If you’re looking to buy an instant film camera, there are only two serious names in the game: Polaroid, and Fujifilm Instax. While some manufacturers like Canon and Kodak offer digital instant-print cameras that use techniques like dye-sublimation to create instant prints of digital images on specialist paper, it’s not the same. For the true alchemical magic of instant film, you Polaroid and Instax are the big hitters.

Polaroid is undoubtedly the better-known brand name due to its long history, dating back to the 1940s (though hitting major popularity in the 70s). It spent a few years in the wilderness following a bankruptcy in the early 2000s, before being purchased and revitalised in 2017 by an analog film collective called The Impossible Project. All the proper Polaroid cameras you can buy new today have been released since this renaissance.

Instax cameras may not have the historical cachet of Polaroids, but they are massively popular — Fujifilm reported last year that its Instax line has sold more than 100 million units since its inception in 1998. I don’t have similar sales data on post-revival Polaroid, but frankly, I don’t think it’s anywhere close.

Ultimately, there are compelling reasons to choose either brand. The Instax mini 12 is TR's pick as the best instant camera, and I can see why — it's a great option for the majority of users. But for me personally, it’s Polaroid all the way.

Why I’ll pick Polaroid every time

It’s not a question of print size, as both brands have similar offerings. Fujifilm Instax Wide film is about the same size as a Polaroid I-Type (or SX-70) print, just rectangular rather than square. Polaroid’s smaller ‘Go’ film produces prints of comparable dimensions to Instax mini.

What it’s all about is vibe. Scoff if you want, but come on — you’re shooting instant film. You’re not here for accurate colors or pitch-perfect sharpness, you’re here because you love the tangibility of holding a print in your hands, the transportative lo-fi look of a format that’s been around for half a century. It’s all vibe.

I’ve shot Polaroid and Instax prints side by side before for comparison. Once, while I was viewing them, my partner made an astute observation that I have since stolen and made my own: the Instax catches your eye first, but you end up liking the Polaroid more. Instax prints are bright and vivid, with naturalistic colors and a decent level of detail, especially the Wide format. They’re fun and kitschy.

But Polaroid images just have that inimitable retro glow that instantly transports me back in time. The softer, more muted color palette makes images less immediately striking, but more satisfying the longer I look at them. There’s a richness to them, a greater sense of depth and subtle tonality. If I were embarking on an artistic project with instant film, there’s no question which format I’d choose. It wouldn’t even be a decision.

Instax cameras are easier to use for sure — most are just point and shoot. If I were recommending an instant camera for a family, or for someone who isn’t an experienced photographer, I’d go with Instax. But for me, as someone who knows my way around a camera, the depth of control offered by the top-end Polaroid cameras leaves Instax in the dust.

Connect to the Polaroid app, which works very smoothly and is highly intuitive, and you can completely program in your settings, taking total control over your images. Want to try your hand at creating long exposures on instant film? It’s straightforward on a Polaroid Flip or Polaroid I-2, and impossible on an Instax Mini 99.

Sure, Polaroids aren’t perfect. The ongoing cost of I-Type film is a sore point, with packs of eight shots costing the same as a pack of 20 shots of Instax Wide or Mini. This sucks. No way to pretend it doesn’t. Buying in bulk can help a little, though honestly not a lot. At least the smaller Polaroid Go film is much cheaper, and I prefer it to Instax Mini. Again, its subtler look is less striking, but richer.

Do you agree? Let me know which is your preferred instant-film format in the poll above. And if you’re looking for an instant-film camera to buy, see my explainer on why the Polaroid Go Gen 2 is the best buy you can make this Prime Day and click on today's best deals where you live using the links below.

Instant photography takes on a very different form these days. It used to (and ultimately still does) mean a photo you take that’s instantly printed out on paper. Realistically, it means a photo you take on your smartphone in seconds — and it’s something we all take for granted. Just open the camera on a smartphone, point, shoot, done.

However, in many ways, the instant nature of smartphone photography afforded by the best camera phones can remove any creative nature of framing the perfect shot.

This is a thought I had recently at least when heading over to Europe on holiday, and one I wanted to amend by taking a Fujifilm Instax mini 11 in my carry on. In my mind I couldn’t have made a better choice.

Fortunately, the updated model, the mini 13, is on sale at Amazon for just AU$119 at Amazon for EOFY.

I’ve long been on the fence about instant cameras and a separate camera from my phone in general. I’ve made the trip to Europe several times before to visit my family, and in the past I’ve taken my OM System OM-D E-M10 MKIV.

However, the last time I took it, I never used it (as much as I told myself I would), as the added bulk of carrying around lenses and the camera body itself just proved too much of an inconvenience for me. Considering my iPhone 15 Pro could take decent pictures within seconds, I didn’t feel the need to keep it close by.

This year that all changed. While my iPhone was still an undeniably useful companion on my recent trip — I took well over 1,000 photos — I knew this time that I wanted to capture more memorable pics that would actually get looked at again (this is a safe space; we can all admit we never actually look back at photos we take).

I’d never used an instant camera such as the Instax mini before, and I have to admit there was a very slight learning curve to adjust to a new way of taking photos. And that was half of the fun for me — because I knew I only had a finite number of sheets to print on. I had to make my pictures count!

Using the Instax mini meant I had to be more considerate when framing a shot, which fortunately was super simple using the viewfinder. It might look like a tiny window (because it is), but whatever I saw through it is what came out on paper.

And hey, there really was something magical and special about waiting for the image to develop — how would it look? Did the colours come out ok? Did anyone walk into the shot as I pressed the shutter?

When my partner and I returned home, we made a much more conscious effort to look at the pictures I’d taken to determine what we’d keep and what we’d get rid of. Of the photos we kept, we’re going to frame them at some point at home. We haven’t quite decided how just yet, but we know we will.

Considering I’ve only ever printed a handful of photos from my iPhone, I’d call that a win for Fujifilm. And at AU$119 for the mini 13, it’s a small price to pay for photos you’ll actually come back to.

I love cameras and Lego, so imagine by delight when I received the shiny new Lego Creator 3-in-1 Retro Camera for Christmas in 2023. The charming set, which features an SLR camera with moving parts and a film door, has lived on my desk at home ever since I completed the build on a wet winter day shortly after.

If you know someone with a soft spot cameras and Lego too (looking at you), I can heartily recommend the set, which has fallen in price to $15.99 at Amazon (was $19.99). Being part of the Creator 3 in 1 series, there are three builds to choose from; an SLR film camera, camcorder or TV set.

Honestly, the SLR build was already plenty enough for me without the other two options. There are neat touches including a film crank, a viewfinder to peek through, and a film door that opens and closes, plus film rolls that you can slot inside the camera.

• For more deals, check out our Amazon Prime Day live blog

I've also spotted another camera-themed set in the Prime Day sales; the Lego Ideas Polaroid OneStep SX-70 for $65.66 at Amazon (was $79.99). As someone who owns an original SX70 instant camera which dates back to the 1970s — which I got refurbished into fully working order by Retrospekt — it's a dream set that I have my eye on this week.

I'm sure the Polaroid SX70-themed set would put just as big a smile on my face as the real thing did, as they are so thoughtfully created sets now available for much less than the full price — and you can grab the best prices today through the links below.

Not in the US? I've included links to the best deals in your region, further below. Happy building!

Today's best camera-themed Lego set deals

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

The latest model in Fujifilm's long-running series of budget instant cameras might've only launched earlier this year, but I've just spotted the Instax Mini 12 at Amazon US for $79.95 (was $93.95), which is a record-low price ahead of Amazon Prime Day.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

It hasn't been discounted that low since last year, making this the first opportunity anyone who's had the best instant camera on their wish list to bag a bargain. That's great timing if you ask me, because the Instax Mini 12 is a great camera for the summer. In the UK, there's another record-low deal on the same Instax Mini 12 camera for £69.99 (was £79.99).

From capturing holiday moments to being passed around at weddings, this is the perfect time of year to own an instant camera. The Instax Mini 12 produces great-looking prints, and is extremely easy to use — what's more to like?

Today's best Instax Mini 12 deals

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

Instant film, man — you just can’t beat it, and for me, Polaroid is top of the pile. Since the brand’s rejuvenation in 2017, I’ve been a huge admirer of the range of cameras it has come out with, catering to all different stripes of users. I’ve reviewed, owned and used several of them — but there’s one in particular that has caught my eye this Prime Day, and that's coming with me on my World Cup watch parties.

I just finished up my Polaroid Go Gen 3 review, and I came away really impressed. This palm-sized instant camera packs in everything that I’ve loved about the diminutive Go series in a smaller-than-ever body, with a better lens and more powerful flash.

But my Prime Day recommendation is going to be the previous model, the Polaroid Go Gen 2. Why? Well, because while the Gen 3 is an improvement on the Gen 2, it’s not a radical upgrade, and the discounts on the Gen 2 are looking very tempting.

In the US, there's over $30 off for the Go 2 (black) with a pack of film, now just $78.99 at Amazon, while in the UK there's £20 off for the white version of the Go 2, again with a pack of film for just £74.99 at Amazon. There are currently no such discounts for the Go 3.

• See all early Prime Day deals at Amazon UK

Today's best Polaroid Go Gen 2 deal (US)

Today's best Polaroid Go Gen 2 deal (UK)

Considering that the Go Gen 2 and Gen 3 use the exact same film, and so are both capable of producing images with that gorgeous Polaroid lo-fi look, that’s a tough bargain to argue with. I wouldn’t expect to see similar discounts on the Gen 3 any time soon, considering it has only just been released.

I think for most instant photography newbies, something from the Go series is going to be the best choice. These cameras produce much smaller prints than the larger models, taking dedicated ‘Go’ film rather than full-size I-Type. It makes the film much cheaper, meaning you can be more relaxed about your shots, and the tiny dimensions give it a similar ‘cuteness’ factor to the mega-popular Fujifilm Instax film.

And I know that sales figures don’t agree with me here, but having tried both brands extensively, I think Polaroid film and cameras are much better than Instax! The tonality is better, and the lo-fi look has much more retro charm.

Sure, the Gen 3 is a little smaller, and its selfie game has definitely been raised. But the Go Gen 2 still has that Polaroid charm. It’s still got the selfie mirror, the simple point-and-shoot operation, and even the double-exposure mode.

Thanks to that cheaper Go film, it’s a much more sensible choice for fun events like World Cup watch parties — if a few frames come out badly, it’s not the end of the world. And I speak from experience when I say that instant cameras always go down well at gatherings. Making tangible instant prints is just so much more interesting and fun than capturing yet more wide-angle selfies to disappear forever down your phone’s camera roll.

So, if you’re looking for an instant-film hit to document your adventures or summer parties, the Polaroid Go Gen 2 is my recommendation to jump on over the next few days. But I’d pounce sooner rather than later, as those discounts won’t hang around forever.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

Polaroid Go Gen 3: Two-minute review

Cards on the table: I love Polaroids. I’m of the right generation to have grown up with these instant-film wonders on holidays and at parties, and I was thrilled when the brand was properly revitalised in 2017 under new ownership. From the early OneStep cameras to more recent efforts like the Polaroid Flip (which I currently own), I’ve used a lot of nu-Polaroid’s offerings, and I was thrilled to try out the Polaroid Go Gen 3.

The Go series are Polaroid’s range of super-small instant cameras. They use their own dedicated ‘Go’ film, producing prints measuring 66.6mm x 53.9mm with an image area of 47mm x 46mm (for context, a full-size I-Type print measures 107mm x 88mm with an image area of 79mm x 77mm). They still have that Polaroid look, that lo-fi charm, that iconic square format. They’re just smaller.

The Go Gen 3 is the smallest camera the series has yet produced. It is clearly pitched at a younger crowd — festival-goers, beach-enjoyers, selfie-takers, and it has a selfie mirror to facilitate this. Its controls are extremely simple; you can’t control settings, you just point and shoot.

Most of this was also true of previous Go cameras, such as the Go 2, so what exactly is new here? Well, as well as the reduced size, Polaroid has outfitted the Gen 3 with a boosted flash and a redesigned lens sporting a narrower focal length of 63.75mm, compared to 51.1mm on the Gen 2. This gives you a slightly tighter perspective, gets you closer to your subjects, and makes your selfies that little bit more flattering.

So, it's a much simpler offering than the Flip, which has a fancy four-zone focus system and offers full settings control via the Polaroid app. The Polaroid Go Gen 3 does have a shutter speed range of 1/500–1sec and aperture settings of f/14.4 and f/32, but it will be selecting those for you. However, that’s not to say you’re completely without agency. You can turn the flash on and off via the flash control button, which also activates a self-timer mode and a double exposure mode — meaning you can expose the same frame twice for surreal, creative effects.

I used the Polaroid Go Gen 3 for about a week, mostly capturing shots on photo walks outdoors, but also making use of the selfie mirror to shoot some self-portraits indoors. I’ve been very impressed with the level of quality those little prints are able to display — when the light’s been right, I’ve found myself absolutely poring over images, appreciating all the subtle details that are conveyed in these tiny prints. Even in the smaller size, you still get the feeling of Polaroid’s signature lo-fi tones.

It’s not perfect. I found ultra-bright sunlight to be a problem, with the prints easily becoming blown out and overexposed on sunny days — which also seem to me like the days you’re most likely to want to use the camera. However, the relative affordability of Go film compared to I-Type makes me much more willing to play, experiment and have fun with the Go Gen 3, and not sweat my mistakes too much. Which as far as I’m concerned, is what instant photography should be all about.

Polaroid Go Gen 3: price and availability

Polaroid has been cannily stalking the Instax market share with the Go series, and part of that has been keeping the cameras nice and cheap. The Go Gen 3 comes at a reasonable launch price of $89.99 / £79.99 / AU$150, which is about the same as the comparable Instax camera, the Instax Mini 13, and similar to cheap lo-fi digital cameras like the Camp Snap.

However, as it’s a film camera, you have ongoing costs to factor in. Polaroid Go cameras use dedicated Polaroid Go film, which costs around $21.99 / £18.99 / AU$39 for a pack of sixteen shots (two cartridges of eight). Again, this is similar to Instax mini, which is slightly cheaper at around $20.99 / £14.99 / AU$34.95 for a pack of twenty.

Happily, it’s much more reasonably priced per shot than full-size I-Type film. As much as I love proper Polaroids, $18.99 / £16.99 / AU$32 for just eight shots is really quite brutal, and makes the experience a bit less fun. You don’t kick yourself for a fluffed Go shot in quite the way you do for a fluffed I-Type shot, and it makes the Polaroid Go Gen 3 a more realistic option for kids and families.

Polaroid Go Gen 3: Design

• Super small, trop mignon, fits in the palm of your hand
• Very simple operation with just three buttons
• No tripod thread, but there are lugs for a strap (and one is supplied)

Polaroid Go cameras have always been cute — it’s practically their key USP — and the Go Gen 3 is the cutest yet. The makers call it the world’s smallest instant camera, and I certainly can’t think of a challenger. This thing is tiny, sitting comfortably in the palm of a hand. It measures 106.5 x 83.8 x 64.6 mm and weighs just 8.9oz / 251g.

As such, there isn’t a whole lot of room for bells and whistles, and operation of the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is no-frills. There are just three buttons — power, shutter, and flash control, the latter of which also activates self-timer and double-exposure modes. The entire bottom of the camera is taken up by the film door, meaning there’s no tripod screw thread — best find a flat wall if you actually want to use that self-timer. There also isn’t any of the app-based camera-trigger functionality that you get with the likes of the Polaroid Flip, which also means you won’t be capturing long exposures or anything like that.

The viewfinder is small but lovely. I really enjoy looking through it; I just love that square frame. It really fires my imagination compositionally, and if I hadn’t been limited by how much film I had on hand, I would have been firing off shots left and right. Flip the camera around, and you’ll see that the front of the viewfinder is reflective. This is the selfie mirror, and I have to say, it works exactly as intended.

On the side, there’s a USB-C port for charging, and at the back are two lugs on the right and left for attaching straps, and a rope-style wrist strap is included in the box. And, well, that’s pretty much it! This is a very simple offering, something that works in its favor as a lo-fi camera for fun, friends and family. It’s a camera so simple a child could use it, something I tested by giving it to a three-year-old, who — with a little coaching — did indeed manage to capture a photo. If you’re looking for a camera with kid-appeal, I can attest that the Go Gen 3 has it in abundance.

It’s available in five stylish colorways: white, black, teal blue, ice blue and purple. As you can see, I had the white version, and as I took it out and about, it did draw a few comments and compliments from passers-by. This is a nice-looking camera.

Polaroid Go Gen 3: Performance

• Lovely detail and tonality in prints, even with small size
• But ultra-bright sun can easily overwhelm images
• Flash is always on, so you need to remember to turn it off every time if you don’t want it

When a Polaroid works, there’s nothing like it. Even in the smaller Go size, I’m really impressed by the level of detail and tonality you can get out of this thing. For me, it beats Instax any day of the week. In good light, with a well-chosen subject, you can make images that absolutely sing, and I genuinely adore some of the shots I’ve captured with this camera.

One thing that really impressed me was the selfie-taking capability. The Polaroid Go Gen 3’s reworked lens and powerful flash are designed to facilitate just that, and using the mirror as a compositional aid, I was able to capture selfie images that were vivid, detailed and true-to-life, the flash comfortably illuminating the scene without blowing it out.

Out in the big wide world, of course, you can and will run into issues. While I was testing the Gen Go 3, we were blessed with several days of glorious sunshine, and in very bright conditions — you know, the exact kind of conditions where you might find yourself saying something like, ‘Darling, it’s lovely out, shall we bring the Polaroid?’ — it’s easy for those little frames to just be overwhelmed.

More than a few of my images were quite significantly bleached by very bright sunlight, even when I remembered to turn the flash off — and you have to do this manually every single time, because the camera will always turn it back on. Even, as I discovered, halfway through a double exposure.

I’m generally a bit wary of double-exposure modes on instant cameras; I feel like most of the time, I’m likely to end up wasting a frame on a blurry, muddled mess. However, the lower cost of the Go film made me much more willing to give it a try than I ever am with my Polaroid Flip, and I ended up with a decent image — though I think it would have been better without that unexpected blast of flash halfway through.

Ultimately, as with any Polaroid camera or indeed any instant camera, the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is solid knockabout fun. You’ll get some images you like, and some that feel like a bit of a waste of film. That’s just the game, and it’s a much easier game to enjoy when the film is more reasonably priced than full-size I-Type.

Polaroid Go Gen 3: Should you buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Polaroid Go Gen 3

• I received a sample camera from the manufacturers, along with some Go film
• I took the camera on several photo excursions, mostly shooting outdoors
• I shot with and without flash, and tested the double-exposure mode

I’ve had the Polaroid Go Gen 3 with me for the past couple of weeks, and I’ve taken it on excursions around London, as well as on a trip to Bradford-upon-Avon. During that time I’ve gone through a double pack of Polaroid Go film, and have tested out the camera in different scenarios and lighting conditions, with a particular focus on seeing how it renders different colors.

I have shot outdoors and indoors, both with and without the flash. I also gave the double-exposure mode a whirl, using it to create a composite image of my own face from different angles. I shot selfies with flash using the selfie mirror as a compositional aid.

First reviewed June 2026

• Polaroid has announced the third generation of its tiny 'Go' series of instant cameras, the smallest yet.
• Like previous models, it uses Polaroid's dedicated 'Go' film, a smaller format producing 2.6" x 2.1" prints
• With a selfie mirror and self-timer for group shots, the Go 3 is courting a younger user

Summer is here, festival season is upon us, and Polaroid has unveiled what it's hoping is the perfect camera for it all. The Polaroid Go Generation 3 is the latest, and smallest, in the rejuvenated firm's line of tiny instant-film cameras, shooting and printing smaller-format photos in the iconic square Polaroid format.

With research indicating that many members of Gen Z are fatigued by modern tech, the Polaroid Go Gen 3 is pitched as a tactile and authentic means of experiencing (and documenting) an 'analog summer'. It's small enough to take to concerts and festivals and on road trips, and Polaroid is betting that its lo-fi aesthetics will charm a screen-weary generation.

Preceded by the Polaroid Go 2 in 2024, this new version is apparently somehow even smaller. Polaroid hasn't yet provided precise size and weight specs, though the firm is calling it 'the world's smallest instant analog camera'. It uses the same dedicated Polaroid Go film, which produces prints measuring 66.6mm x 53.9mm (2.623" x 2.122"), with an image area of 47mm x 46mm (1.851" x 1.811"). This is about four times smaller than the standard I-Type format.

The Go Gen 3 has a selfie mirror, a self-timer for group shots and a double-exposure mode — which allows you to expose the same frame twice for creative effects. All this was true of the Go 2 as well, and indeed, it sounds like the Go Gen 3 is going to be a very similar point-and-shoot affair, with fixed focus and fully automatic settings. I'll be able to confirm this once my review sample arrives — en route at the time of writing.

It'll be available from today in a choice of five colors — white, black, teal blue, ice blue or purple — at a starting price of $89.99 / £79.99 (around AU$150).

Camera of the summer? It could be!

I'm a big Polaroid fan — I love instant photography and I own a Polaroid Flip. Even so, I can admit that the Polaroid Go Gen 3 doesn't look like the most exciting release, more an iterative update on the Go 2. And far as I can see from inspecting the early release materials, the main iteration seems to be that it's a bit smaller.

Still, I think in many respects it has the makings of a hit. Polaroid is not wrong to point out that many younger people are craving low-tech, lo-fi experiences, as demonstrated by recent hits like the Camp Snap and the RewindPix. And people like cute cameras too, as seen in the huge viral success of the Kodak Charmera keychain camera.

Plus, there's the perennial popularity of Polaroid's key rival in the instant photography space: Fujifilm Instax cameras, which consistently sell like hot-cakes.

With its cute, pocketable form factor, the Go Gen 3 could quite easily take a big bite out of Fujifilm Instax's lunch. It's priced at about the same level as the Instax mini 12, and the price of its 'Go' film is comparable to Instax mini. With Go film you get 16 shots for $21.99 / £18.99, while Instax mini will give you 20 shots for around $20.99 / £14.99.

(This is a sharp contrast to the larger I-Type film — as much as I love it, forking out $18.99 / £16.99 for just eight shots is a bitter pill.)

I'll reserve full judgement on the Polaroid Go Gen 3 until I've been hands-on with it for myself, but for now, I think Polaroid is in the right place at the right time for a storming success. Don't be surprised if you see quite a few of these little cameras at festivals and on beaches this year...

• Polaroid's latest portable printer produces 3x3 prints through an app
• The device's unique built-in frame can house your prints
• It costs $119.99 / £99.99 and joins 2x3 and 4x6 versions in the Hi-Print range

Like Instax, Polaroid makes some of the best instant cameras, but today it revealed a different kind of product for instant photography fans — the Hi-Print 3x3 portable printer.

It's a unique rival to the Instax Mini Link series of portable printers — a smart alternative to dedicated instant cameras — printing onto Polaroid's Hi-Print 3x3 paper, and with a trick up its sleeve: it doubles up as a photo frame.

Printers can be pretty ugly, but the Hi-Print 3x3 is an altogether stylish alternative you'll want to display, with a slick all-white design that is essentially customizable by housing one of your smartphone prints, selected and edited from your phone's gallery / camera roll through Polaroid's free app (for iOS and Android).

The Polaroid Hi-Print 3x3 portable printer costs $119.99 / £99.99 (Australia pricing and availability TBC) and comes with a cartridge of 10 sheets for printing to get you started — a competitive price compared to Instax Mini Link alternatives.

A different kind of photo frame

I've been reviewing the best instant cameras and the best digital photo frames for years, and the new Polaroid Hi-Print 3x3 is, in a way, a unique hybrid of the two.

Unlike a dedicated analog instant camera, you get the freedom of choosing which images you'd like to print from your smartphone through the Polaroid app, with the option to add templates and stickers should you wish.

And this is not just a portable printer, but a frame too — those prints can snap onto the device within its lift-up frame.

Polaroid already has the Hi-Print 4x6 photo printer in its lineup, and an additional new Hi-Print 2x3 printer, which will easily fit into a clutch bag, but it's the new 3x3 version with its built-in frame that truly stands out to me.

Having never used a Polaroid Hi-Print device, I can't speak of the quality of the prints produced by the different paper types versus traditional Polaroid cameras such as the I-2, the Flip, or the Go 2, but I'm certainly interested in the 3x3 portable printer and hope to have a play with it soon.

• The Instax Mini 13 arrives around three years after the Instax Mini 12
• It keeps the same low price of around $94 / £79 / AU$139, with shipping expected from June 25
• The key upgrade is a handy new self-timer mode

Fujifilm has quietly unveiled the Instax Mini 13 — the latest model in its long-running series of budget instant cameras. It looks like a modest refresh of the Instax Mini 12, which has occupied the top spot in my best instant camera guide for three years, thanks to its excellent value and easy handling.

The Instax Mini 13 comes three years after the Mini 12, and Fujifilm has stuck with a winning formula — and, thankfully, a winning price. The Instax Mini 13 will cost $94 / £79 / AU$139 when shipping starts, which is expected to be on June 25.

Like the previous version, the Mini 13 has a playful design and comes in a variety in pastel colorways, which for this model are Candy Pink, Frost Blue (see above), Clay White, Lagoon Green and Dreamy Purple.

The Minis are fully analog instant cameras, shooting onto Instax Mini paper and equipped with automatic exposure, a built-in flash, a close-up mode and a selfie mirror. So how exactly do the two cameras differ? And what new features does the Mini 13 bring to the table?

Calling the new Mini a minor upgrade is fair, and the improvements are mainly around making selfies even easier. Let's take a look at what's new.

Me, myself and I

You'll notice from the images of the Mini 13 and Mini 12 above that Fujifilm has tinkered with the camera's design. The Mini 13 has a puffer jacket-like exterior, versus the bubble-like exterior of the Mini 12. Both have a smooth finish, and if the Mini 13 is anything like its predecessor, I suspect I'll find that the finish could do with being a little grippier. The new version is a fraction heavier and bigger, but those differences are negligible.

The key new feature is a self-timer mode, which makes taking selfies much easier, especially if you want to go hands-free for larger group shots. There's a 2-second or 10-second timer option, selected by twisting the lever that surrounds the shutter button.

The shutter button now has an LED trim too, which illuminates to indicate when the timer is active, and which looks like a really neat feature for such a low-cost camera.

There's still no tripod thread, meaning no easy way to support the camera for hands-free selfies. However, Fujifilm supplies the Mini 13 with a matching strap, which features an Instax-branded wedge on the end, which can be used to prop the camera up on surfaces and for micro adjustments to the angle of the camera (see below).

We again get a mirror next to the lens as an aid for composing selfies, plus a 0.3m close-up mode which will get you the best results for handheld selfies. Fujifilm says parallax correction for this mode makes composing close-up shots through the viewfinder easier.

That's just about all you need to know. In summary, the Mini 13 adds a useful timer mode with LED guide, but is otherwise very much the excellent budget instant camera the Mini 12 was and still is.

I would have preferred to see a switch to USB charging, but alas the Mini 13, like the Mini 12, requires 2x AA batteries. Perhaps the best news is that the price is unchanged, and potentially even lower than the Instax Mini 12, depending on where you live in. As such, I expect the Mini 13 to quickly become one of the best-selling instant cameras.

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: Two-minute review

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema takes instant cameras in a new direction, and let me tell you, it’s heaps of fun. It’s a 3-in-1 digital ‘hybrid’ instant camera; being a stills camera, an instant printer and the very first Instax that shoots video.

We know the instant photography part already: the Mini Evo Cinema packs much of the same lo-fi tech as the Mini Evo – 5MP digital photos through a 28mm f/2 lens, which are saved onto micro SD, that you can select in the camera’s gallery or through a companion app to print instantly onto Instax Mini paper. In this case, the printing process uses an analog-style lift and twist lever.

But it’s the camera's design where things get really interesting. This is a nostalgic, slimline Super 8 camera-style body – which is supposedly inspired by Fujifilm’s ‘Fujica Single-8‘ from 1965 – that easily sits in the hand with the shutter button at your trigger finger.

And for me, it’s the video features that drew me in rather than the traditional Instax photography experience, even if each of the three functions seamlessly blend together.

Then there's the main event – the Eras Dial, with a look for every decade spanning the last 100 years. Fujifilm says these looks ‘pay homage to the characteristics, media and playback devices that defined that time’.

Starting with 1930 and running up to 2020, there's a distinct look for each decade, each with a scale of 1-10 for various 'expressions' of each decade, adjusting either the strength or the look of each style. So yes, that makes 100 styles, all of which work for photos and videos.

Fujifilm is no stranger to introducing never-before seen controls in its recent cameras, from the Film Mode in the fun X half to the aspect ratio dial in the serious GFX100RF, it keeps delivering surprising new features, and the Eras Dial, being at one's fingertips, is more than just a novelty.

Even videos can be shared through an Instax Mini print – the Mini Evo Cinema selects a frame from the video (or the user can manually select a frame) and prints it with a QR code for access to that clip through Fujifilm’s servers.

You can also check out and share photos and videos using the free Instax Mini Evo app, including making short video edits from your video clips (which are limited in length to 15 seconds each).

I've made my own video compilations using the Instax Mini Evo app, combining multiple clips into a 30 second montage (which is the maximum length), printed it with a QR code attached, which then seamlessly took me online to that reel. The editor is a little clunky, and the video length limitations are frustrating at times, but it's an OK experience overall.

Inside the box, you get the camera, viewfinder eye cup for the 1.5-inch 170k-dot LCD screen (see it in action, below), a grip extension and a strap.

The Mini Evo might look toy-like, but it is in fact a premium-feel product, everything from the grip to the dials, switches and buttons feel solid.

Performance, on the other hand, during my review was pretty sluggish. I've used the camera at a launch event and again during a two week review period, and with both units the Evo Cinema's wheel of death appeared almost every time I recorded a video or switched eras, taking a few seconds to be ready to use again. A little annoying, but arguably in the spirit of retro tech.

I actually think the Mini Evo Cinema is the most intriguing Instax camera to date – it feels like the Instax camera that the digital generation has been waiting for.

Its Super 8-style body is a perfect form to host Instax Mini printing, and the multi-media output makes this feel like a camera that'll keep my interest for much longer than a simple instant photography Instax. This is a proper good times camera.

Technically speaking, this is a poor camera. However, it already feels like the one Instax that appeals to me the most in the many years that I've been testing Fujifilm products.

If I was to sum the Mini Evo up in a single word, it would be fun. Fujifilm is having a real go at making cameras fun again with a string of quirky products, and the Evo Cinema could just top the lot.

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: price and release date

• Costs $419 / £329 / AU$599
• There's viewfinder, grip extension and strap accessories included
• Sales began on January 28, 2026

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema went on sale globally from January 28 2026, with a price of $419 / £329 / AU$599.

In the box you'll also find the viewfinder attachment, grip extender, strap and USB-C cable. A purpose-made leather case will be available too, for $40 / £35 (about AU$65).

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: specs

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: design

• Fabulous Super 8-style body
• A pack of Instax Mini film slots inside
• Retro controls and a charming Eras Dial

Design is easily the strong side of the Evo Cinema – it's a charming, Super 8-style camera with versatile 3-in-1 skills; digital photos, video, and instant printing.

The body is particularly slimline and designed to be held vertically. With a pistol-like grip, your index finger naturally rests on the shutter button, like a trigger. You press it to take photos, or press and hold to shoot video, with a maximum clip length of 15 seconds. You can customize to a single press to record video too, but I preferred the authentic press and hold for video recording, not least of which to avoid accidental recordings.

Fujifilm provides a grip extension with the camera, but honestly I could take or leave it – because it hardly impacts the camera’s handling. What is a useful accessory, however, is the viewfinder eyecup, which comes included. It attaches magnetically and clicks into place over the tiny 1.5-inch LCD screen, which isn’t touch sensitive by the way, enabling a clear view in bright light, but again more for an authentic Super 8-like shooting experience.

There are several buttons and controls around the camera worth mentioning, one of which is a lift and twist lever used for instant printing – it’s easy to forget that this slim camera can hold a pack of Instax Mini film inside for instant photo prints. A single pack of 10 prints will set you back around $9 dollars or £8 pounds.

Another control is the digital zoom lever – I rarely used this because the Mini Evo Cinema’s image quality is sketchy at best already, but more on this later.

The 28mm f/2 lens is a moderate wide angle optic, with a similar perspective to the main camera on your smartphone, and it has a ring around it which can scroll through color profiles. Above the lens is a selfie mirror which is barely helpful, plus a tiny LED flash light which is useful for indoor party portraits, even if it’s not very powerful.

The Eras Dial starts in the 1930s with a grainy monochrome, the 1990s is the old school handicam look, while 2020 is a crisp quality like today’s smartphones. Gimmicky? Maybe for some, but not for me – this is such a fun feature that I kept coming back to.

It might appear toy-like, but once you get to grips with the Mini Evo, you realise that it's a well-made, well-thought out camera. I really believe Fujifilm has faithfully brought a fabulous concept into life.

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: performance

• 100 color profiles inspired by decades past and present
• Poor image quality and limited video clip length
• Sluggish operation

On the flipside to design, performance is surely the Mini Evo Cinema's weakness – and in that sense it is fully committed to its retro roots!

Having used the Mini Evo previously, I expected poor image quality, especially since the basic sensor hardware is essentially the same as the original Mini Evo. Put simply, don’t expect excellent photo quality – the camera shoots lo-fi five megapixel JPEG photos through that 28mm lens, which are then saved onto micro SD.

From the camera’s gallery, you can then select which images you’d like to print instantly onto Instax Mini paper, using that analog-style lift and twist lever.

Video quality is equally lo-fi at just HD 720p, unless you have the high-resolution option active specifically for the 2020 Eras Dial setting alone, where video resolution can be doubled to 1440p. A frustrating, needless limitation on quality? Not so – it’s authentic.

I prefer the digital hybrid setup to a fully analog instant camera – where the camera prints immediately on capture, whether it’s a ‘good’ photo or not. With a Mini Evo you pick the shot you like for printing, meaning less wasted prints. Sure, it’s not one for analog purists, but I’d rather not waste my money on throwaway prints.

One frustrating experience using the Mini Evo Cinema is its slow operation. Every time you change a setting, or take a photo or video, a spinny wheel of doom pops up on screen as the camera makes those changes or processes images before it’s ready to operate again. The wait is even longer after recording video clips.

I’ve had two samples of the camera, and had the same issue with both. One time, the camera completely froze up, and the only solution was to leave it be until the battery fully drained. Once I charged it up and turned it back on, all seemed well again.

These issues could be bugs with the current firmware, that could be addressed in the future, but I’d be remiss not to mention them.

In one sense, using the Evo Cinema with all its performance-related issues is frustrating, but then I stop and think about the kind of camera that it is, and I can't help but embrace those flaws.

Sample photos – 1930 through to 2020

The 10 photos above cover each of the 10 settings in the Eras Dial, from 1930 to 2020. I kept the 'expressions' control to its auto setting rather than experiment with the 10 different looks available for each of the decades on the dial. Stills are recorded as JPEGs onto microSD, at 1920 x 2560 pixels.

Sample video – 100 years in a minute

I repeated the process for video, capturing each of the 10 Eras Dial looks. The lo-fi video quality is captured at 600 x 800 pixels for every setting except 2020, which is a higher quality 1080 x 1440 pixels.

Should I buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema: also consider

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema

• I attend a pre-launch Evo Cinema event for an two hour session. Fujifilm consequently sent me the camera for a two week loan period
• I used it with the viewfinder and grip accessories, and I tried all the Eras Dial settings for photo and video
• I've printed Instax Mini prints and edited content through the app

I've spent two weeks with the Evo Cinema, which has given me plenty of time to get a feel for how it handles and performs.

At a two hour launch event, I recorded the same video in a studio of a model, using every one of the 10 Eras Dial settings, and repeated that process for photos, printing out each one.

I've since experimented with the various expressions of each decade, taken more photos and videos both indoors and outdoors, in good light and bad.

I've tried the Evo Cinema with and without its viewfinder and grip accessories. The optional case was not supplied to me for the review.

I also made video montages using the basic video editor in the free Mini Evo Cinema app, and printed the QR code for access to those clips.

• First reviewed: January 2026
• Read more about how we test

• Instax Mini Evo Cinema is a hybrid digital-instant film camera, styled to resemble the FUJICA Single-8 Super 8 camcorder
• The camera is equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and doubles up as a direct smartphone printer
• Currently only announced for release in Japan

Fujifilm Japan is wasting no time in making its mark on 2026, releasing what might be one of the most unusual cameras of recent years. The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema is a hybrid digital-instant film camera (I know, it took me a while to get my head around what that meant too), that aims to blend the very best elements of modern camera technology and nostalgia-inducing classic flair.

There are several headline-grabbing features to the latest addition to the Instax family, which are traditionally amongst the best instant cameras on the market, not least of which is its crown as the first Instax to be equipped with video. While Fujifilm made the curious decision to add audio-recording to the Instax Mini LiPlay+, this was still a purely photo-only camera, merely adding the option to pair sound with a slideshow of captured images.

The Instax Mini Evo Cinema captures both still images and videos, the latter of which it then converts into a QR code that can then be printed, along with an image taken from a frame in the clip. By scanning the code, viewers can revisit a video at any time along with related still images in print form.

The videos themselves can be edited using a dedicated mobile app, which allows the usual splicing and cutting of clips in addition to being able to introduce cinematic opening and ending templates. It’s an intriguing approach to keeping Instax instant cameras relevant in the video-centric era in which we live.

Speaking of eras, probably the biggest feature of the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, one that Fujifilm is going all-out to promote, is the ’Eras' dial. This physical control on the camera body allows the user to scroll through a number of preset image styles inspired by different decades. Beginning in 1930 and the very start of commercial film-making, the dial offers ten positions all the way through into the 21st Century, the last stop being 2020.

Standout eras that are likely to get most of the attention are the 1980s setting, which gives a 35mm color negative feel, and the 1960s era which Fujifilm explains is a recipe based on the look of Super 8. This one is especially relevant given than the body of the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema is itself styled around 1965’s FUJICA Single-8 camera, an 8mm model that used a similarly eye-catching vertically oriented handgrip.

For someone of my age, it’s the 2000 and 2010 positions that stir up the bittersweet pang of nostalgia, bridging the gap between the early days of digital photography and the smartphone age. Clicking the Eras dial to 2010 will apply a style based on the look of time-relevant smartphone editing apps. I’m hoping the 2000 detent doesn’t pixelate images or take what feels like an hour to process each shot, much like some of the compact digital cameras I experienced circa 2005, but we’ll have to wait and see as Fujifilm didn’t provide a sample of this notch in its press release.

A retro record

Fujifilm is no stranger to camera oddities – I’m looking at you Fujifilm X-Half – but the Mini Evo Cinema truly doubles down on the retro trend of the Instax family. Without seeing samples first hand, it’s too early to review the quality of the results, and we don’t even know what sensor size the camera will be equipped with. It’s safe to assume that it won’t be able to match the the best video cameras available today for absolute image integrity, but being able to “hand over a video” as Fujifilm puts it is undeniably a unique idea that the emerging Tik Tok savvy generation will love, given that these users also show an affinity for retro designs.

To round off the feature spec, the camera also functions as a portable smartphone printer thanks to the integrated Direct Print Function.

I’ll reserve judgement until the TechRadar team can perform a thorough review, but I’d be surprised if this didn’t prove to be another solid performer in the enviable line of successful Instax products. The caveat is that Fujifilm have, so far, only announced the Mini Evo Cinema for the Japanese market, with no mention of availability in other territories. The current information omits a launch price and full specification, but if you happen to be in Japan soon and want to pick up a unit, it begins shipping on January 30.

Christmas is a time of memory-making, and there's no better way to record them than with an instant camera. They also don't have to cost the earth, as evidenced by this new deal that drops the highly rated Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 at Amazon down to $85.95 (was $105.95).

Having reviewed a significant number of the best instant cameras, the Instax Mini 12 is a clear overall winner, especially for anyone new to photography. The camera produces compact printouts, making it ideal for quick results.

You'll need to factor in film refills to your ongoing costs, but given that a twin pack of Instax Mini film costs just $16.81, it'll hardly break the bank.

At a new record-low price, why not take advantage of one of the best camera deals around at the moment and get it just in time for Christmas?

Today's best Instax Mini 12 deal

In our Instax Mini 12 review said that the instant camera is "child’s play to use, produces lovely-looking prints, and remains our top recommendation for instant photography on a budget." No wonder we gave it an impressive 4.5 out of five stars.

The camera is very user-friendly, making it ideal for anyone new to photography, including young children with no prior experience. The Instax Mini 12 has two settings, on and close-up, which you can adjust by rotating its lens. We also found that the addition of parallax correction improves viewfinder accuracy, so what you see when framing is closer to what’s actually printed.

A final word on the camera from our best instant cameras buying guide: "While prints can feel small, the Instax Mini 12 makes it easy for newbies to capture vibrant party snaps at a relatively low cost."

If you're keen on something a little more substantial and capable, then take a look at our guides to the best cameras for photography and the best compact cameras.

• Fujifilm unveils the Instax mini LiPlay+, six years after the original model
• The addition of a selfie camera is the main hardware upgrade
• It's available from October 30 in two colors, with matching cases

Fujifilm has unveiled a successor to the Instax mini LiPlay, some six years after the original hybrid instant camera – and it's called the mini LiPlay+.

The new hybrid model retains a similar design, with a larger rear LCD to compose images and the ability to produce Instax Mini prints. But it comes with one significant hardware upgrade and the ability to add audio clips to images through the Instax mini LiPlay+ app.

The mini LiPlay+ packs twin cameras, adding a selfie camera where the original model just has the front-facing camera. As well as making selfies much easier to create, these twin cameras unleash a new layered photo mode, which combines the front and rear camera images, with two Instax color profiles to choose from.

And if you have the new app, there are four ways to record short audio clips to be added to images, for multi-sensory albums.

There are two color versions of the mini LiPlay+ to choose from; Midnight Blue and Sand Beige. They are available from October 30, with a list price of $235 / £189.99 / AU$329, while a matching case costs an extra £29.99.

A new 'Soft Glitter' Instax Mini film is also being debuted and will be available on the same day as the mini LiPlay+, costing £8.99 for a single pack of 10. I'll update this page with additional US and Australia pricing when I get that info.

Instax for the smartphone generation

Supported by auto exposure, flash and a self timer, the hybrid mini LiPlay+ should be as simple as instant cameras come, even if it'll lack the analog charm of true instant cameras, like the wildly fun and creative mini 99.

No, the mini LiPlay+ is for the smartphone generation, for whom the accompanying app is as much a part of the experience as getting those instant prints.

There are perks to hybrid instant cameras, such as fewer wasted prints. However, they're not for analog purists who cherish the unpredictable nature of instant photography.

I've currently got my hands-on the mini LiPlay+ and will share a review soon. But what are your first impressions? Do you like the sound of a hybrid instant camera like the mini LiPlay+, or prefer the old school Instax cameras? Let me know in the comments below!

You might also like

• The best instant camera 2025: top retro prints from Polaroid, Instax and more
• Leica Sofort 2 review: the classiest hybrid instant camera of them all
• Fujifilm Instax mini 99 review: Instant fun!

Is it too early to talk about Christmas? Sorry for mentioning it, but I have a fantastic deal that will be a perfect fit for a children's present. It's the Fujifilm Instax Pal, which is on sale at Argos for £44.99 (was £71.99). That's a big discount that makes the cute little camera more affordable than ever.

Unlike many instant cameras that sit around in a drawer once the paper supply has run out, this digital-only mini camera is more likely to get extended use. You can connect it to the Instax app or transfer the photos to your computer. Either way, you'll be enjoying your photos or your children's photos for many years to come.

Today's best Fujifilm Instax Pal deal

Despite only awarding it 3.5 out of five stars, our reviewer actually found the Fujifilm Instax Pal the funnest of all the Instax cameras he's ever used. He loved the super cute design and a fun user interface, as well as the fact that it handles better than clunky Instax alternatives.

"To me, the Pal feels like the best of both worlds; it’s a camera that’s not weighed down by a built-in printer, while the shoot-to-print experience – either directly or through the app – is seamless."

It's important to note that this is a digital-only Instax camera, which means if you want the luxury of instant printing, then you'll also need to purchase an Instax Link printer. Alternatively, you can transfer the files off the Instax Pal and print them at your convenience.

If you'd like a device that prints your photos instantly, then you'll need one of the best instant cameras instead. They have the added benefit of onboard printing, but you'll also need to be aware of the additional cost of printing materials.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Two-minute review

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo is instantly striking with its retro design and ultra-wide body. If you're after the best instant camera for hybrid photography (i.e. the ability to print film images taken directly on the camera or sent from your smartphone) and prefer to shoot on wide format prints, then this really looks like it's the model for you.

Although it doesn't come cheap, the Instax Wide Evo is very much the step-up from Fujifilm's other Instax hybrid, the Mini Evo, that was launched in 2021, offering most of the same great features, including an LCD display screen, 10 lens and 10 film effects that make 100 different creative combinations, and a microSD card slot, along with a few more new additions that I'll break down below.

A wider film print means this instant camera is a bit on the larger side, but it makes use of the extra real-estate by adding more physical buttons that let you quickly change settings. These include a dedicated wide angle button that lets you switch to a more standard field of view (FoV) if you don't want that cinematic look.

Speaking of, you can also switch between six different film styles, one of which puts black bars to give your pictures that IMAX feeling, using a button on top of the camera. There's also a dial on the left side of the camera to cycle through the 10 different lens effects, with another dial on the opposite right side to switch between the 10 different film effects. My favorite, though, is the crank that lets you manually print a picture by winding it, which is a nice design nod to the crank for winding back film on the best film cameras.

So it's a full five stars for all the creative photo editing options it offers, but what about the Instax Evo Wide's image quality? It's by no means as rich or dynamic as an analog instant camera can produce. Instead the picture quality of the physical print outs is more in line with what you'd expect from your phone's smartphone camera. Of course, the digital copies of these images when compared to those taken your phone can't compete.

The Instax Evo Wide will by no means replace your dedicated digital camera – and if you love the 'magic' of purely analog instant film cameras, then this might not be right for you either as your images will always be digital first – but it is a perfect piece of extra gear if you want to be creative with your photography and experiment with a larger field of view.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Price and availability

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo was launched on January 21, 2025 with a price tag of $349.95 / £319.99 / AU$599.

That makes the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo one of the the priciest instant cameras of its kind, says TechRadar's cameras editor, Timothy Coleman. Indeed, for comparison's sake, the only other Instax camera that takes wide-format instant film prints is the Instax Wide 400 and that sets you back $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99.

The Wide Evo is also almost double the price of Fujifilm's other Instax hybrid too, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, which retails for $199.99 / £174.99 / AU$299.99. Does the extra cost account for the more premium, larger features in the step-up model? As the brand's first wide format hybrid camera (and second hybrid camera overall), the Wide Evo does offer a premium package, which it's not great on value.

There's also optional accessories available for the Evo Wide, including a leather case that costs $49.95 in the US and £37.99 in the UK. Although optional, this might be a necessary additional cost to make sure to protect the LCD display screen (if this gets too scratched up, then you won't be able to take let alone see your photos).

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Specs

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Design

• A hybrid instant camera that can print directly or from your catalog of shots, stored on Micro SD
• Plenty of dials and switches to select various film effects
• Includes a mirror and switch to take selfies

When rumors started to circle about the Instax Wide Evo, there was talk that it would be "regarded as the best-looking Instax camera ever made" and that caught a lot of enthusiast's attention, including TechRadar's senior news editor Mark Wilson who said off the back of it that the "Instax Wide Evo sounded like my dream instant camera".

Now that the camera is out in the wild, we can officially say that it's a stunning piece of equipment. It has a relatively slim body to balance the camera's wide build, making the Instax Wide Evo one of the more sizable options on the market. This is offset by a stylish retro look that mimics those vintage cameras that had black textured bodies with silver lenses.

Considering that the only wide-format Instax camera alternative is the big and bulky Instax Wide 400, the Wide Evo's textured, minimal black design is definitely a lot more easy on the eye than the plasticky, dull green finish of its larger cousin. (Another alternative if you're set on a wide-format is 2024's Lomo’Instant Wide Glass – an attractive instant camera that we gave 4.5 stars in our in-depth review.) Indeed, I don't think many would be opposed to slinging the Wide Evo over their shoulder for the day.

The leather case that you can buy alongside the Wide Evo makes this very easy to do and might be a crucial accessory – not just for protecting it from nicks and scratches but – to make sure that it has a long life, as the LCD screen could easily get scuffed up over time. That's not great for a camera that doesn't have a viewfinder. Of course, I can't yet say that this will be an issue but it's worth considering.

It also helps that the Evo Wide is light – it weighs about half a kilo – making it very portable, but don't expect to be able to fit the Wide Evo in any pocket. As you would expect, because it takes wide-format instant prints, it's on the larger side.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Performance

• Plenty of scope to try different looks, with 100 creative combinations
• The widest-ever Instax lens and wide-format prints give extra breathing room for your subjects

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo's built-in film and lens effects make experimenting with different styles extremely easy. The fact that you can create 100 different creative combinations with these settings means there's plenty of room to play around.

Fujifilm has made the ability to customize all your images with various different effects a core part of the Instax Wide Evo. Indeed, if you're someone that likes to experiment with different effects such as lens flares, borders and color filters, then this camera is built for you.

The entire design of the camera is focused on making those photo editing tweaks simple, quick and easy. Both the lens and film effects each have dedicated dial buttons on the side of the camera. Even the top most prominent button on the camera (the placement of which is normally reserved for a shutter button) is for adding different film styles to your images.

The Wide Evo even has a dedicated button on the front of it that turns off the wide-angle, which is a nice feature that nods to its hybrid functionality. Another more less visible button is the lens of the camera itself, which can be twisted to adjust the intensity of the filter and film effects you're applying.

I had a lot of fun playing around with all the different film effects and styles because of these dedicated buttons, but my favorite physical feature of the camera has to be the hand crank on the side for printing images. It's a nice nod to the analog nostalgia that the Wide Evo embodies.

The shutter button is a lot different to the Mini Evo, which has a standard push button on top of the camera. Instead of this, the Wide Evo has a rocker style switch (like the ones you would use to turn on a light) that's situated on the front of the camera, beside the lens. I found this placement and style initially cumbersome, especially when taking a selfie as I couldn't immediately engage the auto focus by half pressing it down.

To be clear, this might be just be because I didn't spend a lot of time using it and could become more easier, but I will say it's not initially intuitive. That's also not to say that all the buttons are like this. The spin dials and crank for printing photos, for instance, are extremely tactile and easy to use.

On top of all this, there's even an Instax Wide app for more standard editing options, such as being able to crop an image or increase the brightness and contrast, as well as a 'Discovery Feed' for sharing and seeing fellow Instax Wideo Evo owners' creations. One thing to note about the app is that only printed images are automatically saved. Any photos you take on the camera itself won't just appear in your personal library in the app, which means you'll have to still transfer them of a microSD card.

Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo: Image quality

• Images are digital first, which loses the 'magic' of analog
• Picture quality of printouts appear flat but look fine digitally
• Not on par with pure analog instant cameras like the Instax Mini 99

There's a trade-off with every instant camera when it comes to picture quality that most of us are willing to accept. These cameras don't produce the same precision as newer dedicated digital cameras, but many people that purchase these type of cameras are more interested in the nostalgia that instantly printed photographs brings, so I appreciate that this isn't the most important component.

When it comes to the picture quality overall, I was most interested in testing out how the film prints compared to those taken on a non-hybrid instant camera as the images are digital first on the Evo Wide. This is a big deal for me because I'm split between analog and digital, and this in my opinion takes a bit of the magic away.

For context, I bought my first Instax in 2014 and of course quickly realized how expensive this style of photography is after discarding some duds, which made me even more selective with every picture I took. My boyfriend decided to buy me an Instax printer to solve this issue, but this for me took away what I loved about the style in the first place. I also found that picture quality from a printer wasn't on par, as the photographs appeared flatter and less dynamic than those printed on an analog instant camera.

With this in mind, if the image quality of the prints is really important to you then you're better off buying an analog Instax camera in my opinion, because the prints are much more rich in contrast due to the light passing directly though the sensor rather than being digitally scanned. They also don't tend to be as overexposed as those printed on a hybrid Instax.

In terms of the wide-angle prints themselves, the larger size makes them feel much more premium than the smaller rectangular formats that mimic your smartphone pictures and is much more akin to the classic square instant prints that were once more popular.

As for the digital images that are taken by the Instax Wide Evo, these by no means match up to the quality you'd find from one of the best cameraphones, which benefit from more advanced sensors and image processing algorithms. For this reason, outside of sharing the images you take on the Instax Wide Evo to social media, you most likely won't use these elsewhere.

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo

• A one hour hands-on session at the UK launch event
• Ad-hoc testing during the day and night over a week
• I tried various filters, two lenses and selfie mode

My time with the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo was brief: following attending the UK launch event in London, I was able to test out the camera for less than a week around the office and home.

However, during this time, I had decent chance to get a feel for the camera; how it handles for regular photos and selfies, plus the various filter and film effects possible through the physical controls on the camera.

I used two packets of the Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo at the event, each of which had 10 prints, and a couple more packets during the week-long product loan

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?

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

Polaroid is not in the business of perfection. Its photographs, going back many decades, have a somewhat indescribable look, a graininess and rough-hewn quality so iconic that Instagram copied it (along with the logo) when it launched almost 15 years ago.

That legacy of imperfection continues with the Polaroid Flip, the company’s most accomplished and accessible instant camera, which finally delivers the imagery and usability goods at a “yes, I can afford this” price.

Where the $599 / £500 i-2 was a pro-level shooter for those who knew the ins and outs of exposure and focus, the Flip is simpler and does that work for you and might deliver better images because of it.

In some ways, the Polaroid Flip, which I had a chance to play with, is a throwback. The instant camera – available in black or white – features a fold-up flash that might remind people of the once ultra-popular 600 series. However, this one is better integrated into the smooth body design and offers far more throw power (up to 15 feet).

Where the i-2 has a three-element lens system, the Polaroid Flip features four lenses. They’re housed in an internal dial that automatically chooses the right lens for a shot. The camera does this thanks to another critical choice Polaroid made for the Flip: it uses sonar instead of LiDAR for focus and lens selection.

Sonar, which uses sound waves, is accurate and more forgiving than LiDAR. Polaroid memorably used sonar with its first analog instant camera, the SX-70. In that attachment, though, the circular sonar screen was giant. It’s thumb-tip-sized on the Flip.

The company focused on ease of use for this consumer-friendly but full-sized Polaroid print camera. There are minimal buttons and controls, with just enough visual feedback to keep photographers engaged instead of confused.

Aside from the shutter button, there is another large button on the side to eject the film cartridge (the camera uses Polaroid I-film cartridges, which do not include a battery), a large red shutter button on the face, a flash control button, and a small settings button to control shot style. You can shoot on a timer or even do a double exposure. On the back of the flash housing is a small, monochrome LED screen that shows the number of pictures remaining in the cartridge and your other camera settings.

While there isn't a lot of feedback on how to frame or light your photos, the Flip does include a tiny red LED light in the rangefinder that lights up when you're too close to a subject or the image exposure is poorly lit (too dark and you need the flash or maybe too backlit).

It's child's play getting started with the Flip, which employs a familiar press-and-hold to set exposure and focus and then a full press to take the shot.

The photos slide out of the front and still take about 15 minutes to develop fully. There are 8 shots per cartridge, and a pack of two can cost $36. The Flip’s internal battery supports shooting up to 15 packs.

You can connect the camera to the Polaroid app, though I think the controls are limited and there is no direct way to get the images from the camera to your phone, but then why would you want to?

Polaroid reps handed me a Flip at a pre-launch event, and I quickly noticed that while I liked the curved and familiar-feeling body, it was a bit heavier than even the Polaroid i-2. It wasn’t bad, though, and I was soon shooting still-life images, people, selfies, and trippy double exposures. In other words, I was in my happy place.

The camera is fast and fun to use, and my resulting photos were sharply focused on the subjects (you can get as close as about 46 cm) with impressive bokeh behind them. The results still look like Polaroid camera photos, never as sharp, clear, or deeply colorful as what you might get with your best iPhone, but that’s not the point of a Polaroid instant analog camera.

I have all these photos on my desk. I can hold them, share them, let people leave with them, and tack them on their walls. I guarantee these are the kinds of images that will make people feel something.

And now, they can do it for $199.99 / £199.99. That’s a great starting price, and it even ships with a strap. The film will cost you, so that’s a concern, but you won’t shoot as much as you do with your smartphone and will likely consider each of these prints somewhat precious.

It’s a special camera, for special times. At least, that’s my opinion.

You might also like

• I tried the Polaroid I-2 and was instantly transported to a simpler, happier time
• The best instant camera 2025: top retro prints from Polaroid, Instax and more
• Fujifilm unveils chic Instax Mini 41 and it fixes two of my biggest problems with instant cameras

Polaroid Flip: Two-minute review

Like many tech journalists and photographers of a certain vintage (aka born in the early 90s), I always remember there being a Polaroid at family parties when growing up. Later in my teenage years, when studying photography at university and trying my hardest to be cool, I bought a secondhand Polaroid Sun 600 on eBay, but finding decent film then was harder than it is now. Eventually, the cost superceded the cool, and I gave up.

Polaroid has come a long way since then, and has been revisiting its heritage with the aesthetic of newer releases. We had the Polaroid Go 2 in late 2023, similar in looks to the Polaroid 1000 Land Camera. In March this year, the brand refreshed its Now instant series with the Now 3 and Now 3+, cameras that I think share the character of the original OneStep SX-70.

I'm a Polaroid nerd, so I was excited to test the new Polaroid Flip before its official release. But given that the last camera I used was the flagship Polaroid I-2, in all its sharp lens, manual control glory, I was apprehensive about how a more affordable model could compete with the best instant camera for pros.

Polaroid's tagline for the Flip is that it's the camera for an analog life. For "instant photography over instant gratification." Presumably it means for people who appreciate physical prints over looking back through their phone camera roll. The Flip keeps things simple and easy-to-use; there are no filters or effects, and the main talking points include common instant camera features like double exposures and self-timers.

Despite lacking manual controls like the Polaroid I-2, the Flip feels like a camera that more advanced instant shooters can still appreciate and enjoy. A clever four-lens system is brilliantly effective at adapting to varying subject distances, meaning you get mostly sharp shots, even at dark parties.

And there are subtle but clever ways the camera uses 'scene analysis' to guide your images. A red viewfinder warning light alerts you to a shot being over- or underexposed, and an alert appears on the lid display when you get too close to a subject. Selfies are a tad tricky, though, and macro isn't a viable option given the camera's restricted minimum focusing distance.

Polaroid's signature tones shine with the Flip, though colors in my experience sometimes leaned unexpectedly toward green. Also, while the B&W i-Type film showed strong contrast on occasion, I found that highlights could easily blow out with Polaroid's most powerful adaptive flash yet.

It's always difficult to review Polaroid performance, because the expectations are so different from most other cameras. Part of the joy of analog lies in experimentation, and yet with Polaroid film being so expensive, you want to know that most of your shots will at least come out intended. Despite minor disappointments with the Flip, I loved the results overall. I think those willing to practice, learn and refine their shooting approach over time will too.

Polaroid Flip: price and availability

• Costs $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$399
• Early purchase for Polaroid members starts April 15
• On sale at Polaroid.com from April 29, retailers May 13

The Polaroid Flip is available from a few different dates depending on who you are. Polaroid members can purchase the camera on the official website starting April 15, and general access follows from April 29. It's destined for general camera retailers from May 13.

The Flip's price at release is $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$399. A year ago I would have thought this quite steep, but recent US tariffs and spiralling tech costs have made me reassess. Still, the Flip is at the serious end of instant cameras, at more than twice the price of the entry-level Instax Mini 12. It's more expensive than the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 model ($149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99) and the older, square-format Instax SQ40.

But then it sits below the Polaroid I-2 ($599 / £599 / AU$1,099) with its super-sharp lens and the hybrid Instax Wide Evo ($349.95.99 / £319.99 / AU$599) which has 20 film and lens effects and allows you to select what you print to save on film.

You're tied into using either Polaroid 600 or I-Type film with the Flip, and realistically this is more expensive per exposure than Instax. Prices vary a lot depending on what country you're in, and bundle packs can help to bring the cost down, but an 8-pack of I-Type costs roughly the same amount as 20 photos of Instax (Wide or Mini).

Polaroid Flip: specs

Polaroid Flip: design

• Heavier than the Polaroid I-2
• Flippable lid for lens protection
• Viewfinder LED and ‘lid’ display

The Polaroid Flip is a boxy, chunky camera. That much is obvious when you get it out of the box. It weighs 200g more than the Polaroid Now+ and 85g more than the Polaroid I-2, as well as being deeper and taller. But that’s because the design is so different from anything else in the current lineup.

Rather than having a lens cap to cover a protruding lens or the front face exposed, Flip has a (you guessed it) flip-up lid. This lid pulls up smoothly and clicks into position at the top when you want to take a photo. When the lid is down, the camera automatically turns off, and the most important parts of the camera are well-protected.

I really like the design, which gives the camera a clean, modern silhouette and means you can pop it in a bag without fretting about dust getting in the lens grooves. And I still felt it was distinctly Polaroid. The Flip comes in a subtle matte black colorway or white with a pop of orange for more daring users.

I found the exterior of the white model prone to marks, but the plastic casing is easily wipable. And twice when I was out shooting, two people stopped to tell me that I had “a really cool-looking camera”. Street credibility points to me.

According to the specs sheet, the Flip is made from four types of plastic, including acrylic and polycarbonate. These have all been chosen for properties that would make sense in a take-anywhere camera, and they keep the body as lightweight as possible but also strong and impact-resistant.

The build quality doesn’t feel brittle or cheap, the buttons are solid to press and flipping up the lid is super satisfying. That said, the handling is a bit awkward and I had to turn the camera around to get a good hold of the lid every time. It’s a two-hand job. You also get a strong rope strap in the box so you can wear the camera – comfortably, I might add – around your neck.

Controls are pared back, as is usual with Polaroid and most instant cameras. Two buttons at the back right let you toggle through settings such as flash, double exposure, self-timer, and exposure compensation. These show up as icons on the nifty LCD screen on top of the camera, and they’re easy to see even in bright sunshine. It took me a while to work out what button combo activated each mode, but the fold-out paper guide in the box – in itself another well-thought-out analog nod – gives you pointers.

There’s a USB-C power input on the right side of the camera for recharging, and an eject button on the left to open up the film door and pop in a pack. The big orange shutter button on the front is easy to find with your fingers and can be depressed slightly to focus and pressed fully to fire. The viewfinder itself is basic but easy to use, and I found that what you see through it matches closely with what’s printed, helping with composition.

Polaroid Flip: performance

• 4-lens system for different distances
• Sonar autofocus detects subject distance
• Adaptive flash for up to 4.5 meters away

Despite there being no option to focus manually as with the Polaroid I-2, I found almost all of my shots with the Flip were critically sharp. The camera uses sonar waves to detect your subject distance, then selects the best lens from its four-lens system (0.65m, 0.85m, 1.2m, 2.5m). It’s very clever, and even in a party marquee, portraits came out crisp.

When half-pressing the shutter button to focus, you hear a noise when one of the four lenses has been selected. What’s clever is that an alert on the lid display will flash if you’re trying to shoot a subject that’s too close and out of the camera range.

Still, it’s worth noting that the Flip’s minimum focusing distance is around 0.4m, which isn’t quite far enough to get a sharp, frame-filling selfie. I could just about hold the camera far enough away at arm’s length to trial it but ended up with unwanted empty space around my head and shoulders. If you’re into your flora and fauna, there isn’t yet a macro filter or attachment for Polaroid to make true close-ups work.

Exposure was a mixed bag. Polaroids like light, and it's recommended that you keep the flash on for all shots except bright sunshine. This is meant to be the brightest flash of any Polaroid, and the strength adapts based on the subject distance for anything up to 4.5m away. I experienced this power, but not always in a good way, and often my outdoor shots were overexposed to the point of losing details, even on a cloudy day. As with the Polaroid Go 2, the flash gets activated by default when you flip up the lid, and a few times I forgot this.

The tones you get from Polaroids have always felt distinctive, yet anecdotally the hues from my Flip shots felt a little richer and bolder than those from the I-2. On a warm spring day in the UK, the exposure of a pink blossom tree felt warm and well-saturated, while the vibe of a cooler sunset party was also captured effectively, if not tending towards more of a green hue than I’d have liked.

Of course, there’s no way to change the white balance in-camera. What you get is dictated by the film and the shooting environment. The B&W i-Type film I used showed great contrast, and I loved the amount of depth I could capture down a long, narrow street in my home city of Bath, UK. But again, it was easy to overexpose the bright Cotswold stone and lose that detail with the flash.

You can’t control the Flip’s exposure settings manually. For inexperienced users or people who just want to point and shoot, this is probably a good thing. The Flip does the hard work of choosing the aperture and shutter for you, meaning fewer wasted shots if someone decides to grab the camera at a party. But if you’re a more advanced photographer, as I am, you may find Flip’s setting choices creatively limiting.

As far as battery duration and charging times go, I couldn’t find any official specs from Polaroid. When I first got the camera I left it plugged in overnight to ensure it was full of juice for the start of testing, and it still hadn’t passed the halfway mark when I’d finished three packs. I tended to shut the lid after every shot, though, so each user’s mileage may vary.

During testing, I loaded up my second pack of color I-Type film only to find it wasn’t ejecting from the camera after each exposure. Polaroid makes loading film into the Flip so quick and simple, and it's something I've done with other Polaroids hundreds of times. I want to suggest it was a camera and not a user error, but either way, it does highlight how much film and money you can waste should things not quite go to plan. That’s the same with many instant and film cameras and not a unique flaw to the Flip, of course.

The prints aren't quite as instant as Instax, and need a while (I found at least ten minutes) to settle away from the light to develop properly. For me, this is a great metaphor for Polaroid in general. Despite being designed for ease of use in terms of operation, the Flip still requires a bit of time to learn its ways, exposure tendencies and to hone your craft. Do that, and you'll be rewarded with sharp retro results more times than the Polaroids of the past.

Should I buy the Polaroid Flip?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Polaroid Flip

• Over a week, I took photos indoors and outdoors, day and night
• I tested based on decades of Polaroid experience
• I shot a double pack of colour I-Type and 8 exposures of B&W film

I tried my first Polaroid camera back in the nineties, and since then I've reviewed many instant cameras including the Polaroid I-2 in 2023. I had one of the first review samples of the Polaroid Flip and tested it for over a week before its official launch date. Needless to say, it was always in my bag or around my neck during that time.

I took it out on countryside dog walks in the sunny British springtime, on day trips in the Cotswolds, to an evening festival for my company's 40th anniversary and to brunch in the city. The idea was to try it in as many lighting conditions and real-life scenarios as possible.

I went through a double pack of Polaroid I-Type color film (16 exposures) and a pack of B&W Film, taking shots with and without the flash, using the self-timer and the exposure compensation option. The Polaroid app wasn't available for use with the Flip for most of my testing period (as the camera was under embargo) but I had a day to try the functionality and add notes to this review once it was.

First reviewed April 2025

• New model is an evolution of 2022's Instax Mini 40, adding new features
• Updated design steps away from full retro for a more modern look
• Available from 17 April for £94.99 in the UK, AU$179.95 in Australia, with US pricing TBC

Fujifilm has launched the latest model in its Instax instant camera range. The Instax Mini 41 is a successor to the 2022-released Instax Mini 40, with a similar price, shape and size – but Fujifilm has lavished a number of notable improvements upon this new addition to the series that make it a very tempting buy in the run-up to summer.

The first improvement is with the overall styling and aesthetics. That’s a subjective one, I know, but I find the Mini 41’s sleek modern looks to be a lot more interesting than the strictly retro design of the Mini 40. There are hints of vintage cameras in the Mini 41’s proportions and colors, but the gunmetal grey finish, curved body, finely textured grip material and orange accents feel fresh and fully contemporary.

Despite the looks, the body is made of lightweight plastic. It’s just 12.2oz / 345g in weight (without batteries or film) and 104.5 x 122.5 x 67.5mm in size, making it ideal for taking on day trips and nights out.

An end to blown-out highlights?

The other improvements are perhaps more interesting for photography fans, as they should result in better quality shots compared to the Mini 40. First and foremost, the Instax Mini 41’s new automatic exposure function optimizes shutter speed and flash output to compensate for ambient light. I’ve often found that the cheaper Instax cameras like this tend to under- or overexpose images, with the flash often blowing out highlights in close-ups. This should fix that.

And speaking of close-ups, the other major improvement is parallax correction, which helps center subjects shot in close proximity to the lens – a position where centering them in the viewfinder would ordinarily result in an off-center photo.

So, with better design and better photos that are easier to compose, the Mini 41 looks like a major glow-up on its predecessor, and all for the reasonably low price of £94.99 in the UK or AU$179.95 in Australia. A US price has yet to be announced, perhaps due to Fujifilm assessing the ongoing situation with US tariffs before committing to a price. A protective case is also available for £20.99 / AU29.95.

You will, of course, need to buy Instax Mini film to use with the camera. These come in a variety of types including monochrome and with different frame styles, and cost around $16 / £14.99 / AU$34.95 for a pack of 20 exposures.

You might also like

• The best instant camera 2025: top retro prints from Polaroid, Instax and more
• Polaroid refines our long-time favorite instant camera series with new Now 3 and Now 3+, and I bet they'll sell like hotcakes
• Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo hands-on review: is this the stylish instant camera we've been waiting for?

• Polaroid's Now instant cameras get a refresh with new third-gen models
• Now+ model can connect to Polaroid's app for wireless control
• Available from March 4 in new colors and made from 40% recycled materials

Polaroid has refreshed its Now instant camera series with third-gen Now 3 and Now 3+ models. They are the latest in the line of low-cost instant cameras that shoot onto Polaroid's gorgeous (and largest) square film, like the premium I-2 does. Consider them super-sized Polaroid Go's.

Little changed between the original Now and Now+ from 2020 and second-gen models that came two-years later and, truth be told, these latest models are pretty familiar too.

That's no bad thing, we really rate the Now+ and it has featured in our best instant cameras buying guide for several years. But what exactly is new in the Now 3 and Now 3+?

New features are neatly summarized by Polaroid, who describes its latest Now 3 and Now 3+ as, "a refined instant camera with an upgraded two-lens autofocus system, improved ranging sensor, and better light metering for sharper images, even on the sunniest days."

In other words, upgraders should expect sharper focusing and better-exposed prints, whatever the weather, wherever you are.

What's also new is that both cameras are made with 40% recycled materials – kudos Polaroid for that – and come in a range of new colorways. They are available immediately (from March 4, 2025) at the Polaroid website and select retailers, with prices starting from $119.99 / £119.99 for the Now 3 and $139.99 / £139.99 for the Now 3+ (Australia pricing TBC).

+ = ?

There has always been two coexisting Polaroid Now models; the regular Now and the Now +. So what's the difference between the two versions? Well, they are identical in every way save for one thing; the Now+ version can connect to your smart device for wireless control.

The Now 3+ can be controlled through the Polaroid app, with creative tools such as double exposure, remote timer and an aperture priority mode. Combine those skills with colored lens filters (available separately and in various bundles), and there's much creative fun to be had.

It's also possible to scan and share prints through the app. Naturally, the plus model costs a little extra, but not by much and we think it's worth the extra outlay over the standard version.

As cameras, both are excellent value, but when considering an instant camera you need to factor in the running costs of buying film, and Polaroid's premium film is costlier than Instax (and with good reason – it's stunning).

We are yet to get our hands on the new versions, but we'll conduct a full review when we do. Our expectations are tempered – we don't expect to see much difference between the Now+ and Now 3+ but, again, that's no bad thing. We'll let you know soon.

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• Polaroid Now+ review

• The new Instax Wide Evo shoots onto wide-format film and features the widest lens of any Instax yet to fit more in your photos
• It's a hybrid instant camera, meaning you can select which photos to print
• It costs $349.95 in the US and £319.99 in the UK (Australia pricing TBC)

Fujifilm has unveiled its second hybrid instant camera, the new Instax Wide Evo, which will sit alongside the Instax Mini Evo. As its name suggests, the Wide Evo prints onto wide-format paper just like the Instax Wide 400, which is the largest Instax print size available, only this is the super-stylish model that I've been waiting for.

As a hybrid instant camera, you get a large 3.5-inch LCD display to compose your photos, with the option to shoot-first-print-later using Fujifilm's app, complete with an array of lens and film effects – a total of 100 combinations – plus a further selection of film styles.

A true first for the Wide Evo is the new ultra-wide angle 16mm f/2.4 lens, the widest of any Instax camera, which means that you can fit more in your shot – this will come especially in handy for those selfies and group shots, all of which can be stored onto a Micro SD card (sold separately).

I love the look of the Instax Wide Evo, but it is a pricey package – the priciest of all Instax cameras at $349.95 / £319.99 / AU$599. There's also the optional leather case, which costs $49.95 / £37.99 (Australia pricing TBC).

Do looks matter?

I review cameras of all kinds, shapes and sizes, and it is perhaps instant cameras where style matters to people the most – that for me is why the Instax Wide Evo looks like a winner in the race to be the best instant camera.

Not that it has much competition. The only other Instax camera that shoots on wide-format instant film is the Instax Wide 400 – a monstrous hunk of plastic that I struggle to see resting by someone's side as they take a city walk. It's too bulky and toy-like to be taken too seriously. Thankfully, we now have the Instax Wide Evo as an alternative.

The premium Fujifilm GFX100 II medium-format flagship comes to mind when I look at the Instax Wide Evo. Not a style to everyone's taste, but undeniably stylish. Even better, the Wide Evo is properly slimmed down from the Wide 400, fitting better in the hand, plus it's a hybrid type meaning you shoot first, print later – that's less wasted paper.

The hybrid concept of Evo instant cameras makes sense over dedicated models. And in the case of the Instax Wide Evo, so too does its ultra wide-angle 16mm f/2.4 lens that fits more into your photos, being ideal for group photos and selfies. You want your subjects close in instant photography to fill the frame, and a wide angle lens allows for that more easily.

For me, it's love at first sight, but we'll share more thoughts when our in-depth review, that's currently being carried out, is published soon.

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Fujifilm has been tipped to launch several mirrorless cameras in 2025, including the X-E5 and an intriguing medium-format compact called the GFX100RF. But if you're looking for a cheap sidekick that's built for pure fun, then the rumored Instax Wide Evo could be the most exciting of the bunch.

According to Fuji Rumors, the Instax Wide Evo will launch "soon," and the formula sounds pretty simple. Take the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo (a hybrid instant camera that blends digital and film snapping), cross it with a Fujifilm Instax Wide 400, and you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Promisingly, the Fuji Rumors' sources claim this Instax Wide Evo will be "regarded as the best-looking Instax camera ever made." That's subjective, but I think the Instax Mini Evo is still the most stylish instant camera out there.

Yes, it's made out of plastic, but the leather-and-chrome, rangefinder-style design is the closest thing to an instant version of a Fujifilm X-Pro camera.

Right now, rumored specs are thin on the ground – we don't yet know if it'll inherit the Mini Evo's 35mm equivalent lens, automatic flash, self-timer, and other features. But one added detail in the rumors is that there'll be a "film rewind knob" on the body, which you'll turn when you want to print your photos.

That all sounds very fun, but it's the overall concept of a stylish, versatile Instax Wide camera that I'm looking forward to...

Why I want the Instax Wide Evo

Instax film comes in three sizes (Mini, Square, and Wide), and I've always preferred the Wide format because it's the closest thing to a real photo rather than a little souvenir sticker. Wide is basically the size of two Mini prints with a photo size of 8.6 x 10.8cm (or 3.4in x 4.2in).

The problem is that Fujifilm only has one Wide camera – and as our Instax Wide 400 review shows, it's not the most fully-featured or handsome of things. An Instax Wide Evo could fix these issues nicely while solving one of the main drawbacks of the Wide format – mounting film costs.

The benefit of a 'hybrid' instant camera like the Evo series is that, because the images are captured digitally and then printed, you can choose which ones to print out – which is helpful when 20-shot packs cost $24.99 / £16.99 each. Sure, it isn't quite the pure experience of exposing film directly and waiting for it to develop, but it is much more practical, particularly if you're a parent.

I recommended the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo to a friend who wanted an instant camera for their kid, and they love it. The experience is still fun and intuitive compared to simpler Instax models. And there's the added benefit of being able to connect the camera to other smartphones so that it can act as a Bluetooth printer at parties.

The cherry on top would be if the Instax Wide Evo could also print directly from my Fujifilm X-T5 camera, but that's not guaranteed. For some reason, Fujifilm has restricted direct printing to a few camera models, with the rest needing to use the smartphone app.

Still, that wouldn't be a deal-breaker and I'd almost certainly buy an Instax Wide Evo if it lives up to its rumored billing. And it seems we won't have to wait long to find out.

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I'm a '90s kid, meaning I narrowly missed the two-decade Polaroid craze of the '70s and '80s, but this Christmas my partner gave me the gift of analog photography in the form of the Polaroid Now+ and I couldn't be happier.

I caught the wave when instant cameras returned to popularity in the 2010's and Fujifilm's more affordable models were all the rage with us then-teens, but after a few years, I found the photo size and lack of creative control of my Instax Mini 8 too limiting.

However, that's not to say it's been all sunshine and roses since I started dabbling with my new Polaroid. In fact, quite the opposite; it's been a glorious trial by fire that has me yearning to reimmerse myself in the frustrating, challenging but undeniably satisfying world of analog technology once more.

Still, I wouldn't recommend rushing to make the rookie errors I made while setting up and taking my first few shots, so here are my tips, tricks, and common errors to avoid.

1. Inserting the cartridge incorrectly

Given that my nickname amongst friends and family is Calamity Jane, it will come as no surprise to those who know me that I am unfortunately doomed when it comes to most things in life that involve hand-eye coordination.

So I managed to mess up inserting my first film pack. In my defense, it's not made clear in the instructions just how easy this is to do; for fellow first-timers, I'll save you some heartache.

To clarify, the instructions are correct; you'll need to power up the camera, hit the eject button on the right-hand side to open the film door and slide in the cartridge darkslide up with the tab facing towards you. If you're more used to contemporary tech, you might be afraid, as I was, to put too much force behind this; don't, it takes a fair bit of gumption the first few times you use the camera.

What the instructions don't mention is that if you take too long investigating every nook and cranny in admiration of how this beautiful piece of tech works, the camera might just power off. Should that happen, the darkslide won't eject once you close the film door and you'll have to remove the cartridge to start again.

2. Removing the tab

There are reams of Reddit users bemoaning just how many newbies mess up their early Polaroid experience by removing the tab from their film pack.

The tab, you see, is how you remove the film pack from the camera when used (or when incorrectly inserted), requiring a firm tug to dislodge the film from its slot.

I maintain the moral high ground in that I didn't intentionally remove it, but it instead ripped off as I tried to pull the aforementioned stuck cartridge from my camera. It happens.

Pro tip; whether you're just struggling to get some traction or you've lost your tab altogether, use some packing or duct tape (carefully!) to create a new, wider tab with which you can remove jammy cartridges.

3. Taking low-light photos

Polaroid cameras love light, so naturally the first thing I tried to do is take a low-light picture of my Christmas tree.

The Polaroid Now+ has a lot more manual control than other instant cameras on the market, which is why I even attempted this kind of shot to begin with. In my head, a slightly adjusted aperture and longer shutter speed was going to result in this romantic shot of an ethereally glowing tree, making for the first artistic shot for my new photo album.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. While the results aren't horrible, it's just not sensible to try and take low-light photos with these cameras, broadly speaking, and certainly not until you understand how it works a little better. If you do want to try, definitely use the flash, increase the exposure, and consider introducing more ambient light to the scene if you can.

4. Accidentally shooting with the app

This one is just dumb and highly specific to the Now+ model I have, but I implore fellow Now+ owners to heed my warning; close the app when you're done shooting.

I know, it warns you, and you think you'll follow it. But one day you won't, and it'll be the day you jump scare yourself with a phantom photo being taken against your will.

For me, I walked away from my tripod-mounted camera with my phone in my pocket and accidentally triggered the shutter button, netting me another version of the exact shot I'd just lined up, which would be great if it wasn't a terrible one.

5. Impatiently trying more advanced setups

As highlighted above in my low-light learning, I'm fairly ambitious when it comes to testing the boundaries of new gadgets. In the particular case of the Bluetooth-connected Polaroid Now+, there are a host of settings and photography within the companion app that allow you to try different shots for varied results.

It's tempting to dive straight into these and see what results you might get, but I'd recommend a more scientific approach based on my experience so far. If you flunked out of science at school, here's a basic principal of experimentation; change one variable, and note the differences in results.

Don't, on the other hand, do what I did and change the lighting, exposure, shutter speed and camera positioning to try and achieve the desired effect and then leave yourself with no idea which factors gave the results characteristics you like versus those you don't.

6. Fearing film waste

As highlighted in our Polaroid Now+ review, the film for my particular instant camera is pretty pricey - much the same can be said for most devices in its class, too. Film photography in any form is not a cheap hobby, but there's a huge emotional and sentimental payout that makes it worthwhile.

While that doesn't mean you should be wasteful, it does mean you have to be prepared to kiss a few frogs before you meet your prince.

Keep an eye out for sales and discounts on film, and stock up when these arise to ensure you're getting the best value possible, but remember film is there to be used!

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• Should I buy a Fujifilm Instax Mini?

Polaroid is the legendary name in instant photography, making some of the best instant cameras, especially the small and simple Go Generation 2. It's the world's smallest instant camera, made from 30% recycled materials, and is available now for a super-low price – the Go Gen 2 is just £84.99 at Amazon (was £129.99) when bundled with a twin pack of film and two accessories. You'll pay more for a bundle that doesn't include additional accessories!

The only potential sticking point is that the deal is for the camera in black. If you've got your heart set on something more colourful – the Go 2 is also available in blue, red and white with various trims – then you'll be paying more. Still, this bundle is the first decent Black Friday instant camera deal I've found this year – it's otherwise slim pickings for instant photography fans.

This saving is part of the Black Friday camera deals 2024. If you're interested in our wider deals coverage, check out our Black Friday deals live hub where the very best deals are regularly being posted.

Today's best Polaroid Go Gen 2 deal

In our Polaroid Go Generation 2 review, we gave the world's smallest instant camera a four star rating, calling it a super simple and small retro-inspired snapper, complete with self-timer and creative double exposure mode.

It uses Polaroid's Go film, which is smaller than other types, but packs the same retro charm for a different feel to Fujifilm Instax cameras.

Film isn't cheap, especially Polaorid film, and you'll need to factor in that ongoing cost – we've put together a handy guide for getting the most out of your instant camera and every photo you make. Still, this bundle is a good starting point with a twin pack of film included.

I've been searching for instant camera Black Friday deals, and this is hands-down the one that stood out the most, and would make a great festive holiday gift especially as it includes Polaroid purpose-made photo album for Go-sized prints.

More of today's Black Friday sales in the UK

• Amazon: up to 68% off toothbrushes and TVs
• AO: savings on games consoles and appliances
• Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts
• Boots: up to 50% off Dyson, Oral-B and Philips
• Currys: early deals on TVs, appliances, laptops
• Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299
• Dyson: up to £150 off
• Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech
• EE: up to £600 off Samsung and Apple
• John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs
• LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances
• Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets
• Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: One-minute review

Lomography has released an updated version of its popular Lomo’Instant Wide camera, with a new glass lens replacing the previous plastic one. The Lomo’Instant Wide remains one of the few and best instant cameras on the market that makes use of Instax Wide format film, but many Lomo fans will be glad that Lomography has listened to customer demand in launching the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass model. It's a direct rival to Fujifilm's Instax Wide 400 camera, which has also been given a modern upgrade and fresh design, (but which doesn't offer as much creative control).

The Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is being marketed as the sharpest instant camera on earth, and as a long-time fan of instant cameras, I was very eager to test this claim. Lomography sent me an early prototype of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass for this review, and I've been hugely impressed.

Lomography has made only very minor design tweaks with the new model, and it's easy to see why – if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I love the retro suitcase-style design of the camera, though it's a shame that it still has the offset viewfinder, which has been a bugbear since the original Lomo’Instant Wide was first released in 2015. This can cause issues with framing your subject, though the viewfinder parallax markers do help.

In short, this camera takes beautiful and sharp photos with the 90mm glass lens (35mm equivalent) when focused correctly. It allows for creative shooting with a multiple-exposure mode, flash control, exposure tweaking, and bulb settings, while accessories like the splitzer and colored gels add to the instant fun. The remote-shutter lens cap is genius (just be careful not to accidentally trigger it), and the camera can be used in a studio setting too with external flash thanks to the PC sync port and tripod mount.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: Price and availability

The Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is available for $279 / £249 / AU$299, which I think is a very reasonable price given the image quality it produces and its gorgeous design – I'd buy this camera purely for it to sit on my camera shelf.

It's more expensive than Fujifilm's recent Instax Wide 400 model ($149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99), but isn't quite as premium-priced as other wide-format glass competitors like the Polaroid I-2 ($599 / £599 / AU$1,099), which uses i-Type film, or even the Mint InstantKon RF70 (approx $900 / £999 / AU$1,200), which has been considered for some time as the GOAT of instant cameras (sorry).

Anyone who's looking to buy an instant camera should know that film costs are still quite high, and you aren't guaranteed the same quality that you get with one of the best cameras for photography, or even from using a camera phone in most cases. Instant photography should be more about experimentation and having fun, rather than outright image quality. That said, Instax Wide film is one of the more affordable formats, and it's also very accessible and easy to source for most people.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: specs

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: design

• Lots of manual controls
• The built-in flash can be on/off
• Viewfinder is a bit of a mess

The design of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass is one of my favorite things about it. I've seen some pretty ugly instant cameras come to market in the last few years, *cough, Instax Wide 400*, but I love the retro-style design of this Lomo, and the glass lens makes it look much more premium than its predecessor.

It's easy to see why Lomography hasn't changed much in the way of design from the Lomo’Instant Wide to the new Wide Glass model. Although, I did question why the selfie mirror has disappeared from the front of the camera with this latest model. I asked Lomography for some clarification, and a spokesperson told me: "We developed this camera more for professional, studio use in mind and less so for selfie shooting, which is why we didn't feel the need for this feature in this instance."

It's a fair point, and the camera does admittedly look much smarter without it. I managed to still take a selfie with this camera despite the lack of a selfie mirror, which you can see in the sample images section, and I'll talk more about how I captured it in the performance section below too.

In terms of build quality, the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass does have a fair bit of weight to it, and it feels incredibly sturdy and premium thanks to the metal lens barrel and glass element. There are two buttons on the back of the camera, one for toggling the flash and the other for multiple-exposure mode, plus a switch for selecting the level of exposure compensation and a dial at the bottom for selecting modes.

I think it's great that the flash can be turned on and off, although be aware that it's always-on by default when you turn on the camera, so if you don't need it remember to turn it off once you're ready to shoot. There are two LED lights above the flash button, one to let you know when the flash is charged (it will light green or blue) and another to tell you it's on.

The shutter button is the striped rectangular button on the front of the camera, and I love that it not only looks cool but has a nice clicky feel to it. The viewfinder is a bit of a mess, though. I often had to triple-check that what I could see through the viewfinder actually lined up with the direction in which the lens was pointing. Inside the viewfinder there are close-up frames to help you compensate for parallax and get a more accurately composed shot, but you still need to keep an eye on this.

The only real gripe I had with the design in terms of handling was the lack of grip, and the width of the camera, which made it hard to carry around at times (Lomography doesn't include a camera strap accessory with this camera, and I didn't have a spare). I understand that instant cameras, and especially wide-format ones, tend to be on the large side, and this is something that can't really be helped.

I found it slightly annoying that the print counter on the back of the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass counts up from 1 to 10 once a new film had been loaded, and that when it shows 10 that means you have one print left to shoot. I'm used to instant cameras counting down from 10, so this took some getting used to.

However, I really like that Lomography included another little window on the back of the camera for you to see the yellow stripe on the film cartridge, as a quick way to tell if film is loaded. Not many film cameras I've used have this, and it's a nice touch.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: Performance

• Can capture super-sharp shots
• Selfies and portrait shots are tricky (use a tape measure)
• Remote shutter-control lens cap

Testing the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass was my first experience of using a Lomography camera, and it took me some serious trial and error to get used to the zone-focusing modes for close-up shots. There are four zones – 0.3 m, 0.6m, 1-2m, and infinity – and you can switch between these by twisting the lens. The original Wide’s closest focus zone is 0.6m. I've used manual instant cameras before, like the Instax Mini 99, and had no issues. So I'm not sure why this particular Lomo camera was so tricky to shoot with – maybe it's just me.

I ended up wasting a ton of film during the testing process with the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass, but I learnt plenty. Pro tip: take a tape measure with you on shoots if you want to gauge the exact distance from the lens to your subject, and measure from the film eject slot, and not from the front of the lens.

Lomography says it plans to release an official camera strap with distance markers soon, to help with assessing the distance for zone-focusing, and this will be available from the Lomography online shop (it's not available at the time of writing).

Speaking of accessories, the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass comes with possibly the coolest camera accessory I've ever used: a remote shutter-control lens cap. You just need to put in 1 x CR2025 (3V) battery, and you can click one side of the lens cap to act as a remote shutter, while the other side offers an additional button with a timer feature. It works really well, although you do need to be relatively close to the camera for it to pick up the signal, as I found when using it to take a selfie in 0.6m mode.

The Lomo also comes with colored gel filters to place over the flash, as well as a splitzer lens attachment for more control over multiple exposures. I wasn't sent these extra accessories with the prototype camera, only the lens cap, so I didn't get to test them unfortunately. I would have loved to use the splitzer for creating multiple exposures, which came out beautifully in most cases using the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass, and this kind of creativity paired with the unknown element of instant analogue photography gets very addictive.

The mode dial on the back of the camera has options for A (automatic), B (bulb), f/22 (for manually setting exposure – the prototype I was sent has an f/6 marking but just ignore this), and 1/30 (shutter speed) which is primarily useful for shooting in the studio or when using a tripod. I stuck with using 'A' a lot of the time, and switched to 1/6 (f/22) whenever I wanted a super-sharp shot.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time testing the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass, although I didn't manage to get a single clear macro image, despite many many attempts. With that said, for every blurry and out-of-focus macro shot I got a perfectly crisp landscape shot, so maybe this balances out.

I also found that the prints produced exhibited a lot of vignetting, even when the exposure compensation was set to zero. A bit of research has told me that this tends to be a common theme with Lomography cameras, and it's considered one of those love-it or hate-it aspects of instant photography. Not every print came out like this, and in a lot of cases it occurred when I didn't use flash, so perhaps this contributed to it.

Lomo’Instant Wide Glass: Sample images

You'll be able to see from the sample images below just how many tries it took for me to get a clear image of my dog surrounded by autumn leaves. What I thought would be within the 0.6m zone was actually sharper using the 1-2m mode – it was all very confusing. This is not an easy-focusing point-and-shoot instant camera like some others I've used, and you'll really need to work at it to get the focus right.

Should I buy the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass:

• I used five packs of Instax Wide film (50 shots), including one pack of the black-edition Instax Wide film (10 shots)
• I shot with the camera in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations, and in cloudy, overcast, and sunny weather conditions
• I experimented with self-portraits, landscape shots, multiple exposures, and closer subjects (which I didn't have much luck with).

I used the new Lomo’Instant Wide Glass instant camera for a few weeks, and I fell in love with it pretty quickly (it was hard to give it back) after putting in so much time and effort to get to grips with it. This involved learning how to master the focusing zones by shooting the same subject using different focus points, using a tape measure to accurately measure distances, and physically moving both myself and the subject to determine what worked at which distances.

I put the Lomo’Instant Wide Glass through its paces in most areas and settings, excluding studio use (I sadly didn't have access to one). I tested the performance of this camera by venturing around my home city of Bath in the UK to capture landscape images, and shot portraits and still lifes, using my dog and house plants as my primary test subjects. I got an all-around feel for the camera's handling and user-friendliness too, with the biggest pain point being the viewfinder.

First reviewed November 2024

Lomography has unveiled a new addition to its range of instant cameras, dubbing the Lomo Instant Wide Glass the 'world's best instant camera'. That's a bold claim when the market has otherwise been dominated by Polaroid and Fujifilm Instax – so do instant photography lovers finally have a viable alternative?

It seems as though the best instant camera claims are based on the quality of the Wide Glass's lens: a 90mm multi-coated glass lens, with 35mm effective focal length and minimum focus distance of just 0.3m. It's a lens that Lomography says is the sharpest in any instant camera. That really does sound like some serious glass, especially when you compare it to the simpler optics of, say, the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400.

Like the Instax Wide 400, the Lomo Instant Wide Glass shoots onto the readily available and reasonably priced Instax Wide film. Film size aside, the Glass Wide has more in common with the Polaroid I-2 and the Fujifilm Instax mini 99, being more of a photographer's tool with plenty of shooting modes and manual control to sink your teeth into.

The Lomo Instant Wide Glass costs $279 / £249 and shipping starts in November (international shipping is available but bear with us for Australia pricing). Fujifilm Instax Wide film costs around $24.90 / £21.90 for a twin 10-sheet pack – that's 20 shots in all.

A photographer's instant camera

The Lomo Instant Wide Glass looks the part with its classic retro brown leather finish and metal-effect trim. As you can see in the product image above, it's compatible with accessories such as color gels for the built-in flash, plus lens attachments like Lomography's 'Splitzer' for creative multi-exposure effects, which by the way have more room to breathe on the wider Instax Wide film.

In addition to the multi-exposure effect (which works with or without lens attachments – see example below), there's semi-manual control over aperture and shutter speed (or 'advanced auto exposure'), which includes a long exposure bulb mode, while you can also manually adjust brightness using the ±1EV exposure compensation switch.

Elsewhere, there's zone focusing with a minimum 0.3m focus distance enabling you to capture little details. There's the option to attach an external flash, although the Wide Glass is equipped with a basic one already. Add a color gel to the flash and you can get creative with funky color effects. There's also a self timer and a tripod mount, making hands-free selfies and group shots possible.

As you can see, there's plenty of scope for creativity, and being the Wide Instax format, plenty of room to breathe in your shots. We're currently reviewing the Lomo Instant Wide Glass and will share our experiences with you really soon. The early signs are positive, Lomography could be onto a winner here.

You might also like

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• The best instant camera 2024: top retro prints from Polaroid, Instax and more
• 5 tips for getting the best shots with your Polaroid or Instax camera

Fujifilm Instax mini Link 3: two-minute review

One could spend hours pondering why people might want to make small instant prints out of their smartphone snaps – photos they could easily share with each other via WhatsApp or post on Instagram. Personally, I think it’s all about the fun, tactility and immediacy that can be derived from occasionally ‘going analog’ in this increasingly digital world in which we live. Vive la difference, and all that.

Fujifilm’s Instax mini Link 3 is the latest in the company’s line of portable battery-powered printers which, after linking up with a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, can spit out fast-developing instant photos. These photos, which are roughly the size of a credit card, can be given to friends and family, pinned on your corkboard or stuck on your fridge door or slipped in your wallet to look at whenever you like. It’s a simple device that does what it’s supposed to and does it well.

I’ll talk about the prints themselves first. This won’t be news to anyone who’s used Instax mini film before, but these Polaroid-style photos look really impressive, with beautifully rich and vivid colors and an attractive glossy finish. That’s once they develop, of course: you’re looking at about three minutes in total from the time you starting printing until the finished photo is fully developed. Detail is pretty sharp, but the small print size puts a limit on that. The prints are hardy too: don’t expect them to fade quickly or fall to bits in your wallet.

They are also fairly expensive by portable printer standards however, with a standard 20-pack costing around $20/£15, which means about $1 or 75p per print. Some rival printers using Zink or dye-sublimation methods offer a smaller per-print cost. I would say the Instax mini photos are better looking and more durable than Zink prints at least.

Part of the selling point with the mini Link 3 is the added functionality that comes from the mini Link companion app, and to be clear the printer is essentially useless without a smartphone to pair it with. The app offers light editing tools and a range of frames, effects and other adornments with which to customize and personalize your photos. These are all a bit cheesy and basic (I suspect few graphic design aficionados will be impressed) but if the point is to have fun, they hit the spot.

You can import photos from your camera roll or take new shots from within the app. In fact, the app’s Instax camera mode turns the printer itself into a Bluetooth remote control, allowing you to set your phone up and take a shot from afar by pressing the printer’s function button.

The app also features an augmented reality (AR) mode that lets you take photos on your phone complete with added-in objects, but to be honest I quickly gave up trying to use it due to the confusing setup and underwhelming effects. With the rest of the app functions being straightforward and easy to immediately grasp, this one feels out of place; I doubt it’ll prove popular with users.

The mini Link 3 printer itself is an attractive object with its curvy lines, ridged surfaces and three-LED lighting system, which pulses and glows different colors depending on what you’re doing; it usually functions as a battery life indicator. There are three color finishes available, too: Sage Green, Rose Pink and the Clay White model I was sent to review.

The mini Link 3 is lightweight and compact enough to slip into a large jacket pocket. I wouldn’t have any qualms about tossing it into a backpack either. The plastic body is sturdy and there are few buttons or moving parts that could get damaged: just one button for power, one function button that fulfils a number of functions (such as initiating Bluetooth pairing), a small sliding button to open the rear door when you need to load in a new film cartridge and a tiny flap that opens up to reveal the USB-C port used for recharging the internal lithium ion battery.

Battery life is excellent. Fujifilm claims you can print around 100 shots from a full charge and while I haven’t personally tested that, being sent only three 10-shot cartridges of Instax mini film with my review sample, I didn’t need to reach for the included USB-A to USB-C recharging cable once during my week with the printer (note that there’s no AC adapter in the box). If you do deplete the battery, you can fully recharge it in about two hours.

Fujifilm Instax mini Link 3: also consider

Should I buy the Fujifilm Instax mini Link 3?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax mini Link 3

• One week of use
• Tested with iPhone 13

I spent a week using the mini Link 3 in conjunction with my iPhone 13, testing each mode of the mini Link companion app with both freshly taken photos and older images from the smartphone’s camera roll. I also took the printer out ‘in the field’ with me, taking advantage of its battery and compact size to use it on a night out with friends.

First reviewed September 2024

Fujifilm Instax Mini deals can bring the prices of these popular instant cameras way down, and some discounts also include additional film packs to boot. The latest release, the Instax 11, has been on the shelves for a considerable amount of time now, and record-low $59.99 costs are becoming more and more frequent (this model launched with a $79.99 MSRP). Not only that, but older models still represent excellent value for money as well.

These fun cameras are always sought after during the summer months for outdoor holiday snaps, and their popularity shoots up as fun Christmas presents, too. We're rounding up all the latest Instax Mini deals right here so you can find the lowest prices going on the best models.

We're here to help you compare all the best Instax Mini deals on the most popular instant cameras, running through everything from the budget Mini 8 or 9 to retro-themed lenses like the Mini 70 and 90. Prices alone might not be enough to make your decision, though, so we've given each of these Instax Mini cameras a rundown of information to help you choose the one that's right for you.

Best Instax Mini prices and deals

Released in March 2020, the Instax Mini 11 price is not dissimilar from its predecessor. In fact, you'll only pay around $10 more for the latest release and still reap the rewards of the new features installed. With automatic exposure you no longer need to remember to set individual lighting settings, no doubt saving countless shots, and a new focus on close up shooting will allow you to expand your instant photography portfolio with a new range of subjects.

Aside from these nifty features, you're still picking up the recognisable plastic camera shell we've come to recognise, as well as a new selfie lens barrel that does away with the clip-on attachment of yore.

There's really only one difference between the Instax Mini 8 and the Instax Mini 9 and it's a tiny little mirror. The Instax Mini 9 has a small mirror next to the lens, making lining up selfies much easier and ensuring a more accurate picture. The newer Mini 9 is slightly more expensive than the Mini 8, but consider this: if you're likely to be taking a lot of selfies, the mirror could save you a small fortune on film costs as you'll have fewer wonky, poorly framed snaps. If the price is right for the colour you want, this is the one we'd go for.

The Instax Mini 9 requires two AA batteries and is available in cobalt blue, flamingo pink, ice blue, smoky white and lime green.

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 is one of the most popular instant cameras on the planet thanks to its super cheap price and bold, cheerful and colourful design. Simple to use and with brightness controls, built-in flash and cool 1.8-inch x 2.4-inch images printed straight from the camera, this really is a bargain. But could you be tempted by the newer Instax Mini 9?

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 requires two AA batteries and is available in black, grape, raspberry, pink, blue and yellow.

If you're looking for something with a more retro feel then it's hard to beat the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 and its traditional leather-style binding. As you can see in the price comparison chart below, it's also the most expensive of the Instax Mini cameras in Fujifilm's range.

You're not just paying for the old-school vibe though. Bulb modes ensure you won't get pictures that are too blurry or dark. On the other side of the scale, this is the first Instax Mini camera that allows you to turn off the flash, meaning you won't get any images with way too much white light. A double-exposure mode allows you to put two images on one piece of film too.

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 instant camera is powered by a rechargeable NP-45A lithium battery making it the only rechargeable Instax Mini camera from Fujifilm. Colour options are much more modest than the other Instax Minis as the only differences are in the leather-style wrap finishes where you can choose between brown or Neo Classic (black).

There's certainly an argument that the Instax Mini 8 and 9 are aimed towards a younger or more casual market with its bright pastel colours and chunky build. But there are some slicker options available for not much more - namely the Fujifilm Instax Mini 70.

The Instax Mini 70 features more technical control options and shooting modes than the Mini 8/9 and takes better pictures in the dark. It comes with the selfie mirror as standard too. With a smoother metallic paint job, it loses the toyish vibe of the above models for something much more professional looking while maintaining the compact instant camera vibe. If you'd feel silly holding the Instax Mini 8, but want a similar design, this is your best bet.

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 runs off two CR2 batteries and is available in moon white, canary yellow, island blue, passion red, stardust gold and midnight black.

If the SQ10 is a bit more than you were thinking of paying but you're still a fan of the Square Fujifilm Instax series, then let's take a look at the SQ6. Both print in the square format, but have some notable differences elsewhere. The SQ6 is an analogue camera like the cheaper Instax models, so images are printed straight away when shooting. This model lack's the SQ10's extra shooting modes and flash options too.

We do prefer the physical design of the SQ6, as the SQ10 sometimes reminds us of a divers camera, while the former has a classic retro feel. When all's said and done though, it depends on if you want the stylish camera or the digital camera/printer that allows you to judge an image before printing it out. If you know you're prone to maybe taking a few poor pictures you may end up saving a lot of money with the digital camera instead of paying for extra film sheets.

Fujifilm's Instax Square SQ10 camera sits somewhere between its Mini and Wide range, using new-fangled square-format film and boasting digital camera functionality that the Japanese manufacturer hopes will appeal to a younger, more tech-savvy audience.

The most notable feature of the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10 is the ability to review and edit your shots via a small LCD display on the rear of the camera. Unfortunately, the digital camera element lets the SQ10 down a bit, as the image quality can't rival other digital cameras – or smartphones. A fun piece of kit, and if you'd like more control over images and the ability to adjust and edit in-camera, it's a good fit.

Instax Mini Film and Instax Square Film packs

Looking for some extra Fujifilm Instax Mini film packs? We've compared the best deals from multiple retailers in our price comparison charts below. The cheapest packs usually have 10 or 20 Instax Mini film papers to print out your latest photos. Take a look at the options further down the chart and you'll see prices for larger packs too.

These first set of film packs are compatible the Instax Mini cameras on this page. If you're picking up film for one of the Square series (SQ6 and SQ10) you'll need to scroll down a bit more and pick up the Square Film packs instead.

• Be sure to take a look at our deals guide for cheap cameras
• Take a look at our buying guide for the best instant cameras

My favorite camera simply for looks is the Polaroid SX-70. I love how this cult-classic instant camera pops open from its hip flask-like state into its ready-to-go position. If a camera was a Transformer, this is it, and it even predates the popular Hasbro / Takara Tomy franchise. 

Sadly, over the past few years, my SX-70 has been exclusively just that – a camera to look at. The reason is that it was consistently churning out over-exposed instant prints, especially from Impossible Project’s black-and-white film stock.

In the early days of the Impossible Project (the outfit that kept Polaroid alive after the instant camera giant went bust in 2001), I put my SX-70’s unreliable prints down to the instant film itself. Back then I was getting maybe one in eight usable prints, and the results were wildly inconsistent. It was like burning money, especially when a pack of eight sheets of instant film costs around $25 / £20 / AU$35. So I stopped trying, and the camera took its place on a bookshelf at home, a relic. 

Today’s latest film for the SX-70 – which is still made by the Impossible Project, now operating under the Polaroid name – is supposed to be more reliable than the early batches. However, the latest film stock still rendered disappointing results. I wrote about how today’s film let my beautiful Polaroid SX-70 down, but after the event, I had this nagging feeling that my camera itself could be the problem. 

I wanted to be sure either way and, while looking into solutions, came across Retrospekt – a US company that specializes in customizing and fixing retro gear like the Nintendo GameBoy and, you guessed it, the Polaroid SX-70. Could Retrospekt work its magic on my vintage camera? Shortly thereafter, my beloved vintage Polaroid was packed up and on its way to Retrospekt’s experts, with the hope of a new lease of life. 

Getting to the root of the problem

Weeks later my Polaroid SX-70 was back in my hands, arriving in a plush customized box along with a new soft carry case that I can sling over my shoulder. 

Retrospekt did a complete teardown of the camera, getting to the root of the problem and replacing several parts. You can see the process carried out by the Milwaukee-based team in the video, above. 

There were a few fixes that needed to be made. The major one was the removal of lens fungus, and the camera’s mirror cover and fresnel carrier were also replaced as they were cracked. The comprehensive report from the workshop listed a few additional minor issues too.  

Lens fungus is a pretty common issue with analog cameras as old as the SX-70, which dates back to the 1970s, and it can cause a severe reduction in contrast in photographs. That could explain the particularly washed-out feel of my SX-70’s prints.

An SX-70 teardown requires the leather coverings to be removed, so I was given the option to swap the original tan-colored coverings for ones from a huge range of custom replacements from the Retrospekt site. As much as I was tempted by an outlandish new look, I opted to keep the classic tan aesthetic.

On the outside, it didn’t look like anything was new in my refurbished SX-70 – it was exactly the camera I know and love. Pulling it open revealed that the viewfinder's lever mechanism had been fixed – it was a little loose before after being mishandled by someone else, but now it was properly secure.

It was great to have the camera back, but could it take decent instant photos again? Armed with one pack of color film and one of black-and-white film, I took a walk while on a family break to find out.

In retrospect

Retrospekt sent me before and after photos illustrating the difference that removing the lens fungus made on the quality of the prints my SX-70 can produce (see above). There’s more contrast in the print on the right, which was taken after the refurbishment. Naturally, I expected to get the kind of instant prints I’d hoped for, as opposed to the overly washed-out look I was getting before.  

I used up a pack of color film, comprising 8 sheets, in a mixture of cloudy and sunny weather, and the improvement was plain to see. It’s not packing the kind of contrast I’d expect from digital tech such as a mirrorless camera. No, the SX-70 makes vintage-looking prints, so there's a softness to them, in any case. But now there is tonal detail in the prints that wasn’t there before. Again, not to digital standards, but more like the classic instant camera look so many people love.

To get the best quality prints with an SX-70, you also need to understand how it calculates the brightness (exposure) of your photos. Polaroid recommends you stop down one notch on the lighten/darken wheel (the exposure compensation dial) because the camera is calibrated to meter for ISO 100 film but the film is ISO 160. However, you might want brighter results, so there's no one-stop formula.

Also, exposure is calculated by averaging the light reflected from the scene. In even light with little contrast – say a street scene on a cloudy day – you can’t really go wrong. But when there’s high contrast in the scene, such as a bright sky backdrop and dark subject, you might need to use up multiple prints to get the result you want.

It doesn’t help that Polaroid prints take a good 15 minutes to fully develop, time you might not have to assess your settings when taking portraits, for example. There’s no problem seizing such moments if you’re prepared to shoot two or three photos of the same scene with slight variations in the lighten/darken wheel to ensure the correct brightness in at least one of them, but the film is seriously pricey.

I’m glad I didn’t give up on my SX-70 and for outfits like Retrospekt that restore retro tech. It’s such a lovely camera to use and there’s a pleasing vintage quality to its prints, provided all is well with the camera and your shooting technique. 

I retract what I said about today's SX-70 film in the aforementioned article, to a degree. I still found consistency issues with the black-and-white film compared to the color film, but overall, I'm getting better results than before. 

Refurbishing the camera to its former glory instead of it being dumped in a landfill has proved the sweetest outcome of all.

Interested in film cameras? Check out our best instant camera and best film camera guides. 

You might also like

• Best film cameras 2024: the finest classic and new analog cameras you can buy
• Film photography in 2024: the latest analog cameras and what's next for film
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Two-minute review

I grew up being photographed with, and taking photographs with, Polaroid cameras, which were pretty much standard fare for family photography in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The Polaroid Go 2 is based on the Polaroid 1000 Land Camera in terms of aesthetics, but with a modernized and miniaturized design. Due to its small size, basic-but-fun features and ease of use, it's a contender for one of the best film cameras you can buy.

The last Polaroid camera I used and reviewed before the Go 2 was the Polaroid z340, which was released back in 2011. This was a digital camera that used a Zink printing system to produce prints with a printed rebate alongside digital image files, and while it was innovative, it lacked the charm and the quality of traditional analog Polaroid prints. The Go 2 rectifies this, taking us back to what makes Polaroid cameras so appealing: true instant analog photography.

The Polaroid Go 2 is available in multiple kits alongside accessories, with the standalone camera costing $80 / £80 / AU$90. You ultimately need some film to get started, so the Starter Set that includes the camera and a Film Double Pack (16 exposures) is potentially a better starting point, and costs $100 / £95 / AU$110. A Film Double Pack X2 (32 exposures) will set you back $40 / £20 / AU$50, and this is available with traditional white or stylish black rebates.

Polaroid Go 2: design

The Go 2 is much smaller than the Polaroid 100 Land Camera it takes its design cues from, being palm-sized but with a much more rounded finish. It's also available in black, white, blue, and red, so you can select the color you prefer. For me, the black finish looks best, contrasting nicely with the red shutter button and the Polaroid rainbow.

The camera is made using 30% recycled polycarbonate and ABS plastics, and the build quality feels good. There is some movement of the film door against its lock on the bottom of the camera when you're holding it, but this doesn’t cause any issues. Loading the camera is incredibly easy, especially if you've used instant cameras in the past; if you haven't, labelled film packs and the quick-start guide will guide you through the process.

The viewfinder is surprisingly reliable despite parallax error, which is the difference between what you see through the viewfinder and what the adjacent lens captures. One useful feature of the viewfinder is that the front is mirrored, so you can use it to help compose selfies, which can be taken using either the shutter button or the self-timer.

The camera uses an internal rechargeable battery that's charged via USB-C. Battery life is good, and the remaining charge is indicated by green, orange and red on the LED that shows the camera is switched on. The only downside here is that the battery is built-in, so you can't change or replace it, although this is only likely to be an issue after years of use.

Polaroid Go 2: performance

The Go 2 couldn’t be easier to use; it's a point-and-shoot camera with automatic exposure and a fixed-focus lens. The lens is made of polycarbonate resin, and produces an equivalent focal length of 51.1mm, which is perfect for this type of camera. The minimum focusing distance is 1.5ft / 45cm, so the Go 2 isn’t at all suited to close-up photography, unfortunately.

The shutter speed is automatically set between 1/300 sec and 1 sec, while the aperture is adjusted between f/9 and f/42. Exposure overall isn’t bad, but I found that images erred slightly towards underexposure, and the camera performs much better in brighter conditions than in low light. There is a flash that helps in low light, but it's not powerful, so its effectiveness is limited. Still, it's better to have than not.

Image quality isn’t quite what I remember of Polaroid cameras, lacking the clarity and color balance I can recall. Sure, it was never perfect from point-and-shoot Polaroid cameras, but it was better. Development time is also advertised as 10-15 minutes, which does appear correct, and this is much longer than Polaroid film of old, which only took a few minutes to develop. I suspect that the chemicals have been changed since then, potentially using a more environmentally friendly and/or less costly formula.

This wait time takes away some of the magical immediacy of using an instant camera, but at the same time it's ultimately not a problem. Prints are 2.62 x 2.12 inches / 66.6 x 53.9mm with a 1.85 x 1.81-inch / 47 x 46mm image area; the small print size is comparable to that of Fujifilm's Instax Mini prints, albeit with Polaroid's square format rather than Fujifilm's rectangular image area.

Prints also typically exhibit more color casts and haziness than I remember, producing a more retro look and feel than Polaroid film from even as late as the early noughties. This isn’t a bad thing though; it certainly taps into the popularity of retro photography effects these days, and I like it.

Two features of the camera that stand out are the self-timer and the ability to capture double exposures. These are activated using specific presses of the flash button, and for double exposures, you're shown a 1 and 2 on the shot remaining screen so you know which shot you're taking. The flash is also activated by default, so if you don’t want or need flash you have to switch it off each time you switch the camera on.

Should I buy the Polaroid Go 2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Polaroid Go 2 instant camera

I tested the Polaroid Go 2 Instant Camera over several days, using it to capture a range of subjects in different lighting conditions. I also tested the few features that the camera has to offer, which are basic, but fun and useful nonetheless.

Since exposure is fully automatic, except for being able to switch the flash on or off, all testing was a point-and-shoot affair, but that's exactly what basic Polaroid cameras are used for – instantaneous simplicity. Having somewhere to safely store exposed prints was a necessity, however.

Having used both Polaroid and Fujifilm Instax cameras in the past, using the Go 2 was as intuitive as I'd hoped, and the small size and light weight of the camera made it much easier to carry around than full-size instant cameras.

First reviewed August 2024

Sometimes, you just want the tactile fun of printing Instax photos without the hassle of actually using an Instax camera. If that sounds like you, the new Instax Mini Link 3 printer for smartphones could be your next impulse buy for birthday parties and weddings.

The successor to the Instax Mini Link 2, which arrived in 2022, works just like its predecessors. Connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth then choose a photo in the companion app, and you'll be able print out a little souvenir copy. That takes about 15 seconds, followed by the 90-second fun of waiting for it to develop.

But the Mini Link 3 does also bring a few new tricks to the Instax party. It finally has USB-C charging, for a start. There's also a new photobooth-style twist for creating collages – you capture a series of shots at three-second intervals in the app, then combine either two, four or six of them into a collage print.

The Mini Link 3 can also print from videos and has been launched alongside a new 'Sprinkles' Mini film stock, which packs in some saccharine charm for youngsters including an "eye-catching sprinkle pattern reminiscent of cake toppings, ice cream and sweets". One to keep on hold for birthday parties, then.

Like before, you can also add what are optimistically called "3D AR effects" to your photos before printing them out. That involves choosing a background in the app and adding some effects including confetti, spotlights and sprinkles – again, you can see who the target audience is.

One other interesting upgrade for older Instax fans, though, is an update to Fujifilm's Instax Up app. This app lets you scan, import and organize your Instax prints, and now has a new 'Instax Days' function that automatically dates and adds your scanned snaps to a calendar. 

If that all sounds up your street, you can pick up a Mini Link 3 in green, pink or white from August 28 for $99 / £115 (which converts to around AU$225).

Go Wide or go home?

Given how expensive Instax film is, it's worth spending a bit of time deciding which of the three formats you prefer the most.

The diagram above is a handy comparison of how their sizes compare. The credit card-sized Mini format is the smallest, which makes it great for little souvenirs that'll fit in a wallet or purse.

If you want some photos that are a little bit more generously-sized, though, we're big fans of Instax Wide. Despite being twice the size of Mini film, the Wide format isn't a lot more expensive to buy – and as our Fujifilm Instax Link Wide review concluded, that printer is "a dedicated instant camera, being far more portable and customizable via its dedicated app – it's our new favorite instant printer".

We're looking forward to taking the new Instax Mini Link 3 for a spin when it lands later this month, but it's got a job on our hands to tempt us away from its Wide sibling.

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Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: One-minute review

The Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 is one of the best instant cameras for casual photographers who like the appeal of wider prints. It's ideal for landscape photographers and camping trips especially, with the wider format able to capture much more in the frame than other popular Instax Mini cameras, although be prepared to compromise when it comes to portraits. 

Unlike other Instax cameras the Wide 400 doesn't have a built-in selfie mirror, and instead comes with a fiddly mirror attachment that doubles up as a macro lens. This can be clipped onto the Wide 400's lens when you want to take a selfie or portrait of a subject, or anything that's roughly 40-50cm away from the end of the lens. 

During testing, I found the focusing process takes a bit of getting used to, but once you grasp it, and with the help of the enhanced viewfinder and target marker, it can capture pretty sharp shots. The biggest pain points with the Instax Wide 400 are the design and lack of features. Not much has been tweaked from the Wide 300 model other than the addition of the self-timer (which is admittedly very handy) and enhanced viewfinder, but otherwise, it has no modern digital elements like the Instax EVO or Mini 99. 

As for the design, the Wide 400 can withstand a lot thanks to its rugged and textured build, and it's very grippy too. With that said, it does feel larger and heavier than necessary, and what was Instax thinking with that color? I think it's one of the worst-looking instant cameras on the market (sorry Instax), and frankly I felt a little embarrassed to shoot with it in public. However, if you can get past the basic features and 'army-green' finish, it could be a worthwhile addition to your analog camera collection, and the print quality is good. 

Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: Price and availability

The Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 is available for $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$229.99, which I think is a fair price compared with other Instax models. The Instax Square SQ40 retails at the same price, and other models are only marginally more affordable with similar features – you can check out more options in our best Instax Mini prices round-up .

However, a wide-format competitor such as the Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide (priced at $169 /£149) might offer more for your money in terms of creative control, with options for multiple exposure and optional flash – and it takes Instax Wide film too. There's also the retro Instax 500AF to consider if you can find one, which Redditers seem to be raving about lately. 

Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: specs

Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: design

• Better looking than the Wide 300
• Very rugged and sturdy build
• What's with the green?

The Instax Wide 400 might not be the prettiest Instax on the market, but the design has certainly improved since the Wide 300 model, with the sticky-out viewfinder ditched in favor of a more appealing and clean-cut build. The body is still made from a smooth plastic, which doesn't help it fit in very well among its more premium-looking Instax cousins, and while the textures around the lens barrel and battery compartment are great for grip, I think it makes the camera look a little juvenile. 

As for the general design, the Instax Wide 400 is rugged, heavy, and bulky. It's not until you get this camera in your hands and lay eyes on it that you realize just how big and wide it is. I would say that my hands are medium-sized, so I'm not sure if the hands-on images in this review are doing it justice. Or maybe it's because I'm used to handling my Instax Mini 40 and Mini 99 models that this camera feels so abnormally large to me. 

There's no built-in selfie mirror but, like the Instax Wide 300, the Instax Wide 400 comes with a clip-on macro lens attachment that has a mirror poking out of the side. With this camera being so large I don't think it would have taken much to include a built-in selfie mirror on the lens itself, but it's better to have one as an accessory than not at all. 

Speaking of accessories, there's also a new angle-adjustment accessory that comes with the Wide 400. This comprises two black plastic wedges of different sizes on a separate strap (i.e., not the main camera strap) which you can place under the camera to tilt it upwards when it’s placed on a surface for selfies or group shots. This worked quite well when I tested it, and it's a clever method that saves you from having to look for handy objects on which to prop the camera.

Possibly my biggest gripe with the design of the Instax Wide 400 is that it's only available in a single color option, at least for now – and what was Instax thinking with that awful green shade? It's worth mentioning that a lot of the promotional images make this camera appear more teal, but in reality it's green, and a slightly dull 'army green' at that. Yet, despite the green finish, the Instax Wide 400 could also pass as a kid's camera from a distance. 

I've never been self-conscious walking around with a camera before, but the Wide 400 is so large and unappealing that it draws a lot of attention to itself, and to whoever's holding it, and I felt a little embarrassed taking it out to my local seaside town during testing. I guess if you think of the Wide 400 as a camera that's intended for outdoorsy types, landscape photographers, and camping trips, then the green color choice makes a bit more sense than say, bright pink. 

Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: Performance

• Can capture very sharp shots when used correctly
• Selfies are tricky (unless you have long arms)
• The self-timer is the perfect feature for group photos
• Lacks other modern features

I thoroughly enjoyed my time testing the new Instax Wide 400 camera, and I certainly get the appeal of wider-format film (which is double the width of two Instax Mini prints) when it comes to landscape photography and capturing group selfies. The camera takes really nice-looking photos in normal mode, as well as in landscape mode, and you can expect the usual Instax quality in the prints produced. 

However, I found that using this camera for self-portraits and with close-up subjects is where its performance faltered. The included clip-on lens attachment shortens the focus range of the camera to 40-50cm, and is intended for taking photos of closer subjects as well as self-portraits at arm’s length. With this in mind, I used my dog Tilly as my test subject for a few shots, and found that it was very hit-and-miss with the focus (see the sample images below).

I tried to capture the same shot a few times by switching up the distance between me and Tilly, while using the upgraded viewfinder and target spot to keep her center frame. It was difficult to estimate the distance between myself and Tilly, and I took a photo in normal mode without the lens attachment for comparison, but all that was in focus was the background behind her. In short: when used correctly, the camera plus lens attachment can produce very sharp results, but it will take some experimentation, and a fair few failed prints, before you get the hang of it. 

As for selfies, these were again very tricky to master using the selfie mirror and close-up lens attachment. I also found during testing that my arms just weren't long enough to hold the camera in front of me and press the shutter while keeping my face in frame, which in hindsight, is probably why Instax chose to add the self-timer feature, and has heavily pitched the Wide 400 as a camera for group selfie shots using some kind of stable surface or tripod. 

The self-timer is definitely the most useful feature on the camera, and the only 'modern' upgrade. The one-button camera design with automatic exposure is great for beginners and very user-friendly, although it doesn't offer any real benefit for photographers who like to take control of the shot and make adjustments to manual exposure. This is a little disappointing, given that most new products from Instax allow for some creative control and experimentation. 

For example, the latest Instax mini 99 camera is the most advanced Instax to date, with fancy new exposure control dials, a double exposure feature, and unique light leak filters. The Instax mini EVO, meanwhile, is an excellent hybrid instant camera, blurring the lines between digital and analogue. 

I was hoping Instax might bring these new tools to formats other than the Instax Mini series, but that's not the case here. Even adding a bulb mode, or the option to toggle the flash without having to cover it with your finger, would have been useful. 

I also found that this camera didn't perform as well in darker conditions, even when subjects were well-lit and when using the flash. I shot a photo of some sunflowers in a vase in my conservatory when the room was still very light, and the print came out dark. I took the same image the following morning and it was much brighter. I didn't realize this would have such a big impact, as shown in the images below. 

Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: Sample images

It's important to recognize that this is not a camera for serious photographers, so if you're looking for high-res studio-quality images then look elsewhere. But if you're just after a bit of fun, and an affordable way to share physical memories and keepsakes with others, then the Instax Wide ticks a lot of boxes.

Should I buy the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400:

• I used two packs of Instax Wide film (20 shots) and one pack of the black edition wide film (10 shots)
• I used the camera in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations, and in cloudy, overcast, and sunny conditions
• I experimented with self-portraits, group portraits, and closer subjects

I used the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 for a few weeks, and I felt that I really put this camera through its paces. I aimed to test out the quality of the prints produced in a variety of conditions, including different lighting setups, alternating weather conditions, varied subject matter, with and without flash by covering it with my finger, and for both selfies and group photos. 

I mainly tested the performance of this camera by venturing around my local high street and seaside resort in the south-west of England, capturing a mix of landscape and portrait images. It wasn't all about the print quality though, as I also wanted to test the camera's handling and user-friendliness. 

Fujifilm has unveiled its latest instant camera, the Instax Wide 400, which is a straight up replacement for its 10 year old Instax Wide 300. The new model shoots onto Instax Wide paper, which is the largest of three Instax formats, the other two being Mini and Square.

Instax film formats are identical in height, but vary in width: the image area of Instax Wide prints measures 99 x 62mm (3.9 x2.44in), while Square is 62 x 62mm (2.44 x2.44in) and Mini is 46 x 62mm (1.8 x2.44in). Being twice the width of Mini, you can comfortably grab larger group photos with the Instax Wide 400. 

We think the Instax Wide 400 is a logical choice for events and can imagine it being super popular with guests at weddings and the like. However, bigger prints means a bigger camera. The Instax Wide 400 is a positively gargantuan device better suited to big occasions, and if you want a walk around camera you might consider smaller format options, like the Instax Mini 12. 

The new camera is available in sage green only and costs $149.99 / £129.99 (Australia pricing TBC). Packs of Instax Wide film start at $18.99 / £16.99 for a twin pack of 10 regular color sheets. You can also buy black and white wide Instax film from $13.99 / £9.99 for a single pack of 10 sheets.  

I was at the launch event of the Instax Wide 400 and I had enough time to formulate  first impressions, so what did I think?

Bigger, wider, nicher

A new Instax Wide camera is a rarity – this is a niche format. You get the largest Instax print size available, in landscape format, suitable for vistas, group shots and perhaps travel selfies. I prefer Instax Square, which strikes a healthy balance between size and intimacy, with prints that are easily displayed in groups. 

There's also no getting around how big the Instax Wide 400 is – you are holding a printer with a lens on it, after all. Yet despite its chunky proportions, this is a pretty simple and automated device, unlike the recent Instax Mini 99 for creative photographers.

The camera offers two focus groups: 0.9m to 3m (2.95 to 9.85ft) and 3m to infinity, a self timer crank with a countdown light that indicates how long until the shot is taken. There's also an always-on, built-in flash. 

The Instax Wide 400 has a lovely and bright optical viewfinder that gave me an idea of perspective, although for accurate composition I'd place my central subject towards the bottom left hand corner of the viewfinder. If I line up my shot as seen  through the finder, subjects appear in the top right instead.

There's no selfie mirror – a clip on accessory – like you find on most of today's other Instax cameras, but here the mirror is superfluous. Holding the camera at arm's length and pointing it back in my direction was enough.

If you like the Instax Wide format but don't like the idea of this beefy camera, the Fujifilm Instax Link Wide printer is a solid alternative. You can connect to the portable printer via Bluetooth using the Instax app on your phone, with the advantage of being able to choose which photos you print. However, you lose the immediate experience that comes with an Instax camera.

As with all Instax cameras, prints have a lovely vintage quality to them, while the cost of paper beats pricier Polaroid rivals. We'll be sharing a full review of the Instax Wide 400 soon.

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Fujifilm Instax mini 99: One-minute review

The Instax mini 99 is the latest addition to the ever-growing and evolving Fujifilm Instax family. It's a delightful addition to the range, too, and likely to seduce photographers beyond the ‘typical’ Instax crowd, along with anyone with a keen interest in instant photography. Its design, vibe and feature set feel inherently more ‘photographic’ and less ‘toy-like’ than some other Instax cameras. 

Not only does it look more serious than its brightly colored cousins, but its range of extra controls and funky effects add to the creative possibilities. You have the option to tweak exposure using the Brightness dial, along with a modest selection of shooting modes such as Sports Mode, Bulb Mode (for long exposures) and even Double Exposure, and the Instax mini 99 really comes into its own with a palette of cool color effects, adding funky hues to your prints by exposing the Fujifilm Instax mini Film to LED lights in the camera.

However, while initially seduced, I can't see a compelling reason why I wouldn't plump for a digital hybrid instant camera, such as the slightly more expensive Fujifilm Instax mini Evo, or even the comparatively priced Fujifilm Instax LiPlay. While the Instax 99 might tick the analog box for ‘purists, it’s the tangible-ness of the print that entices me to the Instax cameras, and not necessarily how I got there. The digital hybrids allow for a little less guesswork and, as such, are a more economical option in the long run.

Fujifilm Instax mini 99: design

• Classic retro look
• Lens with a macro mode but no selfie mirror
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

The overall design, aesthetics and ergonomics of the Instax mini 99 are lovely. It feels slick and stylish, and it will appeal to ‘photography’ folk more than some of the youth-oriented lollipop color palettes of other instant cameras in the Instax family. It's solid but not too heavy, and it feels well made and balanced in the hand.

You switch on the Instax mini 99 by twisting the lens, and the camera’s three shooting modes – Landscape, Standard, and Macro Focus – are also accessible by twisting the lens. Landscape Mode focuses on subjects positioned at a distance of 3.0m to infinity; Macro Mode is perfect for close-ups and selfies taken at between 0.3m to 0.6m, and Standard Mode covers everything in between. Once the camera was on, I repeatedly forgot to change the lens settings; fortunately, defaulting to Standard seemed to cover most subjects well enough.

The Fujifilm Instax mini 99 is powered by a 680mAh lithium-ion battery, unlike some other Instax models, which use AA batteries. Annoyingly, though, the battery can't be charged through the camera, and you’ll need to remember to take the small charger and USB-C cable with you. This isn't necessarily a hassle, but it is yet another charging accessory to potentially forget, and you’ll be in a real pickle without it.

While I’m no stranger to being aware of and dealing with parallax, it seemed harder to calibrate my eye/brain with the Instax mini 99. I guess with more time this would become less of an issue, but the difference of view between the lens and viewfinder seemed especially displaced. The viewfinder, too, felt strangely awkward to look through at first.

The Instax mini 99 is not aimed as directly at the ‘selfie’ audience as other members of Fujfilm Instax family, such as the brightly colored Instax Mini 12; that said, it wouldn’t have been a stretch for Fujifilm to have included a front-facing mirror to help users compose and pose for some more accurate naval-gazing. 

Fujifilm Instax mini 99: Performance

• Manual control over brightness
• Fun shooting modes including multiple exposure and color effects
• Handy Instax UP! app to digitize your prints

Unlike other cameras in the Instax range, the Fujfilm Instax mini 99 gives you considerably more control over image brightness, which is great. The Brightness Control dial, which looks and feels like a typical exposure compensation dial (it’s even in the ‘right’ place on the top plate), offers five levels of dark and lightness: the Light (L+) setting selects the brightest exposure; the L, D, and N settings offer a normal range of brightness; and the Dark (D-) setting represents the darkest available brightness level. However, you’ve got to wait 90-odd seconds to see and to assess exposure, which can be frustrating. However, this is really just part of the slow, mindful, creative experience, which is fundamentally a good, albeit a relatively expensive, thing. Generally, in ‘normal’ conditions, I found ‘underexposing’ by one value to work best.

The Instax mini 99 comes into its own with some fun and funky shooting modes, with a wide variety of options to enhance the shooting experience. Indoor Mode is designed for low-light situations, Sports Mode increases the shutter speed for action shots, Double Exposure Mode lets the user combine two images into one, and Bulb Mode increases the amount of light let in when shooting a night view, for example. I gravitated to Multiple Exposure as the most potential fun, but I ran out of Instax mini color film before I’d nailed the technique.

When you want to really flex your creative muscles, the Instax mini 99 features a cool creative palette of fun and funky color effects, which are accessed via the Effects dial on the top plate. You can select from one of six snazzy looks: Faded Green, Warm Tone, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia, and Light Leak. Light Leak was my favorite. 

Unlike the Instax mini 99’s hybrid digital cousins, the effects are cleverly driven by LED lights inside the camera; the Colour Effect feature exposes the chosen color onto the Instax mini instant film, creating the desired effect on the print. It's pretty clever, and very cool. The effects are marginally cooler than similar ‘emulated’ effects on some of the Instax digital hybrid cameras; it's only a small margin, but you will bag more analogue kudos points.

The Vignette switch is an interesting new function. Located on the lens housing, it can darken the corners and edges of the frame for artistic purposes. It’s a nice touch.

Making instant prints will always be more expensive, period. That said, Instax mini prints do offer the best value for money. A twin-pack of Instax mini color film, each containing 10 exposures, costs $20.99 / £14.99 / AU$28, and in this digital day and age it’s making an actual physical print that makes Instax such a delight. However, if you want to digitize your instant photo print, you can scan and share on social media platforms using (another) new app released by Fujifilm called INSTAX UP! The smartphone app most usefully allows you to scan your work, crop to the corners, and even remove reflections. It also has a bunch of album features, enabling users to organize, store, and share their digital Instax photos. I found the scanning feature the most useful.

Should I buy the Fujifilm Instax mini 99?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax mini 99

• I used two packs of Instax Mini film
• I tried all the creative color effects
• I experimented with the Shooting Modes

Using the Fujifilm Instax camera for a week with two packs (20 shots) of Instax mini film, I carried the camera with me on several walks in and around my local area - South-West UK. Unlike its digital hybrid cousins, such as the Instax Evo, I had to be more considerate, mindful, and measured in my shooting, as every click of the shutter cost money. This slightly discouraged the spirit of experimentation, and every action was tinged with economic anxiety. Just like life! That said, working on location and waiting 90 seconds to see results was also a refreshing and exhilarating way to work in the field. It encouraged a slow and considerate approach to photography, which I think is good.

First reviewed May 2024

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

Fujifilm Instax Mini instant cameras such as the popular Mini 12 are typically point-and-shoot beginner-level fun – everything is on auto, even the flash. That's changed in the new flagship model, the Instax Mini 99, which offers more creative control than ever. 

It takes design cues from the Instax Square 40, but as its name suggests the Mini 99 uses the smaller Instax Mini film, plus it features a host of creative controls that you can use to enhance your instant prints, such as color effects and a vignette.

Fujifilm labels the Instax Mini 99 as a flagship model, and at $199.99 / £174.99 / AU$279 it isn't cheap – most Instax Mini models, like the Mini 12, are around half that price. However, the Mini 99's 'first-of-a-kind' creative effects utilize advancements in instant photography technology to create what could be one of the best instant cameras yet. 

If you take a look at the Instax Mini 99 photos below, you can see various dials on the top of the camera – these are manual controls for exposure and new creative color effects. A camera like the Mini 12 has a photo button and that's about it, but the Mini 99 allows you to manually adjust exposure to suit the brightness levels of the scene, while the new color effect mode offers six different looks.

Fujifilm says the color effect feature is "Driven by LED lights within the camera, the feature exposes the chosen colour onto the Instax Mini instant film, for a one-time-only unique photo." You can choose between Faded Green, Warm Tone, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia, and Light Leak effects.

• Available in the US from Adorama for $199.95
• Available in the UK from Jessops for £174

A switch on the front of the lens can add a vignette effect that darkens the edges of your print to make the central subject stand out more, and there are three focus modes to help you focus on subjects more easily, which you select by twisting the lens dial: Macro Mode focuses on subjects between 0.3 and 0.6 meters from the camera, Standard Mode focuses at between 0.6 meters and 3 meters, and Landscape Mode focuses at 3 meters and beyond.

On the camera's rear is a simple shot-count monitor, plus three buttons: shooting mode, flash mode, and self timer. The latter is handy for selfies, especially as the Mini 99 comes with a useful grip that doubles up as a tripod mount for hands-free shooting – you will need a tripod though. Shooting modes include double exposure, which combines two photos into a single print, plus various scene modes that set a suitable shutter speed depending on your subject – for example, sports mode freezes the action.

The Instax branding on the camera includes the words 'Image Control'. Indeed, the Mini 99 has plenty to sink your teeth into – a healthy mix for users of all skills levels, from quick color effects to manual exposure and focus control. This could be the instant camera that keeps calling you back for more, where other simpler offerings often start gathering dust once the first pack of film is used up. 

We've been enjoying some hands-on time with the Instax Mini 99, and we'll be sharing our review of the camera after seeing what the latest flagship model is like to use. It's not quite the Polaroid I-2, but the early signs are good – there's more depth to the Mini 99 than its low-cost siblings.

Alongside the Instax Mini 99, which is available from April 4, Fujifilm has launched two accessories – a black camera case that's purpose-built for the Mini 99 and costs £21.99, and a black photo album that holds Instax Mini prints and costs £11.99. There's also a new Instax Mini 'Photo Slide' film, which costs £8.99 for a pack of 10 prints

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One of the great things about instant cameras, besides the fact that they fire prints out in seconds, is that they do a lot of the hard work for you. Because they're user-friendly, they usually have automatic exposure and focus settings that adjust to a scene. While automatic modes simplify the shooting process – especially if you don’t have much technical knowledge – the main downside is that you get less creative control, so you can’t always change the exposure based on the lighting conditions or your artistic ideas.

Unless you’re using an advanced manual instant camera like the Polaroid I-2, all you need to do is point, shoot, and perhaps add a filter or two to liven things up. The best instant cameras aren’t just for beginners, though. I’m a semi-professional photographer, and I still love the simplicity, and the nostalgic, spontaneous nature of instant film photography – especially when you try experimental films like Polaroid’s Reclaimed Blue.

Whether you've got a Polaroid or Instax camera, framing your subject more carefully, or using modes that you’ve previously ignored, can improve your hit rate. After all, instant film is expensive, and you want as many shots as possible to be sharp, dynamic, and well-exposed. Here are five tips to help you boost your instant camera photography, with some fun and creativity along the way.

1. Choose the right distance

Most instant cameras have a close-up focusing distance of around 30cm, although the Leica Sofort 2’s macro mode can get up to 10cm. It's important to understand the focus capabilities of your camera, as you'll get blurry images if you're too close. For selfies, hold the camera at least an arm's length away and if your camera has a mirror on the front, use this to help you gauge the distance.

You don't want to be too far away, though. Instant prints can be tiny, especially if you're using the Instax Mini format. If your subject is too far away, it’ll be hard to see it in the print, so aim to keep it within about 6-7 feet for the best results.

2. Use exposure adjustments

On some instant cameras, you can use exposure compensation to control the brightness of your photos and overcome difficult lighting conditions like high-contrast sunlight. Compensate for situations where the camera's automatic exposure might produce overly bright or dark images; a positive value (+) increases brightness, while a negative value (-) decreases it.

On the Instax Mini 90, the little LD button lets me toggle through three settings: L (light) L+ (very light), and D (dark). On the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, you can tweak the exposure up and down in numbered increments. The Polaroid I-2 has an exposure compensation dial on the lens. Check your camera manual if you're not sure what's possible.

3. Add in extra light

Instant film needs plenty of light to come out well. If the environment is too dark, say you're at a low-lit party or an ambient restaurant, turn on the camera's built-in flash to brighten things up. You can typically toggle between on, off, auto, or red-eye reduction. I usually keep my flash on whenever I'm indoors or if I want to add fill light outside. Keep it off when there's enough natural light, as it can be harsh on skin tones and make colors look washed out.

The fundamentals of photography apply in just the same way with instant cameras. Light is everything, so pay attention to the direction and intensity of natural light in your scene. Soft, diffused light – the sort you get from a window – reduces harsh shadows, while direct sunlight creates strong, interesting contrasts.

4. Consider contrast

Instant cameras don't handle dynamic range – the difference between the darkest and brightest parts of an image – as well as the best mirrorless cameras, and shooting in even light or on cloudy days can yield the best results. If there's too much contrast between the highlights and shadows, you could end up with a muddy photo that's too dark, so need to be clever about when you photograph, what you include in the frame, and the direction you face.

It's limiting to only take instant pictures when the light is even, like on cloudy days. But if you're taking portraits, could you ask your subject to step into a shaded area? Alternatively, could you make dynamic contrasts an intentional part of the composition? Try shooting into the sun for a dramatic silhouette, or splitting the frame into clear sections of light and shade.

5. Try creative modes

Instant cameras are designed to be fun! And any shooting modes they have are there for a reason. I used to stick the camera in auto and crack on. However, I recently experimented with the party mode on my Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic and found that it adjusts the flash output to reveal the background instead of keeping it dark. Neat. Then there's the "Kids" mode, which is designed for capturing fast movements with quicker shutter speeds and produced sharp prints when I used it to photograph my dog during a walk.

If you've got an array of modes and filters that you've been too scared to explore, I say give them a go. If your camera allows you to take double exposures, why not try overlaying a portrait with natural textures for a creatively expressive photograph? Or using macro mode for detailed shots?

It’s such a cliche, but the best way to improve your instant photography - as with any genre - is practice. Once you’ve gleaned the advice above, why not experiment with the best Instax and Polaroid films and accessories? Take advantage of deals on instant film, grab a big batch, and keep learning from your successful (and less successful) shots.

You might also like

• I tried the 'Reclaimed Blue' Polaroid film and it's given my instant camera a new lease of life
• I tried the Polaroid I-2 and was instantly transported to a simpler, happier time
• Best instant cameras

In our click-and-share digital photography era, it can be refreshing to be reminded of a time when making prints was more physical – and when creative experimentation involved more than tapping filters on an app. As a tech journalist, I’m no Luddite, and I’m not suggesting we all ditch our professional cameras and hide away in the darkroom again. But occasionally, I think it’s important for amateur photographers like me to refresh our practice, finding new approaches, new forms, and maybe even new films.

Earlier this year, I went hands-on with the Polaroid I-2 and was transported back to an analog world I’d almost forgotten. While the best instant cameras (like the I-2) make physical prints, they’re designed to be quick (clues in the name) and easy to use. You get some degree of tinkering over how your images are printed, but it’s only when you change the raw ingredients themselves that you delve into fun territories. Call me old fashioned, but adding a sticker to a photo before printing it just doesn’t spark that same magic as trying a film and wondering how it’s going to turn out.

Instant prints are made via a clever chemical process involving positive emulsion, liquid developer, and dyes. The film gets exposed when you fire the shutter and develops as it gets ejected from the camera. Makes sense. We’re used to having a choice of color and black-and-white films, but what happens when a company like Polaroid makes its own experiments? And when one of those experimental flukes becomes a cult success?

I’m talking about Polaroid’s Blue 600 Film (Reclaimed Edition), my favorite instant film of the year and a product which inexplicably (because it’s just got a blue hue, right?) ignited my love of instant photography again. Reclaimed Blue was born out of the type of fiddling that only belongs to Polaroid, made in the R&D lab from waste materials while its scientists tried to improve the standard color film. That’s the story from Polaroid anyway, and I don’t mind whether it’s true or a clever marketing gimmick. What I do care about is when Reclaimed Blue is going to be back in stock because I need more – and I want others to try it for themselves, too.

Reclaimed Blue is constantly sold out on the official Polaroid store, only to be found for a premium on eBay, but I was lucky enough to grab some from Polaroid earlier in the year along with the Polaroid I-2. Like all 600 Film packs, you get eight exposures, and the iconic square format is compatible with the Polaroid 600, Now, Now+, and Lab, as well as the I-2.

If you’ve ever tried making cyanotypes – a photographic printing process that produces blue-tinted images – the rich cobalt/cyan/teal hues from Reclaimed Blue prints will be familiar. When I made my first two exposures, I was slightly baffled at the film’s popularity. The images were too dark – my own underexposure mistakes – and it was hard to make out the subjects properly. Determined not to waste film, I did some more research into Reclaimed Blue. Through that, combined with testing, I found that the film was either best for deliberate backlit subjects to get strong silhouettes, or in even lighting without about 3 stops of dynamic range.

Instant film – least of all Polaroid film – is expensive, and you could argue that the cost of having to waste it only to get some decent photos is a reason not to use experimental films. But I think that’s missing the point of why many people love using Polaroid cameras. You see, as I made my way through the modest 8-pack, I began to consider my settings carefully, creatively adjust the composition, and determine how I was going to use these last, precious teal-colored exposures. The images aren't yet masterpieces, but that's not the point. The process and photographic experience were different from how I snap away thoughtlessly on my iPhone or mirrorless camera, rarely even looking at the images again.

I love Reclaimed Blue from an aesthetic point of view, because the highlights are bright and sharp, rather than just being a lighter area of a colored dye as with Polaroid Duochrome film. You get a full range of tones from almost-black blue to near-white and an incredible level of contrast that I’ve not seen before from a Polaroid film. Reclaimed Blue isn't Monochrome, it's not Duochrome, and it's not designed for any particular subject. Polaroid is calling it #TheReclaimedExperiment, and hoping that its creative audience can shape its potential.

Of course, you don’t need a Polaroid camera to experiment with new films. You don’t even need a film camera, although I’ll never discourage anyone from getting into analog photography as a side hobby. To improve your instant photography, you just need an open mind and a desire to be curious. To try new things, and if they don’t work, to learn from them and take a different course.

While it’s easy to become obsessed with higher resolution, better autofocus, and stabilization with the best mirrorless cameras of the day, do we always want to pursue “perfect” image quality? Maybe there’s something to be said for injecting a little more play into your photography. Something more human. After all, if Polaroid is happy with an imperfect, experimental fluke, you and I can be too.

You might also like

• I tried the Polaroid I-2 and was instantly transported to a simpler, happier time
• My classic Polaroid SX70 instant camera still rocks but today's film lets it down
• Best instant cameras

Thinking about picking up an instant camera for the holidays as a fun and cheap Christmas gift idea? Wise move, because they're great. But did you know that there's also a wide selection of instant film for them, plus accessories such as filters that'll give you a variety of looks? No? Well, allow us to explain. 

The best instant cameras make excellent gifts, and you're spoilt for choice when it comes to bodies from the main players Polaroid and Fujifilm Instax (check out our Polaroid vs Instax article if you need help choosing). Or perhaps you already bought an instant camera like the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 or Polaroid Now+ in the Black Friday sales just gone and now want to get more from it.

Most people that get an instant camera stick with the standard color film with white border, but one way to get more creative when shooting these precious keepsakes is to try some of the different instant films and accessories. But with so many options ranging from Polaroid's 'Reclaimed Blue' to Instax Mini film types with multi-color borders, where do you begin?

We've reviewed all of the best instant cameras from Polaroid, Fujifilm Instax and Canon, and almost always try out the various film types available, plus accessories like lens filters. And we've used that experience and expertise to put together our favorite film types for Polaroid and Instax. Enjoy breaking out from the norm!

Fujifilm Instax Film

Perhaps the most widely used instant camera film is Instax Mini – adopted by a number of Instax and Leica instant cameras, such as the Leica Sofort 2 and Instax Mini Evo, plus the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link printer.

The standard color film with white border currently costs $13.98 for 20 sheets at Amazon in the US, £14.99 for 20 sheets at Amazon in the UK or AU$29 for 20 sheets at Amazon in Australia, and it can actually be cheaper to buy in those single packs rather than in bulk. However, there are also two widely available alternatives; Monochrome or custom border styles (different to plain white).

Instax Mini has the widest selection of border styles, but there's quite a few of these options available for Instax Square film and Instax Wide film formats too, and the same buying advice below applies. Remember, make sure that you are buying the correct format of paper for your instant camera or Link printer. 

Instax Mini Film monochrome

Instax Mini Film rainbow

Polaroid i-Type, Go and 600

Polaroid has a wide variety of instant cameras and film types, so be sure to get the right one for your camera – the information is clearly marked out on the Polaroid website. i-Type covers the Now series of cameras including the Now+ and the new and advanced Polaroid I-2. The Go series is a shrunk-down version with its own smaller film size, while the 600 and SX-70 film is for the vintage models. We're concentrating here on the new i-Type and Go series of instant cameras. 

Polaroid i-Type and 600 film is the same film, but the key difference is the cameras they are compatible with. i-Type film packs do not have a battery built-in and only work with Polaroid's new cameras like the I-2 and Now+, while 600 film packs have the battery built-in and work with battery-less vintage Polaroid cameras as well as i-Type cameras. 

Polaroid i-Type

Polaroid Go

Polaroid 600

Not in the US, UK or Australia? Find the best Instax and Polaroid film deals in your region, below.

Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings, and hot Black Friday deals!

Leica Sofort 2: Two-minute review

Leica’s first foray into the instant camera market was in 2016 with the original Leica Sofort, Sofort meaning “immediately” in German. The camera borrowed its functionality from the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 (a camera I still enjoy using) but had Leica’s premium price tag and that iconic red dot. The Sofort 2 arrives seven years later - a long time in the photo industry - and plenty has changed between the first and second generations.

You see, the Sofort 2 is now a hybrid; a digital camera and printer all-in-one that still pushes out Instax Mini-sized film. This time, another license from Fujifilm sees the camera taking its design cues from the Instax Mini Evo, with filters and lens effects (more on these later), a new button layout, and a satisfying lever that you pull back to activate printing. I like that you get a shutter on the front and top of the body to make it easy to fire while taking a selfie. There’s a mirror to check out your framing, too.

There's no viewfinder, so the only way to compose shots is with the screen on the back, a 3-inch TFT LCD that isn't touch-responsive and can be hard to see in bright light. Navigating the menu is straightforward though, and holding the Sofort 2 is comfortable - even if the black colorway is a fingerprint magnet. In the camera menu, you can switch between natural and rich printing, and I prefer rich for its strong, vibrant tones. Pressing the up button in playback mode brings up more settings like the flash and self-timer.

The Sofort 2 has the Leica name, but that doesn’t mean you can expect the same image quality as its rangefinders. I was disappointed by the specs here, as you get a 4.9MP camera with a 1/5-inch CMOS sensor, and images are in JPG format only. The aperture range is f/2-f/16 and the ISO is 100-1600, but you can’t change either of these settings yourself. Exposure is fully automatic, unlike the Polaroid I-2, although you can tweak the white balance and exposure compensation, which is handy when the camera overexposes in high-contrast lighting.

The flat pancake lens is equivalent to a 28mm full-frame, which is wide enough for you to get good group shots and expansive landscapes. The camera’s autofocus is limited, but the face recognition mode isn’t terrible. It took me about a week to discover the macro mode for getting subjects as close as 10cm in focus, and this was a game-changer for nature images.

For point-and-shoot users wanting to shake things up, the Sofort 2 has ten lens effects and ten film styles, effectively giving you over one hundred combinations in the camera. Instax film being the price it is, I didn’t try them all, but I did play around with the iconic Leica Monochrom, vintage, and a bizarre canvas style, plus the vignette and mirror lens effects. Some are more gimmicky than others, but I can see them being fun for amateurs used to Instagram filters.

Being a hybrid, you can print from the camera’s internal memory (around 45 images), a microSD card (a 1GB card will let you take a whopping 850 images), or over Bluetooth from the Leica FOTOS app. None of these were options in the original Sofort, and another welcome new feature is a USB-C connection for transferring images and charging the battery.

Unintentionally, I used the Sofort 2 more as a printer than a camera (it takes about 15 seconds to print an image whatever the source). Maybe that approach is cheating, but there’s no escaping the fact that the image quality - sharpness, color richness, and dynamic range - from the Sofort 2 is behind most modern smartphones. When I had the iPhone 15 Pro in my pocket, there was always a real temptation to use that instead and avoid wasting expensive film. The Sofort 2 is a brilliant portable printer, and the prints it makes are vibrant and authentic-looking, with all the vibes that make Instax so popular.  

For me, the Leica FOTOS app was also a pleasure to use, and surely one of the smoothest in the business. While you’re not spending over $300/£300 on an instant camera for its app, it’s fair to say that Leica has streamlined the experience, even if you don’t get any editing or effects like stickers.

For me, the best instant cameras are the hybrid ones, simply because they unlock more possibilities and mean you’re not limited to (let’s face it) basic optics and (in this hybrid) small sensors. And they save you dosh on a separate printer.

The Sofort 2 is for style-conscious photographers who want something more serious than the average instant camera. That’s me on a good day. Because it still functions similarly to an Instax camera, anyone can pick it up and use it without a rigorous learning process. But the branding is sleek and grown up, and to be honest, I loved whipping out the Leica dot whenever I got the chance.

Reviewers don't talk enough about how cameras make us feel when we’re using them. During the test period for the Sofort 2, we became practically inseparable partners, and not just because it was small enough to fit in my coat pocket. It made me feel creative, inspired, and cool - and that’s more than I can say of my flagship mirrorless camera, or indeed, my dust-gathering Instax cameras since it came along.

Leica Sofort 2: Price and release date

• Available in the US for $389
• Available in the UK and Australia for £350 / AU$649

The Leica Sofort 2 was released on November 9, 2023, although some retailers are still asking you to join a pre-order waiting list. The official Leica store has had the best availability since the camera's launch. There's a choice of three colorways; white, red, and black – to reflect the iconic Leica branding.

In the box, you get a carrying strap, lens cap, USB cable for charging or transferring photos, and a quick start guide. Leica also sells a wide range of Sofort-friendly accessories like bags and a metal tin to keep your prints stored safely.

The Sofort 2 takes Instax Mini Film, and the cost of this varies depending on what design you choose. Standard twin-packs with 20 exposures of Instax Mini film start at $14.99 / £14.99 / AU$34.95, while 20 slides of Leica-branded film will set you back around £19 / $30.

Leica Sofort 2: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Leica Sofort 2: also consider

If you're interested in instant cameras but not sure about the Leica Sofort 2, here are some alternatives to consider...

Leica Sofort 2: How I tested

• Friends tried out the camera at an event
• Printing in-camera and via the Leica Fotos app

I had the Leica Sofort 2 for a two-week testing period and during that time I carried it pretty much everywhere in my bag; on family walks, a trip to a Christmas market, plus out for coffee and brunch (because where else is better to take hipster images). 

Over this time, I shot plenty of photos using the built-in camera and printed them straight away. I played with the built-in image effects and face recognition setting. At home, I also linked the Sofort 2 up to the Leica Fotos app on my iPhone and printed a selection of existing photos to see how the camera handled different lighting types and extra detail. I even printed out some photos taken with the Leica M11-P that I'd been reviewing for another outlet.

The Sofort 2 became my compact instant camera, street shooter, and party companion, as well as an Instax printer. I used a range of Instax Mini film packs, including the Leica-branded Instant Color Film and Instax Mini Contact Sheet.

• First reviewed December 2023

The best instant cameras are an easy recommendation as a Christmas gift idea. They are fun, tactile, and suitable for (almost) all ages. You can also capture moments with those around you – grandma taking a brandy-fuelled afternoon nap, decked in a Christmas cracker tissue paper hat – and then share those as precious keepsakes with an instant print. 

You're spoilt for choice too, thanks especially to Polaroid and Fujifilm Instax. However, I'm here to propose an alternative that will get you those gorgeous keepsakes, plus with more control: a portable Instax Link printer. 

These easy-to-carry printers are so tiny that you can throw one into a bag for that holiday weekend away with your family. They come in three versions, too: Mini, Square, and Wide. You use the same film as Fujifilm Instax cameras – just buy the right size for the printer, and you get the same lovely vintage-style prints to cherish, only you get to choose which photos to print.

For shoppers in the US, the Instax Link Wide version of the Link printer is only $97.99 at Amazon, while in the UK there's a great deal on the Square Link printer, which costs just £94 at Amazon. Bear in mind, however, these are printer-only deals – there are also bundles available with the film included, but it can pay off to buy the film packs separately. 

For even more great holiday and Christmas gift ideas, do check out our guides to the best Christmas sales in the US and Boxing Day sales in the UK.

Today's best Instax Wide Link deal in the US: more that $50 off

Today's best Instax Square Link deal in the UK: now only £95

Most instant cameras shoot straight to print only through the built-in printer and film cartridge. You take the photo, out pops the print and, 90-seconds later, you see what's been captured. It's a final, one-of-a-kind print, and the screen-less experience is all part of the analog charm. However, paper is expensive and it stings when you get throwaway prints. 

An Instax Link printer presents another option, working through the companion Instax app to print any imported photos – from your phone, professional camera, and even some hybrid instant cameras. For example, the digital Fujifilm Instax Pal makes the process as easy as can be. Sure, there's an app involved and you might not want as much screen time over Christmas, but if it's the end result you're most interested in, an Instax Link is a smart choice.

Heck, you might want to pick one of these printers up now ahead of Christmas. I've found that Instax Link prints, such as your family portrait, make a lovely little gift to slot inside Christmas cards to your loved ones. 

There are pros and cons when choosing between an instant camera and a portable printer, but for me the convenient printer is the smart choice, just add the cost of film packs into your budget.

More Instax Link printer deals

Instant cameras can be a lot of fun. You don't even have to be into photography to enjoy playing with one of the best instant cameras. They're great to take to a party or use for creative projects. They're also excellent starting points to get youngsters interested in photography – you could say they're an introduction to film photography... in a rather oblique way.

Instant cameras are typically affordable, even when full price, but November's Black Friday deals make it possible to save some cash that you could potentially put towards picking up some extra film for the model of your choice. 

While Fujifilm's Instax cameras are the most common options in Australia, you can also choose a Polaroid or a Kodak-branded alternative. From basic toy models to smarter hybrid options that connect to your smartphone, we've picked five of the best deals on instant cameras available at the moment – perfect timing for snapping up that camera for capturing new Christmas memories or getting one as a gift for a loved one. 

Happy snapping!

Instant camera deals this Black Friday

• Find more exciting savings in our full coverage of the best Black Friday deals in Australia.

Whether for party snaps or a creative project, instant cameras make it easy to sample the nostalgia of analog photography, letting you shoot and develop charming prints in minutes, and these Black Friday deals make it possible to get great instant cameras from Polaroid, Fujifilm and Canon with significant discounts.

From basic toy models to smarter hybrid options that connect to your smartphone, we've picked out five of the best deals on instant cameras at the moment - perfect timing for snapping up that camera for capturing memories at Christmas. 

You can be sure we’ve tested all of the top instant cameras and ranked our favorites in our best instant camera guide. There's also the most up-to-date deals on all cameras in our Black Friday camera deals 2023 guide. Happy snapping!

Instant camera deals this Black Friday

Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings, and hot Black Friday deals!

More early Black Friday deals

• Amazon: 50% off TVs, air fryers, AirPods & clothing
• Apple: AirPods Pro, Apple Watch 8 & iPads from $99
• Adidas: 40% off running shoes, sweatshirts & leggings
• Beauty: 51% off viral makeup, skincare & hair tools
• Best Buy: up to $800 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
• Bed Bath & Beyond: 65% off sitewide + free shipping 
• Cheap TVs: big-screen 4K TVs from $269.99
• Christmas: 40% off decor, pajamas & trees
• Dell: save on best-selling Inspiron and XPS laptops
• DreamCloud: 40% off all mattresses
• Family pajamas: matching Christmas PJs from $12.99
• Lowe's: up to $800 off major appliances
• Nectar: mattress deals starting at $359
• Nordstrom: 30% off Nike, Levi's, Skims, Adidas & more 
• Purple: up to $400 off Purple mattresses
• Samsung: up to $2,000 of TVs, phones and appliances
• Target: 40% off furniture, TVs, clothing & appliances 
• Toys: Disney, Barbie, Lego & board games from $14.99
• Walmart: $800 off toys, TVs, vacuums & clothing

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.

A lesser known fact about Leica, maker of lust-worthy and expensive high-end rangefinder cameras like the Leica M11, is that it has also dabbled with instant cameras.

It was back in 2016 that Leica announced the Sofort, which was effectively an upcycled Fujifilm Instax Mini 90, lavished with Leica’s modern design flourishes. At $300 / £215 (about AU$425) it was a pricier Fujifilm alternative, albeit the cheapest way to get a red-dot camera. Now, seven years later, we have the Leica Sofort 2.

The second-generation Sofort model (the name means 'instant' in German, in case you were wondering) is a hybrid model in the mold of the Instax Mini Evo; you can shoot the analog way straight onto Instax Mini format film, or the digital way onto the camera’s internal memory / microSD card, and then browse your gallery in the Leica Fotos app to choose and edit your favorite shots for print.

With Leica’s clean-cut design, hybrid is a logical step for the Sofort 2; its 3-inch, 460,000-dot rear LCD suits the look, and most of today’s users will appreciate the choice between analog and digital, rather than being pigeonholed to one-off prints.

The Sofort 2 packs a 28mm-equivalent lens (that’s the same perspective as a camera phone’s main camera) with a f/2 to f/16 variable aperture, a versatile 10cm minimum focus, and auto exposure control. In fact, with a shutter speed range of 1/4 sec to 1/8000 sec and the ability to turn the flash on and off, the Sofort 2 is a more flexible shooter than most analog-only instant cameras. You should be able to shoot in any scenario, from bright sunlight to indoors, and get well-exposed prints.

If you’re shooting digital, the Sofort 2 records onto a 2560 x 1920 pixel sensor (that’s 4.9MP) which means a 1GB microSD card will store around 850-shots. Otherwise you get a 45-shot internal memory.

Compared to the retro Instax Mini Evo, the sleek Leica Sofort 2 truly looks the part, especially if old-school looks don't float your boat – and you need to enjoy the feel and look of an instant camera if it's going to get any use.

Like the Mini Evo, it measures 123 x 87 x 44mm, and will sit well in the hand compared to chunkier models like the Instax Mini 12, while its versatile auto exposure controls should ensure that you get the right brightness in your prints, wherever you go. This could be one of the best instant cameras for 2023 – it's certainly desirable, and we’ll share our experiences with the Sofort 2 in our upcoming review.

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Fujifilm Instax Pal: Two-minute review

Today’s cameras are so good, and so serious, that it’s proved cathartic to review the Instax Pal, a camera that’s seriously enjoyable and no more. 

This fuss-free ball of fun – it's about the size of a golf ball, to give you an idea – is suitable for all ages, and the closest a camera can be to a digital pet; it lights up and emits a happy jingle when powered on, and a sad sound when inactivity sends it to sleep, while the compatible Instax Pal app gifts you digital rewards for your activity. Tamagotchi, eat your heart out.

As a self-respecting adult I didn’t fall for such blatant manipulation to motivate me to use the app (okay, I did). And you only have to make the Pal available to the whole family – which you can, because you don’t need to be precious about this low-cost snapper – to appreciate that it speaks to all ages. 

This is an Instax camera that might actually be used day-to-day, and not stowed away in the cupboard once your film supply has run dry, as is so often my experience with analog Instax cameras. 

The Pal might well have the Instax name, but it’s not an instant camera as we know it. It’s a digital-only camera that fits better in the hand, printing via one of Fujifilm’s Instax Link printers, which come in ‘Mini’, ‘Square’ or ‘Wide’ formats; directly via a Bluetooth connection; or through the new Instax Pal app.

So while you don’t get the analog-only experience of traditional Instax cameras, which can be a wonderful remedy in this digital world we live in, you're more likely to take your tiny Pal with you everywhere, and you’ll also print your candid moments with one of Fujifilm’s portable Link printers more often than you would with a desktop printer. 

To me, the Pal feels like the best of both worlds; it’s a camera that’s not weighed down by a built-in a printer, while the shoot-to-print experience – either directly, or through the app – is seamless. 

You can print blind the old-school way, directly to a Link when the switch on the underside of the camera is set to ‘L’, or be selective via the convenient app, and not waste your expensive film by using the ‘F’ setting instead. That’s not the analog soul, but these days I’d rather have the control. 

I’m a big fan of Fujifilm’s Instax Link portable printers – and it was the Instax Square Link printer that really completed my Pal experience. You can also use this printer to print the higher-quality photos in your phone’s gallery using the relevant Link app.

The Pal doesn’t even have a screen on which to compose and view your ultra-wide angle snaps, like the Instax Mini Evo hybrid Instax does, and nor does it produce technically excellent image quality images – this is essentially a basic 2560 x 1920 pixel stills-only camera, clothed in cuteness.

As a camera, the Pal isn’t great. But what it does bring to the table is a fine-tuned experience with the app and printer, in colorful packaging for all to enjoy, and it has one or two surprises up its sleeve. 

Selfies and group shots are made easy via the self timer on the app, with the camera supported by the included detachable ring (that you’ll need as a kind of wrist strap if you don’t want to keep dropping the ball-like camera). The Pal even has a tripod thread that's compatible with small table-top tripods. 

Also, it was a real curveball to discover that the Pal is a discreet snapper; no one batted an eyelid as I took candid street photos around London with the Pal nestled into the palm of my hand (although the automatic fill-in flash caught me out a few times). 

Fujifilm has put a lot of thought into the new app, too. Automatically wiping photos from the 50-shot internal memory once they’ve been uploaded to the app is a smart move, while there’s also a micro SD card slot for those that want to double up on storing their photos. 

In-app images filters, basic edits, plus output to the various Instax Link printers cover your bases and ensure that you remain active, provided you don’t run out of paper. And the beauty is that when you do run out you can keep using your digital Pal until you top up your supply again. 

The Fujifilm Instax Pal is not one of the best instant cameras – it’s not even an instant camera, technically – and on paper it can’t compete with the Instax Mini Evo. However, sometimes you’ve just got to go with the feeling, and Pal gives all the feels. 

Ultimately, Pal isn’t a technically great camera, but it is one that I want to use more than most others, and that says a lot. 

Fujifilm Instax Pal: Price and release date

• Available in the US, bundled with the Mini Link printer only, for $199.99
• Available in the UK and Australia as the camera only, from £89.99 / AU$149

The Instax Pal is available in five exotically named colorways: Milky White, Powder Pink, Pistachio Green, Lavender Blue, and Gem Black. 

In the US the Instax Pal is bundled with the Instax Mini Link printer only, for $199, while in the UK and Australia you buy the camera separately, for £89.99 / AU$149 respectively (while the Gem Black version with a shiny, reflective surface costs £104.99 in the UK).

In the box you get a detachable ring that can act as a support to rest the Pal on, or slide onto the top as a 'viewfinder' (you don't need to do that), or, most helpfully, use as a kind of wrist strap.

As for the cost of paper, that depends on which format printer you're outputting to; Mini, Square, or Wide. Twin packs of 10 sheets of Instax Mini film start from $14.99 / £14.99 / AU$34.95

Fujifilm Instax Pal: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Fujifilm Instax Pal: also consider

If our Pal review has you interested in instant cameras, here are a couple of other options to consider...

Fujifilm Instax Pal: How I tested

• All the family played with our new Pal
• Printing directly to portable Link printer, and via the app

I had the Instax Pal in my pocket for over a week, and in my family home with two generations getting to grips with it. Throughout this time, I've became very familiar with the accompanying Instax Pal app, through which you can access most of the Pal’s functions. The camera device itself is super-simple, and I also operated it bypassing the app altogether and making direct-to-Link prints, for a more ‘authentic’ Instax experience. 

I’ve used the camera for family snaps, as a discreet street photography snapper, and for all-round every day moments. I played around with the in-app editor, and made lots of prints from the Instax Link Square printer, which is my favorite size of Instax print, collecting plenty of in-app rewards in the process. 

• First reviewed September 2023

As TechRadar’s Cameras editor, I review the latest and greatest devices for photography and video. Mostly serious tools, for serious creatives. Rarely do I get to play with a camera that I’d call cute, a camera like the new Fujifilm Instax Pal.

It’s a tiny, golf ball-sized digital camera with the Instax name, only it doesn’t churn out instant prints like a traditional Instax. This is a digital-only Instax camera, fine-tuned to pair with Fujifilm's Instax Mini Link, Instax Square Link, or Instax Wide Link portable printers, via a new Instax Pal app. 

Simple as they come, Pal doesn’t have a screen to compose your ultra-wide angle snaps as the Instax Mini Evo does. It emits a happy jingle when you power up via the multi-color-light-up power button and a sad sound when powered down. The app dishes out rewards the more snaps you take. If Tamagotchi were a camera, Pal would be its name. 

Instax by name, cute by nature

The Fujifilm Instax Pal is not one of the best instant cameras per se, but it can be as good as one when paired with an Instax Link printer. There’s a switch on the underside of the camera with “L” and “F” modes; “L” is a direct-to-Link printer photo mode that effectively creates the instant camera experience by using a Bluetooth-connected Link printer, while “F” is a photo to memory mode that stores onto the Pal’s 50-shot internal memory, or onto micro SD card. 

Photos consequently uploaded to the Instax Pal app are automatically wiped from the camera’s memory, and the app gives a seamless experience navigating your image gallery to pick your best snaps for print (and avoid wasting that expensive Fujifilm instant film), applying fun edits in the process that include filter effects, adding text or stickers, plus there’s a brightness correction and crop tools. You also choose which of those three Instax formats to output to, too. 

It’s worth noting that the new app can work for any photos in your phone’s gallery, not just ones imported from the Instax Pal. So here’s the question; how is Pal better than otherwise pairing your smartphone with one of Fujifilm’s excellent portable Link printers via the app?

Well, there are times you might not want to use your smartphone for photography, plus the Pal is a dinky snapper that all the family can use. Even I, a seasoned photographer, am somehow more drawn to Pal – it’s a camera that I’d want to use more regularly than most other Instax cameras that can feel a little clunky and awkward in the hand – you're carrying a printer after all. Pal on the other hand feels super easy to use, especially for small hands, and can slip right into your pocket. Heck, it’s so discreet you could even use Pal as a street photography camera, which I gave a stab at when walking through London after the Instax Pal press event. That’s my next personal photography project lined up.

In a way, I don’t mind the separation of the Pal camera and Link printer versus an all-in-one instant camera, plus you can also use the accompanying app to remotely control Pal, with self-timer and interval modes. Chuck in the mini-tripod thread and the included multi-use detachable ring as potential supports for hands-free selfies and group shots, and the Pal is an Instax with a difference. I’ll share more thoughts about the Instax Pal in my upcoming review.

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Fujifilm Instax SQ40: Two-minute review

• Retro-style
• Retractable lens with closeup mode
• Automatic exposure

Most Fujifilm Instax cameras follow a similar formula, and we’ve unpacked how to get started with an Instax like the SQ40 in our Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 review. In a nutshell: insert the two CR2 batteries, follow the visual cues to insert the film, open the lens, and away you go.  

Fujifilm does old-school design better than most, and the Instax SQ40 is a perfect example of that. Some may prefer the look of the bright and bubbly Instax Mini series, but my preference is for the classic black faux-leather finish of the SQ40. 

The silver-effect accents around the lens and shutter button are a nice touch, though I would have gone one step further and included a more pronounced silver top plate. I didn’t have the leather half case while reviewing the SQ40, but judging by the images I've seen it serves to enhance the retro styling even further. 

Again, like the Instax Mini 12, which is the best instant camera for most people, you have a retractable lens with three settings: off, on, and selfie. The difference between on (standard mode) and selife is the focus distance range – you’ll be able to get up close and personal for selfies and macro using the selfie mode, but it won’t focus sharply into the distance like the standard shooting mode does. 

There's a small contour on the rear of the camera that gives a bit of grip, and overall the SQ40 is much easier to hold than the Mini 12. 

The camera automatically determines the brightness in your pictures using a light meter on the front of the lens, and in general you can expect accurate brightness in your SQ40 prints, unless you’re in bright sunlight, in which the camera can overexpose a little.

Next to the light meter is a Flash Light sensor for the always-on flash. I’d like a button to deactivate the flash for the times when I don’t want the foreground subjects brightly illuminated, and without that feature I often opt to physically cover the flash as a workaround. 

The fixed angle of view is slightly tighter than that of a phone’s main camera – around 35mm in photography terms – and in general you’ll want your subjects to be between 0.3m and 3m from the camera; any further away and they’ll be too small in your prints. 

There’s a viewfinder for composing pictures. This isn't physically aligned with the lens, but it has parallax correction, so what you see through the viewfinder is pretty much the composition you’re going to get.

To help compose your selfies, the SQ40 has a tiny mirror on the front of a lens as a visual guide, but given its size it’s only moderately helpful.

Fujifilm Instax SQ40: Performance

• Better in bright light than the Instax Mini 12
• Lovely washed-out vintage prints

The 62 x 62mm square prints that the SQ40 churns out are perfect in size – equal in height as Instax Mini film but in a wider square format, with the film itself measuring 86mm x 72mm.  

Auto exposure parameters are 1/2 sec with slow sync flash, which is ideal for flash portraits indoors, and up to 1/400 sec, which gives more headroom in bright sunlight than the Instax Mini, which tops out at 1/250 sec and washes out (overexposes) more often.

You don't buy an instant camera for technical quality, but for the best possible results you’ll want to keep subjects close to the camera, and make sure the camera is in the correct shooting mode for the focus distance, or else your subjects won’t be in sharp focus. For example, the selfie mode’s focus distance is between 0.3 to 0.5m, and anything beyond that will produce soft images. 

The sample gallery (above) shows the sort of aesthetic quality you can expect from any Instax camera – that's a lovely desaturated vintage look, and the SQ40 is no exception. 

Digitizing your prints is as simple as taking them, courtesy of the 'Instax Up!’ app. All the pictures in the sample gallery were digitized using the app, which includes guides for all film types, including the SQ40’s square format, and handy features like Remove Reflections. 

Fujifilm Instax SQ40: Price and release date

• List price $149.99 / £134.99 / AU$229
• 2 x 10-sheet pack of regular Instax Square film costs $24.99 / £16.99 / AU$34.95

The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 has a list price of $149.99 / £134.99 / AU$229, and is available from the end of June.

Instant photography doesn’t end with the cost of the camera of course, and there’s no such thing as cheap instant film. However, you won’t find better value than Instax. 

A regular twin pack (2 x 10 sheets) of Square color film costs $24.99 / £16.99 / AU$34.95, and it's also available with different colored borders, including Rainbow, plus a Monochrome version of the film (prices vary).

Alongside the launch of the SQ40, Fujifilm has added a Sunset variety of its Square film, featuring soft color gradients which the company says are “reminiscent of a serene sunset”. This costs $15.75 / £10.99 / AU$26.95 for a single pack of 10 sheets.  

• Price score 3.5/5

Fujifilm Instax SQ40: Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Fujifilm Instax SQ40: also consider

If our SQ40 review has you interested in instant cameras, here are a couple of other options to consider...

Fujifilm Instax SQ40: How I tested

• A day in the city
• A few packs of film

I haven’t needed much time with the Instax SQ40 to form my opinions about it. I’ve reviewed plenty of Instax cameras down the years, and the point-and-shoot models like the SQ40 are simple cameras that offer a fun and intuitive user experience. 

The only real choice you have to make when using the SQ40 is if you want to use the standard mode or the closeup shooting mode. You also quickly learn what are the types of pictures that work for instant photography at this print size, and those that don’t. You’ll want subjects to fill the frame, so moderate closeups, bold buildings for example. 

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed June 2023

The one camera that brings me unadulterated joy – and I don't even need to make any pictures with it – is my Polaroid SX70 instant camera.

I mean, just look at its smooth metal trim and gorgeous brown leather finish. It folds away like a hip flask and doesn't half feel and smell good, too.

I still get the same warm feels every time I open it out into its shooting position. There's a technique – pull the eyepiece end of the viewfinder up while bracing its front side down and then pull into position. Click, whoosh, snap. Senses ignited; sight, smell and sound. 

Like any good bar, it's best when open – sharp exaggerated angles, like a classic car. Proper parts, proper kit. They don't make 'em like they used to. 

My own SX70 was tarnished by another with rough hands and little clue how to open it, brutally yanking the viewfinder out. When folded away, mine still has the loose wobble to show for it. I’m not bitter, honestly.

It was 2001 when I bought mine. A fellow photography student, from Taiwan, had one of his own, in black. He was a top-of-the-class student, and a lover of cameras (and cats) to boot. By contrast, I was new to photography, starting to get a feel for the array of medium format and large format cameras at our disposal in the university's photo studio stock room.

Yet as I first laid eyes on his SX70 – the first single lens reflex instant camera that, being launched in 1972, recently had its 50th anniversary – I was mesmerized. He told me his was only £65 off eBay. You can guess what I did that night. True to his word, I found one for the same price, but with a brown leather finish that I preferred anyway. An optional flash was included, too, albeit mine came with a less-fancy camera case.

Buy now. Payment made. Purchase a few packs of film. Cue agonizing wait for it to arrive in the post.

In those early days, my SX70 didn’t disappoint. I got a bunch of lovely instant photos with it that first year of university, mainly of my friends, whenever I could afford to buy film packs. It was such a great camera to use; a rangefinder-style display where you line up the central circle with your subject for accurate manual focusing, plus auto exposure. And yeah it got admiring looks, too.

A brutish clunk and whirr, and out pops a perfectly sized square format print, revealing its dreamy vintage style over the course of 10-15 minutes. Such a slow, measured and satisfying experience. And as for instant photography, pretty good quality prints.

But if you know anything about Polaroid, you'll know that something disastrous happened that same year I bought an SX70. The company went bankrupt.

Shelf time 

After Polaroid declared bankruptcy, the price of SX70 film packs shot through the roof and were all snapped up within months. Those halcyon days were few, and my SX70 took up residency on a bookshelf along with a growing collection of photography books. 

Many years later in 2008, a start up from the Netherlands called the Impossible Project bought Polaroid’s production machinery for a mere $3.1 million, and started making its own film for the camera. 

When working at Amateur Photographer magazine in 2010, I got the opportunity to try out a few packs of the new Monochrome film in its infancy. Sadly it proved wildly unpredictable and, sorry to say it, essentially a waste of money. I would tinker with the camera settings and use a whole pack of film just to get one half-usable picture.

But that was almost 15 years ago. Since then, after several changes of hand, Polaroid landed secure investment in 2017, and its intellectual property and brand was acquired. The Impossible Project was renamed Polaroid Originals, then in 2020 it reverted back to the original Polaroid name which is where we are now in 2023. 

After years of the film being made properly again, and a reliable source of it via the Polaroid shop, surely it must have been improved and more reliable? 

I recently acquired a few packs of SX70 film – each pack contains 8 sheets and costs $26 / £19 / AU$35 (approx), though you get a small discount when buying multiple packs – reacquainted myself with my SX70 camera, and did what you really should do with a camera; stopped admiring it and put it to use. 

Dusting off my SX70

Since I last properly used my SX70, I’ve worked in camera journalism and been spoiled by some of the best cameras available to photographers. Yet the SX70 still charms. I don’t think it’s possible to tire of its elegant looks, finessed controls and brutish mechanics. Forget today’s silent electronic shutters, give me that clunk and whirr any day! 

Rangefinder-style displays, too. Lining up that central manual focus circle is slow, precise and satisfying. You don’t get a digital display showing you what to expect, plus you have to wait a whopping 10-15 minutes for the instant photo to develop fully before your eyes.

It’s a whole other way of working compared to today’s high-performance mirrorless cameras, and often impractical especially when working in natural light. For example, that 10-15 minute wait for a fully developed print might only reveal an under or overexposed print, by which point the light could have totally changed making tweaks to the exposure control to get the shot right a second time around, unreliable once more. 

When you consider the cost of a pack of film (above) equates to around $3 / £2 / AU$4.50 per print, you hardly want to fire off three of the same picture with incremental shifts in brightness values just in case. 

And what of the quality of prints? Like I say, I love the size of prints, and the dreamy quality is just as I remembered from those early days. However, I was still getting inconsistent brightness values, more so with the monochrome film (that is prone to bad batches) than color. Not as bad as those early Impossible Project days, but not quite as reliable as I remembered in the very first days pre Polaroid bankruptcy. It could be an auto exposure fault with my camera, but it is my experience.

By coincidence, I had another instant camera for review at the same time as dusting off my SX70, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12. Its prints are half the size, but it is overall more reliable for getting accurate exposure than my SX70, with a built-in always-on flash.

Two very different instant cameras with different paper and ink types, and the SX70 packs more soul, but if I actually wanted instant prints, then perhaps the Mini 12 would get more use out of the two.

I don’t think I would rush out to buy loads of SX70 film just yet. In fact, and I say this tinged with melancholy, it is destined to slot back into its dust-free profile on the same shelf it has occupied for years. Still, at least there it will continue to get admiring looks and the occasional “What’s that?” from my children, friends and guests, and I can tell the story once more.

Released right on cue in line with Fujifilm’s three-yearly schedule, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 becomes the latest in a long line of Fujifilm instant cameras for newcomers, succeeding the Fujifilm Instax Mini 11. 

The Instax Mini 11 already occupies top spot in our best instant camera guide, and it will soon be replaced by the Instax Mini 12, which brings incremental improvements in design and all-round shooting experience – I'll get on to those shortly. 

Getting started with the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is child's play. Insert the provided AA batteries, pop open the film door on the rear, slot in the film pack making sure to align the two yellow lines, close the door, twist the lens to turn the camera on, press the shutter button once to eject the film’s protective sheet, and you're ready to go.

After being dispensed from the camera, a photo will typically take at least 90 seconds to fully develop – so be patient. The number of exposures remaining in the film pack is displayed in a small window on the rear of the camera, and another window indicates if there is film inside the camera – don’t open the door if you see the yellow line of a film pack.

I've used the Instax Mini 11 a lot, and the Instax Mini 12 is similar in almost every regard. Its bubble-like design isn’t really my thing, but it does make for an eye-catching camera that’s perfect for picking up and playing with at a party.

The camera is a little slippery in the hand, with its smooth finish and curved edges not offering a great deal of grip. It's a fiddly camera to hold, especially when taking selfies, and I would love to see a more pronounced thumb grip, and/or or some kind of rougher texture on the exterior. Thankfully, a color-matched wrist strap is supplied; use it, as otherwise you’re bound to drop this camera at some point.

There are a couple of design tweaks that make perfect sense. You now turn the camera on by rotating the lens, and the lens has two settings: on and close-up. It's more intuitive, and a far less clunky process than on the Instax Mini 11, where pressing a stiff button pops the lens out and turns the camera on, and pulling the lens out then engages close-up mode.

The camera determines brightness in your pictures and the required flash power via auto exposure (AE) light and Flash Light sensors. Previously, these sensors were on the right-hand side of the camera (as you look at it) where fingers from your supporting hand might naturally rest and obstruct them. Now the sensors are out of the way in the center of the camera, meaning you’re less likely to get pictures that are overexposed because of pesky fingers.

Another addition is parallax correction. Put simply, parallax correction improves the accuracy of the viewfinder, so that what you see through the viewfinder is the composition you get in your print. That is, if you can get a clear view through the viewfinder in the first place – you need to really press your eye in close. 

The Instax Mini 11 doesn’t have parallax correction, and you need to be mindful of moving the camera up and to the right for the vertical-format pictures Instax Mini cameras are primarily designed for. Over time this recomposing becomes instinctive, but removing yet another thing to think about makes the Instax Mini 12 even more user friendly – plus of course those picking up the camera for the first time aren’t to know.

The camera now has auto flash exposure, but I should stress that the flash still fires for every single picture. The theory is that the power of the flash is adjusted depending on what the camera sees, within the 0.3m to 2.7m range. 

If you have more than one subject at various distances within the 0.3 to 2.7m flash range, the closest one will likely be too bright, and while that would be true of any flash, here you don’t have the option to turn the flash off. 

I appreciated that this is a camera that's meant to be as simple as possible to use, but an option to deactivate the flash manually would be helpful for those times when you want to work with natural light only.

Complementing the Instax Mini 12 is a new app called Instax Up! The main purpose of the app is to enable you to digitize your instant images, from any Fujifilm instant camera. The dedicated app simplifies the process over, say, using your smartphone or camera to do the job, and it includes a handy Remove Reflections feature. The pictures in the sample gallery of this review have been digitized with a Google Pixel phone using the app.

Otherwise, most of the features of the Instax Mini 11 are carried over to the Instax Mini 12. There’s the same 60mm f/12.7 lens, with a close-up / selfie mode that reduces the minimum focus distance from 0.5m to 0.3m. 

This field of view is similar to that of the main camera on a smartphone – it’s a little closer to the ‘classic’ 35mm focal length – and in selfie mode at arm's length you can fit yourself and a couple of other people in the picture, with a small mirror next to the lens giving you a rough idea of what the camera sees.

Exposure parameters are the same as on the Mini 11, with a shutter speed range between 0.5 sec and 1/250 sec, combined with the ISO 800 sensitivity rating of Instax Mini film.

The result of these settings is that, like its predecessor, the Instax Mini 12 overexposes highlights in bright sunlight and flash. Reducing exposure by 1EV would largely address this brightness problem, preferably by increasing the fastest available shutter speed to 1/500 sec, or alternatively by providing a slower ISO 400 film. 

It’s a shame to think that I can't really use the Instax Mini 12 to its best potential when the sun is out, and improvements here would top my wish list for a successor that we might reasonably expect to land in 2026.

The best outdoor conditions for the Mini 12 is cloudy weather, while a shutter speed down to 0.5 sec combined with flash (slow sync flash) can produce great-looking pictures at evening events. That’s because slow sync flash reveals some of the background details around subjects, rather than simply a black background that you’d get with faster speeds with flash. 

Auto exposure was introduced in the Instax Mini 11, and you can rely on the Instax Mini 12 to produce credit card-size prints (62 x 46mm, or 86 x 54mm including the border) that, highlights aside, are well exposed. (Personally, I prefer the Instax Square size (62 x 62mm) over Instax Mini – the larger square format gives subjects that extra room to breathe.) 

That said, the range of tones the Mini 12 can capture is limited, and in general, you’ll want to capture scenes that feature fairly even brightness levels throughout, with no bright highlights or deep shadows. As for the overall feel and color of Instax Mini prints, I’m a big fan, with colors looking rich while also having a vintage feel. 

I wouldn’t necessarily expect to take the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 with me everywhere, but it’s a fine choice for making keepsakes at big occasions. 

Fujifilm Instax Mini 12: price and availability

A simple automatic instant camera, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 costs $79.95 / £79.99 / AU$119 – a 15% increase from its predecessor – and is available in five different colors; Blossom Pink, Mint Green, Clay White, Lilac Purple, and Pastel Blue.

A twin pack of Instax Mini color film, with each pack containing 10 exposures, costs $20.99 / £14.99 / AU$34.95. In certain regions different film packs are available; in the UK, a single color film pack costs £8.99 and a pack of five costs £34.99, while monochrome film, plus various other styles, are also available in the US, UK and Australia at a cost of $15.75 / £9.99 / AU$19.95 for a single pack of 10 exposures. There's not really any better-value instant film available than Instax Mini.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 12: specs

Should I buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12

There aren’t a lot of features to explore on the Instax Mini 12 – you just insert the film and take a regular or close-up photo – but I was particularly keen to see how it performed in daylight and at night, and to test the accuracy of its viewfinder.

I'm happy to report that the Instax Mini 12 is easier to use than its predecessor. The viewfinder is much more accurate than before, and the lens design is less clunky.

Slow sync flash works well for pictures in low light. The same challenges remain when shooting in bright light – pictures are too bright – but I don't think this will be a difficult thing to fix in the next installment in the Instax Mini series.

First reviewed March 2023