Lead Image courtesy of Brooklyn Film Camera’s Instagram
Many of us have been waiting pretty eagerly for the Fujifilm Instax Square camera and format to hit the market since its announcement at Photokina 2016. The images, which come from Brooklyn Film Camera’s Instagram via R/Polaroid, seem to be pretty legitimate. Around the internet and within the industry, the format is said to compete against the Impossible Project’s options and to allegedly replace Fujifilm Instax Wide. Though at the moment, it isn’t clear or seemingly possible that the format will work within camera’s like the SX-70 or Type 600 Polaroid, Impossible Project0, and Mint camera options on the market.
However, it surely does seem reasonable that Fujifilm Instax Wide could be on its way out. It’s popular with the prison system and businesses, but it hasn’t seen the widespread success that Instax Mini has seen. For those of us who adore the larger format, this is pretty sad.
The images of the Fujifilm Instax Square camera seem to show off a prototype camera that seems a lot like the Fujifilm Mini 8 or Mini 70 type cameras except that there’s a really big LCD screen on the back as Fuji Rumors has noticed. The camera, which is said to be called the Fujifilm SQ10, is supposed to hit the market later this year.
After checking with our Fujifilm reps though, they stated they’ve got no information yet on the cameras that can be shared with the public or press.
The film format seems to be like two pieces of Instax Mini film stuck together if you were to look at the imaging area. Surely this is more compact than some other options on the market like Instax Wide. The square format is also really just fun to work with. What I’m hoping for is both color and monochrome editions to come out this year.
On top of that though, what I and a number of other photographers really want are Instax film cameras with more manual controls. There are some like the Diana F+ and the Mint TL70 series, but those are all. A proper, interchangeable lens camera system or a higher end camera with glass optics, and full working apertures and shutter speeds I’m sure would sell out like hot cakes for a number of photographers. Mint and Lomography are more likely to do this than Fujifilm is as they already have cameras with a few options, though they’re still not everything that the higher cadre of photographers want. If the latest market trends and reports are anything to believe, such as with Nikon, Sony, and others, then focusing on the higher end products may honestly be the way to go. To be fair though, that’s with digital photographers. Amateurs love Instax Mini; and I can attest to that as many of my friends have them.
On the other hand, if analog film photography’s massive comeback this year is anything to be believed, then that higher end photographer could be the key to future success and market share.
