Nons SL660 two-minute review

As TechRadar’s Cameras Editor I see all kinds of weird and wonderful devices for capturing stills and video, but just when I thought I’d seen it all, the Nons SL660 popped up in my YouTube feed and piqued my curiosity. It’s an instant camera, but not as we know it, being an angular hunk of metal – an SLR with passive Canon EF lens mount, that captures to readily available Fujifilm Instax Square film.

Nons makes two lenses that are directly compatible with the SL660’s Canon EF lens mount – a 35mm f/2.8 and a 50mm f/1.8 – plus a range lens adaptors for other popular SLR lens mounts, including Nikon F and Pentax K. When I requested a loan sample from Nons for this feature, I asked for the Canon EF to Nikon F adaptor because I own a few excellent Nikon lenses, including the full-frame Nikon 20mm f/2.8D AF.

There’s also a Nons SL645, camera, and the key difference between that model and the SL660 is that it records onto Instax Mini film instead. Personally, I much prefer the size of Instax Square prints (and the larger-still Polaroid film even more), so the SL660 was the obvious choice for review. 

Unlike most simple point-and-shoot instant cameras that only offer auto exposure, the Nons SL660 is SLR by design, and entirely manual in operation. You’ll need to select the shutter speed and lens aperture, with an exposure meter above the lens telling you what aperture to use with the selected shutter speed. Your frame is viewed through a pentaprism viewfinder, focus is manual, and you even have to manually eject the print when you’ve taken the shot – a feature that enables multi-exposure shooting. 

This is truly a photographer’s instant camera, and to that end you can swap lenses to mix up the type of shots you can make. It’s also one of, if not the most, expensive instant cameras available. It’s pricier because it’s made of tough metal and in smaller batches versus the standard plastic used in most other mass-produced instant cameras like the Fujifilm Instax SQ40; the Nons SL660 is an altogether different camera to those, and the high-end build quality goes some way towards justifying the significant outlay. 

The SL660 is a bulky and heavy instant camera, and the image quality it's capable of producing is ultimately limited by the Instax Square film it uses – you will, for example, need an ND filter in bright light. Despite its constraints, I'm charmed by it, and I suspect that of all the best instant cameras you can buy, the Nons SL660 is the one that photographer me will come back to again and again. 

Nons SL660: price and release date

The Nons SL660 camera alone costs $599 / £603 from the Nons website or from Amazon, and with its passive Canon EF lens mount it's best suited to manual-control Canon EF lenses. If you use modern Canon EF lenses you might sacrifice aperture control (if your lens doesn't have an aperture ring) and even manual focus control ('STM' lenses). You can also purchase the SL660 as a bundle with the 35mm f/2.8 lens for $709 / £717, with the 50mm f/1.8 lens for $649 / £660, or with any one of a number of lens adaptors for $609 / £615. This high-end pricing pits the SL660 firmly against the Polaroid I-2 – the two cameras are in a different league to point-and-shoot instant cameras. Pricing for the Nons SL645 starts at $539 / £541. We'll update this review if and when pricing and availability for Australia are confirmed.

Nons SL660: design

Images of the Nons SL660 online didn’t prepare me for what I set my eyes on when unboxing the gear – this looks like no other instant camera. It’s a love it or hate it brutalist block of aluminum with defined features: a genuine wooden grip, a crank to engage the viewfinder, a pronounced shutter button, and striking shutter speed dial. 

There’s an optical viewfinder with through-the-lens display, so the perspective is correct to the attached lens. The display is dim, but I like its grainy filmic quality. There’s a portion of your instant print that you don’t see through the viewfinder display – when shooting with the thick border at the bottom of your Instax Square print, the unseen section is to the left. It takes a couple of shots to get used to this, and thereafter you can factor this in to make the best possible composition.

To shoot the ‘correct’ way, with the thicker border positioned at the bottom of your print, you need to flip the camera 90 degrees with the grip at the top – vertical if you will – otherwise the thick border will be on the left-hand side of your print, which looks weird unless that’s your intention.

The Nons SL660 is powered by an internal battery topped up via USB-C (using the supplied USB-C to USB-A cable, not just any USB-C cable) and is rated for around 100 shots on a full charge. A tiny top LCD displays battery life along with the number of prints remaining in the inserted film pack (the shot counter failed in my review sample after a couple of packs of film), plus the aperture setting needed on your lens to get the correct exposure for the selected shutter speed, based on the camera's exposure metering.

If you're shooting in bright light you'll need an ND filter for your lens, or else your shots will be overexposed – a 3EV to 7EV variable ND is perfect. The Nons 35mm f/2.8 lens I had has a 52mm thread. Because the exposure meter is separate to the lens (ie., not TTL), you'll need to calculate the exposure settings based on the strength of the filter, or place it in front of the meter to get the reading first, and then attach it to the lens. The 'reflective' exposure meter calculates an evaluative reading for the whole frame.

By today’s standards the Nons SL660 is awkward to hold, and by heck is it chunky, primarily because it needs that extra depth for the Canon EF-mount flange focal distance. This is no pocket camera. It’s also a paradox – a custom-made one-of-a-kind feel, yet it captures onto the most popular and accessible instant film. I had several packs of regular Instax Square film for this review, and there are a few readily available alternatives, like a monochrome film, too.

Stylistically I like the pronounced shutter button. However, it’s all too easy to press it unintentionally, which results in a wasted print. I almost lost that screw-on button, too, as it unthreaded itself more than once. The reason that the button is detachable in the first place is to allow you to swap it out for a cable release for hands-free operation, which is neat, but a tighter thread is needed for a secure fix.

Nons SL660: performance

Long before I'd received the Nons SL660 or taken any shots with it, I had formed a certain expectation regarding the quality of instant prints it could make. After all, it comes with a proper Nons lens, plus, in my case, I can use it with some excellent Nikon lenses. Rival instant cameras like the Instax SQ40 are restricted to a built-in, low-cost lens. 

Surely, then, the instant photos made with the Nons SL660 would be superior to anything else before it? Well, yes and no. Despite the superior optics, we’re still shooting onto the same film type – an ISO800 stock with limited dynamic range. Also, the print area of Instax Square film only measures 62mm x 62mm, and so it’s hardly big enough to really show off lens quality. 

Rather than outright image quality, the real appeal of the SL660 over cheaper and simpler rivals, besides its unique design, is that you can swap out lenses and therefore mix up the focal length and perspective of your shots. Unfortunately, my telephoto macro lens for Nikon F-mount lacks an aperture ring, and I was unable to get a good shot with it. Get the right manual lens, however, and great fun can be had.  

Almost all the instant photos I took with the SL660 for this review were taken with the Nons 35mm f/2.8 lens. For full exposure control when adapting an alternative lens, like I did through the Nikon F-mount adaptor, you need a lens with aperture control. That counts out most modern DSLR lenses from Canon, Nikon and Pentax. When using a Nikon lens without an aperture ring, the aperture is automatically set to its smallest setting, while some Canon lenses are set to their widest aperture setting. (I also had a great struggle removing the adaptor ring from my Nikon lens after use.) Besides Nons' own lenses, an old Canon EF lens with aperture ring makes the most practical sense. 

To get prints with the correct brightness, I needed to experiment a little to understand the behaviour of the SL660’s auto-exposure metering. If you follow the suggested aperture settings to a tee, then prints tend to come out a little dark for my liking, but when I increased the exposure by around 1EV, by opening the aperture up or halving the shutter speed, the results were better. 

Apply this knowledge about the camera's exposure metering and most your shots will come out fine. However, alternatives like the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 shoot in auto-exposure only, with a built-in auto flash, and with those cameras you'll get fewer wasted prints. 

You also need to understand the limitations of Fujifilm Instax film. It has an ISO 800 sensitivity rating, which is bang on with the fastest possible 1/250 sec shutter speed and f/4 aperture (approx) when shooting in cloudy weather, but when the sun comes out you need to stop the aperture right down, to nearer f/22 or even beyond the limit of the lens.

I prefer the look when shooting with a wider aperture, not least to make subjects stand out better, but also in this case for a brighter and clearer view through the viewfinder (it gets dimmer as you reduce the aperture size), and so a ND filter is a must-have accessory – otherwise the SL660 is practically unusable in bright light. 

There’s also a hard limit on the dynamic range of the film – if you shoot scenes with high contrast, like a backlit portrait or a white overcast sky, you’ll need to choose between a brightness for highlights or shadows; you can’t have both. An ideal scenario is even lighting: soft sunlight on your subject and background, or at least a darker background so the subjects pops.

There's a standard hotshoe to attach an optional flash. Nons doesn't sell its own flash, nor did I use the SL660 with a flash for this review – that's a whole other creative technique I look forward to exploring with this camera. I’ve complained about certain Fujifilm Instax cameras with built-in flash in the past because some models auto-fire the flash for every photo you take, whether you need it or not. However, that’s a better option than the SL660, which has no built-in flash at all – at least you can cover an Instax camera's flash with your finger when it’s not needed. 

Once your shot is ready, you hard-press the eject button and out pops the print. This manual-eject control also enables a multi-exposure function. You’ll need to recalculate the correct exposure for each shot depending what’s in each frame, and the results can be excellent if you know what you’re doing, or at least be prepared to waste a print or two experimenting. For example, I shot a self-portrait silhouette against a bright sky in one exposure, and then another one of closeup details of flowers that visibly populates the silhouette –  a classic double-exposure effect. 

Overall, if you’re using the Nons SL660 with the 35mm f/2.8 lens without ND filter or flash, it’s fairly limited as to what scenes it's suitable for. But if you're equipped with accessories and willing to experiment, great results can be achieved. 

Should I buy the Nons SL660?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Nons SL660

I had the Nons SL660 SLR instant camera for a couple of months, and I went through a fair few packs of regular Instax Square film. For the majority of the review I used the Nons 35mm f/2.8 lens, although I did adapt a couple of my Nikon F-mount lenses with mixed success. 

Testing the camera in a variety of lighting conditions that ranged from sunny weather to indoors, I experimented with various shutter speeds and lens apertures, and took both single-shot and multi-exposure photos. I've not used the Nons SL660 with a hotshoe mounted flash, nor used the bulb mode or attached a cable release. 

First reviewed April 2024

Polaroid I-2: One-minute review

Polaroid has a long and winding history. Founder Edwin Land launched the world's first instant camera (the Model 95) and film in 1948 at a Boston department store, and it was an instant success. The company managed to endure throughout the film era, but it filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and again in 2008 – when the production of its instant film stopped.

A whole host of bizarre products were then created under the Polaroid brand, from cheap DVD players to the Polaroid Snap Android smartphone. It wasn't until 2017 that Polaroid received backing from a shareholder of The Impossible Project, first becoming Polaroid Originals, then in 2020 going back to the original Polaroid name. Quite the tumultuous journey.

Polaroid has been making a steady comeback in the last few years, launching the Polaroid Now, Now+ and tiny Polaroid Go, which are some of the best instant cameras around today. By contrast, the latest Polaroid I-2 is more grown-up, more expensive and more advanced – in fact, it's the first instant camera to offer fully manual exposure controls. It’s also well connected, working with the Polaroid smartphone app via Bluetooth to enable remote shooting.

But that doesn't mean it's lost its retro charm. When Techradar's Lance Ulanoff tried out the Polaroid I-2 before me, he says he was instantly transported to a simpler, happier time. And I have to say that I agree. It's a well-crafted camera that Polaroid says is "designed for craft", but it won't suit everyone. 

Its price is enough to put off amateurs, but for true Polaroid fans, or those who want to take their instant photography more seriously, the I-2 is a joy to use – as long as you're prepared to experiment, and to shell out for Polaroid film.

Polaroid I-2: Price and release date

The Polaroid I-2 was launched on September 7, 2023, and is available now directly from the Polaroid website, as well as from photography retailers for $599 / £599 / AU$1,095 at the time of writing – a talking point in itself. 

For the same money as a single Polaroid I-2, you could pick up four Polaroid Now+ cameras, or eight Instax Mini 12s (with some cash to spare on film), or put the cash towards one of the best mirrorless cameras instead. It’s hard to see a justification for the I-2's price tag, and the price alone will put off many users, and that's not even factoring that each Polaroid print costs significantly more than Fujifilm Instax alternatives.

That said, the I-2 hasn't been designed for mass-market, Instagram-generation appeal. It's a more unique and refined proposition than its Instax rivals, and I don't say that with scorn, as I happily own the Instax Mini 40 and Mini 90 myself. I just believe there are enough photographers who are attracted to the history and craft of analog instant photography to splurge on the camera. And if money is no object, I'd say the Polaroid I-2 is the best instant camera you can buy.

Polaroid I-2: Specs

Polaroid I-2: Features

My experience of Polaroid comes mainly from my childhood in the 1990s, and a camera I bought off eBay while at university in the early 2010s. Even then, as an early hipster just starting to learn about film processing, I loved the analog aesthetic and tactile process, and the fact that I could peg the prints from my fairy lights; as a student, though, I didn't love the cost of the film. With the Polaroid I-2, all of these things still ring true, but now there's a real sense of control over how the prints turn out.

The main selling point of the I-2 is its manual exposure controls. It offers the choice of Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Multi-Exposure (up to four exposures in one shot), and Self Timer modes. The aperture ranges from f/8 to f/64, while the shutter speed range is 1/250 sec to 30 seconds. This isn't a camera for fast action, but the ability to toggle through settings does bring versatility to the subjects you can shoot. 

The I-2 has an exposure compensation dial that allows you to add plus or minus two stops to the camera meter's reading, in third-stop increments. The compensation, aperture and shutter speed are displayed in the viewfinder, while the latter two settings also show up on the camera's outer screen. You'll also see a hand icon in the bottom of the viewfinder if the camera thinks your shutter speed is slow enough to cause camera shake.

Autofocus is another standout feature of the I-2. Granted, it's center-weighted, and you only get one AF point located in the center of the frame, but the LiDAR (light detection and ranging) technology is surprisingly effective. It locks onto near and distant subjects – the range is approximately 0.4 meters to infinity – in lower light as well as in good light. In practice, you half press the shutter down to focus, then press it fully to take the shot. The stepping motor driving the focus can be noisy and high-pitched, but I found this oddly reassuring as someone who grew up with a dial-up modem. It's a three-lens autofocus system, and the focal length is fixed at 98mm.

The I-2's internal lithium-ion battery can be recharged via USB, and Polaroid says a full charge will last for up to 15 packs of film (that's 120 shots at eight photos per pack). I only got the chance to shoot through four packs of film when testing, and during that time the juice had drained by around 25%, which was impressive.

In terms of connectivity features, the I-2 features Bluetooth, meaning it can pair seamlessly with the Polaroid app (iOS and Android). I found this quick to download, quick to connect and pick up the camera, and intuitive when it came to changing settings. The app is also useful for remote operation with the camera on a tripod.

Before you start snapping, I’d recommend looking over the paper pullout that Polaroid supplies in the box, as it covers menu navigation and buttons. Given that i-Type film is upwards of $2/£2 a sheet (the camera also works with 600 film), you’ll want to know exactly what everything does so that you don’t waste any.

Polaroid I-2: Build and handling

The Polaroid I-2 is markedly bigger and heavier than its cheaper siblings. It's made mostly from a matte-gray impact-resistant plastic and some metal elements, and it feels premium and durable. However, I wouldn't want to drop it from any great height, or use it outside in anything other than light rain.

There’s nothing too complicated about the body itself. On the front you'll find the pronounced red shutter button, the flash, the viewfinder front, and a slot for the film to eject out of. Looking at the I-2 top-down, there's an outer display, a thin button to toggle through the different modes, a power button and a flash button, all of which are nicely responsive to touch.

You can connect an external flash via the 2.5mm flash sync port at the back, which is next to the USB-C charging port. The large viewfinder is also at the back, while underneath there's a tripod mount. On the lens itself, you get the exposure compensation switch, plus the selection dial for settings. Again, both of these are responsively clicky, although once or twice I did nudge the exposure compensation switch by accident.

Subjectively, the I-2 looks suave, but I generally found it too big and cumbersome to use with one hand; with two hands and the included wrist strap, shooting was a more comfortable and secure experience. Polaroid also gives you a plush cloth pouch to protect the I-2 when it's stowed away, but if I were to frequently chuck the camera in a bag I'd want to invest in a hard case to save it from knocks.

Polaroid I-2: Image quality and performance

The Polaroid I-2 is aimed at a pro-grade audience, or at least those who know their way around the exposure settings of a camera. So how is the image quality? What of the manual exposure controls? It's a slightly mixed bag, in my opinion.

The camera takes the newer I-Type Polaroid film – which matches the original Polaroid square format with the iconic white frame – as well as 600 film for vintage-era cameras. The prints take around 15 minutes to develop, and it's vital that they're stored in a dark place (the film box works well here) or face down as they do.

When I was shooting in automatic exposure mode and flat, overcast lighting or soft sunshine, the color reproduction of prints was pretty much as I expected from the Color I-Type film. The tones were even, desaturated and subtle (calling them washed-out sounds too negative), with that characteristic 'vintage' look that lovers of instant cameras tend to enjoy. My Instax prints are generally a little more punchy, but it's a close contest between the two, and largely subjective.

When I added the flash into the mix for auto-exposure shots, the I-2 handled a mix of flash and ambient light capably, but it didn't always get the metering right. I know that Polaroid suggests shooting away from direct light, and that makes sense – its metering isn't advanced enough to cope with backlighting. But even in softer autumn light in the UK, I found that a lot of my pictures were overexposed. With the film being as expensive as it is, you don't really want to fire off several prints with exposure compensation to find out which one is best, and at times I struggled to trust the I-2's built-in meter.

I'm someone who shoots almost constantly in Aperture Priority or Manual mode with my mirrorless camera, and so I took to these modes on the I-2 more easily than a beginner might do. I learned to boost the exposure when photographing my black dog, for example, or dial it down in bright sun. A certain level of trial and error was still required, although I think over time you'll learn exactly what works with the I-2 – albeit after spending a large amount on film to get there.

The autofocus is pretty much spot-on, as I've already alluded to. When composing the frame through the viewfinder – which can be susceptible to some glare – you just need to make sure your subject is bang in the center of the frame. It helps that when  focus is achieved, the distance is shown in both the viewfinder and the display. In any instances where my photo wasn't sharp, it was due to a too-slow exposure.

I'm also pleased to report that the multiple exposure mode works brilliantly, with the Polaroid I-2 calculating the correct exposure depending on how many frames you choose. The self-timer option also went without a hitch, which makes it easy to shoot selfies and group shots.

I also tested the Polaroid I-2 with B&W i-type and Blue 600 film. The monochrome prints were low-grain and quite gentle, yet (when exposed correctly) had a surprisingly full range of tones. I'll be spending more time refining my results in black and white, but I'm pleased overall, and I think photographers who want low-noise prints will be too.

The Blue 600 film is made from reclaimed material from Polaroid's manufacturing process, and as the name suggests it gives striking blue colors. Again, this won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's totally wacky, experimental and great fun, and I can see it being popular for urban scenes and out-there portraits.

Should I buy the Polaroid I-2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Polaroid I-2: How I tested

I tested the Polaroid I-2 camera over a period of two weeks, and used it to capture a range of real-life scenarios. I took photos in a formal garden, in coffee shops, on dog walks, and in the busy city where I live, as well as in a range of varied lighting conditions, from low light to bright sunshine. I experimented with different three film types: Color I-type, B&W I-type and Reclaimed Blue 600. 

Given that the I-2 is distinguished by its full manual controls, I took test shots with the camera in Manual exposure mode, as well as using the other exposure modes and the multiple exposure feature. I also turned the flash on and off to see how the camera handled the balance of flash and ambient light. For several shots, I paired the I-2 with the Polaroid smartphone app to test the Bluetooth connectivity and effectiveness of the app, also using this app to digitize my photos.

• These are the best instant cameras you can buy right now

First tested October 2023.