When it comes to photography, most people will reach for theirAndroid phoneto snap a cherished memory. With devices like theGoogle Pixel 9 ProorSamsung Galaxy 24 Ultra, it only makes sense that people will opt for these types of devices when taking photos. The issue isn’t that phones cannot take quality pictures, because we all know that they do. The issue is that once you take a photo, it’s likely destined for your phone’s camera roll or cloud storage, never to be seen again.
That’s where instant cameras come in. These cameras allow you to take a picture and then immediately print it, letting you have a physical copy that you can cherish forever. If you’re anything like me, the joy of holding an actual picture far exceeds looking at it on some sort of display. Stop letting your photos enter the abyss and print them on the fly with one of our favorite instant cameras.
Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12
Nons SL660
Polaroid Now+ Generation 2
Lomography Lomo’Instant Automat Glass
Leica Sofort 2
Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro 4Pass
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40
Our top instant camera picks
Balancing analog with digital
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo is an excellent hybrid instant camera that combines modern conveniences with a retro design. It’s perfect if you aren’t ready for a full analog experience.
Part of Fujifilm’s popular Instax lineup, theMini Evois an excellent little instant camera that efficiently balances analog with digital. Although it’s essentially a digital camera combined with an instant printer, its beautiful retro design and vintage-looking dials and buttons give the feel of a film camera. Sadly, there is no optical viewfinder.
You can combine your creativity with 10 lens and 10 film effects to capture unique memories. You get an instant preview of your capture on the camera’s LCD screen. If you like the capture, you can choose to print it or keep a digital copy. As the name suggests, it uses Instax’s most popular Mini format film.
Besides being able to print photos shot from itself, the Mini Evo can print pictures taken from your phone. This can be useful during low-light situations, when your phone may take better photos than the Instax. You can also transfer the digital copies of your Evo Mini captures to your phone storage or use your phone as a shutter remote for the camera.
The print quality is excellent, and you can choose between a natural or rich color space. The battery is also good, and depending on when your Mini Evo was manufactured, you can get a Micro-USB or USB-C port for charging.
Hands-on: The Fuji Instax Mini Evo instant camera is as fun as it is impractical
Sure is pricey, though
In other highlights, the Mini Evo supports microSD cards and third-party accessories.
Point and shoot
The Instax Mini 12 is a solid entry-level instant camera for beginners. You frame the shot, capture it, and get the print. You can even shoot selfies with it.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is a great budget option if you want a no-frills instant camera. It’s as simple as it gets. You put the Instax film cartridge in the camera, frame the shot through the optical viewfinder, and start clicking. Whatever you click will be instantly printed and takes a couple of minutes to develop in front of your eyes.
You don’t get effects like the more expensive Mini Evo, but there is a twisting barrel around the lens to help you zoom in for better close-ups, and a reflective panel on the front to help you take selfies. That’s about it in terms of customization from the camera; the rest is up to you to frame your shot.
One helpful feature is the built-in flash to aid in low-light situations. It’s automatic and only triggers based on the ambient brightness levels. For power, the camera uses two AA batteries.
The design is a little toy-like, with plastic construction, but at least you get five color options to choose from. Lastly, like the Mini Evo, it uses the company’s Instax Mini film, which is widely available.
A DSLR instant camera
The Nons SL660 is quite different from our other recommendations. It offers more control over your captures than any other instant camera, with a mount for interchangeable lenses.
Nons SL660 is a rare type of instant camera. It not only features manual settings for shutter speed and aperture, giving you near-complete control over your photos, but also has an interchangeable lens mount. So essentially, you get a DSLR combined with a photo printer.
It has a fantastic build quality, and the company has used a CNC anodized aluminum alloy shell. There is also a wooden grip that adds to the look and design of the camera.
While Nons sells two manual-focus EF lenses — a 35mm f/2.4 and a 50mm f/1.8 — for the camera, you can use any EF lens. Plus, as the camera has a passive EF-style mount, it can work with nearly any other pre-mirrorless lens mount, given you have the right adapter.
Unfortunately, it’s not a cheap camera, and you don’t even get a lens in the box. So, if you don’t have compatible lenses lying around, that’s an extra cost. Plus, of course, you will pay for the Instax Square format film it uses, which is larger and more expensive than the Mini format. So, it only makes sense if you have the budget and want more control over your clicks than any other instant camera can provide.
Vintage design with modern features
With a design reminiscent of the older Polaroid instant cameras and vintage-style prints, the Polaroid Now+ Generation 2 is a good option if you want the old-school experience.
The Polaroid Now+ is a reminder of the classic Polaroid instant cameras. It has a similar design and prints vintage-style photosbut also packs several modern features. For example, it uses a USB-C port for charging and has a companion app with a wide range of features, including a manual mode. The manual mode lets you tweak the aperture and shutter speed and set focus between 0.4-1.2m. The app can also function as a remote shutter release and supports double exposure.
Another highlight of the Polaroid offering is the included set of colored lenses, which you can snap onto the camera to make things more artistic.
In terms of image quality, the Now+ Gen 2 is a significant improvement over the Polaroid Now, mainly because it has better auto-focus. Still, the camera requires effort from your end to capture good photos. It’s easy to struggle with exposure, and the colors typically remain less saturated than what you’ll get with Instax cameras. But that’s part and parcel of the vintage Polaroid experience.
The bulky design of the Now+ also makes it less portable than our other recommendations. The Polaroid film packs also cost more than Fujifilm’s Instax films and take up to 15 minutes to develop fully.
Excellent low-light performance
Lomography’s Lomo’Instant Automat Glass shines as an instant shooter that can capture crisp landscapes and architecture. It’s also a good option if you want something that’s mostly automatic.
Like Nons, Lomography is another company using Fujifilm’s Instax film for its own instant cameras. Its Lomo’Instant Automat Glass is a compact instant shooter that delivers crisp and clean photos. However, its stronger low-light performance and broader field of view set it apart from other Instax cameras. So, if you want to capture landscapes, architecture, or large groups of people with your instant camera, the Lomo’Instant Automat Glass is worth considering.
It packs a 38mm glass lens with an f/4.5 aperture, which supports manual focus with three set positions. Apart from focus, you get an entirely automatic operation. Still, there is plenty of creative freedom. you’re able to take long or multiple exposures, use lens attachments, or flash color gels.
The Glass uses the Instax Mini film, the same film used by the Instax Mini Evo. It’s a high-quality film with saturated colors. For power, Lomography has opted to use two CR2 batteries, which is one reason the company can keep the Glass small. Sadly, that does mean it isn’t rechargeable.
All in all, there’s plenty to like about Automat Glass, and it’s an excellent choice for anyone who is a fan of Instax film and wants to capture frames with a wider field of view.
Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo in a new shell
Do you like the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo but want an even better design and the Leica branding? The Sofort 2 is the answer.
The Leica Sofort 2 is the second instant camera in the company’s history. Like its predecessor, it’s based on a Fujifilm instant camera. The Sofort 2’s reference is the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, our best overall pick. So, you essentially get the same performance and features but, sadly, at a more premium price.
What distinguishes the Sofort 2 from the Mini Evo is the Leica camera’s more premium design. The Sofort 2 looks elegant and is undoubtedly one of the best-looking instant cameras on the market, if not the best. Moreover, you are guaranteed to get the USB-C port for charging with the Sofort 2, something Fujifilm adopted with the release of the brown Mini Evo variant. Earlier versions had a Micro-USB port.
Otherwise, you get the same lens effects, film effects, and the same LCD display. You don’t have to print every photo you capture. You can print pictures taken by your phone on the Sofort 2 and transfer the digital copies of your camera capture to your phone for backup or storage. Besides the tiny internal storage, the Leica camera supports microSD cards.
Kodak Mini Shot 2
Easy to take wherever you go
Thanks to its small form factor, the Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro is the perfect instant camera to take with you wherever you go. When it comes to cameras, Kodak has more history than just about any brand out there, so you know it’s a name that you may trust.
The Kodak Mini Shot 2 features a classic Kodak design for some serious retro vibes. This camera is on the more compact side, allowing it to easily fit in your hands or be tossed into a bag for use at events.
Images printed from the Mini Shot 2 are quite good thanks to its 4Pass technology, and Kodak even lets you retake photos before printing them in case the original was blurry. It only prints small 3.4 x 2.1-inch photos, so fans of larger pictures will likely want to look elsewhere.
Kodak lets you connect this instant camera to your smartphone via Bluetooth, letting you print images taken with your phone directly to the Mini Shot 2. Depending on your style and preference, you can also choose to print with a border or borderless. The biggest knock against the Kodak Mini Shot 2 is its small 1.77-inch digital LCD viewfinder. Some people hate the idea of having only a digital viewfinder, and its small size makes lining up your shots a bit more annoying than it has to be.
Print, peel, and treasure
Whether you’re documenting adventures or everyday life, the Instax Square SQ40 from Fujifilm delivers instant gratification with its vintage-style prints.
If you prefer the square film format, this good-looking camera in Fujifilm’s portfolio is an excellent option. Like the Instax Mini 12, it features a retractable lens that offers regular and selfie modes with different focus distance ranges. It’s also pretty much a point-and-shoot. So, you frame your shot by looking into the viewfinder and then push the shutter button to capture and print.
Another highlight is the built-in flash for dimly lit situations. However, it’s always triggered regardless of the lighting, so you cannot turn it off unless you physically cover it. The camera uses two CR2 batteries for power, which should last about 300 shots.
Like other Instax cameras, the SQ40 prints have a vintage aesthetic and look good. However, as the camera uses an optical-grade plastic lens, the SQ40 results fall behind the Lomo’Instant Square in terms of detail and contrast because the Lomography offering has a glass lens.
Otherwise, the Instax Square SQ40 is a solid instant camera with a grown-up look and simplicity of use.
Cherish special moments with top instant cameras
Instant cameras allow you to snap a photo of a memorable moment, but instead of it disappearing into the thousands of photos on your device, you’re able to print them for immediate enjoyment. Once printed, you can use it for scrapbooking, to give away, or store it for later use.
Our favorite instant camera is the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo thanks to its hybrid experience and attractive price. The Instax Mini Evo lets you choose what you want to print and has great battery life, allowing you to reliably use it at your favorite events. Once you snap a photo, you can edit it with plenty of effects before printing it.
If the Instax Mini Evo is too pricey, then you will want to check out the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12. With its low price point, ease of set-up and use, and fun photo abilities, the Instax Mini 12 is a great option to get your feet wet with instant cameras.
Sometimes you just need more control over your photos, and while it costs a premium, the Nons SL660 is a full-fledged DSLR camera with the ability to instantly print photos. You get manual settings for shutter speed and aperture, interchangeable lens support, a premium design, and amazing build quality. It’s the best of both worlds and unique in the world of instant cameras.
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