Instax: Does everything have to be made of plastic?

Helinophoto · Apr 18, 2017

I am looking at Instax with interest, the film seems to be very nice technically and the wide is probably capable of better results than the old Polaroids.

However....

Now that Leica came out with a Instax.camera, I was eager to know more about it, but to my dismay, there was no focusing-option and the lens was made from..........wtf...plastic??

After checking, I cannot find any Instax-cameras that offer the most basic thing:
- Focusing
- Ability to set the shutter-speed.
- Actual glass lens.

What kind of waste is this?

Are there any cameras at all, capable of shooting Instax-film, that has a lens made from glass (duh) and some focusing abilities?

Anything on the horizon?

I find it saddening that the ability of Instax-film is wasted on poor resolution lenses and pre-set focus, crap-cameras.

locutus · Apr 18, 2017

There is the InstantFlex TL70, its a manual focus TLR with glass lenses that shoots Instax Mini, aperture priority (with shift) only though.

Its nice and cute, (dont expect Rollei or Yashica build quality) but personally i find it to expensive for me, YMMV.

wasted on poor resolution lenses

Keep in mind that Instax never will really be that sharp, the holder mechanism will never keep the film flat enough.

Helinophoto · Apr 18, 2017

Yea, I saw that one actually, the price-point was kind of high, especially for the small format that instax-mini is.

If it had been wide, I would have considered a purchase (love tlr's).

I am sure it's not up to par with my 2.8F

The marked for a high-quality camera is there, especially since Instax has had an explosive development the past year or so. (sales surpassing Fuji's own *D* cameras).

darkosaric · Apr 18, 2017

If you are looking for a wide film format - this is the best way to go:
https://shop.lomography.com/en/belair-instant-back
If this is still not enough for you - then custom made cameras are the only option. I know couple of guys here are modifying Holga panoramas with true nice lens with leaf shutter. You can contact somebody and order custom made Holga Panorama with instax back, or custom made Belair.

Nodda Duma · Apr 18, 2017

There's absolutely nothing wrong with using plastic optics if the design is executed correctly...and it's not difficult to do so.

The Instax is a great camera... I tried to get my 11 and 9 yr olds to shoot an auto-everything film camera but they quickly lost interest. The Instax, however... they actually use the Instax that came for Christmas.

Anything that turns kids onto shooting analog is a great product.

Aside from that.. buy the right tool for the job.

Helinophoto · Apr 18, 2017

Well, that may be fine and dandy, for young people and kids, but I would like to have a camera that lets me actually focus, lets me control exposure. which does not create funny chosting in certain light and that is sharp enough, to create a shot that can be scanned and enlarged.

If plastic was the answer, why are we still shooting with glass?

Right now, the cameras out there are nothing but all-plastic toys, catering to everyone else but photographers, which is a shame, because the film itself is capable of so much more.

Here's what happens when you start gaining control and start using proper lenses:
http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...m-instax-wide-300-camera-fantastic-portraits/

Too bad there are no good alternatives out there, Leica was a huge disappointment.

Ko.Fe. · Apr 18, 2017

My old Polaroid Land camera was plastic and crappy camera, in general. With, technically speaking, crappy results.

Here is one Instax camera with glass and auto.
https://shop.lomography.com/en/cameras/instant-cameras/lomo-instant-automat-glass-black-combo
and here is another one:
https://shop.lomography.com/en/cameras/lomo-lc-a-family/lca-instant-camera

BTW, zone focusing is only crappy in hands of crappy photographers.

locutus · Apr 18, 2017

Helinophoto said:
and that is sharp enough, to create a shot that can be scanned and enlarged.

I think you are chasing something that just wont happen; Fujifilm themselves specify that Instax has a resolution of 10 to 12 lp/mm, add in the lack of film flatness with film packs and there really isn't the headroom to enlarge anything.

Nodda Duma · Apr 18, 2017

Helinophoto said:
If plastic was the answer, why are we still shooting with glass?

Plastic is not THE answer. Plastic is AN answer.

Everything designed is designed to requirements. Different requirements... different product. The best designs are "good enough", because going beyond that unnecessarily drives up cost and complexity. That is how engineering is supposed to work.

In any case, my point is that your expectations do not seem to align well with the product's capabilities. I wouldn't recommend acquiring an Instax-type camera.

Helinophoto · Apr 18, 2017

Ko.Fe. said:
BTW, zone focusing is only crappy in hands of crappy photographers.

Then, I suppose you have glued your 50's at 2-3 meters and stopped them down to f16?
First thing people looked for after creating the camera obscura, was how to make it sharper, having a locked lens at some hyperfocal distance and some f-stop is _limiting_ and gives you so-so definition at just about any distance.

Filling the frame with the subject and enlarge your medium, will give you a better result. Close-ups with Instax is generally crap and so are things that are further away.

Night-shots will get better too if you could adjust the aperture.

If you cannot focus, you might as well just drop the plastic and shoot with a pinhole ^^

Ko.Fe. · Apr 18, 2017

No I'm slightly more advanced. I learned how to use DoF scale on the lens. By this method f5.6 is enough for scale focusing of 50mm. But with Instax cameras I provided links for, the DoF is deeper. It is hard to miss it.

Helinophoto said:
Then, I suppose you have glued your 50's at 2-3 meters and stopped them down to f16?
First thing people looked for after creating the camera obscura, was how to make it sharper, having a locked lens at some hyperfocal distance and some f-stop is _limiting_ and gives you so-so definition at just about any distance.

Filling the frame with the subject and enlarge your medium, will give you a better result. Close-ups with Instax is generally crap and so are things that are further away.

Night-shots will get better too if you could adjust the aperture.

If you cannot focus, you might as well just drop the plastic and shoot with a pinhole ^^

Theo Sulphate · Apr 19, 2017

There was a Polaroid camera that let you set shutter speeds, apertures, focus, and also had interchangeable lenses: the 600SE ("GOOSE"):

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Polaroid_600/600_SE

Vidar · Apr 21, 2017

Theo Sulphate said:
There was a Polaroid camera that let you set shutter speeds, apertures, focus, and also had interchangeable lenses: the 600SE ("GOOSE"):

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Polaroid_600/600_SE

I love my Goose. The Mamiya lenses are sublime.

I have no hope for Instax, plastic low resolution digital printer...Yuck.

Instax: Does everything have to be made of plastic?

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