Fujifilm’s affordable Instax Mini 41 impressed me with its elegant design and simple operation

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41: One-minute review

The Instax Mini 41 is the latest affordable instant camera built for Fujifilm’s Instax Mini film, replacing the 2022-released Instax Mini 40 as the ‘mature’ alternative to the playful, colourful Mini 12.

While the Mini 40 has a straight-up retro aesthetic, the Mini 41 takes things in a more unique and modern direction. I’d call it retro-tinged rather than all-out vintage-inspired, and I think it’s all the better and more eye-catching for it.

Instax Mini cameras have always been simple to use and the Mini 41 thankfully continues this tradition. Loading it with a cartridge of film takes seconds and isn’t fiddly at all and, thanks to the automatic exposure settings, taking a photo really is just a matter of pointing and shooting. 90 seconds later, you’ll have a fully developed and likely great-looking credit card-sized print in your hands.

The viewfinder is big and bright, and thanks to the new parallax correction mode, you no longer need to compensate composition for close-up objects. As with the Mini 12, the Close-Up mode shifts the viewfinder angle slightly so that centering an object within 50cm will actually keep it in the center of the finished print.

The build quality is lightweight and plasticky, but thankfully doesn’t come across as cheap; I think it feels fine for a camera in this price range. I will concede that the use of standard AA batteries rather than a rechargeable built-in battery seems a little old-fashioned in 2025, but I suppose you can’t have it all.

In terms of image quality, it’s difficult to say the Mini 41 is any better than the 2023-released Mini 12 (which is a bit cheaper), because the lens and film being used is pretty much identical. But that’s no bad thing: Instax Mini photos are colorful, charming and so easy to pass around, pin up to a corkboard or stick on the fridge.

All in all, this is a fun, easy-to-use instant camera with a handsome design and a great price.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41: Price and availability

• Camera available now for $129.95 / £94.99 / AU$179
• Instax Mini film costs around $20.99 / £14.99 / AU$29.95 for a 20 pack

The Instax Mini 41 is available now for around $129.95 / £94.99 / AU$179. That price, which is pretty reasonable in my opinion, includes the camera, two AA batteries and a wrist strap, but you don’t get any Instax Mini film packs included. US-based readers should note that the price in the States may go up as a result of the recent tariffs, so do keep an eye out for that.

Each film cartridge features 10 shots, and they’re usually sold in double packs (so 20 shots in total) for around $20.99 / £14.99 / AU$29.95. That can initially seem expensive compared to the near-free cost of digital photos, but as these prints are tangible, personalized objects I don’t think it’s fair to directly compare them to shots that sit on your phone or social media account. In my opinion, the film is priced quite fairly.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41: specs

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41: design

• Plastic body with retro-inspired but modern design
• Simple controls and viewfinder
• Selfie mirror built into lens barrel

When I pulled it out of the box, I was instantly impressed by the looks of the Instax Mini 41. It would have been easy for Fujifilm to retain the purely retro 1960s-esque styling of the Mini 40, but instead its designers have blended old and new into something quite singular, much like it did with the Instax Wide Evo.

From the grippy geometric texture on the front to the understated colors (with those all-important pops of the orange accent color here and there), this is just a stylish and elegant camera – and a lot less conspicuous and more grown-up than the Instax Mini 12.

It’s made almost entirely of plastic. That’s normal for something priced as low as this, and helps keep the weight down, but it will get marked and damaged quite easily if dropped or mistreated. My review sample already had a scrape across the back from a previous user, and I suspect a ten-year-old Mini 41 would look quite battered and bruised unless kept in a carry case most of the time.

Operation is beautifully simple. Loading a cartridge Instax Mini film through the rear hatch is idiot-proof thanks to the yellow indicator lines, and once it’s in all you need to do is twist the lens barrel to turn the camera on. This power switch doubles as a mode dial too, flipping the camera between its Normal and Close-Up shooting modes: Normal is for shooting anything more than 50cm away, while Close-Up handles everything between 50cm and 30cm (the camera’s closest focusing distance).

When in Close-Up mode, the viewfinder shifts perspective slightly, making it easier to frame your shots. This is called parallax correction and I’ve seen it on the Mini 12 too, but it’s a great feature to have if you don’t want to end up wasting photos through poor composition.

To take a shot, you just look through the (big, bright) viewfinder to compose, then hit the shutter button. Everything else, including shutter speed and flash, is fully automatic. If you want to take a selfie, there’s a handy mirror on the lens to help composition (another feature, like parallax correction, carried over from older models).

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41: Performance

• Postcard-sized prints delivered in 90 seconds
• Strong color reproduction and sharp detail
• Runs on 2 x AA battery delivering around 100 shots

This camera really is simplicity personified. From pressing the shutter button to looking at your fully developed print, the entire process takes just 90 or so seconds. The Mini 41 doesn’t do anything different to its Instax Mini predecessors in this regard, but then it doesn’t need to: the system works very well. The only thing it's missing, if I'm nit-picking, is a self-timer that'd allow you to set it up somewhere for a group shot.

The prints are credit card sized (62 x 46mm to be precise), nicely glossy, and packed with charm. I suppose you might be disappointed if you’re looking for the most detail, the punchiest contrast and the richest, most saturated colors – but, well, you didn’t truly expect to find them on a cheap instant camera, did you?

Image 1 of 4

What these images have in spades is spirit and character. The colors are pleasant and appealing and there’s enough detail here, despite the small print size. And that analog film special sauce suits portraits and selfies well, imbuing them with a timeless quality that digital has always struggled to recreate.

Should I buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini 41?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Fujifilm Instax Mini 41: Also consider

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Mini 41:

• Used two packs of Instax Mini film (20 shots)
• Took photos in and outdoors in different conditions
• Experimented with portraits, self portraits, close-ups and landscapes

I was only given about a week to use the Mini 41 before my review sample had to go back to Fujifilm, but that was enough time to get through a couple of cartridges of film: 20 shots in total. I took these in and outdoors and in a variety of situations, from selfies to landscapes. I own an Instax Mini 12 too, so am quite familiar with the design and image quality of the Instax Mini range and film, which helped me form an opinion on the Mini 41 despite having limited hands-on time with it.

• First reviewed May 2025