Polaroid One-Step 600: Nice and Nostalgic Instant Camera

Polaroid One-Step 600 was the first model from Polaroid 600 series instant camera designed specifically for 600-series (and the notoriously hard to find 779-series) integral film. It came along to the instant camera market with other models from 600-series such as Sun 600, One600, Pronto 600, Quick 610, and more) from early 1980s to the late-2000s.

Polaroid One-Step 600 was notably very basic on features. It has switchable lens for regular or close-up shots, built-in automatic flash and the typical slider for darken/lighten exposure correction. The camera uses Polaroid 600 format film to produce 3.13-by-3.13-inch exposures and offers a selectable close-up lens for shots between 2 and 4 feet. One-Step 600 has fixed focus with sharpest focus at 4-5 feet, and electronic shutter with automatic speed between 1/4-1/200 sec.

One Step product line ranging from the first One-Step 600 (production start from 1983), One-Step 600 Express (1997–2002), One-Step 600 Flash, One-Step 600 Flash Close-Up (just One-Step after 1998), One-Step AF (1997-), One-Step Silver Express, and One-Step Talking Camera (1997–1998).

One-Step 600 originally available in black with the trademark rainbow stripe, with any color variants also available for international market. The later production offers a contemporary design.

It's a nice and nostalgic Polaroid instant camera for taking quick instant photos you want purely for enjoyment and quick purposes. The only problem you'll faced with this camera is trying to find film for it...

Edwin Land (American scientist and Co-founder of Polaroid Corporation) is generally credited as the inventor of modern instant camera. In 1947 he unveil the land Camera, the first commercial instant camera. Since then, instant camera was the Polaroid's flagship product line until the February 2008, when The Company (under the control of Thomas J. Petters of Petters Group Worldwide)announced it would discontinue production of instant film, shut down three factories and lay off 450 workers because of significant decline in sales of instant cameras and film.

The Company stopped making Polaroid cameras in 2007 and stopped selling Polaroid instant film in favor of digital photography products. However, Polaroid announced it would bring back its classic instant film cameras in October 2009. But it seems that instant camera is now only sought by very limited niche market.

An independent project named The Impossible Project is another project (non-official) attempting to redesign Polaroid's SX-70/600 instant film. The project held by Florian Kaps, Austrian photographer and the owner of the largest online vendor for Polaroid SX-70 instant films. Teamed with André Bosman (former head of film production in Polaroid film factory) and in collaboration with Ilford Photo, Kaps redesign the SX-70/600 film system. The Impossible Project announced the release of PX100 and PX600, two monochromatic films compatible with SX-70 and 600 type cameras on March 22, 2010.