When you use the Taz Cam, be sure to spin around in place as fast as you can
If you grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, you probably will remember the inspiration for the Taz Cam. You see, the Taz Cam was a Polaroid 600 camera specially designed and had a different exterior than most other Polaroid 600 cameras. It was sold for a short while in the 90s but the Polaroid Originals shop has a few of them available for purchase right now.
Before we even tackle this piece, let me refresh your memory of the great Tazmanian Devil!
The Polaroid 600 series of cameras were pretty iconic. They take 600 film from the Polaroid Originals company and had many variants. Some of them used Polaroid’s famous Sonar autofocusing system while others, like the Taz Cam, had a fixed focusing lens. There was exposure compensation built in, flash override, and the promise that you’ll have a really fun camera to play with whenever you get a hot minute or when you’re attending those 90s dance parties.
Typically, a Polaroid 600 like the Taz Cam could focus between 4-10 feet and had a 106mm f14.6 lens. That doesn’t sound very fast and in reality it isn’t. But then consider how large the imaging surface is. It’s significantly larger than a full frame DSLR–which I’d honestly call small format more than anything else. It’s even bigger than 6×4.5 and 6×6.
According to their website listing:
Inspired by the world’s most infamous Tasmanian Devil, the Polaroid 600 Taz Edition (affectionately known as the “Taz Cam”) is easily the most weird and wonderful camera Polaroid ever released. Produced for a short period in 1999, it turns the Polaroid 600 into Taz’s head, complete with teeth and tongue on the inside. If you’re the type of person that likes to stand out, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Head on over to the Polaroid Originals store to check out the Taz Cam. Of course, their refurbishing will get it to you for quite a pretty penny. Or check it out on Amazon.
