Fujifilm Instax Mini Review with Sample Photos | 3 Reasons Why the Instax Mini is Making a Comeback in my Camera Bag

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

I recently made a post about the Lomography Lomo’Instant Wide. While I love that camera, it is SUPER bulky and difficult to travel with. Sadly, it usually ends up sitting on my shelf and missing out on my photo shoots. I have quite a collection of instant film cameras so it’s always a process deciding which ones to take with me when I travel or have a photo shoot. I mix and match most of the time, but lately I’ve found myself bringing my Fujifilm Instax Mini along for the ride. I have an older version of the camera (the Instax Mini 8, featured in the photo above), but the newest version, the Instax Mini 12, is way more user-friendly and is much more reliable than the one that I have. They are all somewhat similar though, whichever version you end up going with. The Instax Mini takes Instax Mini Film, which you can easily buy in bulk on Amazon. There are a ton of reasons why these little cameras are great, but here are my 3 favorite features of the Instax Mini:

  1. THE FILM IS SUPER AFFORDABLE!

    If you’ve ever tried shooting instant film, you’ll quickly learn it’s EXPENSIVE. The good news is, the Instax Mini film is the cheapest out of all of them. Especially if you buy in bulk on Amazon, the photographs can end up being as low as $0.75 each. With other instant film brands, they can cost as much as $3-4 per photograph (or even more depending on the format), which can get pricey REALLY quickly. Because of this, the Instax Mini is one of the most approachable instant film cameras, especially if you’re not a professional photographer and just want to capture everyday moments with your friends and family. But also, if you ARE a professional photographer, you aren’t going to break the bank shooting with the Instax Mini.


  2. THE CAMERA IS FULLY AUTOMATIC & EASY TO USE!

    Over the years, Fujifilm has perfected the Instax Mini. It now has a selfie mirror, automatic exposure and flash settings and an integrated app to scan your photos for uploading to social media. It really doesn’t get any easier than that. While I haven’t upgraded my super old Instax Mini 8 yet, I’ve used my sister’s Instax Mini 11 and it is leaps and bounds better than mine in terms of ease of use. The newer Instax Minis (version 11 and 12) have automatic exposure and flash control and prevent you from wasting film if you don’t have it on the right setting. Now, you can just turn the camera on, take a photo and voila! It’s perfectly exposed and adorable. At this point, I’ve gotten used to the wonky settings on my Instax Mini 8, but I do plan on upgrading soon. :)

  3. IT’S SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT & PERFECT FOR TRAVELING!

    If you’ve been following my work, you know that I always bring at least a dozen cameras with me when I travel. The size and weight of a camera is a major factor in whether it will make the cut or not. The Instax Mini is one of the smallest cameras I have, so I can almost ALWAYS find a little spot for it in my bag. For a few years, my Instax Mini 8 was somewhat forgotten because I was focusing on using so many of my other cameras. But lately, I’ve been bringing it to nearly every shoot and loving the photos I’ve been creating with it. It’s making a comeback, that’s for sure!

I’ve included a ton of sample photos below. I hope this helps you decide whether the Instax Mini is right for you. It’s an amazing starter camera if you’re just getting into instant photography. And even for professional photographers, it offers an affordable way to give your clients something unique and tangible.

WHERE TO BUY THE FUJIFILM INSTAX MINI

Amazon

B&H Photo

Adorama

WHERE TO BUY INSTAX MINI FILM

Amazon

B&H Photo

Adorama

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If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards film & processing. Find out more here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. :)

<3 Myles Katherine

Lomography LomoChrome Purple XR 100-400 35 mm Film Sample Photos in Kauai, Hawaii


This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

lomochrome purple sample photos kauai

When it comes to Lomography’s LomoChrome Purple XR 100-400 35 mm film, people seem to either love it or hate it. Personally, I LOVE it. First of all, my favorite color is purple (more specifically, lavender) so when Lomography created the LomoChrome Purple film, I bought it as quickly as I could. I think a large part of the reason people don’t like it is because they don’t understand it. They don’t get why someone would want to shoot with a film that doesn’t accurately represent reality. For me, I’m always looking for a way to make my photos more unique. What’s the point of creating the same images that everyone else has created? And the more surreal I can make my images, the more I love them. I’d rather create images that transport me to another world then create images that look exactly like the world that I see every single day. Of course, most of the time I end up shooting with regular color film when I’m hired by clients, but whenever I take a trip out of the country, I always make sure to bring at least one roll of LomoChrome Purple. And when I get home and send my film out to get processed, that’s always the roll of film I’m most excited to get back to see how the photographs turned out.

Here are my favorite LomoChrome Purple photographs from our trip to Kauai. I used a disposable 35 mm camera with pre-loaded LomoChrome Purple, but you can also buy LomoChrome purple as a loose roll of 35 mm to use with any 35 mm camera you’d like! I hope these sample photos help to give you an idea of what this film is capable of. I love all of the tones and the overall calming and unusual atmosphere that the film creates. Let me know your thoughts below!

You can pick up a roll of LomoChrome Purple 35mm on Amazon or B&H Photo. It also comes in a 120 format, if you’d prefer medium format. :)

If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards film & processing. Find out more here!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

<3 Myles Katherine