Written by Jennifer Stamps
The Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus has a very special place in my heart. It’s the first Polaroid camera I remember owning (it’s quite possible I had one growing up, but it’s not something my family held onto if I did have one).
I bought my first Polaroid camera – the Sun 660 Autofocus – in 2012 or 2013 from Goodwill for $4.99. I knew nothing about the camera or film (other than at the time the film was called “Impossible Project”).
Had I realized the film would cost almost four times the camera, I might not have purchased the camera. But I’m so glad I did. My Polaroid Sun 660 is my go-to when I want to take photos outside that I can immediately hold onto.
Find the Polaroid Sun 660 at KEH Camera or on eBay.
About Polaroid and 600 Type Cameras
Polaroid was founded in 1937 and developed the first instant camera in 1948. Fast forward to the 1970’s when Polaroid started to make cameras that use integral film (SX-70 cameras that use the current-day SX-70 film).
Fast forward another decade to when Polaroid started making 600 cameras – probably what anyone born in the 80’s and 90’s thinks of when they think of “Polaroid Camera.”
About the Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus
The Polaroid Sun 660 Autofocus was developed in 1981. It is a variation of the Polaroid 600 camera.
However, the Sun 660 Autofocus features Sonar Autofocus technology, meaning your photos are more/less crisp (assuming you have good lighting and are the correct distance from your subject).
Features on the Polaroid Sun 660:
Automatic flash (with override)
Sonar Autofocus
Lighten/darken slider
Folding front
Film counter*
Tripod Mount
*Polaroid cartridges used to come in packs of ten photos, but current packs only have eight photos. So the film counter will be off by two. If the counter says “10,” you actually have eight photos left; if it says “3” you actually have one photo left.
Polaroid Sun 660 Battery & Polaroid 600 Film
When I first started shooting with Polaroids, I didn’t know that vintage cameras (like the Polaroid Sun 660) don’t have batteries. Instead, the battery is in the film pack. One less thing to break! Whoo hoo!
So, if you’re new to vintage Polaroid cameras, you don’t need to worry about where to find a battery, since all of Polaroid 600 film comes in a cartridge that serves as the camera’s battery.
Polaroid 600 film comes in black and white and color film. The film also comes in a variety of versions: color frame, black frame, circle photo, etc. You can find lots of options on Amazon and Polaroid’s website.
The film itself is about 640 ASA/ISO, and each pack comes with eight photos in a pack.
How to Use the Polaroid Sun 660
Slide the film door latch, put a fresh pack of film in, and close the film door. Open the flash top. You’re ready to shoot!
Here are some tips… Polaroid film LOVES light. It craves light. Some say it doesn’t perform properly without it. Thankfully, the Polaroid Sun 660 has a built-in flash. Press the red shutter release button to utilize the flash.
If you’re in plenty of light or just don’t want to use the flash, press the thinner flash override button right behind the red shutter release button.
To use the lighten/darken slider, you simply move the slider in one direction or the other. To take a lighter photo, move the slider to the white arrow; to take a darker photo, move the arrow to the black arrow.
The lens is a 106mm fixed focus lens and the aperture shutter system ranges from f/14.6 to 4/45. It’s best to keep your subject at least four feet away from the camera while shooting.
Why Polaroid?
This is a valid question that I get asked almost every time I take a Polaroid camera out and about. The short answer: because it’s fun! But really, it goes way deeper than that.
In an age where we all have unlimited cheap cloud storage for all of our images to live forever, how often are we printing those photos? Either from your phone or your film cameras? Usually, the answer is not enough.
There is something so magical about holding a photograph in your hands. I believe my generation (millennials – “elder” to be specific) was probably the last generation to actually go to a store and pick up an envelope of 4×6 photos.
I’m raising a gen alpha and watching her hold photos from our vacations, her toddlerhood, our family dog… it’s just so special. We have cute boxes made specifically for Polaroids full of images, albums full of Polaroids, and even frames.
I know when I bring a Polaroid camera out I won’t need to develop the film and I won’t need to send images to print. I’ll get a little souvenir right away.
Throw Away the Rules and Have Fun
Now that we got all of the technical stuff out there, forget them. And just go have fun. Use the rules as a guideline to help you make the type of photos you’re looking for.
One of the things I love about vintage cameras like the Polaroid Sun is it feels like with every photo I take, the image has a tiny imprint of all of the photos it took before. I know how silly that might sound, but there is so much magic with these old cameras.
Have fun!
Thank you so much, Jen! Jennifer is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and be sure to check out her other articles, like Adding Embroidery to Polaroids to Create One-Of-A-Kind Works of Art and Experimenting With the Polaroid Now+ Lens Filters.
You can also check out more of Jennifer’s work on her website, Instagram, and Etsy shop.
Leave your questions about the Polaroid Sun 660 below in the comments, and you can pick one up for yourself at KEH Camera or on eBay.
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Blog Comments
Richard Ries
July 12, 2024 at 10:51 am
Before you faint at the price of the film, remember that the cost of processing is included in that price!
Have fun!
–Rich
Ed
July 12, 2024 at 12:33 pm
Glad you like Polaroid. The colors on it still suck . It used to be a 10 pack in the day now it is an 8 pack. If I do use Polaroid it is I type or 600 film in the I type camera. I like Instax better. More for your money. Cheaper and the colors will blow away Polaroids everytime.