Instant cameras may have had their heyday in the 1970s, only that hasn't stopped them enjoying a massive revival in the last few years.

Non just can you in one case once more buy a new Polaroid camera, but Fujifilm's Instax has become a global phenomenon, and other companies like Leica and Lomography accept gotten in on the action too.

Some instant cameras even at present pack digital tech as well, allowing you to do things like have multiple shots before picking which to print, save digital copies of photos for your Instagram, or even print shots direct from your phone. Thanks to connected apps, others fifty-fifty offer interactive games and the chance to tweak your prints with stickers, filters, or QR codes to access videos and the like.

The downside is that there are now multiple competing film formats, sizes, and brands, and information technology's hard to know which instant camera is right for you. Luckily for you nosotros've tested nearly every camera on the market, and here's what nosotros think.

All-time instant photographic camera reviews

1

Instax Mini 11 - All-time Overall

Instax Mini 11

  • Pros
    • Affordable
    • Easy to use
    • Range of colours
  • Cons
    • Toy-similar design
    • Too unproblematic for some
  • Best Costsouth Today:

The Instax Mini 11 offers good depression-calorie-free exposure, a sleek blueprint and easy-to-utilise controls - all for a reasonable price.

The motorcar-exposure dial makes low light photography reasonably visible, and the design is slimmer and more refined than its predecessor overall. There aren't whatever manual adjustments that users can make to the photographic camera, but at this price point that'due south to be expected.

The Mini 11 prints on Instax's Mini film - which produces pocket-sized polaroid-way photos. This instant camera is a compelling option for younger audiences with not much photography feel.

Read our full Instax Mini 11 review

2

Lomo'Instant Foursquare - Best Dual-Format

Lomo'Instant Square

  • Pros
    • Both Mini & Foursquare prints
    • Vintage blueprint
    • Avant-garde options
  • Cons
    • Not rechargeable
    • Mini back plate sold separately
  • Best Prices Today:

The Lomo'Instant Foursquare is the first instant photographic camera so far to be uniform with two different formats of Instax film. It won't use both out of the box, only there's a swappable back plate – sold separately – for the camera that lets you install Instax Mini flick.

The nearly striking thing is the pattern, with a folding body that's both unique in the current instant camera market and compact when it'south folded down.

In addition to the standard shoot-and-print Machine Mode, you can command the wink, heighten and lower exposure, accept multiple exposures on a single flick print, and do an extended exposure of upwardly to thirty seconds. Yous also become three prepare focal distances, a tripod spiral for mounting the camera, a ready of color flash filters, and a x-2nd timer. There'due south a remote control for taking photos remotely, though information technology requires a battery. The camera itself needs 2 CR2 batteries, so isn't rechargeable, which is the major downside.

The wealth of options mean the Lomo'Instant Square rewards achieved photographers, but Machine Fashion is as uncomplicated as you could enquire for, making it a friendly entry point for anyone hoping to build into more complex shots.

Read our full Lomo'Instant Square review

3

Instax Mini LiPlay - Best Digital Hybrid

Instax Mini LiPlay

  • Pros
    • Prints digital photos
    • Piece of cake to use
  • Cons
    • Divisive pattern
    • Expensive
  • Best Pricesouth Today:

The Instax mini LiPlay is a slap-up digital hybrid instant photographic camera that boasts several features that set up it in a higher place the competition. The camera is also an instant printer, which allows you to print photos straight from your smartphone via the companion app very easily on to the Instax Mini motion picture.

It'south also generally an like shooting fish in a barrel camera to navigate. The pattern is convenient, and yous tin choose from a number of different shooting options to enhance your experience. The camera itself is enough to requite you a decent-quality image, with a fiddling flair if you wish. However, the design may non be to everyone's tastes.

The Mini LiPlay lets you record audio and play information technology back via QR codes, though this feature may only be useful to a small portion of users. Information technology sits just slightly higher than boilerplate on our price range, but the flexibility that this camera offers seems worth the extra bump in cost.

Read our full Instax Mini LiPlay review

four

Instax Foursquare SQ1 - Best for Simple Square Prints

Instax Square SQ1

  • Pros
    • Classic square format
    • Simple to use
    • Smashing design
  • Cons
    • Mesomorphic
    • More expensive film
  • All-time Pricesouthward Today:

The Instax SQ1 is Fujifilm's second fully analogue square format camera, and it'southward a simplified version of the old SQ6, which is now hard to find in stock.

The SQ1 takes Instax Square film, which in turn means this is a bigger, chunkier camera than the Instax Minis. It comes in a similar range of attractive pastel colours though, and there's a definite charm to the camera's expect.

This is another Instax that's designed to be every bit simple to use equally possible. There are only ii shooting modes - regular, and a selfie/macro mode yous admission by twisting the lens round. You tin't fifty-fifty turn the flash off.

Nosotros wish information technology had a few more options to exist honest, especially given its price, but if you want an easy-to-utilize Instax that shoots on square film, this is your best bet.

Read our full Instax Square SQ1 review

5

Instax Mini 40 - Best for Nostalgia

Instax Mini 40

  • Pros
    • Retro aesthetic
    • Easy to use
  • Cons
    • Pricier than Mini 11
    • No avant-garde options
  • Best Prices Today:

Even past the standards of instant cameras, this is driven by nostalgia. The blocky plastic pattern screams 'retro', accentuated by the textured imitation-leather finish and argent accents.

As the name suggests, the Mini 40 takes Instax Mini format prints, and in fact this is essentially the same camera as the Mini xi above - the functionality is most identical, with the higher toll driven past the premium, retro design.

That means uncomplicated features: a flash, a selfie mirror, and two focal length settings. You don't become a lot of flexibility, but the simplicity is welcome when you just want to bespeak and shoot.

If yous're non fussed on the design then salve money and grab the Mini xi, but if yous want an Instax Mini camera that feels like a camera, not a toy, then this is the one.

Read our full Instax Mini twoscore review

6

Polaroid Now+ - All-time Polaroid

Polaroid Now+

  • Pros
    • Retro pattern
    • Tripod mountable
    • Included accessories
  • Cons
    • Big and bulky
    • Expensive
  • Best Pricesouth Today:

The Polaroid At present+ is our favourite of the visitor's range of modernistic instant movie cameras - especially if you lot know how to utilise it.

With a range of shooting options, supported by an app that enables remote controls and other modes, this is more complicated than some of the simple signal-and-shoot cameras from Instax. That will entreatment to capable photographers, but might put you lot off if you want something more than straightforward.

Like other Polaroid cameras information technology is big and bulky, and the film runs adequately expensive - only that'southward the price you pay (literally) for getting the classic Polaroid camera design and iconic big format square prints, which obviously up the entreatment.

Read our full Polaroid Now+ review

7

Lomography Diana Instant Foursquare - Best for Accessories

Lomography Diana Instant Square

  • Pros
    • Affordable
    • Extra lenses & accessories
  • Cons
    • Flash not included
    • Non beginner-friendly
  • Best Costsouthward Today:

The Diana Instant Square is ane of the cheapest instant film cameras we've seen. The price alone makes it tempting, but deport in mind that this doesn't include a flash which will come in very handy.

You're best off going for the packet with the flash, which too looks crawly on the archetype Diana blackness and blue blueprint.

When yous consider that this is an interchangeable lens camera, you'll probably exist tempted to spend fifty-fifty more to become things similar a fisheye lens. If so, you might too bound to the deluxe kit, which is nevertheless cheaper than some rival cameras and comes with a whole host of extras.

Accessories or not, the Diana Instant Square has some cool features including multiple exposures, but it'south not very easy to go to grips with especially if you're a beginner.

Getting the right combination of aperture and shutter speed for your lighting conditions can be very difficult so you can easily waste material a number of shots getting things right.

Read our full Lomography Diana Instant Square review

viii

Instax Mini 9 - Best Upkeep

Instax Mini 9

  • Pros
    • Cheap
    • Colourful
    • Simple
  • Cons
    • No auto-exposure
    • Mini 11 is meliorate
  • All-time Prices Today:

The Instax Mini 9 from Fujifilm is the cheapest instant camera out there. The Mini 9 is very user-friendly, making it a good selection for any photography beginners - or kids. Its design is chunky and retro, coming in a range of colours.

The Mini 9 takes Instax Mini pic, merely shooting capabilities are limited. It relies on brilliant daylight, and doesn't take any zoom capabilities, nor the option to turn off the flash. The camera does still come with some manual lenses that you tin attach for things such as close-up shots.

It may not stack up to some of its rivals when it comes to its technical requirements, but if you're looking for a stocking filler that takes dainty Polaroid-style photos, so this is by far the well-nigh affordable option at the moment.

Read our full Instax Mini 9 review

9

Polaroid Snap - Best Zink Camera

Polaroid Snap

  • Pros
    • Inexpensive prints
    • microSD back up
    • Prints digital photos
  • Cons
    • Worse quality
    • Limited controls
  • Best Pricedue south Today:

The Polaroid Snap captures the happy middle ground betwixt quality and upkeep. For less than £100/US$100, you go a likeable 10Mp photographic camera which supports microSD saving, and prints color photos within a minute - though it's worth noting that this is a digital photographic camera that prints onto ZINK paper, rather than an analogue camera that exposes real film.

Dissimilar the picture used in an Instax Mini 9 camera, ZINK paper uses heat to form images. Each sheet contains micro-crystals that produce either cyan, magenta or yellow hues depending on the intensity and duration of heat applied. When combined, you are left with the final image. This makes printing on the Snap more affordable too.

The colours on Polaroid Snap prints are on the darker side, then information technology is best for photographing nether bright to moderate lighting (though the Snap does have an automatic flash). The Snap is a upkeep-friendly tech toy best suited for casual bespeak and shoot use, making it ideal for students and scrapbook keepers.

Read our full Polaroid Snap review

10

Instax Broad 300 - Best for Wide Format

Instax Wide 300

  • Pros
    • Big prints
    • Great for landscapes
    • Like shooting fish in a barrel to use
  • Cons
    • Large & heavy
    • Ugly pattern
  • Best Prices Today:

Equally the name might give away, the Instax Wide 300 takes photos that are wider than other instant cameras - double the size of Instax Mini photos. The camera itself has to exist large plenty to adjust the bigger prints, and Fujifilm has committed to a chunky artful all round, with a large grip and an enormous lens - the Instax Wide isn't the most attractive instant camera around.

Controls are elementary: two levels of autofocus for the 95mm lens, basic wink settings, and the option to reduce or increase exposure. Information technology'south no surprise the Wide 300 excels at longer range, picking up more particular in landscape and building photos than its rivals, just struggling on close-ups or selfies - though the included close-up lens does aid.

Portraits tin turn out slap-up once you get used to framing for landscape though, with warm skin tones. The new orientation is as well great for parties - it takes a lot less work to cram multiple people into the same shot at present.

Read our full Instax Wide 300 review

Instant camera ownership advice

There are a few factors to consider when yous're trying to buy an instant photographic camera. First up y'all need to think about how complex y'all want the camera to be. Some, such every bit the Polaroid OneStep two, are simple signal-and-shoot devices that don't give you much control beyond turning the flash off or setting a timer - and the Instax Mini nine doesn't even let you exercise that much.

Others become more intricate though, adding in functionality like long exposures, multiple exposures, different focus levels, customisable brightness, and more.

Lomography instant cameras fifty-fifty come with a standard lens thread, letting you lot attach a range of different lenses for even more flexibility.

All of these avant-garde features are prissy to take, but you have to think about whether yous're the sort of lensman who's really likely to use them. If you desire to play around with multiple exposures or shoot photos in varied conditions and then they might be worth information technology, but if y'all simply want to have photos of your mates at parties, a simpler indicate-and-shoot will probably be plenty.

Call back that if you don't want to get your head round a whole new photographic camera, you don't have to - yous might be ameliorate off buying an instant printer, which lets you print photos directly from your smartphone instead.

Digital hybrids

The next consideration is whether you want a full film camera or a digital hybrid like the Instax SQ10 or Mini LiPlay

There are benefits and drawbacks to both. Digital hybrids let you export photos to other devices, and hateful you tin get the perfect photo before y'all hit print - saving you from wasting expensive film.

The downside to that flexibility is that you lot lose some of the immediacy of a pure film camera. Part of the charm of using moving picture is that you only get one chance - it saves y'all from fussy posing for the perfect shot. If you lot're not going to commit to the former-fashioned appeal, why are you looking at instant cameras at all?

Plus, the quality you can look from the digital photos yous export is pretty low - nada compared to what yous could expect from the camera on a upkeep smartphone, permit lonely any of the best telephone cameras effectually.

Movie formats

The final major concern is pic formats. The market is dominated by Fujifilm'south Instax brand, which currently produces iii sizes of movie: Mini (small and portrait), Wide (large and landscape), and Square (mid-sized and, well, square).

Each camera can only take 1 type of moving-picture show (with one notable exception, the Lomo'Instant Foursquare), so make sure you lot know which size you adopt before you lot pick your camera. You lot should consider cost as well - the larger prints tend to cost more than, so your option volition affect the long-term running cost of your camera also.

Some cameras from other manufacturers - such as Lomography - use Instax pic too, so y'all don't take to commit to a Fujifilm camera to take reward of the film prints.

Polaroid uses its ain i-Type film, which sticks close to the classic Polaroid prints - virtually the aforementioned size as Instax Wide, but foursquare rather than rectangular. You can apply it in the Polaroid Now+ in our ranking, or the older Polaroid At present, OneStep+, and OneStep 2.

Moving-picture show vs Zink

There are also some instant cameras that don't technically use film at all. The Polaroid Snap and Kodak Smile are technically digital cameras that print photos onto Zink - zero ink paper.

Zink cameras tend to exist cheaper - and so are the prints - but since the photos are digital they tend to have a bit less warmth to them, and the concrete prints don't have quite the same nostalgia value to them.

We prefer the proper moving-picture show by miles, but Zink will do the task if yous're on a upkeep.