Polaroid 670 SLR1986

History

The 670 SLR arrived in the mid-1980s as part of Polaroid's effort to carry the credibility of its SX-70 SLR pedigree into the newer, faster 600-film era. The SX-70, released in 1972, had established the folding SLR form as Polaroid's signature premium format: a camera that collapsed flat enough to slip into a jacket pocket yet opened into a true reflex system. When the 600 film platform superseded SX-70 film in popularity, Polaroid needed an SLR-class body capable of accepting the higher-ISO emulsion.

The 680 SLR preceded the 670 in the 600-format SLR family; the 670 can be understood as a cost-rationalised variant sharing the same fundamental sonar-AF SLR architecture. Both cameras fold in the manner of the SX-70, hinging at the optical block so the camera lies essentially flat when stored. The 670 was marketed primarily in European and some Asian markets, while the 680 saw wider North American distribution — the two models have different distribution footprints but nearly identical feature sets.

Production wound down in the early 1990s as Polaroid consolidated its 600-format camera range. The 690 SLR followed as the final iteration of the folding sonar SLR concept for 600 film, produced into the late 1990s. After Polaroid's 2001 bankruptcy the tooling for folding SLR bodies was not revived; the Mint Camera SLR670 (produced from ~2014) offered a third-party conversion, grafting the classic 670/SX-70 body to accept 600-type film, but that is a distinct product.

Why It Matters

The 670 SLR sits at the intersection of two things Polaroid did that no other manufacturer replicated: the folding SLR mechanism and active sonar ranging for autofocus. Sonar AF — using an ultrasonic pulse and return echo to measure distance — was genuinely novel when Polaroid introduced it on the SX-70 Sonar in 1978, and the 670 carries it into the 600-film generation intact. For an instant camera of the mid-1980s, reliable autofocus in a true SLR body was a significant engineering achievement.

The camera also matters as context for understanding Polaroid's market segmentation. The company ran a wide price ladder in the 600 system, from single-use disposables up through the SLR cameras; the 670 and 680 justified the top of that ladder with a genuinely differentiated product, not just cosmetic variation.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• The 670 SLR was targeted at enthusiast consumers and semi-professional users rather than fine-art photographers; documented attribution is limited.
• The 600-format SLR cameras were used by photojournalists and event photographers in the late 1980s for situations requiring immediate proof prints — a practical role independent of artistic intent.
• Contemporary instant film practitioners have used the 670 SLR and its close relatives (680, 690) as the highest-control option in the 600-format family, valuing the SLR viewfinder for precise portrait and still-life work with Polaroid Originals 600 film.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Polaroid SLR 670 - identification, variant notes, and specification details.
• Wikipedia: Polaroid SX-70 - context for the folding SLR lineage that the 670 continues.
• Christopher Bonanos, Instant: The Story of Polaroid (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012) - company history and product strategy through the 600-format era.