Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 - Review 2022

Despite the prevalence of high-quality digital cameras, ranging from premium smartphone cameras to loftier-end mirrorless models, instant picture is still quite popular. There's something magical about being able to snap a photo and hang information technology on the front of your refrigerator, or mitt it off to a friend. In that location are enough of instant cameras on the market place, some with features aimed at photographers who crave extreme transmission control. The Instax Mini 8 ($69.99) is a elementary betoken-and-shoot model that doesn't offer bells and whistles. Merely it'southward a perfect option for budget shoppers, and our Editors' Choice for entry-level models.

Design

The Mini 8 is a compact instant camera, measuring in at 4.vii past 4.six by ii.7 inches (HWD) and weighing near 10.8 ounces. It features rounded edges, and is available in a multifariousness of colors. Our review unit of measurement is finished in red—Raspberry according to Fuji—but you can too go it in Blackness, Blue, Grape (purple), Pink, White, and Yellow.

The fixed-focus 60mm lens matches the field of view of a moderate broad-angle 35mm (total-frame equivalent) prime number. It captures everything from 2 feet (0.six-meter) to infinity in focus. Information technology'due south a piddling tighter field of view than smartphone photographers are used to. If you require a wider angle and want to stick to the Mini film format, you'll need to spend a bit more on the Lomo'Instant or Lomo'Instant Automat, both of which take 28mm-equivalent lenses—almost the aforementioned field of view you get from a modern smartphone photographic camera.

The Mini eight is powered by two AA batteries, a big advantage over other instant cameras that utilize more obscure CR2 photo batteries. The battery compartment is on the right side. Film loads in the back—line up the yellow stripe on the film pack with the xanthous marker in the film compartment to brand sure it's oriented correctly. There's an analog motion-picture show counter on the rear to let you know how many shots are left in the pack.

To plough it on, merely press the push side by side to the lens in guild to extend the barrel to the shooting position. You need to set exposure manually by turning the dial that surrounds the lens. The camera does tell you which setting to choose for the best exposure—a lite will indicate whether to set it for indoor, cloudy, sunny, or very bright conditions. Additionally yous can opt for a Howdy-Key fashion, which intentionally overexposes images.

The transmission exposure setting isn't platonic for photographers used to fully automatic photography, merely it only takes a 2nd to set. Merely make certain you do—I forgot to for a couple of outdoor shots and ended up with the underexposed image above considering of it. No matter the shooting situation, the flash fires. There's no fashion to suppress it. The photographic camera also lacks a tripod socket, only since the wink e'er fires and there's no self-timer option, the chances to utilise a tripod are limited.

The Mini lends itself to capturing images in portrait orientation. The shutter push button is placed and then that your right index finger lands on it perfectly every bit you peer through the bright, albeit small, optical viewfinder. Turning the photographic camera to shoot in landscape orientation requires that yous hold the camera awkwardly. Moving the shutter button lower downwards on the body could have ameliorated the result, simply it would make the Mini 8 less comfy to use in portrait orientation.

Selfies are a matter that many people bask. If you're a selfie shooter, you'll exist disappointed with the Mini eight—information technology doesn't have a mirror to frame up shots, like you become with the Lomo instant cameras and the Fujifilm Instax Mini 70. You besides need to hold the photographic camera about two feet from your face to go in focus—the Mini 70 focuses to 1 foot (0.3-meter) for selfies.

I took a selfie with my arm stretched as far as I could manage and ended upward with an in-focus epitome. But I could see from the blurriness of my arm that moving my caput forward would have netted softer results. So proceed your caput back and your arm stretched when turning the camera on yourself.

One other hindrance is the angle of view of the lens. It's pretty easy to frame yourself—just center the lens and shoot—but if you're trying to selfie with a friend, an instant photographic camera with a wider bending lens and selfie mirror is a amend choice. The Lomo'Instant costs nearly twice equally much, but that'south a small-scale cost to pay for the endless number of arm-length shots you can take of you lot and your bestie side by side.

Film Format

The Mini 8 works with Instax Mini film, bachelor from Fujifilm and Leica. Information technology's sold in packs of 10 at a minimum, and if you buy it at that quantity expect to spend about $0.90 a picture. Just you can buy in majority to keep costs down—60 exposures sell for $39.95, about $0.66 an paradigm.

Those prices are for the basic flick. Fuji often offers special editions with borders that are something other than manifestly white, merely they come at a premium. Also, if you want to shoot in black-and-white you lot can expect to spend a fleck more. Instax Mini Monochrome film costs about a dollar an epitome at printing time.

The Mini motion-picture show has an image area that is 2.4 by ane.eight inches in size (HW), surrounded by a border that makes the print 3.4 by 2.1 inches overall. It's noticeably smaller than the Polaroid films of onetime (nevertheless available from Incommunicable for use in the I-one camera), and about one-half the size as Fuji's Instax Broad format.

Personally, I prefer the larger Wide format, every bit images have more impact, but the larger film necessitates larger cameras. I understand why Mini is and then popular, and the relatively svelte design of the Mini 8 is a better choice for occasional snapshots than the huge Lomography Lomo'Instant Broad or the Fujifilm Instax Wide 300. And let's not forget that people love existence handed a physical image, regardless of its size.

Conclusions

If you want to bring some new life to your family unit snapshots, or are only looking to fiddle in instant picture show on a budget, the Fujifilm Instax Mini viii is the fashion to get. It doesn't exercise as much as some more expensive models, but is readily bachelor for about sixty bucks. That puts the Mini eight in the impulse buy category (when compared with prices of most photographic equipment), and makes it a great gift—for yourself or someone else.

While I would take liked a camera aimed at an entry-level audition to offering fully automatic operation, it just takes a second to set the exposure, and the photographic camera tells you what the ideal setting is. In all other regards, the Mini 8 offers a purely point-and-shoot feel. It's our pick as Editors' Choice for photographers in looking for a basic, no-frills instant camera. Nosotros recommend the $200 Lomo'Instant Wide for more serious shutterbugs who want to add together instant film to their repertoire.

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/cameras/13948/fujifilm-instax-mini-8

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