Best current instax camera and film

[Donald Qualls]

Thanks. It would be nice if someone replace Fujifilm 100c

If it were economically viable, Fuji would still be making it -- or would have brought it back by now, if the shutdown was due to supplier issues. Despite the prices it draws now as a scarcity item, I doubt it could sell long term for more per print than the new Polaroid integral film from what used to be Impossible Project, and the R&D and tooling to bring it back would probably dictate a higher MSRP than that.

. I'd pay about that for it; I have 4x5 Graflok mount backs for both the Type 100 (3x4) and 4x5 size and would love to be able to get results in a minute or two -- but the film I really miss from that line is the FB3000b-45. It makes a Speed Graphic into a night street shooter. An f/4.5 lens is plenty fast under streetlights or even in a dim bar, at ISO 3000, and the RF on my Speed works and is calibrated for the 135mm lens I'm most likely to use in that environment.

I think this would be covered under international trademark laws, and you can bet that the current "Polaroid" company paid for the right to use the brand.

They did, and announced such a while back alongside the name change. They'd been "Polaroid Originals" for several years, and managed to buy the rights to produce instant film and cameras under the Polaroid name from the holding company that licenses that name (prior to that their only instant photography product had been a digital camera with built-in Zink printer).

 

[choidavid]

Wow, these are all impressive contraptions!

 

[choidavid]

I have an Instax Sq6 and it's definitely a novelty camera, but it's fun for what it is.

 

[Lee Rust]

We have the Wide 300 and the Mini 7 cameras. They're nothing fancy, but do a decent job for the casual snapshot people photos they were designed for. The Instax film is capable of a lot more, though. Whenever somebody admires an Instax picture, I always remind them that the film technology originally came from Kodak.

 

[Arthurwg]

The new MINT Square camera, which is fully adjustable, looks promising.

 

[Oren Grad]

The new MINT Square camera, which is fully adjustable, looks promising.

It's essentially the same as the existing MINT RF70 camera, except Square rather than Wide format.

 

[wjlapier]

I have the Wide 300 and a SQ6, and the SP-3 printer. So far, the prints from the SP-3 are far better. I've taken all three on vacations and during down time I spend time printing from my iPhone. Even black and white from the SP-3 is pretty good.

 

[Ariston]

I use the SQ10 and love it. It is uses what some call a printer, but it is still film, not a paper medium. It exposes the film digitally.

The benefit is better low light shots without flash blowout, and it actually focuses at different distances - even pretty close. Since it is a digital/film hybrid camera, you can choose which shots to develop and make multiple copies if you want. But if you are a purist, you will not want it, for obvious reasons.

 

[Oren Grad]

The "best" Instax camera?

For maximum image quality, a stock Instax Wide camera modified with a good view camera lens. There's also the existing Mercury Instax Wide back for 4x5 Graflok as well as the forthcoming Lomo Graflok back.
For complete exposure and focus control with all-in-one convenience, the MINT RF70 or SF70.
For compactness, easy portability and convenience in use, any Fuji or Lomo Instax Mini model with autoexposure. I'd pick the Instax Mini 90 or Lomo Automat Glass.
For image quality without replacing the built-in lens, Lomo Automat Glass, Lomo Square Glass, or MINT RF70 or SF70 with the lens stopped down.
For print-from-digital capture integrated in a single package, Instax SQ10.

 

[wjlapier]

From the SP-3:

 

[Foto Ludens]

It's essentially the same as the existing MINT RF70 camera, except Square rather than Wide format.

I haven't seen anything about this camera, and can see nothing on their site. Can you point me to where you found out about it? I'm strongly considering buying a TL70, but might wait for the square format camera instead...

 

[Oren Grad]

I haven't seen anything about this camera, and can see nothing on their site. Can you point me to where you found out about it? I'm strongly considering buying a TL70, but might wait for the square format camera instead...

https://mint-camera.com/sf70/

 

[Foto Ludens]

https://mint-camera.com/sf70/

Thanks! I wonder why I couldn't find a link to it from their website. My internet kung-fu must be weak.

Damn, that's an interesting camera. That lens should be perfect for the instant square (87.7mm diagonal film)... Time to start scraping together the cash...

 

[fabulousrice]

This guy hacked a Instax to put the instax back on his ETRS.

https://www.dpreview.com/articles/2...a-bronica-etrs-to-shoot-fuji-instax-mini-film

I'd pay for someone to do this for me! I have the instax and ETRS hooks laying around but haven't had time for this project....

 

[laingsoft]

The best camera is hands down an SX-70, either by mint or polaroid.

The best film is fuji instax wide.

If only you could put the two together.

 

[nickandre]

There's a kickstarter to make an Instax back for the Hasselblad V System. I joined but I can't tell if it's a sham. Their latest plan is instax square put in sideways, hand crank to develop the exposure, which will enable the film to be placed at the correct focus plane for normal focusing to infinity.

There is one seller marketing an Instax back on eBay for the V system. No dark slide so you'd need a spare camera to use it if you want to swap at all.

I was debating getting a giant candlestick flash and bringing the full giant instant film rig with the 150mm to parties should the kickstarter ever actually materilize.

 

[ic-racer]

Wow, that Mint camera looks nice! Why can't someone make a new compact 35mm rangefinder with manual controls!

 

[Donald Qualls]

Why can't

Money.

This has been discussed before, but new design and tooling for the shutter, new design and tooling for the RF, new optics (or designing for compatibilty with optics made for up to 80-90 year old cameras).

The one option I can see as possible would be an RF version of the Open Reflex -- a DIY 35mm SLR made with mostly 3D printed parts -- but you're still using antique optics, and I haven't looked into that enough to know what they use for a shutter.

 

[ic-racer]

I can't find any other discussion of the Mint, but are you saying it uses off the shelf components due to money restraints?

 

[Donald Qualls]

I'm saying $700 for a camera equivalent to a Polaroid 210 (auto exposure only, manual RF focus?) is near the bottom end for a "new" camera. They're using an electronic shutter like the ones in the cheapest Polaroids of the 1970s, and yes, likely off-the-shelf glass. The Instax film handling is pretty simple mechanics, likely licensed from Fujifilm (assuming patents haven't expired). And that's about as affordable as you'll get. Try to design a 35mm and your price will go up -- and that goes double if you want something other than a reusable version of a single-use camera. Add adjustable focus and exposure to the Ilford, Fuji, or Lomography basic compacts and you'll price them out of the market for their image quality.

 

[Foto Ludens]

I'm saying $700 for a camera equivalent to a Polaroid 210 (auto exposure only, manual RF focus?) is near the bottom end for a "new" camera. They're using an electronic shutter like the ones in the cheapest Polaroids of the 1970s, and yes, likely off-the-shelf glass. The Instax film handling is pretty simple mechanics, likely licensed from Fujifilm (assuming patents haven't expired). And that's about as affordable as you'll get. Try to design a 35mm and your price will go up -- and that goes double if you want something other than a reusable version of a single-use camera. Add adjustable focus and exposure to the Ilford, Fuji, or Lomography basic compacts and you'll price them out of the market for their image quality.

And I'll add that, having owned (and sold) a MiNT TL70 camera, I was not impressed with the quality of the lens. It was nowhere nearly as good as the lens on the Lubitel 166B I converted to an Instax camera (the Lubitel lens proved to be awesome for that use).

 

[Donald Qualls]

@Foto Ludens I've read that in reviews previously -- hence why I compared to the 210 (which used a Periskop type double meniscus) rather than, say, a 100, 250, or 350 (which had nice triplet or Tessar type lenses -- your Lubitel has a triplet, IIRC). MINT also made a folder, as I recall, and it's that one I was thinking off, however.

 

[Foto Ludens]

@Foto Ludens I've read that in reviews previously -- hence why I compared to the 210 (which used a Periskop type double meniscus) rather than, say, a 100, 250, or 350 (which had nice triplet or Tessar type lenses -- your Lubitel has a triplet, IIRC). MINT also made a folder, as I recall, and it's that one I was thinking off, however.

Both the TL70 and the RF70 have triplet lenses (and both tout "aspherical elements"), so I assumed that they are of similar designs (even if in different focal lengths). My apologies if that assumption is incorrect. As you pointed out, the Lubitel also has a triplet lens, but the Lubitel's triplet is much sharper than the TL70's.

 

[choiliefan]

Has anyone taken advantage of the free film offer at Mint?
https://mint-camera.com/en/shop/films/unlimited-free-films/
Can't see myself buying into an RF70 if the lens is mediocre.

 

[Foto Ludens]

It is possible that the lens would be better in the RF70, especially if the focusing is more accurate. Focusing on the TL70's rough fresnel screen with a f/5.6 lens was a challenge for me. I find found the Lubitel's focusing screen to be much more use friendly. It is possible that I simply missed focus a lot with the TL70.