I am a huge fan of Instax cameras and some might see it as a niche thing which is fine and due to how powerful our smartphones are today the sales of cameras have dropped over the years but there is still a market out there for all things camera and including retro cameras like Instax from FUJIFILM.
OK OK I say it every time an Instax camera comes in for a review “do you remember when we used to take photos with disposable cameras and so on or even your DSLRs etc and go get them sent off and you could not wait to get the envelope stuff with photos back?” Well do you? Have you changed or picked up a camera from Instax and actually tried to bring back how things used to be like all the retro tech we now are seeing more of?
The latest offering from the company the Mini 12 instant camera is not what I expected at first glance when it comes to the tech side of things using their app and probably because they launched a new app called the Instax Up app the same day which we will review another day but unlike previous cameras this does not require an app to use it to edit photos etc it is just a simple point and shoot camera, with the Instax app you can scan INSTAX prints and store them digitally in one place, Organize photos by category/list views for easy locating, Easily share stored photos and collections via social media or text, Import photos from other INSTAX apps (INSTAX mini LINK, INSTAX Link WIDE etc.) into the INSTAX Up. There is no app for this camera however we are testing today which I thought initially there was and this might make the case for making things easier if you look at it another way.
On testing this camera I found it is ideal for the selfie fan which myself is not someone who posts the likes on a daily basis and it does well mostly so on outdoors and takes decent images as you will see in the video review below, it is on the bulky side however these cameras always have been and certainly will be a talking point when you take it out to get some photos you can hold in your hand.
Specs
- Real image finder, 0.37x, with target spot
- Parallax correction function for close-up mode
- 2 components, 2 elements
- Focal length – f = 60 mm, 1:12.7
- Shooting range – 0.3 m and beyond (use close-up mode for 0.3 m to 0.5 m)
- Programmed electronic shutter – 1/2 to 1/250 sec. Slow synchro for low light.
- Sensitivity – Lv 5.0 to 14.5 (ISO 800)
- Exposure control – Automatic
- Constant firing flash (automatic light adjustment), recycle time: 7 seconds or less (when using new batteries)
- Effective flash range: 0.3 to 2.2 m
- Film – Fujifilm Instant Colour Film “instax mini” (separately available)
- Film Size – 86mm x 54mm Picture Size 62mm x 46mm
- Film Developing Time – Approximately 90 seconds (Varies depending on the ambient temperature)
Battery Specs
- Two AA-size alkaline batteries (LR6), capacity: approx. 10 instax mini film packs of 10 exposures each