Polaroid 600 SE1979

History

Polaroid's pack-film camera line reached its professional peak in the early 1970s with the Models 180 and 195, both of which featured quality glass and coupled rangefinders but no interchangeable-lens capability. When Polaroid wanted a step further into commercial and press photography, they contracted Mamiya, whose Universal Press system was already an established medium-format workhorse used by press photographers worldwide.

The 600 SE was the result: a body that combined Polaroid's pack-film instant back with the Mamiya Universal mounting system. This gave users access to the full range of Mamiya Universal lenses - wide-angles, telephotos, and the standard 127mm - all with coupled rangefinder focus confirmation. The camera was expensive at launch and positioned explicitly for professional use rather than consumer sale. Production appears to have continued into the mid-1980s, though exact discontinuation dates are not well-documented.

The 600 SE appeared late in the commercial life of professional pack-film use; by the early 1980s, digital Polaroid prints and fax transmission were beginning to supplant instant photography in press applications.

Why It Matters

The 600 SE represents the high-water mark of Polaroid's professional pack-film ambitions. It is the only production Polaroid camera to offer a genuine interchangeable lens system with coupled rangefinder, and the Mamiya Universal mount connection means the lens family available to it is shared with a respected medium-format press system. For photographers already working with Mamiya Universal bodies, the 600 SE offered a way to add instant-feedback capability using the same glass they trusted for their primary work.

In the context of photojournalism, instant photography served a specific role through the 1960s and 1970s: editors reviewing results in the field, police and insurance documentation, and passport photography. The 600 SE was among the tools that served that market at the top of the quality range.

Lenses & Accessories

The 600 SE accepts all Mamiya Universal Press lenses via the native mount. The most common configurations:

• 127mm f/4.7 Mamiya-Sekor - standard lens, shipped with most bodies, coupled rangefinder
• 75mm f/5.6 Mamiya-Sekor - wide-angle option; coverage suits pack-film frame
• 150mm f/5.6 Mamiya-Sekor - short telephoto; useful for portrait distances
• 250mm f/5 Mamiya-Sekor - longer telephoto
• 65mm f/6.3 Mamiya-Sekor - widest option available for the Universal system

All lenses contain their own leaf shutters, so the camera body itself has no shutter mechanism; exposure is controlled at the lens. The hot shoe and PC socket allow use of external flash in addition to any accessory flash unit. Grip-mounted AA batteries power the meter and electronic functions independently of film.

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• The Mamiya Universal system (which shares lenses) was widely used by press photographers and photojournalists through the 1970s; the 600 SE extended this lineage into instant-print work.
• Commercial studio photographers used pack-film instant cameras for lighting tests and client-approval shots; the 600 SE's interchangeable lens capability made it more versatile for this role than fixed-lens alternatives.
• Specific editorial attributions to the 600 SE model are not well-documented in published sources.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Polaroid 600SE - model overview and mount identification.
• Wikipedia: Polaroid pack film - pack-film format history and emulsion context.
• Christopher Bonanos, Instant: The Story of Polaroid (Princeton Architectural Press, 2012) - corporate and product history through the professional camera line.
• Mamiya Universal Press documentation - lens compatibility and mount specification reference.