The best thrift store find of mine to this day was a working 680 with original paperwork and receipt in a bag for $18 Taking that camera home was the most alive I’ve ever felt

What the 680 and SX-70's excel at is close ups. You can focus much closer to your subject and when you fill the frame the sharper glass lens does make a difference. For shots where you're a few feet away there really isn't much of a difference. I've also found that darkening the exposure compensation by a little generally results in better contrast and colors.

I have a rev A sx-70 I had refurbished by Brooklyn Film Camera, and it works perfect! But alas, currently Polaroid film is still a bit of a disappointment (Random weird unexplained issues and super touchy development, leaking) compared to what I remember and just from looking at my Polaroids I shot with the original film stock from the 90s and 2000s. A Fuji Instax SLR would be *chefs kiss*.

My favorite thing about the SLR 680 is it was used as a futuristic camera by Dave Lister in the first season of Red Dwarf (using it without unfolding it).

As you've mentioned, the sx70, 680 and 690 were quite expensive. Although available for the general market, they found favor in studio photographers who used them to have proofs of their studio portraits.

Polaroid SLR680 excels in portrait work. When you shoot closer it has a beautiful creamy bokeh and the viewfinder makes framing easy. I paid 340€ for my minty boxed SLR680 and felt like I overpaid. Little did I know that it would become my favorite out of all my cameras (Rolleiflex, Hasselblads etc.)

For me the biggest argument for getting an sx70 is the ability to focus slr style and being able to get REALLY close to your subject (like 20cm min focus distance on my sx70), Very nice for portraits - imo the best use case for polaroid

The SLR 680 is one of those cameras that is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing being that it's a very 'hip' camera; It's the Olympus Mju ii of instant cameras if you'll excuse the comparison. The blessing of this is that the SLR 680 is what the wealthy hipsters will gravitate towards. This means that the Polaroid SX-70 range will always be somewhat affordable if you are patient. Because the ones without patience and just have the cash will 'pay retail' as they say. It's like retro game collectors; you have the ones who go to thrift stores and garage sales and then there's the ones who just pay the buy it now price on eBay. However the curse of this is that there is a feeling of FOMO when it comes to certain tech and vintage camera enthusiasts are not immune to this phenomenon by any measure. Instead of spending less money on an unknown point and shoot camera that they may end up loving, they see all these influencers flouncing around the Contax T2 and of course; the SLR 680. "It's the only Polaroid SLR that natively does 600 film and has auto-focus! I don't want to get an SX-70 model 2 and regret not getting auto-focus! I don't want to have to use an ND filter!" So they splash the cash on an SLR 680, with less money to buy film and scared to death that they will break it. Then, FOMO hits because they see an influencer on Instagram with the MiNT SLR670-X. If only they'd spent $500 dollars more they could have got that... I was in the same position. I adored Polaroid when I was younger and I was using it up to its death. When it came back I was well and truly stuck on 35mm which had clung to dear life. However I wanted to dip back into Polaroid and I wanted an SLR. Someone was selling a 680 on eBay bids and it was at around £200. I was the highest bidder. I felt sick. I got caught up in that excitement to get something nice and I was feeling that post-bid anxiety, knowing that I really shouldn't have been spending that money. Especially since I had a hefty vet bill at the same time. Luckily I got out bid, it went for like £220 which is honestly a bargain considering today's prices. I felt so much relief and I decided to be patient. Luckily, I found a guy who did SX-70 repairs and mods and his rates were pretty good. Someone put a beautiful nearly mint condition SX-70 on eBay saying it was broken (wouldnt close) and untested. I decided to get it and had it sent to the guy for a full refurbishment. In the end I got it modded for 600 film with a switch, a brand new motor and covered in beautiful grey soft leather (I know the tan is classic but I didn't grow up in the 70s. Sorry). Altogether it cost me around £150 which seems high for again, considering the price for just regular SX-70's that don't support 600 film it's a bargain and I love the ever loving hell out of it. I know I'm rambling but the point I'm trying to get across is that the SLR 680 is wonderful. But unless you find it in a thrift store run by someone who has no idea what it is or for some reason you have a family member who has one in the attic; you are never gonna get one for cheap and you are paying nearly triple the price of a modded SX-70 just for the fact it says "SLR 680" on it. Yes, you won't be able to put #680 on your Instagram and Twitter posts but you will be able to show off your beautiful custom SX-70 that is unique to you.

I managed to grab a 680 for about 100 Eur on Ebay several years ago, with the original box and paperwork. It's great!

I'm honestly really excited for the openSX-70 mod to become available for the public soon. I think it'll make every sx-70 just as good or even better than the 680 with the manual controls and flash sync capabilities!

My 635 works well. I had an SX-70 that I loved until it got damaged. I may still get another SX-70. Congratulations on the article!

I believe that a modified version of this camera is used as a prop in the Andor series on Disney+ 😂

How the heck have I missed your channel up until about a hour ago... your videos are right up my alley! Cheers from Sweden /Fred

congrats on the article!!! so cool, too cool. great video again, thanks for the deets.

I ended up getting a 680 SE for free from someone I knew who was cleaning their garage from a move. Looked up the price and was shocked at how much they went for jeez...But I will say I was kind of disappointed with the output of the film stock. Hoping the film stock improves.

Enjoyable presentation. Just found your site. Re your comment about what was it like shooting the 680 camera with Polaroid 600 film stocks back in the 1980’s I can comment. I worked for Polaroid in sales at that time and I have endless pictures in photo albums taken on that camera and the images even 40 years later are strong vibrant in colour and are super sharp. And none of this hiding the picture away nonsense after taking it. When we launched the 600 films and cameras the whole idea was not only superior film to the SX-70 films but they were NOT affected by even the brightest of sunlight as they developed. I wish I could post them to show you. Anyway enjoyable video.

I think it says a lot about the old school Polaroid engineering that we can get such nice photos from the old school 600 box type cameras! One of my favourite shots I took back in late 2019 of a (then) new friend was surprisingly sharp! I took it on a Polaroid Impulse! Saying that, I do find I love my SX-70s and the glass lenses really help, for me.

As a few have said, the close focus ability of the SLRs is pretty awesome. But for me (and I don't know if this was already commented) there's a satisfaction to the shooting experience of the SLRs, specifically the 680, that just can't be beat. That might not matter to most Polaroid shooters, but it's something I'm always thinking about when shooting. Cool video and congrats on the article!

I was expecting you to reference the new Star Wars show Andor which uses one of these cameras (not sure which model) as a reoccurring “sci-fi binoculars” prop. A cool little Easter egg for us photo heads.

In colder conditions, armpitting the film is the best way of developing (I.e. tuck the Polaroid under your armpit and keep it there till it’s finished developing).

Wow , not what you you would expect Noah ! Especially with the crazy prices the 680s go for , never mind the 690 😂 How about doing the cool cam Vs the MiNT Slr670s ??

For anybody that watches "Andor" on Disney+ - go and look at episode 5 of season 1, 11 minutes in. That's a modified Polaroid SX-70 being used as a prop.

Nice video!

found a 680 SE at a local flea market for $80. not as a crazy deal as others, but for what it is, absolutely worth it

As an engineer who loves instant photography, the first time I saw a regular sx-70 it looked like a marvel of what it was capable of. It's small, it's simple and it's overall amazing. I'm hoping to have one someday that I can experiment with regarding converting to 600 and i-type.

I saw you guys on the street today, getting pointed to your KZfaq channel was a bit like pulling teeth, you might want to change that, but, the lack of Promotion was a real breath of fresh air.

$300? I'd gladly pay $300 for one today, most I see close for at least $550-600 but average even higher. I'm also not surprised about the comparison results. While they were "cheap" the 600 box cameras were pretty well designed, including the Impulse. So why would someone want a 680 over like a Sun 660/670 or Impulse AF that does pretty much the same things? Personally the design is more impressive as a piece of engineering, the ability to fold up does help it slip into a bag, and the SLR nature is just more fun to get experimental with selective focus. Is that worth like half a grand? You'll have to decide for yourself.

Big Polaroid 680 person, look into the Sx-37 it adds accessory lenses like telephoto lenses, effects and filters. It utilizes the fact it’s a SLR perfectly.

A review I’d be interested to see all of the new instant cameras Polaroid has to offer. And which camera would be for which demographic

Hey, love this video and have the Slr 680? Question, did you use the flash with all the photos taken on the 680 or take some photos without it?

Dude, close-ups are where the slr shines! should've compared that

Great video as always! Silly amateur tangential question for ya if you have the time: is there a reason (legal i assume?) why there arent any third party cameras that use polaroid film? Like there are a few cameras that use Fuji instax but i dont see polaroid equivalents? I think anyway

I have 4 SX70's including sonar models and end up using my sun 660AF for all my professional work because its just way more reliable. My expensive cameras are out performed by my $50 sun 660

Congats on the article!!! I got a 690 in the 90s, wish it was compatible with the current Polroid film, sadly the eject door/rollers are not compatible!!!

The 680 in featured in one of my favorite films Memento.

You really expect me to believe that the cool cam came out warm??

Thanks!

Wow! I’m probably not gonna find one of these bad boys for $25 at a flea market like I did with my original SX70 last month! 😂

Looking at the photos at 6.08 for me it seems that the CoolCam distorts the straight lines and the SLR 680 doesn't do that noticeably.

After the passing of the last year, I wonder if you plan on revisiting this.

I wish I got the mint 670 over the SLR 680. But I’ll get it eventually

Picked up a 690. Do you have a compression video

I have a 680 as my main shooter, and had a 690 for a little bit and yes, the 690 is far more prone to failure. Mine never worked properly and i ended up selling it. Still have the 680, and a box of SX-70s and one or two Spectras.

Смотрим!

I think an interesting comparison would have been if you used one of the plastic 600 cameras that has the siding close-up lens which has a minimum distance of about 2 ft. Portrait I'm someone we both cameras at about to ft might be interesting.

An I-type spectra camera would be incredible

I wonder how these cameras compare with the nons sl660 and the Fuji instax

Nice beard! 👍

I just found one at a thrift store, now trying to learn how to use it

These old cameras fascinate me and have considered getting one from mint, but I remember the outcome of the film looking better as a kid. These look terrible but I understand the fun factor with them.

Hi, new subscriber first question ever! Can I use 600 B & W in the SLR 680 successfully? All paperwork says color only so I wanted to confirm before burning a pack? 🙄 Thanks, love your content!

Does it fit in your suit jacket pocket?

I think its the lousy 600 film today that makes a 300usd camera looks like 50usd. The sx70 film is probably the one to use with a proper sx70. I wonder what happens if you use sx70 inside a 600 camera. Will it be super underexposed?

Would like to have seen some tighter portraits

I use a 660, just because it’s very similar without some quality of life feature and at an infinitely lower price for a vintage piece.

I bought a 680 at a flee market, it worked fine but after a few weeks it started not working properly, it seems like it’s running out of power randomly. Tried a few packs of 600 lately and most of the time it freezes while taking a shot and the photo just doesn’t come out. Any ideas why ?

2:27 still cheaper than the I-2

Nice! :)

I don’t use flash on outside shots.

I think you flipped the shots with the cat. The CoolCam is fixed focus, and will always keep the background in focus, and the one you have labeled CoolCam clearly has an out of focus background.

The only *real* difference in any of the SE cameras _was_ the extension of its warranty...

8 months later ... $300. That's adorable.

690 is the best, not 680. 690 is a 680 camera but re-engineered by the Japanese. They reworked the circuits and thus the camera is more reliable and giving better results compared to 680.

You want a cheap mechanical 35mm camera? Buy some old Soviet Leica clones. Ukrainians are understandably selling a lot of them right now to make some money.

Honestly I feel like it's pointless to have the better camera because the new polaroid film is not nearly as good as old stuff or fuji instax film.

I felt the cool cam images were always better than the 680/

The Polaroid of today shows no interest in improving their film, sadly. Until an Instax square SLR comes out, I'll stick with my SQ6. Congrats on the article!

There’s no further ingenuity coming out from Polaroid. That’s the sad part. All they can do is continue to make film with new decorative borders😢. Instax chemistry is miles ahead of Polaroid.😂

The f*** you talking about look like they're made of metal? I literally have one and it is metal