The Polaroid 600SE Medium Format Camera

Twelve year ago or so I came into possession of a medium format Polaroid 600SE camera. It’s a large cumbersome camera with a large format Mamiya 127mm lens. The lens has a leaf shutter with f-stops ranging from F-5.6 to F-64 and synches at all speeds up to 500th of a second. Sync’s means I could use a flash or commercial lighting equipment with shutter speeds up to 500th of a second. Most DSLR or SLR film camera’s sync from 30th to rarely 250th at most. Leaf shutter camera’s sync at all speeds.

Primarily the medium format Polaroid 600SE instant film camera was used for checking lighting in studio applications. At the time, I wasn’t doing studio work rather on location marketing work. With the digital camera I can check the digital back screen or while tethered checking on a lap top. For that reason there was no need to use the Polaroid check system anymore.

Shortly after getting the camera Polaroid stopped making the peal apart instant film. I then switched to Fuji instant films. Everything was great! I was shooting all kinds of things including landscape. The Polaroid 600SE has a Mamiya large format lens so the quality was very good. Then some time later Fuji quit making instant film and the camera went on the self as a by gone relic.

Some years later, I decided to do little research and found out I could put film backs on the camera with an adapter. I bought a 6X9 film back for $50.00 and tested it. To my surprise the film was outstanding and very sharp. I bought more backs a second 6X9 and two 6×7 backs.

For me, this new discovery and rebirth of the camera has been exciting and a lot of photographic fun. It’s not a carry around camera and somewhat difficult to load film but I can tripod it or hand hold it with the hand grip trigger built into the camera. Below are dark room prints, two silver gelatin 6X7 and two silver gelatin 6X9 prints I made with the Polaroid 600SE camera and printed in my darkroom.