Polaroid Sun 660

The Polaroid Sun 660 used sonar to focus. Actual sonar - the same principle submarines use to navigate the deep. Press the shutter button and the camera emits ultrasonic sound waves from that distinctive gold transducer disc. The echo bounces back, a tiny electronic computer calculates the distance, and a motor adjusts the lens. All in under a third of a second. In 1981, this felt like science fiction.

First introduced as the Autofocus 660 and later renamed the Sun 660, this was the premium model in Polaroid's new 600 series - the system that would make instant photography truly point-and-shoot. Load the film (battery included in every pack), aim at your subject, and press the button. The built-in flash handled the exposure. The sonar handled the focus. Millions of family moments were framed in that familiar square white border.

The sharp, squared-off styling is pure 1980s industrial design. The construction is unapologetically plastic. And yet this was genuine innovation - the sonar autofocus system has never been replicated by any other manufacturer. It couldn't focus through glass (the sound waves bounced back too soon), but for everything else, it just worked.

Gizmo is a collection of design-led art prints built around the machines that shaped how we made music, wrote code, played and connected with the world. Synthesisers and drum machines. Cameras and home computers. Calculators and handheld devices that once felt like the future.

Each print is a carefully constructed illustration that isolates what made an object memorable - its proportions, controls, typography, surfaces, and small acts of engineering intelligence. Not retro sentimentality, but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.

Adapted from and inspired by Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in

XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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