As a kid I had access to an Instamatic camera, loaded with 126-type film cartridges. It was amazing to be able to create lasting images from life situations. But there was always the wait for prints. I was not lucky enough to have access to an instant print camera.
The next three or four cameras were all digital, with SD cards, docks and USB cables. And although I could record life again, it never really brought those interesting effects you get from film.
Sure, you can edit images and modern digital cameras (and phones) have different “filters”. But it’s not the same.
Until recently, when I got a new Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 for review. Self-developing film! Credit-card size prints ready in under two minutes! It is fun for everyone, you get instant results and it requires some skill for art-style photos (believe me, a dark red Negroni cocktail on a grey bench can look very cool on a film photo).
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 brings that retro style, with easy-to-use point-and-shoot capabilities and instant gratification.
It’s minimalist and operation is super simple. You turn the ring dial around the lens to turn it on or off. One stop from off and you can take photos from 30cm to infinity, and a second stop gives you a close-up focus range, 30cm to 50cm.
The shutter only needs a single press to take a photo and the camera will eject the film immediately, through the top. A flash with 30cm to 2.2m range is available, and it’s always on, which you will need to consider if taking close-up shots of subjects with reflective surfaces. It takes about seven seconds for the flash to recycle.
Exposure control is automatic, and shutter speeds go from ½s to 1/250s. Aperture is fixed at f/12.7, with a 60mm lens. So you don't need to worry about calculating any of these variables. Just point-and-click.
The Instax Mini film has an ISO800 speed, with a 5500K colour temperature. The film measure 54x86mm and the final image is 46x62mm. It’s a good size to keep a photo of a loved one in your wallet. And yes, it has a white border, so it can easily be pinned to a board or attached to a fridge.
The film comes in a pack of ten, and it’s easy to fit in the camera. There is a slit close to the button that opens the film door on the back of the camera, so it will show an orange colour when the cartridge is fitted. An analog display on the back shows a counter with remaining photos available. Opening the door resets the counter.
The viewfinder has a target spot and uses a parallax effect so you can rely on it for a good composition in close-up mode. And if you want to take a selfie, you can use the small mirror by the lens to guide you, ensuring you are in the frame.
The photos start developing as soon as they are ejected from the camera. Fujifilm says the process takes about 90 seconds but I noticed it continues to improve for a few more minutes. In any case, it’s a good idea to protect it from direct sunlight during this time.
The photos are good and colours come out nicely. It's not a great camera for dark environments, and you will get best results in a room with reasonable light or outdoors.
It uses two AA batteries and these can last for a while. The specs say up to 100 prints, but I haven’t taken that many yet. With batteries and film cartridges the camera weights about 420g.
The body is plastic, but the knurling gives it a good grip. The combination of black texture and the grey areas gives it a cool retro look. The only thing missing here is a tripod socket.
There is also a companion app, Instax UP!, which you can use to scan the photos. From here you can organise them in albums, see them in a timeline and share with others. It's handy and has a minimal set of edit functions, including rotate, colour change (saturation, brightness, contrast and temperature) plus and auto-correction to remove reflections captured during the scan process.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 costs NZ$199.99. At current prices and considering the Instax film 20-pack price, you will be paying around $1.75 per print, which is not exactly cheap, so you will probably put more consideration into your subjects and composition. But it’s a nice reward when you get that photo just right.
