INSTAX MINI 12

INSTAX MINI 12

I bought an Instax Mini 12 on a spur of the moment purchase. I bought it with a similar intention as the Innioasis G3 MP3 Player I bought which was that I wanted a camera separate to my smartphone and after a bit of searching on Amazon I found the Instax Mini 12. I wanted something that took ZINK or something similar and the Instax range of cameras take Fujifilm Instax film, which is similar to ZINK, which allows for an instant picture, similar to an old Polaroid camera just a little smaller.




Not only did I get a camera but it came with quite the collection of accessories, such as camera case, photo album, frames, 2 packs of Instax film and coloured lens covers all of which make the camera feel more like a toy than a serious piece of kit but you do get quite a bit for your money.


What
I didn't realise is that there are plenty of Instax cameras out there
that have rechargeable batteries built in and also take a microSD
card for storing your photos so that you can print them later if
needed, so the options of printing straight away or storing your
pictures on a microSD card are available, this also means you could
print multiple copies of the same image.

The
problem is the Instax Mini 12 takes two AA batteries so no inbuilt
rechargeable battery, for me this is a drawback, and it doesn't take
a microSD card, so storing photos is not an option, it's an instant
picture or you choose not to take a picture at all and unfortunately the picture quality is definitely lacking, it is difficult to judge the correct distance to make sure you don't get a blurry picture and I even also found that with the flash my pictures were never lit well, they were too dark or over exposed and nothing in between.

How does it hold up against a disposable camera?
 
 Instax Mini 12 
 Kodak Fun Saver Disposable 
 Release 
 16/03/2023
 2007
 Cost
 £139.95
 £16.95
 Built-In Flash 
 ✓
 ✓ On/Off Switch
 Film Format
 Instax Mini
 35mm
 Shots
 40
 39
 Weight 
 900 grams
 113.4 grams
 Accessories
 ✓
 ✓
 Shutter Speed
 1/250s
 1/25s
 Shooting Mode 
 Automatic
 Automatic
 Video Capture
 ✗
 2K DCI 1080p
 Screen
 ✗
 1
 Instant Photo
 ✓
 ✗
 Reprints
 ✗
 ✓

A
disposable camera may not have instant prints but you do get
negatives which means you can have as many prints of each picture as
you like. The price of a disposable camera is also a big selling
point as it's almost 1/10 the price.

Would
I recommend?
Well
erm... Let's just say it's not for me. I'm sure there is a market out
there for someone, just not me. I would still like an instant camera.

Now
I have used up the cartridge of 10 prints I had in the Instax Mini 12
it will probably get resigned to the loft never to see the light of
day again. I will just have to keep looking. Specifics that would
sell it for me are... a camera with instant prints but also stores
the images on a microSD for multiple prints at a later time, inbuilt rechargeable
battery, compact and at a reasonable price (not sure what that would
be). I don't want a disposable camera it may be cheap and cheerful
but I'd like a camera with a longer lifespan.

Follow and comment below

Michael