Getting Back into Photography with a Polaroid 660

This isn’t about the latest piece of tech or some camera fresh off the assembly line. Nope, it’s just a 1981 Polaroid Sun 660 that I hunted down for my birthday.

Why I gave up on photography

I’d dropped photography a few years back, tired of everything that came with it: lugging gear around, endless technical fiddling, post-production, sorting, and filing thousands of images… The whole digital routine had completely killed the joy of the moment for me.
Then I saw the ad for the new Polaroid Flip, and that instant gratification thing immediately caught my eye. The idea of just pressing a button and having a photo develop right before your eyes… sure, it takes a few minutes, but it’s still something analog, something tangible.

The purchase: 20 CHF to get the magic back

Before splurging on the new model (the Flip), I thought to myself: why not try out an old one first? They’re easy to find on resale sites. And that’s how I scored this Polaroid Sun 660 for about twenty CHF.

Self-portrait in a bright yellow t-shirt holding a vintage Polaroid Sun 660 AutoFocus instant camera up to my face. I have a beard, sunglasses resting on top of my head, and I stand in front of lush green evergreen shrubs under a clear blue sky. The image captures a playful meta moment of documenting the very camera used to take the vintage Polaroid photographs, shot in bright natural outdoor lighting.

The experience: Lomography all over again

Using this camera threw me back twenty years, to when I was obsessed with lomography and those quirky cameras that produced imperfect but oh-so-charismatic results. That’s exactly what I found again with this Polaroid: photos that are sometimes dark (often very dark, actually), never technically perfect, but with an authenticity that gives them a soul.
Embracing that imperfection is what makes the camera so charming. Every shot is unique, with flaws that become its best features.

Vintage Polaroid landscape photograph showing a serene mountain lake surrounded by dramatic peaks and rocky outcrops. Cloudy sky reflects in the still water, with weathered rocks in the foreground. The image has the characteristic faded color tones and white border typical of instant film photography.
Heavily saturated and overexposed Polaroid photograph dominated by warm red and orange tones. The image appears to show a mountainous landscape or rock formation, but is heavily affected by light leaks and color shifts, creating an abstract, dreamlike quality typical of aged or heat-damaged instant film.

Making People Smile

A bonus is that this camera makes people smile. Everyone laughs and everyone absolutely wants to have their picture taken with it, which is quite an advantage.

Polaroid group portrait of six friends posing outdoors on a sunny day. Five women stand in the back row wearing summer clothes and sunglasses, while one person in a light purple shirt and sunglasses sits in front. The photo has a warm, nostalgic quality with natural lighting and the classic instant film aesthetic.
Polaroid snapshot of a person doing a handstand in a grassy field. The subject is silhouetted against an overcast sky, wearing dark clothing with legs spread in a V-shape. Wild grass and small flowers are visible in the foreground, captured with the soft, muted colors characteristic of vintage instant photography.

The “flaw” that Becomes a strength: The price

Let’s be real: at almost 2 CHF per shot, every photo has a price tag. But is that really a flaw? This financial constraint forces you to think, to take your time framing the shot, to ask yourself if the moment is truly worth capturing. Gone are the days of compulsively shooting 20 photos of the same thing. Here, every click of the shutter counts.
It forces you to think before the shot and not after..

A lesson for my kids

What I love most is showing this camera to my kids, who are used to the instant gratification of digital. With the Polaroid, you have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for the photo to develop properly. If you want to share it, you have to scan it first. But most importantly, you have something real in your hands, something you can touch and feel without needing a screen.
This different approach to photography is opening their eyes to a less connected but more tangible world, and from talking with them, I can tell it fascinates them.

Verdict

The Polaroid Sun 660 has made me fall back in love with photography by bringing back its contemplative and precious side. It’s a camera that slows you down in a good way, makes you savor every moment, and produces memories that are as imperfect as they are unforgettable.