Key Takeaways
- Embrace the fun and quirky prints with the Instax Mini 12 for easy, instant snapshots with colorful charm.
- Easy enough for kids to use, the improved flash creates consistent shots – perfect for party snapshots.
- Film experience without a high price tag, the Mini 12 is a great tool for slowing down and capturing moments.
Old point-and-shoots are making a comeback because of their direct flash look, quirky quality and the ability to stay in the moment when capturing memories. But the vintage tech that’s been trending for years is instant film. Coming in at around $80 in a simple colorful design, Fujifilm’s Instax Mini series of cameras has long been a favorite. Now a dozen models in, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 keeps everything there is to love about the series, but tweaks the lens and flash.
I left my iPhone in my pocket to snap photos with the Instax Mini 12 instead.
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I left my iPhone in my pocket to snap photos with the Instax Mini 12 instead. While I’ve long been a fan of the accessibility of Instax, the Mini 12 makes shooting with film easy enough — a kid can do it. And the newly adjusted flash creates great photos even in a dark room, making the Mini 12 an even better choice for party snapshots.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is a quirky, colorful instant film camera. The updated flash creates more consistent results than previous versions, while the lens also has new twist controls. It’s an excellent buy for the film experience without a learning curve or a high price tag.
- Colorful design
- Revised auto flash for more consistent shots
- Easy to use
- No double exposure option
- No manual controls
Price, specs and availability
The Instax Mini 12 launched Spring 2023 with a retail price of $79.95. A pack of Instax Mini film with a standard white border costs around $14 for two packs of 10, which is roughly 70 cents per photo.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12
- Brand
- Fujifilm
- Film Type
- Instax Mini
- Battery
- 2 AAs
- Weight
- 306g
- Self-Timer
- None
- Dimensions
- 104 × 66.6 × 122mm
- Lens
- f = 60mm, 1:12.7
- Shooting range
- 0.3m and beyond (use Close-Up Mode for 0.3m to 0.5m)
- Flash
- Constant firing flash (automatic light adjustment), recycle time: 7 seconds or less (when using new batteries), effective flash range: 0.3 to 2.2m
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Design, size, colors and materials
Colorful, retro charm wins again
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is a colorful instant camera with a rectangular shape that mimics the aspect ratio of the film it spits out. Sitting at about 2.6 inches deep, the camera is 4.8 inches on the longest side. The camera weighs just under 11 ounces, so it won’t add much weight to your bag, but you’ll probably want a protective sleeve or dedicated bag to keep the plastic from getting scuffed.
Twisting the lens turns the camera on, while one more twist will enter into closeup mode, designed for subjects .3m (just under a foot) to .5m (just over a foot and a half) away. A tiny mirror on the lens helps frame selfies.
The button to snap a photo sits on the front rather than the top. The index finger rests here naturally around the grip, but I did end up accidentally firing a photo (twice) and wasting film while grabbing the camera. Turning the camera off every time to set it down will prevent accidental shots. A flash rests near the button as well.
The back of the camera houses an optical viewfinder, a tiny window displaying the number of exposures remaining, and of course, the door for installing film which spits out of the top of the camera. The battery door sits on the right-hand side, while the included wrist loop can hook through a slot on either side of the camera. Two AA batteries power the Mini 12, which the company says will last for around 100 instant photos.
Best of all, the Instax Mini 12 comes in a wide range of fun pastel colors. The more affordable camera does have a plasticky build — and mine picked up a few minor scratches while writing this review.
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Ease of use and operating
Even a kid can use the Instax Mini 12
I’ve used a few instant film cameras before. I’ve also gifted my nine-year-old an Instax which she uses often. Using the Instax Mini 12 is fairly straightforward, but there are a few caveats to keep in mind.
Loading the film is a simple process. Pop open the door on the back and insert the cartridge. The film won’t fit if you try to load it in backwards, and there’s a yellow piece on the camera that matches up to the yellow on the cartridge. That means it’s nearly impossible to load the film incorrectly. Once loaded, trigger a shot to spit out the protective cover, and you’re ready to go.
The trickiest part of using the Instax Mini 12 is deciding when to enable the close-up mode. If you don’t turn the lens when you’re between 1.6 and .9 feet away, the shot will end up out of focus. Judging distance and remembering to switch to the closeup mode can be a challenge, both for adults and kids and preteens, since it’s easy to forget the setting sometimes.
Otherwise, the viewfinder is fairly accurate, though not a 100% representation of what the camera will produce. Overall, the Instax Mini 12 is incredibly easy to use, but it is missing some features. There are no manual options to adjust, and the camera can’t take double exposures, as film is automatically ejected.
While the Instax Mini 12 shots exclusively film, the camera can be paired with the Instax Up! app. The mobile app uses a smartphone camera to scan instant prints. The app will automatically crop out the background to the white edges of the frame. It doesn’t get it right every time, but there are built-in tools to straighten the edges and remove reflections.
The app then saves all the scans in a gallery, so if you lose the physical print, you still have the digital file. From there, you can export to your device and share on social media.
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Image quality and prints
Embrace imperfection and you’ll love it
The results from the Instax Mini 12 were exactly what I expected: imperfect prints that are bursting with character. Part of the beauty of instant film is never knowing exactly what you are going to get, then waiting and watching the image slowly develop.
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Mini film is credit-card sized, with a traditional white border that’s deeper on the bottom (leaving room for writing). The small size is easily pocketable and fun to decorate a room with if you buy the film in bulk. But it’s not ideal for high-resolution scans.
The built-in flash on the camera cannot be turned off, but it helps the camera to perform equally well in a dark room as it does in sunshine. You won’t get the range of light and dark that you do from a digital camera, with shadows sometimes being too deep and highlights sometimes being blown out to white. I actually preferred the portraits that I shot indoors in limited light, as outdoors skin tones tended to wash out.
Still, the point of instant film is to embrace non-Photoshopped moments. You won’t need to apply an Instagram filter, as the film itself delivers colorful blues and deep rich greens.
Verdict: Is the Instax Mini 12 just trendy or worth it?
The Instax Mini 12 delivers quirky, fun instant prints in an analog format that helps keep you in the moment. The camera will undoubtedly be a hit at parties, but it can also be a great tool for slowing down and putting more thought into your snapshots. There’s no screen to get distracted by either. Instax cameras also make great gifts — I’ve gifted a previous model to my preteen niece myself — and the improved flash helps make the camera easy for nearly any age to use.
While the Instax Mini 12 is an excellent choice for the $80 list price, my favorite Instax is still the Mini Evo. As a digital hybrid, the Evo takes digital photos, so you can pick and choose which ones to print without wasting film on bad shots. Plus, it has a slew of character-building tools for doing things like light leaks and double exposures. However, the Mini Evo is more than twice the cost of the Mini 12, leaving enough room for both models in Fujifilm’s lineup.
If you want to capture fun, tiny instant prints from a screenless device all for under $100, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is a great buy.
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