fbpx
Features

5 Modern Instant Film Cameras Just for Fun

Chris Gampat
No Comments
04/02/2015
3 Mins read

Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Modern Instant Film Camera post (1 of 1)ISO 4001-60 sec at f - 2.8

When it comes to having fun in photography, some of the most can be had with Instant film cameras. Not only do they bring us back to a totally different time where images were tactile objects, but they print a single moment that can’t be duplicated. Modern Instant film cameras have largely forgone the manual controls of many of their predecessors and are mostly focused on the photographer being as non-technical as they can.

Again, it’s about fun: seeing what will pop up, doing the work to get the image right, and looking at the images together with someone else.

Here are five modern instant film cameras you’ll want to get your hands on.

Instax Wide 300

julius motal the phoblographer Left Angle_ON

 

Meet the new kid on the block: like, the really, really new kid. At the moment of publishing this piece, this camera is just now coming out. It shoots the Instax Wide film: which is obviously wider than the original Instax Mini stuff, and therefore also shoots around a larger imaging area. With a 95mm f14 lens, built in flash, a heck of a chunky grip, exposure compensation, and focus adjustment, what more could you ask for besides fully manual exposure controls?

Buy Now: B&H Photo

Diana F+Instant Back

Lomography Diana instant

 

Diana F+? Check. Flash? Check. Loads of instant fun that’s bound to give you some of the most fun and coolest experimental photos you’ve ever shot? Checkmate!

The Instant Film back for the Diana F+ converts the 120 film shooting toy cam into an Instax film spitting lo-fi dream maker. Considering that the Diana F+ shoots at a fixed 1/60th shutter speed, your only variables are your aperture and the ISO of your film. This attachment comes with a correction lens that brings the ISO of the Instax film down to 400, so while you’re going around shooting you should consider this and change your aperture accordingly as you photograph.

When you’re done shooting, just press the big button on the bottom left to print the image out.

PS: This is SUPER FUN to do with the Diana F+’s pinhole mode and with the camera set to bulb shooting mode.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

Pro Tip: Unlike peel apart film, the more modern Instax film isn't affected by temperature.
Pro Tip: Unlike peel apart film, the more modern Instax film isn’t affected by temperature.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 90

fujifilm-instax-mini-90-neo-classic-01

 

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 was designed with a very retro look in mind to appeal to the same folks who love the X series of cameras. It features a vertical and horizontal shutter button, a macro mode, exposure compensation, flash control, a self timer and most importantly shoots the Instax Mini film that fits perfectly on the back of a business card.

These cameras are very fun to use and otherwise have a light meter that makes the experience very straight forward. Photographers looking to shoot Instax film but wanting an experience with more control over the film may want to look here.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

Lomography Lomo’Instant

lomoinstant_san_remo_with_lensesLomography’s first original Instant film camera is one of the more affordable ones on this list. With the Lomo’Instant, you can use different lenses, control focus, and overall just enjoy a bit more versatility. These cameras are also much more stylish than much of what Fujifilm offers.

The camera comes with a 27mm lens built into it, with a thread for attaching any of the lens adapters that comes in a bundle. It feels like a box somebody made in a warehouse somewhere in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

But overall, we had a lot of fun with it.

Buy Now: Lomography

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

instax_mini8_white_sm

 

As the most basic camera on this list, it’s also one of the most popular. Using the Instax Mini 8 is very straight forward. You’ve got many different shooting modes for different lighting situations, and these can be seen and manipulated by turning a ring around the lens.

instax_mini8_pink_sm

Oh right, and it comes in pink. You know, because pink.

Buy Now: B&H Photo

diana f+ fujifilm fun instant back instant film camera instax lomography modern wide
Shares
Written by

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
');
You might also like