Even with the growing power of smartphone cameras, the discrete camera market hasn’t yet folded as many once prophesied. Professional cameras like DSLRs are still unmatched in power and flexibility, while the retro and nostalgia craze has actually carved a niche for Polaroid-style instant cameras. The most popular format for the latter is small vertical cards that fans love sharing or sticking on walls and fridge doors, but those square-shaped photos (not including the wide white borders) don’t exactly have enough room for everyone or everything you might want to capture. For that, you’ll need a wider picture format, almost like the stereotypical 4×6, which is something that Fujifilm’s latest INSTAX design is offering, allowing you to snap and share those once-in-a-lifetime moments with more friends.

Designer: Fujifilm

There’s just something about these instant cameras that tickle people’s fancies, regardless of whether they lived through the age of Polaroids or not. Rather than being seen as a weakness, the lack of digital features and the limits of printed photos actually add to the charm of the experience. It makes each moment even more ephemeral and precious, which is why you’d want to include as many people or as much of the scene as you can.

The INSTAX WIDE 400 provides that breathing room with its wide photo format, almost twice the size of regular INSTAX photos. That also makes the camera twice as large, as it needs to fit the cartridge holding the ink-free sheets of photo frames. That said, the camera is also designed for comfort despite its size and heft, and its traditional design makes it easy to grasp and hold even with a single hand.

One of the biggest strengths of the INSTAX cameras is their extreme ease of use. Simply turn them on, which involves turning the central dial to the left, and you’re good to go. But since it was specifically designed for group photos, the INSTAX WIDE 400 has a unique feature that lets you turn a lever to set a timer for up to 10 seconds, giving you enough time to position yourself or prepare wacky poses. It doesn’t get simpler than that.

Admittedly, the INSTAX WIDE 400 is aimed at a very niche audience, but one that really digs this kind of experience enough to fork out around $150 for just the camera alone. That said, Fujifilm also knows it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, which is why it has a wide range of INSTAX products ranging from smaller instant cameras to portable photo printers that try to offer the best of both analog and digital worlds.

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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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