Which Instax Camera Should You Buy?

Fujifilm's Instax Mini 99 is the best Instax camera for those who love manual controls and creative effects. It's not the sharpest Instax I've tested—that remains the Mini Evo above—but it might be the most analog and the most capable. Unlike most Instax cameras, the Mini 99 offers some manual focus and exposure controls, as well as some fun color effects, like the ability to simulate light leaks just like those thrift store cameras collecting dust on your shelf.

There are two dials on top of the Mini 99. One acts like an exposure compensation dial, allowing you to adjust exposure value (EV) two stops brighter and two darker. I found the L (Lighten) and L+ useful when shooting against snow, which has a tendency to overwhelm small sensors like this one. It's also good for strongly backlit scenes, though those are still not Instax's strong suit. The D (Darken) and D- settings proved less useful as they tended to make images overly dark. I could see them being more useful with black-and-white film though, adding a bit of drama.

The Mini 99 has a 60-mm lens made of plastic. It works out to roughly the same field of view as a 35-mm lens in 35-mm format (or if you prefer, somewhere between 1x and 2x on your iPhone). The shutter is fixed at f/12.7, which means you'll be relying on the flash in all but bright, sunny, outdoor shots. That said, unlike quite a few other Instax models, with the Mini 99 you can turn off the flash for those well-lit shots, and that means far fewer washed-out images.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the Mini 99 are the manual focus options. The Mini 99 does not have true manual focus where you turn a dial on the lens to get precise focus. Instead there are three zones of focus: close up (0.3 to 0.6 meters), midrange (0.6 to 3 meters), and infinity (3 meters to infinity). For those not metric-savvy, that works out to 1 to 2 feet, 2 to 10 feet, and 10 feet to infinity. While that's not as precise as a true manual focus camera, it's more control than you typically get with Instax.

As I was updating this guide, Fujifilm announced the Instax Mini 13. I haven't had a chance to test it yet, and it's nearly impossible to find one for sale, but I don't expect it to be any different than the Mini 12 that preceded it. The body design is slightly different, but the internals are unchanged save the addition of a timer. If you want an instant camera and don't want to spend a lot of money, the Instax Mini 13 is your best bet if it's available. Otherwise, the Mini 12 works just as well and shares all the same specs. Both are capable, easy-to-use cameras wrapped in a colorful, bubbly design aimed at beginners.

The Mini 13 uses the same two-element plastic lens (it's a 60-mm f/12 lens in 35-mm-speak)as the Mini 12. There's no focusing. Everything is auto-exposure. If this camera had a motto it would be: Keep it simple. That extends to the flash as well, which is fully automatic, but not always-on like other models. Instead the Mini 13 detects brightness levels and only fires the flash when needed. That said, the Mini 12 fired the flash far more than I would have liked, and the Mini 13 hasn't changed on that score.

The parallax correction on the 12 was quite good. This works in both normal and close-up mode (enabled by twisting the lens to close up). Parallax correction means you don't have to guess where the center of the frame is for close-up subjects. What you see is what you get, eliminating those accidentally ill-framed close-ups that sometimes happened with the SQ 40 or the older Mini 11.

Is Instax Mini 12 or 13 better? Buy the Mini 13 if the price is the same. It adds a timer, which is moderately useful at times. Otherwise they are the same camera, so get whichever is cheaper. Avoid the Mini 11, which is not worth it even at the sale price during big sale events.

★ Alternative: If the bubbly design of the Mini 13 isn't your thing, the Instax Mini 41 (7/10, WIRED Review) is essentially the same camera, but in a more camera-like body. You get the same automated exposure and focus system, parallax correction, close focus capabilities, and print quality, all wrapped in a body design that makes it look more like a traditional camera.

Instax Square doesn't have near the number of camera options as the Mini. My top pick camera is the SQ 40, which is completely analog: press the shutter button and out comes your image, which develops in about 90 seconds. There’s a film counter near the bottom left side of the back to let you know how many images you have left and that's about it for features.

Using the SQ 40 is about as simple as it gets. Twist the lens barrel to turn it on, frame your shot, hit the shutter button and out comes your photo. The only other option is a selfie mode, designed for use close up. In this case, be sure to frame your images with the mirror on the front rather than the viewfinder as parallax distortion is an issue up close. In my shooting experience, this most often manifests as closeup images where the subject is not centered as it appeared when you composed. The parallax stops being an issue at about four to five feet.

The SQ 40 runs on CR2 batteries. Fujifilm includes two when you buy the camera, which should be good for around 300 images. I suggest getting some rechargeable CR2s when those run out.

Alternatives:

Instax SQ 1 ($199): The SQ 1 is the more colorful, cheaper version of the SQ 40. In terms of features it’s identical, though the body design is slightly different. There’s a small grip on the left front side of the body that I find gets in the way more than it provides something to grab. Otherwise the images coming out of the SQ 1 are the same as what I get from the SQ 40, so if you want to save a few dollars (or get a more colorful camera) this SQ 1 is a capable camera as well.

Go big or go home. The Instax Wide's larger image has always made it the Instax of choice for photographers. Ingenious enthusiasts even figured out how to mod older models (the Wide 300) with custom lenses for even better quality images. The Instax Wide 400 is similar in most ways to the 300 that preceded it. It uses the same lens and the same full auto exposure system. If you want full exposure control, this is not the Instax for you. That said, I love this format and hence this camera.

It's a rather chunky thing. The film is pretty good sized, so the camera is as well, but for me that just makes it easier to hold than some of the others here. There's a nice big grip, which holds the 4 AA batteries, enough to shoot 100 images according to Fujifilm's specs. Design-wise, the single color look is reminiscent of the SQ1 (see above), spare and simple. The 95mm f/14 lens is made of two elements (both plastic) and gives you the equivalent of a 35mm focal length on a full frame camera. Fujifilm did add a new close focus option to go with the 10 foot to infinity focus. I wish Fuji had reversed the order, as I sometimes forgot to turn the lens of the second click and ended up with out-of-focus images. Once you get used to it, though, it's fine.

There's not a lot to this camera, and that's part of its appeal. The lens produces decent images, and large format makes it more fun to share with friends. I do wish there were a way to manually control … something, anything, as that would open up some more possibilities, but if you like this format this is the best camera to get.

Other Instax Wide Cameras:

Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide for $200: If you want to spend a bit more, Lomography's Instant Wide shoots Instax Wide film and has some extra lenses you can add on. It shoots in both full auto and offers a programmatic shutter mode. I haven't tested this one yet, so I can't speak to the image quality, but the built-in 90mm Lens is roughly the same field of view.

Fujifilm Wide Evo for $409: At first glance the Wide Evo looks like a clone of our top pick, the Mini Evo, but for the wider format Instax film. Would that it were so. There are some similarities. You get the filter effects, a couple of new lens filters, and the “intensity” ring, which allows you to dial in how strong the various effects are. The lens can switch between wide angle (16-mm full-frame equivalent) and standard (28-mm full-frame equivalent), and there's dials for controlling all the effects. The shutter button is an annoying lever-style shutter, where you flip down, rather than a button you press. This head-scratching design decision is, um, not good. It's awkward and mars the experience of shooting in irredeemable ways in my experience. Combine that with a nasty shutter lag (even by Instax standards) and the price tag, and this one is hard to recommend. If you want a printer, go for the Instax Wide. If you want a camera, either the Wide 400 or the Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide are better deals and better cameras.

While I have a certain nostalgia for instant photos, and I own several Instax cameras, the truth is that most of the time I make instant images using an Instax photo printer. Sure it’s really just a smartphone printer that doesn't need ink, but I already have a digital camera and the results I get pairing images from a real camera with an Instax printer outshine what I get from Instax cameras. If you already have a good point-and-shoot digital camera, or a solid smartphone camera, an Instax printer is the way to go.

My favorite Instax printer is the Link Wide. I just love the bigger images of the Link Wide. The Link Wide connects via Bluetooth and uses its own app, the Link Wide app (iOS, Android). There are some nice extras in the app, like the ability to print multiple images in one print with collage print, or add fun features to your images like hearts, or (shudder) glitter, or any other of the 15 editable templates in the app. One feature I don't use much, but might be handy for social media is the ability to add QR codes to your images. For example you can add a QR code with a link to a recipe to your photo of the result to then share on social media. There are also some 1,600 in-app “stickers” that let you put clip-art-style overlays on your images. It might sound kind of corny, but these effects are actually quite fun, especially if you have young children. If you don't see it right now, check back; this camera frequently goes in and out of stock.

Alternatives:

Instax Mini Link 3 for $100: As the name implies, the Mini Link 3 film size is mini prints. Overall print quality is about the same as our top pick, the Evo Mini hybrid, but you lose the camera functions to save $100. And the Link 3 does have a few novel tricks. The Link app includes options to add borders or make collage prints from multiple images. There's also an AR mode, Instax AiR Studio, which adds animated filters and virtual objects to your images, floating hearts, sparkles, etc. It's sort of gimmicky and not something I use much, but fun to try every now and then.

Instax Square Link for $142: The one Instax printer I have not tested, the Square Link is the way to go if you love the square prints. I have (and still use) the older SP-3, which is essentially the same, though the Square Link uses a different (and much better) smartphone app. Most of the features found in the Mini Link are also available for the Square Link, the main difference being that you print square images, and the Square Link charges by USB-C.

Instax Mini Link+ for $170: This is Fujifilm's latest printer, it was released earlier this year and we're still waiting for a review copy. Fujifilm says it should have somewhat improved print quality, something we haven't seen from Instax in many, many years. I'll update this guide when I get a chance to put it through its paces.