Given the weight of nostalgia that comes with the name Polaroid, their recent decision to refurbish a score of original cameras from the 1980s and resell them under the Polaroid Originals brand was a stroke of marketing genius.
Everyone wants a Polaroid camera – they look as vibey as the photos they’ve become synonymous with. And while there’s absolutely a place for the newer gadgets like the iOS connected OneStep 2 i-Type camera, what Polaroid has always done best is what they conquered the world with; easy-to-use, no-nonsense instant film cameras.
We recently got our hands on a refurbished Sun 660 Autofilter, part of the Polaroid Originals 600 series, and put it to work. Here’s what we thought.
Out of the box, the Polaroid Sun 660 Autofilter looks like every film-toting rockabilly’s dream. The two-tiered design is only a slight variation to that of the groundbreaking original Polaroid 600’s, but it packs just as much old-world charm.
You feel like you’re carrying a camera straight out of Beetlejuice because, well, you are. Every model in the Originals series has been reacquired by Polaroid then refurbished by hand. The chassis hasn’t changed a touch – if you’re lucky yours might even still bear a scuff mark from Winona Ryder’s nails.
As expected, the camera works like a charm straight out of the box. A sheet of instructions are symbolically included, but the company aren’t lying when they call this a point-and-shoot. We grabbed a couple of photos inside, outside, then at night time to give it a nice and varied test run, and will happily be keeping every shot.
Polaroid’s own Sonar Autofocus system, a light/dark shader, a film shader and automatic flash with an override are all included to make sure your snaps will look as perfect as possible, whether you’ve been an instant film addict for decades or this is your first buy.
If the appeal of a film camera, to you, is that feeling you’re winding the clock back to a simpler year and bringing back a timeless photo, we promise the Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus is your jam.
