Tag Archives: instax

Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 99 creates color filter effects by shining LEDs on your photo film

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The way film cameras work is simple – light is focused onto a light-sensitive film, causing images to form based on the kind of light that passes through the aperture. Fujifilm’s latest Instax camera cleverly uses that process to its advantage to create funky effects on film. The Instax Mini 99 has a set of LEDs sitting right in front of the photo paper. Choose an effect and the camera clicks the image, but also shines those built-in LEDs during capture to ‘color’ the image with extra hues. A yellow LED, for instance, would give your photo a sepia tone, green LEDs give your photo a faded green effect, and randomized colored LEDs create a light-leak effect reminiscent of old vintage-style cameras. Sure, you can toggle the effects off and click a normal photo too, but honestly, what’s the fun in that??

Designer: Fujifilm

Ask a photography purist and they’re sure to have some wild thoughts about whether what the Instax Mini 99 does is ‘legit’ or not. Most hardcore photographers don’t believe in additive editing, or the idea of adding something extra to an already clicked photo. That means airbrushing skin, fixing highlights, or using extra elements in their editing process. For any photography purist, the most you can really do to a photograph is either subtract from it, or modulate existing elements like play with contrast, color-correct, etc. So the idea of shining LEDs onto an exposed film may see mixed reactions. However, what the Instax Mini 99 does is just genius. It doesn’t apply a digital filter onto your film (the way you would in your photo editing app) – instead, it changes what your camera sees by adding extra color information. What it does is entirely analog, and it recreates a kind of imperfection you’d associate with vintage cameras but does so deliberately.

The interface is simple. A set of knobs on the side of the camera let you choose between different modes. The knob on the top lets you choose any of the Instax Mini 99’s effects, while a knob below lets you adjust brightness with five levels to choose from. This allows you to fine-tune the intensity of the color effect or even use it for standard lighting adjustments. Feeling adventurous? Combine the color effects with different brightness levels or even the double exposure mode for truly unique and artistic results. For those who like a touch of drama, the vignette mode is a welcome addition. By sliding the manual vignette switch near the lens, you can darken the edges of your photos, drawing attention to the center of the image. This technique can be particularly effective for portraits and close-up shots.

Beyond the creative features, the Instax Mini 99 offers a solid foundation for instant photography. It packs a 60mm f/10 lens, an LCD panel for framing your shots, and a long-lasting NP-70S lithium battery. The camera also comes with a shoulder strap and a base grip that includes a tripod mount, making it convenient to carry and use on the go.

The Instax Mini 99 starts at $199.95 for preorder, with the camera officially becoming available starting April. You can even grab yourself a dedicated camera case for $20.

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The Tiny $200 Instax Pal Camera is basically keychain-sized EDC for Photographers and Influencers

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Dubbed the Instax Pal, this tiny portable camera is a point-and-shoot wizard that lets you send photos directly to your Instax Link printer. Think of it as an everyday carry for someone who wants to quickly take multiple photos without needing to fish out their phone, unlock it, and start the camera app. The caveat, however, is that the Instax Pal is so compact, it doesn’t come with a viewfinder… and its internal storage is only good for about 50 photos (there’s an SD card slot for added storage). It does come bundled with the Instax mini Link 2 printer, as a consolation, with both costing just $200.

Designer: Instax

The Instax Pal’s only noteworthy highlight is its sheer portability. After all, the company manufactures instant cameras that develop photos seconds after clicking them, and instant printers that let you print photos on command… so it only made sense to build the one last product left in that ecosystem – a portable camera that didn’t do any printing, but rather, delegated the printing to an instant printer. Given that the Instax Pal and mini Link 2 come as a bundle, it seems that the folks at Fujifilm (Instax’s parent company) hope to make the Pal your everyday photography companion.

About as small as the Polaroid Cube from as early as 2014, the Instax Pal packs a fairly respectable camera setup, with a 16.25mm equivalent lens sporting an f-stop of 2.2 and 5MP output with a 1/5″ sensor. The Pal also has an LED flash, a tiny speaker, and a shutter button on its rear. As mentioned earlier, it lacks the viewfinder, but somewhat makes up for it with a silicone ring that attaches to the top, acting like a makeshift eyepiece for roughly composing your shot. Alternatively, you can place the camera on the ring as if it were a trivet, using it as a stand instead.

The camera has the capability to print on three different sizes of Instax film: mini, square, and wide. By using the app, you can shoot remotely with a live view and apply filters and frames before or after taking the photo. Additionally, you can customize your own “pre-shutter sounds” that will play through the camera’s speaker before each click.

Point, click, and shoot, and the Instax Pal captures photos to its internal memory. Although the built-in storage on the camera isn’t good enough to write home about, an SD card slot lets you store more photos for future review. When connected to the upcoming Instax Pal app, the camera will transmit photos to your phone, letting you edit them and upload them to social media, or send them to the mini Link 2 printer. Conversely, a ‘Link mode’ on the camera allows you to skip the app and print directly from an Instax Link printer or hybrid camera as soon as you take the picture, mimicking the true experience of an instant camera.

Instax plans on selling the Pal in 5 color options, priced at $199. Along with the camera, you also get the mini Link 2 printer and a 10-pack of photo sheets. Despite this peculiar arrangement (of separate hardware devices for cameras and printers), it is evident that the company’s intentions are clear. The Instax brand has gained immense popularity and profitability, prompting Fujifilm to fully embrace its entertaining charm in order to captivate a younger demographic. The Instax Pal is also perfect for children, given its uncomplicated design/format, and its compact form that makes it a great gift for parents to give their shutterbug kids. Alternatively, it’s a nifty toy for photographers and influencers too, practically becoming an affordable EDC that they can string around their keychain and carry around wherever they go!

The post The Tiny $200 Instax Pal Camera is basically keychain-sized EDC for Photographers and Influencers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Instax SQUARE SQ40 makes a literally big gamble on the fusion of past and present

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Although it might not be as hyped or as loud as before, there is still a strong “retro” design trend today as people continue to rediscover and appreciate the aesthetics and values of their forebears. Vinyl records and players are still attracting audiophiles, while the iconic “Polaroid” photo format continues to tickle the fancy of even younger generations. The latter is, of course, possible with any smartphone and a specialized printer, but that only delivers half the joy of the instant photo experience. That other half is courtesy of a dedicated instant camera, and the latest addition to that roster is perhaps the biggest and boldest attempt at appealing to all generations of shutterbugs, bearing details from not one but two “old-school” cameras for modern people to enjoy today.

Designer: Fujifilm

It’s almost surprising that the Instax line of Polaroid-like cameras would take the photography market by storm despite their inherent technical limitations. Despite their attachment to social media and selfies, the “instant” generation found themselves drawn to these rather adorable non-digital cameras, appealing to their sense of instant gratification, desire to share, and love of novelty. The new Instax SQUARE SQ40 retains these qualities, particularly with the use of a special photo paper and instant printout of photos, but it also takes the design in another direction to grab the attention of more earnest photographers.

Right off the bat, the Instax SQUARE SQ40 looks bigger than its predecessors, though the brand promises it is designed to easily fit in your hand. In this regard, it takes some cues from traditional cameras, such as those that Fujifilm produces, including the use of a textured leather-like black surface that gives it a more stylish and elegant appearance. There’s even a camera case specially designed for this shooter that also uses a kind of tactile material not unlike leather.

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Although it pays homage to instant and traditional cameras of the past, the Instax SQUARE SQ40 has its feet, pardon the pun, squarely planted in the present. An auto-exposure feature lets you take usable photos even in the dark without having to fiddle with settings or dials. More importantly, a twist of the telescopic lens ring activates the camera’s “selfie mode,” revealing a tiny mirror that will help you frame the perfect shot, even if you have to squint a bit.

The Instax SQUARE SQ40 not only continues the retro instant camera trend but upsizes it and gives it a bit of a different character. Of course, there will be plenty of practical arguments against this kind of camera, especially with a larger size that makes it hard to easily stash in bags. For avid photographers who want to share a unique and truly one-of-a-kind photo, however, the $149.95 price tag might actually be just fine, though you’ll have to also take into account the boxes of film you’ll also have to buy in the long run.

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Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 40 is a delightfully retro-looking instant camera!

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At a glance, the Instax Mini 40 doesn’t look like the kind of camera you’d see in 2021. Although, given how we’re in an era of retro throwbacks, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 might have just nailed the retro-wave trend! With its black, boxy avatar, metallic accents, and that faux-leather texture that’s practically emblematic of vintage cameras, the Instax Mini 40 really takes us back to simpler times.

At its heart, the Instax Mini 40 is a pretty simple gadget. Unlike most cameras that come inundated with features, controls, and abilities to post stuff on social media, the Instax Mini 40 focuses more on having a very simplified UX… so all you need to really do is compose your shot, hit the button, and watch as your photo develops. The camera takes care of the rest, triggering the flash, auto-exposing the shot, and printing out your image with slightly soft details and a high contrast – just as you would expect with any Polaroid shot.

The instant camera’s simplified UX is evident in how you use the camera too. Press the large silver button on the front and the lens pops open, switching the camera on. The camera comes with two shooting modes too – a standard mode and a selfie mode. To toggle the selfie mode, just pull the lens out a little further and it changes its focal length, allowing subjects closer to the camera to be in focus. When you want to shut the camera, just push the lens back in and the Instax Mini 40 powers down.

Ultimately, the Instax Mini 40 may look like a serious retro-inspired camera, but it’s more of an entry-level camera meant for people who take the retro-trend seriously. Its body is all-plastic (and so are the metallic accents), making for a camera that does feel slightly on the cheaper side, even though it sports a $100 price tag. It shares most of its features with the $70 Instax Mini 11, albeit in a smaller, more 70-80s inspired design. The camera will be available later this month, and for an extra couple of bucks, you can even grab yourself a leatherette case with a shoulder-sling.

Designer: Fujifilm

This fan-made Leica instant camera is the best of all worlds

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It isn’t quite like Leica to foray into instant-cameras. It doesn’t coincide with their philosophy of producing only the finest, most premium cameras ever, backed by superior lensmaking and finesse, all bound together in a beautifully minimal packaging. An instant camera doesn’t fall within those parameters. They’re meant for instant gratification, for capturing images that are often filtered/distorted for flair, and aren’t high-resolution, given that they’re developed on a tiny canvas and subsequently forgotten about.

It is, however, a designer’s job to explore uncharted territories, often imagining scenarios that don’t exist, or aren’t even thought about. So here’s Daniel Huang’s self-made Leica Instant M, a minimalist camera featuring a viewfinder display of 1:1 ratio to film, designed to mount Leica’s M Lenses… or as he calls it, a premium instant photo camera. Huang believes Leica’s first and only instant model, the Sofort failed to capture the Leica spirit. It based itself on Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 90 and even used Instax film. “Traditionally, Leica lens and cameras are highly treasured collectibles. Their manual lenses produce a recognizable “Leica look” –Notilux lens continue to increase its resell value. Leica camera bodies are prized for its build quality, although they don’t have the highest specs. Their entry-level TL camera bodies, each hand polished for 40 minutes, became a minimalist icon. On the contrary, Leica Sofort’s plastic body and fixed lens feels like an unjustifiably expensive rebadge.”, Huang says.

Huang’s Leica Instant M takes advantage of a hybrid digital and analog system to reduce its flange focal length, effectively allows the camera to mount full-frame lens for the first time. The camera would sport an interchangeable lens system, allowing you to mount and use any of Leica’s lenses on it, something that’s innately Leica-esque in quality.

The camera comes in a simple box-shaped design that definitely exudes a quality of seriousness, unlike the playful nature of the Instax Mini 90. You’ve got the M-Mount on the front that sits atop Leica’s sensor (the hybrid arrangement), and a 1:1 ratio viewfinder on the back that lets you compose your shots and gives you a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) sort of deal. The Instant M is stripped of digital adjustments and post-processing, and analog controls like aperture and focus are done via the manual lens. The viewfinder is slightly inset, giving you a curved surface to dig your fingers into for better grip, and the shutter button on the front lets you click the picture you see in your viewfinder, before the film slowly ejects off the top of the camera.

The Instant M isn’t an official Leica camera, but is, on the other hand, a brilliant interpretation of what Leica’s instant cameras (if they ever decided to re-enter the market) should look like. Clean aesthetics, a design that feels pure and precious, and integrates into it the ability to use all of Leica’s M-mount lenses… the Instant M is the Leica instant-camera that should have been but never was!

Designer: Daniel Huang

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Fujifilm shakes it off with a Taylor Swift-themed instant camera

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Fujifilm is no stranger to collaborating with people from other industries, particularly when it comes to its instant cameras. A couple of years ago, the company worked with designer Michael Kors on a special, fashionable edition of the Instax Mini 7...