I’m not sure why they’re not saying it directly, but the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is the successor to the Mini 90. We did that review over a decade ago. There’s a trend with Fujifilm in 2024. So far, it seems like they’re releasing products that are, honestly, kind of late. When Fujifilm released the XH2, they released the XT5 a few months after — and we expected the X100Vi to come right after that. Instead, we waited for over a year and got a mediocre upgrade and a long waitlist. Many of us feel the same about the X Pro 3 — where is the successor? But at least with Instax, we know that we shouldn’t take it as seriously. In fact, that’s probably one of the things saving it. I’m not riding the hype train for this camera; I’m the conductor – and we’re making all the local stops into the hearts of every photographer who loves Instax.
Table of Contents
The Big Picture
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is a nice camera, but that’s all it is. Fujifilm doesn’t really push the envelope when it comes to Instax cameras. The only exception to that statement is the Evo. Some of the best Instax cameras are made by NONS and MiNT. However, those cameras aren’t nearly as portable. So the closest competitor would be the Lomography Lomo’Instant Glass. The Instax Mini 99 has far more features and arguably softens how people look. If you’re a photographer looking for the fullest sharpness from Instax film, look elsewhere. But if you just want to have fun, then get this.
My only issue is that the dials turn a bit too easily when you’re walking around. So, if you shoot a candid image without checking the settings, you’ll probably run into an error.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 receives four out of five stars. Want one? Check them out on Amazon for just under $200.
Pros
- Small
- Stylish
- Lots of fun
- Dials for exactly what you want and need
Cons
- I wish the dials had locking features. Otherwise, they can easily turn in your bag or when walking around
Gear Used
We used the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 with Instax Mini film.
Who Should Buy It?
Get the Instax Mini 99 if you’re a more experienced passionate photographer in a stage where you’re looking to be as experimental as possible and also want a camera you can have fun with.
Innovations: What Makes This Unique and Different?
The new Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 has many different shooting modes, making it fun to use. Besides the double exposure mode, it offers:
- Faded Green for a vintage look
- Warm Tone: for warmth
- Light blue: for a light blue cast
- Soft Magenta: Take a guess at what this does.
- Sepai: For that sepia look
- Light leak: my favorite of the bunch
There’s also a fun vignette switch! It does this through a dedicated dial, which makes the whole process so much easier and more in line with the retro aesthetic that Fujifilm adheres to. It doesn’t have the full retro look of the Mini 90, but it’s not veering far off from it either.
Hardware
Simply put, this is the single most beautiful Instax camera Fujifilm has ever made. The camera surely has an aesthetic that will appeal to a wide crowd. It doesn’t look as much like a classic camera as the Mini 90 does — but it still has some retro-styling to it in the form of the dials. Turn any of them, and you’ll get a satisfying click.
Despite all this, note that the camera is made of plastic. So, with that said, it’s bound to also break at one point or another. Luckily, they’re really easy to put back together. Years ago, a date of mine dropped one of the Instax Square cameras and it was easy to squeeze back together. It also kept working for years after that. Still, I’d be careful with this product.
Ease of Use
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 appeals to experienced amateur and passionate photographers regarding the ease of use. There isn’t a clear on-and-off switch, so someone new to Instax must learn how to activate the camera. To do that, photographers must turn the lens to a specific distance setting. After that, the user has to check the dials on the camera. One dial must be set to the “N” setting to get a straight Instax shot. The other might be in the middle of the Ls and the Ds. Then, you can use one of the two shutter buttons to take the image.
Many critical controls are also done with buttons and the screen on the back of the camera. You can turn the flash on and off while controlling the different modes or the self-timer.
Immediately I can think about many photographers I’ve known over the years. There are Sony Artisans I know who I call chosen family and who have a deeper understanding of tech. They’d figure this out easily. Conversely, I gave a tripod to another photographer who bombarded our text message chat with questions. Eventually, she figured it out, but she’d act the same way if I gave her this camera.
With all this said, it would’ve been better for Fuji to have a quick guide to this camera and the manual. But the thing is that the guide would need to be stunning — and specifically a piece of literature someone would want to interact with. Otherwise, someone’s excitement for the camera would make them go straight for it instead.
One of the most fun things this camera can do is double exposures. Here’s some inspiration for that. Typically, I’d recommend shooting your subject against a plain background without a flash and then shooting whatever pattern you want with the flash afterward. You can also do this vice versa, depending on the effect that you want to get.
Focusing
This camera is manually focused. And more specifically, it has focusing zones much like Lomography’s cameras. The problem for us Americans is that it’s in meters. So, you must do some quick calculations to determine if you’d shoot a scene. That’s not too bad, though. And truly, everyone loves the imperfections that instant film gives them when you’re shooting portraits. But if you’re shooting more artsy pieces, things might be different.
Image Quality
Are the images clearly made with a plastic lens? Yes. Are they beautiful? Absolutely. Does Fujifilm’s special filters help with this? You bet. If you shoot film, you have to think of this experience like shooting slide film. So, with that said, it will be much more tedious. But it’s always well worth the experience because it’s so fun. Of course, the problem becomes the issue around shooting lots of Instax film. Buy in bulk, trust me.
My favorite thing to do is to shoot with the light leaks. They’re so beautiful, and they’re also randomized. So because of this, they look really organic. I’m not sure how Fujifilm does them, but they’re very aesthetic.
Tech Specs
These specs are taken from the Fujifilm technical sheet provided to the Phoblographer.
INSTAX MINI 99 | |
Film used | FUJIFILM INSTAX MINI instant film (sold separately) |
Photo picture size | 62mm x 46mm |
Lens | Retractable lens, 2 components, 2 elements, f = 60mm, 1:12.7 |
Viewfinder | Real image finder, 0.37× with target spot Features parallax correction function for Macro Mode |
Shooting range | Manual 3-point switching type (0.3m to 0.6m / 0.6m to 3.0m / 3.0m to beyond) Shooting range: 0.3m to beyond |
Shutter | Programmed electronic shutter 1.8 to 1/400 seconds. Bulb Mode (opening time max. 10 seconds) Shutter button (vertical shooting / horizontal shooting) |
Exposure control | Automatic: LV 5.0 to 14.8 (ISO 800) Exposure compensation (shading control): –5/3EV, –2/3EV, +2/3EV, +1EV |
Film ejection | Automatic |
Film developing time | Approx. 90 seconds (varies depending on the ambient temperature) |
Flash | Automatic flash (automatic light adjustment) Indoor Mode (slow synchro flash), Fill-in flash, Flash off, Red-eye Removal, Charging time: within 6.5 seconds(when using a fully-charged battery), Effective flash range: 0.3m to 2.7m |
Power supply | Battery NP-70S (1 piece), capacity: approx. 10 INSTAX mini film packs (depends on usage conditions) |
Auto power off time | After 5 minutes |
Self-timer | Electronic operating time: approximately 10 seconds |
LCD | LCD display shooting modes (Indoor Mode, Sports Mode, Double exposure Mode, Bulb Mode) Flash control Mode Self-timer Mode Battery level Color effect Film counter (remaining number of shots left) |
Other | Tripod mount, Manual Vignette Switch |
Dimensions | 103.5mm × 117.5mm × 60.0mm (excluding protrusions) |
Weight | 340g (without battery, shoulder strap, and film) |
Rechargeable battery NP-70S | |
Nominal voltage | DC 3.6V |
Nominal capacity | 680mAh |
Operating temperature | +5°C to +40°C |
External dimensions | 34.5mm × 41.0mm × 5.5mm (width × height × depth) |
Weight | 14.5g |
Battery charger BC-70C | |
Rated input | DC 5.1V 530mA max |
Rated output | DC 4.2V 550mA max |
Compatible battery | FUJIFILM rechargeable battery NP-70S (lithium-ion type) |
Charging time | 1 to 2 hours |
Operating temperature | +5°C to +40°C |
External dimensions | 48mm × 76mm × 15mm (width × height × depth) |
Weight | Approx. 50g (body only) |