As much as our brains have grown to depend on the steady stream of likes from sharing photos on social media, there’s still something to be said for the immediate gratification of an instant camera spitting out a fridge-worthy snapshot. With Fujifilm’s new retro-themed Instax Mini Evo, you get the best of both worlds.
The camera’s silver body features thickly-textured faux leather accents that at first glance make the Instax Mini Evo look like a vintage Fujifilm snapper you’d find behind glass at a pawn shop. But Fujifilm claims it’s actually one of the most advanced Instax cameras it’s ever released and that its “Resolution of exposure has been doubled compared to the previous models to achieve greater print quality.” Fujifilm doesn’t detail exactly how many megapixels the new Instax Mini Evo captures, but models from a few years ago were hitting the 5 MP mark so if the new model is pushing 10 MP, that’s close enough to what most smartphones snap these days.
Instead of adjusting focus or zoom, turning the Instax Mini Evo’s lens dial cycles through 1o different lens effects like “Soft Focus” and “Light Leak” which can be combined with 10 different film effects accessed through a film dial on top. It gives shooters 100 unique effects to experiment with, and when satisfied with the results, flicking a film advance lever makes the camera spit out a credit card-sized shot.
The Instax Mini Evo also pairs with a smartphone, so in addition to hard copies, users can transfer their photos, complete with filters and even the unique frames available with the Instax Mini film stock, to their mobile devices for sharing on social media.
The new Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo will debut first in Japan in early December, but the company plans to bring it to the US market in February of next year for $200. Of course, that’s in addition to the cost of the instant film which does add up quickly.