New film from Fujifilm: Instax mini Monochrome

Henning Serger · Sep 6, 2016

Hello,

lots of photographers have asked for it, Fuji has listened:

https://www.fujifilm.eu/eu/news/art...f-photographic-expression-using-instax-film-1

Best regards,
Henning

farmersteve · Sep 6, 2016

I can't believe that Fuji actually listened to their customers! I'll try it but really want it in the wide version...

removedacct3 · Sep 6, 2016

Excellent! One more thing .... where is the clever genius who is working on a Instax to Polaroid pack film convertor?

Moopheus · Sep 6, 2016

farmersteve said:
I can't believe that Fuji actually listened to their customers! I'll try it but really want it in the wide version...

I am seriously surprised, too. I was pretty dubious this would happen. And you would think that once Fuji has gone to the trouble of creating the b&w product, they'd want to maximize sales by offering both sizes. Possibly they are waiting to see how well this goes over first.

Henning Serger · Sep 6, 2016

farmersteve said:
I can't believe that Fuji actually listened to their customers! I'll try it but really want it in the wide version...

I wouldn't be surprised if in the case the new film being a success, the Instax Monochrome wide format version will be introduced later, too.
I also prefer the wide format and would be happy to have the BW option as well.

Best regards,
Henning

EdSawyer · Sep 6, 2016

They obviously didn't listen to customers about innumerable other things like FP100C, (or any/all the FPxxx products)... etc.

farmersteve · Sep 6, 2016

We just need a real camera with a real lens and manual controls. Hopefully someone will step up!

mooseontheloose · Sep 6, 2016

I'm surprised...I may actually buy a mini instax camera now.

Michael W · Sep 6, 2016

EdSawyer said:
They obviously didn't listen to customers about innumerable other things like FP100C, (or any/all the FPxxx products)... etc.

They listen to the customers wallets.

Jeff Bradford · Sep 6, 2016

I would like to see it in Instax Wide. Let's see if they listen to that.

AgX · Sep 6, 2016

Good news!

Hoping for the Wide vesion too.

dreamingartemis · Sep 6, 2016

I have both instax mini 25 and wide 210. This is what I have been waiting for! Gonna snatch up a good bundle when it is finally released here!

Theo Sulphate · Sep 6, 2016

farmersteve said:
We just need a real camera with a real lens and manual controls. Hopefully someone will step up!

Really. Just a simple aperture control and maybe a simple leaf shutter with a few speeds. Not too much to ask.

Fuji knows how to do it: in the d-world they have the X-100, X-Pro's, and X-T's, so someone there admires traditional controls.

ericdan · Sep 6, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Really. Just a simple aperture control and maybe a simple leaf shutter with a few speeds. Not too much to ask.

Fuji knows how to do it: in the d-world they have the X-100, X-Pro's, and X-T's, so someone there admires traditional controls.

except that in the d-world traditional controls don't make sense. ISO is changed frequently, so it needs to be more accessible, while you keep your aperture and shutter speed constant longer unless you want to change it for creative purposes. on a film body control needs are quite different. never understood why they would put film-like controls on digital bodies, other than for the look.

Theo Sulphate · Sep 6, 2016

ericdan said:
except that in the d-world traditional controls don't make sense. ISO is changed frequently, so it needs to be more accessible ...

Take a look at the X-T1 or X-T2: the ISO control is a dial on the top of the camera. Easy to use. Setting is always visible.

But, the point is: Fuji does listen to customers (at least for current products where the machinery hasn't been scrapped). The proof is that they've been constantly improving the X system based on customer feedback.

ericdan · Sep 7, 2016

ok. let's be happy about this new Film, not waste time on X...

unityofsaints · Sep 7, 2016

MrclSchprs said:
Excellent! One more thing .... where is the clever genius who is working on a Instax to Polaroid pack film convertor?

That would be a home run, much more promising idea than trying to wrestle those packfilm machines from Fuji IMO.

Lachlan Young · Sep 7, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
a simple leaf shutter with a few speeds. Not too much to ask.

That might be a problem. Copal have as far as I can tell stopped making mechanical/ electromechanical shutters - which is probably the reason for the end of production of the Cosina/Voigtlander camera bodies and Fuji/Nikon/Schneider/Rodenstock LF lenses in anything other than the dwindling stock of Copal 0's. Electronic solutions are available, but relatively expensive - how much would you pay & how big is the probable market?

darkosaric · Sep 7, 2016

If one is not satisfied with instax cameras from Fuji (I am not) - the best/cheapest alternative would be to get Diana instax back for 79€.

Theo Sulphate · Sep 7, 2016

Lachlan Young said:
That might be a problem. Copal have as far as I can tell stopped making mechanical/ electromechanical shutters...

For a consumer-grade Instax, I'm thinking of a truly simple shutter such as was found on Kodak folding cameras of the 1930's. A few different speeds were attained just by varying spring tension. I'm repairing such a shutter now and I've seen even simpler designs. Typical speeds were T, B, 25, 50, 100.

mooseontheloose · Sep 7, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Really. Just a simple aperture control and maybe a simple leaf shutter with a few speeds. Not too much to ask.

There is the Instantflex TL2.0 TLR camera by MiNT Camera, if people want to shoot instax with a real camera - it has a good range of features, including apertures and shutter speeds, although the latter are chosen automatically. It's a bit pricey compared to the alternatives mentioned above though.

farmersteve · Sep 7, 2016

darkosaric said:
If one is not satisfied with instax cameras from Fuji (I am not) - the best/cheapest alternative would be to get Diana instax back for 79€.

Has anyone done any modding to mount a real camera in front of this diana instax back?

RattyMouse · Sep 7, 2016

farmersteve said:
I can't believe that Fuji actually listened to their customers! I'll try it but really want it in the wide version...

I know, it's amazing. Few companies have more contempt for their customers than Fujifilm. I never would have believed that they would have followed through on this request. People have been asking for monochrome instant film for more years than I can remember.

RattyMouse · Sep 7, 2016

mooseontheloose said:
There is the Instantflex TL2.0 TLR camera by MiNT Camera, if people want to shoot instax with a real camera - it has a good range of features, including apertures and shutter speeds, although the latter are chosen automatically. It's a bit pricey compared to the alternatives mentioned above though.

This is a great example of an INSTAX camera that goes beyond the toy cameras that Fuji makes. It CAN be done and people have been asking for it for many many years. Fujifilm just simply needs to listen to their customers. A real INSTAX camera would do wonders for the sale of their films.

Lachlan Young · Sep 7, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
For a consumer-grade Instax, I'm thinking of a truly simple shutter such as was found on Kodak folding cameras of the 1930's. A few different speeds were attained just by varying spring tension. I'm repairing such a shutter now and I've seen even simpler designs. Typical speeds were T, B, 25, 50, 100.

If that's the ball bearing shutter, there are still quite a few parts in there - and it's not super accurate. More to the point, the tooling costs would be fairly painful no matter what way you went - the benefit Kodak had was the sheer scale of market demand for the shutters. Once you start looking at electronic solutions, add a decent triplet or similar, you end up back at the Instax pretty quickly. If there was demand, I'd imagine it wouldn't be hard to make a 'manual' version of the Mini 90 - it's got a suitable display & adding the relevant control buttons would not be hard - the shutter is 1.8-1/400s (10s if you include the bulb mode) & the aperture is f12.7.

New film from Fujifilm: Instax mini Monochrome

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