Don’t get me wrong, I REALLY LIKE these results and they’ve gotten me excited about shooting Instax again – this is the first box I’ve shot in over a year. That said, I’d like to feel a bit more in control of the process. Suitable for: Modern i-Type Polaroid cameras ( Polaroid Now, Polaroid Now+, Polaroid OneStep2, Polaroid OneStep+), Polaroid Lab Polaroid also sells a pair of square format films. Its I-Type has the classic 3.1-by-3.0-inch scope, but it's not as affordable as the Fujifilm equivalent, nor does it deliver as consistent or color-accurate results. Artsy photogs might still prefer it because of its larger size and greater impact, however. Polaroid's other format is the tiny Go film, but we didn't like it much when we reviewed the Go camera a couple of years ago. Left to right: Original, Color, Monochrome (using a colour image), Monochrome (using a desaturated image)

So do I like Fujifilm Instax Mini Monochrome? Yes. I think it’s fantastic. Do I like the cameras that are out there? No. Do other peoples like the cameras that are out there? Of course they do. However, I yearn for the day where I can affix a proper 120mm f2.8 lens to a camera, set my shutter speeds and apertures, focus using maybe a bellows system, and meter the film against my studio strobes. Then, and only then, would I be able to create an image that I’m really ever so truly proud of with this film. Not suitable for: Vintage Polaroid 600 cameras, Polaroid SX-70, Modern i-Type Polaroid cameras (Polaroid Now, Polaroid Now+, Polaroid OneStep2, Polaroid OneStep+), Polaroid Lab Shadows rapidly lose detail while highlights are lost. That said, I got reasonable mid-tones and saw more detail that my Instax Color images throughout the range; initially leading me to suspect that the grain was finer.

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PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. Fujifilm claim 12 line pairs per mm of film resolution for Instax Mini and my 600dpi scans proved capable of wringing as much detail out as possible (300dpi would have been sufficient, maybe even less). Instax Mini Picture Format Instant Film from Fuji. This is an incredibly sharp, credit card-sized, daylight-balanced ISO 800 film made for use in Instax Mini Series Cameras. Recognised for its excellent colour reproduction, the film has a glossy finish and is an excellent choice for general use, portraiture or even with electronic flash. Its also a fun film to use - easy to load, shoot and best of all - no wasted time at the lab wondering how your images came out. Due to its "mini" size, it is easier to carry, file and store when compared to larger, more traditional film formats. Finally, there is also a custom filter which allows you to play with brightness, contrast and saturation, but not sharpness and the saturation follows Fujifilm’s distorted perception of which colours are dark. Resulting from improved emulsion, development accelerators and development control technology it will keep your images colour-true for years

The newest instant format from Fujifilm, introduced in 2018, Instax Square film is larger than Mini and carries a 1:1 aspect ratio more like the classic shape of Polaroid film. It is available in color and monochrome, with a selection of colored and patterned frame options. If you’re using Fuji Instax Mini, there’s no reason not to grab some monochrome film to use. It’s affordable and blast to use in Fuji’s best instant film cameras. If you want to do it all in camera, at least you now have that option. Just bear in mind (or pretend not to notice) the less than truly panchromatic colour sensitivity, slightly borked green greys, blown highlights and murky shadows, both of which are mercifully not as bad as Instax Color. I’d not dare call these “art” but they are indicative of street scenes. Unlike the test prints, these were made with Instax cameras and then I worked them over in Photoshop to extract highlight and shadow detail, adjust mid-tones curves and sharpen any detail I found, then I desaturated them to remove colour casts. Thus, the images you see look better than the originals. I also took a few colour photos for comparison and so you have a better feeling for the light that day. Before working out which kind of Polaroid film you need, you first need to be aware that there are four kinds of Polaroid camera:Other cameras available use Zink thermal paper instead. This ink-free printing process delivered so-so picture quality when we tried it in the past, but we plan to look at some recent models soon to see if things have gotten better. Despite my qualms about adequate cameras really being available, the film itself is very solid. It is capable of delivering very detailed images, scans pleasantly, and simply works well. I strongly recommend it for portrait photographers, because it requires a lot of control over the scene in general to truly make it shine out amongst all other films out there.

Fujifilm Instax Color is much like that, but with less dynamic range, latitude, subtlety and overall charm. Blues in particular come out very dark. I almost thought it was a printer profile issue until I realised the printer was working right, but didn’t account for the film’s rendition; shots taken digitally and printed come out more or less as if they had been shot directly on Instax Mini Color. The goal isn’t to make true to life colours, or Kodachrome primaries, but to make flattering portraits and landscapes. Skin tones are lightened and yellows shift slightly to ruddier tones. Overall colours are muted, but reds and particularly greens remain vibrant. Blues are considerably darkened improving sky contrast. until we see the eventual release of Leica’s own version, which is most likely rebranded Fujifilm film, anyway – EMULSIVE Not suitable for: Instax Mini cameras, Lomo'Instant & Lomo'Instant Automat cameras, Instax Square cameras, Diana Instant Square, Lomo'Instant Square Glass You could cheat at instant photography competitions, if it wasn’t for a manufacturing defect on the printer which gives purple light leaks on the long sides of the print, but hey ho, it’s the only printer you can buy.I’m going to call this an informal assessment, because it’s neither properly a product review, nor a test report. However, it does go into more detail than anything I’ve found elsewhere on the internet. The enhanced developing process produces a more rapid image - less waiting time for complete development Where I normally find Instax Color produces low contrast images, my experience thusfar with Instax Mini Monochrome is one of slightly higher contrast and some pretty nice grey tones. Sure, it’s not a new 135, 120 or sheet film and it’s certainly not the return of Neopan but it is progress and it shows that if there’s a perceived market, we can get new toys to play with.