji) logo on back.)
• Polaroid Spirit 600 Amoco/CertainTeed/HBO Video/Norton/Pepsi/Tokyo Digital Phone (as above, but blue on black with 'Amoco - Customer First', 'CertainTeed', 'HBO Video', 'Norton - Let's talk shop', 'Pepsi', 'Tokyo Digital Phone' logo)
• Polaroid Spirit 600 Mary Kay (as above, but pink on black, with 'Mary Kay' logo)
• Polaroid Spirit 600 Ultra Slimfast/Team Campbell (as above, but red on black with 'Ultra Slimfast - Lose weight, stay slim and feel great' or 'Team Campbell' logos)
• Polaroid Spirit 600 CL (like One Step Flash, but with cu lens. Also available with 'Adidas Styles', 'Fiat', '10 SSC', 'Nankai' logo on back or 'Krema', 'Tropico', 'Yamaha' logo on front)
• Polaroid Sportcam (like Job Pro)
• Polaroid Sun 600 LMS ('Light Management System', grey on black like One Step Flash, no cu lens. May feature 'Modified by Laminex' or 'US Bicentenary' logo)
• Polaroid Sun 600 SE (as above, may have 'Polaroid 50' logo)
• Polaroid Sun 630 LMP ('LM Program', otherwise as above)
• Polaroid Sun 635 QS ('QS Program', otherwise as above)
• Polaroid Sun 635 SE (red on black, 'QS Program', no cu lens)
• Polaroid Sun 640 (black with red button, no cu lens)
• Polaroid Sun 645 CL (as above, but with CU lens)
• Polaroid Sun 650 (Like Sun 645 CL)
• Polaroid Sun 650 SE (as above, but blue button)

SuperColor Esprit by hsalnat.

• Polaroid SuperColor Esprit (available in multiple colour schemes, no CU lens)
• Polaroid Supercolor (SE) 635 (multiple colours and logos e.g. ACT)
• Polaroid Supercolor 635 CL (multiple colours, with CU lens. One model marked 'Made in CCCP', another has 'Bank of Austria' logo)
• Polaroid Supercolor 635 SE/SL (like standard 535, no CU lens)
• Polaroid Supercolor 645 (black and red, like 635)
• Polaroid Supercolor 645 CL (red & black, with CU lens)
• Polaroid SuperColors (red and black (with or without AVIA logo, blue and black, yellow & black; no cu lens)
• Polaroid The Fun Time Camera (yellow on black, with CU lens)
• Polaroid Tomy Kodomo (Pale blue, yellow and pink. No Polaroid logo)

Models with square corners and autofocus

Shaped similarly to the above models, but with a gold-coloured disc with a grille in front of it. This was utilized Polaroid's patented Sonar autofocus system.

• Polaroid Autofocus 660 (usually black, also available with transparent body)
• Polaroid Autofocus 660 SE
• Polaroid Lightmixer AF 660
• Polaroid Revue Autofocus 660

Sun 660 Autofocus by akkleis.

• Polaroid Sun Autofocus 660 ("Sun 660 Autofocus (SE)" on some models)
• Polaroid Sun Autofocus 660 SE (50th Anniversary)
• Polaroid Sun 670 Autofocus QS
• Polaroid Supercolor Elite
• Polaroid Supercolor 670 AF
• Polaroid Supercolor 670 Deluxe
• Polaroid Supercolor 670 SE
• Polaroid Supercolor SE 670 AF

Models with curved corners

Softer edges appeared in this generation, with some models sharing names the names of previous successes, such as "One Step". All of these cameras have close-up lenses or autofocus and the exposure compensation slider.

600 Business Edition 2 by marlinsgirl93

• Polaroid 600 Business Edition 2
• Polaroid 636 (multiple colours)
• Polaroid 636 AF/Autofocus
• Polaroid 636 Closeup (multiple colours and countries of manufacture inc. Russia. Also seen with 'Forester' and 'Saison Card International' logos)

636 Talking Camera by hsalnat.

• Polaroid 636 Talking Camera (aka 636 Polatalk and OneStep Talking Camera.)
• Polaroid 780
• Polaroid 2000 (also as a promo item for Nokia in China)

Barbie Instant Camera by Hillary Stein.

• Polaroid Barbie (pink/green/blue with flower design and 'Barbie' logo. Special film with 'Barbie' frame instead of plain white was also available)
• Polaroid CoolCam (pink, red, yellow, 'Hysteric Glamour')
• Polaroid Descartes

Easy by Master of Felix.

• Polaroid Easy (Like the One Step)
• Polaroid Easy 636 Closeup
• Polaroid Family (just like the Easy)
• Polaroid Hello Kitty (pink with 'Hello Kitty' stickers)
• Polaroid Jagermeister (orange and black promo item)
• Polaroid Job Pro 2 (600 Business Edition 2)
• Polaroid Tomy Kodomo
• Polaroid Legoland
• Polaroid One Step
• Polaroid One Step Autofocus (SE) (2-zone autofocus, not Sonar)
• Polaroid OneStep Autofocus AF (SE) ('Digital Exposure System', as above)

OneStep Close Up by Capt Kodak.

• Polaroid OneStep Close Up (Various colours. Made in UK, China and elsewhere).
• Polaroid OneStep Flash
• Polaroid OneStep Talking Camera (QPS) (blue/green on dark grey; QPS is light grey on dark grey)
• Polaroid OneStep Version II
• Polaroid Photo GraphiX2 (black and yellow, very odd flat-fronted design)
• Polaroid (logo) (Japan only, pink, yellow and purple check)
• Polaroid Popcam (blue, cartoon of a train)
• Polaroid Spirit CL
• Polaroid State Farm Insurance (red on black with logo)
• Polaroid Street Photo Night Cam
• Polaroid Taz (Shaped like the head of Tazmanian Devil®, the Warner Bros. cartoon character)
• Polaroid Tecate (red on black with company logo)
• Polaroid Zoe Cam (pink, yellow and purple)

Impulse Series

The Impulse models have sharp edges, diagonal lines and a tough rubber hand-grip. They do not fold up. Standard Impulse cameras have a single element plastic lens with fixed aperture (116mm, f/9) and minimum focus distance of 4 feet. A close-up adaptor is present on some models. Some of the models have a 3-element lens with 'Sonar' autofocus. To switch on the camera, the user presses the spring-loaded flash on the right hand side. The flash fires for every shot. Multiple colours were available.

Impulse by hsalnat.

• Polaroid Impulse (Standard model is grey, but also available in black, blue, green, purple, yellow. No close-up lens)
• Polaroid Impulse AF (grey, black, green, purple or blue, 'AutoFocus System' text on film exit; sonar autofocus is below flash. Grey and black models also available with remote control. Blue model has been seen with 'BASS - Bass Anglers Sportsman Society' logo)
• Polaroid Impulse Close-up (Like standard model, but close-up adaptor slides in front of lens when switch above viewfinder is pushed. Available in grey and blue)
• Polaroid Impulse CL (black, with close up adaptor)
• Polaroid Impulse Portrait (Like Impulse Close-up. Sharpest focus at 0.6-1.2 metres. Available in grey and black)
• Polaroid Impulse QPS (Special markets version of Impulse, with or without close-up lens. Available in black and with Kylie Minogue/Geffen Records branding)
• Polaroid Impulse SE (Appears to be the same as standard Impulse. With or without CU lens).
• Polaroid Impulse SE 'AutoFocus System' (same as Impulse AF)

Modern (round top) Models

These models have a rounded top when open and are very rounded when closed, resembling a bread bin. The flash is enclosed by a semi-circle of translucent plastic. A velcro hand grip is usually present on the user's left hand side. All models have close-up adaptor or autofocus.

• Polaroid 600 (round top) (Basic model with hand grip, close-up adaptor. Available in many colours inc. dark blue, dark grey with cyan trim, dark blue with white trim, dark blue with yellow)

600 Extreme by Luciano Lazzarotto

• Polaroid 600 Aquablue (dark blue with translucent lid)
• Polaroid 600 Asian Gold (orangey gold and black)
• Polaroid 600 Autofocus (light/dark blue)
• Polaroid 600 Extreme (black with orange trim)
• Polaroid 600 af (presumably autofocus)
• Polaroid 637 (dark grey with cyan trim, like 600. Also seen with 'Key Coffee - Drip On' branding.)
• Polaroid 637 AF Autofocus (Black/mauve. Also with 'I.W. Harper' logo)
• Polaroid 790 (similar to 600 Extreme, but black and red)

P (closed) by hsalnat.

• Polaroid Cam (black/magenta)
• Polaroid L.S./M.F.T. (black/silver 'Lucky Strike' logo)
• Polaroid neuve (white/orange/green)
• Polaroid OneStep Autofocus (SE) (dark blue/black)
• Polaroid OneStep Express (green/grey/yellow, came with matching case)
• Polaroid P (silver/dark blue, with or without 'Kenneth Cole - Reaction' logo; black/cyan; silver/black, with or without 'Coca Cola' or 'Goldschlager' logo)

Spice Cam (rear) by hsalnat.

• Polaroid Photo GraphiX (odd flat-front design in white on black with yellow button)
• Polaroid Photo Maker (green/dark blue, with smiley face and hearts cartoon)
• Polaroid Silver Express (silver/black like P)
• Polaroid Spice Cam (Black/pink/mauve/silver with 'Spice Girls' stickers)

One600 Models (very sleek)

The final evolution of the 600 series. 100mm lens, with minimum focus distance of 3 feet. Aerodynamic styling (particularly when folded) with downward curve at back. Flash moved to right hand side of user and can be manually switched on and off. Hand grip on right. LCD frame counter. Self-timer.

One (rear) by hsalnat.

• Polaroid One (silver/grey)
• Polaroid One600 (Classic) (pale blue/silver/black, some with 'Toyota' logo)
• Polaroid One600 Job Pro (black/silver/yellow)
• Polaroid One600 Nero (all black)
• Polaroid One600 "Flowers" (white with purple and yellow flower design)
• Polaroid One600 Panna (white/black)
• Polaroid One600 "Poison Frog" (silver/grey with yellow/black pattern)
• Polaroid One600 Polala 2006 (red/silver with gold Chinese dragon)
• Polaroid One600 Pro (all silver)
• Polaroid One600 Royksopp (grey/silver with 'Royksopp - Only This Moment' branding)
• Polaroid One600 Superheadz Special Edition Red Hat (silver/black, with 'red hat' cartoon character)
• Polaroid One600 Rossa (bright red/black)
• Polaroid One Rossa (as above)
• Polaroid One Ultra (silver/black)
• Polaroid Pop Kit (silver/black with stickers for user's customization)

Professional SLR cameras

• Polaroid SLR 680 (SE) (Professional SLR camera with tilting electronic flash)
• Polaroid 690 (Later version of the SLR 680 with some cosmetic changes and a micro-controller instead of analogue circuitry).

Links

The Land List of 600 series models. A large private collection of Polaroid cameras in Hong Kong. A A large collection of Polaroid cameras in France.