C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Polaroid 670 SLR is a folding single-lens-reflex instant camera that uses 600-type integral film. Introduced in 1986, it occupies the upper tier of Polaroid's 600-format consumer line, combining the SLR optical system — which lets the photographer see exactly what the lens sees — with active sonar autofocus, a feature first proven on the SX-70 Sonar. The SLR viewfinder and sonar mechanism distinguish it sharply from the simpler viewfinder cameras that filled the mid- and low-range 600 slots. It appeals to users who want more compositional control without leaving the instant-print ecosystem.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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About this camera
A 1986 folding SLR with sonar autofocus, built for 600-type film and aimed at the serious amateur instant shooter.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | Polaroid 600 integral film (10-exposure pack) |
| Lens | ~116mm f/8 folding glass |
| Focus | Active sonar autofocus with manual zone override |
| Shutter | Electronic auto; ~2s - ~1/200s |
| Meter | Silicon cell; auto with lighten/darken control |
| Flash | Built-in electronic flash (foldable); powered by film pack battery |
| ISO | 600 (fixed; matched to 600-type film) |
| Battery | Integral to film pack (no separate battery) |
| Weight | ~680 g (unverified) |
| Years | 1986 - ~1993 |
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 When the 600 film platform superseded SX-70 film in popularity, Polaroid needed an SLR-class body capable of accepting the higher-ISO emulsion.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.
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.
Polaroid 670 SLR
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