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Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Credit: Amazon

The Best Instant Camera of 2024

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Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Credit: Amazon

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Editor's Choice Product image of Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic
Best Overall

Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic

Check Price at Amazon

Unlike its older brothers and sisters in the Instax Mini family, the 900 is the most full-featured Fujifilm instant photo camera right now. Read More

Pros

  • Variety of features
  • Good for kids

Cons

  • More expensive than other models
2
Editor's Choice Product image of Fujifilm Instax Mini 9
Best Value

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

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Its simplistic, easy-to-use design, fun color options, and affordable price earn it points in the value department. Read More

3
Editor's Choice Product image of Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

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Though the newer Mini 9 is a better bet, if you can find the Mini 8 for a deep discount it's still a great bet. Read More

4
Product image of Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass

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Read More

5
Product image of Fujifilm Instax Wide 300

Fujifilm Instax Wide 300

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This camera won't slip into a purse or bag with ease, but it'll give you way bigger, wider shots that are closer in size to the classic square Polaroid pictures. Read More

  • Best Overall Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic
  • Best Value Fujifilm Instax Mini 9
  • Other Instant Cameras We Tested
  • Vintage Instant Cameras Compatible with Impossible Film
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

Even though analog and digital cameras are still around, most folks use their smartphones for just about everything. Film camera fans are ardent in their love for SLRs, TLRs, and rangefinders. That's not to say that analog cameras don’t still have mass appeal. In fact, instant cameras have become very popular over the past few years. After lab-testing all the best sellers, our top pick is the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic (available at Amazon) .

Whether you want to use an old Polaroid Land Camera or need a new camera to get started, instant print photography continues to have appeal, especially in a digital age. After all, what's more magical than the ability to hold your pictures in your hands only minutes after you take them?

If there's one thing to keep in mind, it's that instant photography is not an inexpensive hobby. We prefer to use the expense as an excuse to slow down and really enjoy the photographic process. It's a great way to savor the moment even more, adding even more sentimental value to each and every shot you take.

fujifilm instax wide, mini, impossible i-1
Credit: Reviewed.com / Brendan Nystedt
Best Overall
Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic

Fujifilm has a lot of different Instax Mini cameras out there, but there's no doubt that the best of the bunch is the Mini 90. This is the camera you want if you want the most features, and hate messing with AA batteries. Unlike its older brothers and sisters in the Instax Mini family, the 900 is the most full-featured Fujifilm instant photo camera right now.

The only drawback to this model is that it costs significantly more than what most people might want to spend. Its $180 MSRP is rarely what it costs at retail, but it's still quite a bit more than the $60-$100 that seems to be the sweet spot for regular people.

Pros

  • Variety of features

  • Good for kids

Cons

  • More expensive than other models

Buy now at Amazon

$179.95 from Walmart
Best Value
Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

In terms of features, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 doesn’t offer much over our former pick for Best Value, the Mini 8 (see below). But its simplistic, easy-to-use design, fun color options, and affordable price once again earn it points in the value department.

New to the Mini 9 is the camera’s selfie mirror, which allows you to use the camera in selfie mode and is a bit cumbersome to use (but deceptively brilliant in its approach), and an improved macro lens adapter that allows you to get closer to a subject without losing detail.

Like the Mini 8, because of the relatively low-cost of the Mini 9, we feel that it’s a perfect fit for kids, teenagers, and entry-level instant photographers. It isn't quite as fancy as some of the higher-end instant film cameras we've checked out, but it doesn't need to be—and you're probably better off spending that cash on film, instead.

Buy now at Amazon

Other Instant Cameras We Tested

Product image of Fujifilm Instax Mini 8
Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 is one of the oldest instant cameras you can still find widely, and it's best suited if you want to get a cheap camera for a kid or teenager. Though the newer Mini 9 is a better bet (and roughly the same price online), if you can find the Mini 8 for a deep discount it's still a great bet.

Both the Mini 8 and the newer Mini 9 represent a good, affordable way to get into instant cameras, leaving you some extra cash to pick up film to go with it. The only downside to this option is the lack of a selfie mirror, though the newer Mini 9 rectifies this.

Buy now at Amazon

$74.95 from Walmart
Product image of Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass
Lomo’Instant Square Glass by Lomography

Perhaps the best aspect of the Lomo'Instant Square (aside from the fact that it's the first analog camera to shoot Instax square film) is how much it encourages creative thinking—t's an instant camera designed for folks who want more than just a point-and-shoot experience.

The camera features a pleasantly rustic design (complete with bellows and 95mm glass lens) that folds neatly and securely back into itself when not in use. Personally, I enjoyed the ritual of opening the Lomo'Instant Square before lining up a shot, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who're looking for a simpler, more modern experience.

The Lomo'Instant Square is rich with features that encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Not only can you double expose your film, for example—you're also free to expose a single shot as many times as you want. There's also an IR remote control, a timer, exposure compensation, and an optional portrait glass lens attachment.

Unfortunately, for as much fun as the Lomo'Instant Square is to use, it does come with a relatively steep learning curve. The biggest hurdle is figuring out how to frame your shots in a way that properly compensates for the discrepancy between the lens and the viewfinder. The camera's $200-$240 price tag might scare some people off, too.

That said, if you're looking to pad an already-extensive instant camera collection (or shopping for a shutterbug), you'll find that there are few instant cameras as delightful as the Lomo'Instant Square—I've never felt so compelled to experiment than when I fool around with it.

Buy now at Lomography
Product image of Fujifilm Instax Wide 300
Fujifilm Instax Wide 300

Even though we love the Instax Mini format film, there's even more to love with the Instax Wide film, which is what this beastly Instax Wide 300 uses. This camera won't slip into a purse or bag with ease, but it'll give you way bigger, wider shots that are closer in size to the classic square Polaroid pictures.

Perhaps the only drawback to the Wide 300 is that its viewfinder is way off in the corner, so framing shots takes a lot of practice. Selfies are possible, but you'll need to bring a dedicated close-focus attachment with you if that's something you care about. Creative features aren't as impressive as in the Mini 90, but as this is your only choice for the wider format pictures, it's a compromise you'll have to make.

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$129.99 from Target

$129.95 from Abt

$110.99 from Walmart
Product image of Fujifilm Instax Mini 70
Fujifilm Instax Mini 70

The latest Instax Mini camera has all the features of more advanced cameras like the Instax Mini 90 but in a compact package that is among the smallest ever instant cameras. Featuring a 60mm lens, this camera can easily fit in a bag to come with you anywhere. It's not as cheap as some of the older Instax models out there, but the Mini 70 makes up for its price by including all the niceties like a selfie mirror.

Unlike the cheaper Instax Mini 8, the super portable Mini 7 has a self-timer, a macro shooting mode, and even a landscape mode. Perhaps the only downside to this model is that you don't get a double-exposure option, and it needs less common CR-2 camera batteries to work.

Buy now at Amazon

$115.00 from Walmart
Product image of Impossible Project I-1
Impossible I-1

Impossible is the only manufacturer of original-style, Polaroid-compatible instant film. Its I-1 camera is the company's first all-new camera, and unfortunately, it has all the earmarks of a first-generation product. Though it's a striking piece of modern design, this camera is essentially a hopped-up box-type Polaroid camera with smart features. A unique ring flash of LEDs lets you take up-close portraits and it also acts as a battery charge indicator. The camera also features a rudimentary autofocus system that automatically selects a different lens to best capture the shot you want.

For its $300 price tag, we expected a product that delivered a better picture-taking experience, but as it stands, thisThis pricey camera isn't worth its price, especially compared with a cheap garage-sale camera. Between its awkwardly-placed hand strap, incredibly limited physical controls, the lack of a lens cap, and an app that's only on iOS, this is a package that we can only recommend to a few people.

Buy now at Amazon

Vintage Instant Cameras Compatible with Impossible Film

Product image of Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera
Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera

This iconic camera is undoubtedly a technology and style icon that's only grown in popularity since it was discontinued in the late 20th century. Sporting a folding design that squeezes a full SLR-style lens system down into a device not much thicker than a quarter, the SX-70 was a technological marvel when it was introduced, and if you can find a copy of this camera in decent shape, it's still among the best instant cameras available.

The only drawback is that film is very expensive. Impossible Project is the only company that continues to make SX-70 compatible film packs, and the quality for the price is still less-than-stellar. That said, if a lo-fi Instagram style is what you're after, then that's more or less what you'll get. Being able to manual focus with the SX-70 is a joy, and you'll never shoot a picture that isn't perfectly framed since you're looking directly through the camera's lens.

$409.99 from Polaroid Originals

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Polaroid Spectra AF
Polaroid Spectra AF

Introduced in the mid-1980s, Spectra was the cutting-edge step-up from the standard box-type camera. The biggest improvement over a normal Polaroid camera is that the Spectra format is bigger, which means that photos are even more impressive to behold once they've developed.

Since Spectra cameras were marketed at enthusiasts and business customers, they generally have sharper, clearer lenses and more advanced features like sonar autofocus. The biggest disadvantage of a Spectra camera might be that, unlike the more complex SX-70 models, it still has a separate optical viewfinder that makes framing photos more tricky. Impossible Project continues to make Spectra film, but like all of its film packs, the results are often hit-or-miss and you won't get the reliability of Fujifilm's cheaper Instax Wide film.

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Polaroid One-Step 600
Polaroid One-Step Express 600

These are the bottom-of-the-barrel option for people who want the square look of a classic Polaroid shot, but who don't want to spend an arm and a leg. Most of these cameras have a built-in flash and an optical viewfinder that's to the left of the camera's actual lens. Most of these cameras have few features, but you can often find them in great working order for very little money.

Like with the Spectra, SX-70, and Impossible I-type cameras, the 600/box-type models are limited to only using Impossible Project film. Unlike the older SX-70 compatible film, 600 film is a higher ISO, which lets you shoot in a wider variety of situations. Image quality isn't amazing, especially when compared to the Instax Wide format, but if you want artsy-style shots on a budget, pick up a used box-type camera at a garage sale or flea market near you.

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Meet the testers

Brendan Nystedt

Brendan Nystedt

Contributor

@bnystedt

Brendan is originally from California. Prior to writing for Reviewed.com, he graduated from UC Santa Cruz and did IT support and wrote for a technology blog in the mythical Silicon Valley. Brendan enjoys history, Marx Brothers films, Vietnamese food, cars, and laughing loudly.

See all of Brendan Nystedt's reviews
Michael Desjardin

Michael Desjardin

Senior Staff Writer

@Reviewed

Michael Desjardin graduated from Emerson College after having studied media production and screenwriting. He specializes in tech for Reviewed, but also loves film criticism, weird ambient music, cooking, and food in general.

See all of Michael Desjardin's reviews

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