Can we all agree on the reason why instant film cameras have been making a comeback is because of Instagram? Or am I the only one who thinks that way? Either way, people are all over this new fad and here is a hybrid instant camera the community should be keeping an eye on, the Instax Square SQ10 by Fujifilm.
The Instax Square is Fujifilm’s first hybrid digital instant camera as part of the Instax line. It features a minted 1/4-inch CMOS sensor with a 28.5mm f/2.4 fixed lens and an image processor. This little beauty costs $280 unlike the Instax Mini 8 which only costs $70. (Yes, a huge difference) This hybrid camera is for people who really love the instant film cameras and are willing to shed the money for it.
This camera lets you control vignette effect, set exposure and select from 10 different filters. (Let’s face it, you cannot have enough filters) You can save your photos to the internal memory or storage media where you can view and print them anytime you want. The Instax SQ10 comes with a TFT color LCD monitor to edit the photos that you take. It also has a split display which lets you view the photos and print them. Keep in mind that the LCD monitor is not touch screen.
If you like to snap photos a lot the battery life of the camera is pretty good. You can print up to 160 photos with one battery life and you can charge the camera via USB. The camera comes with 10 prints, but once you run out of it and want to order more it costs around $18. The Instax Sq10 is a bit bulky due to its built-in screen and the metal ring around the lens which, by the way, is also the power button. The Instax Square SQ10 also has two shutter buttons for pictures to be taken with ease. For example. let’s say you’re trying to take a selfie with your camera, the double shutter button on both sides will help you take that shot since no one likes to hold their camera awkwardly while trying to capture the perfect image.
If you love the idea of instant film cameras and want to take cool photos with a bit of a bulky camera and don’t mind spending the money, then here you go. Now, what we really need is double shutter buttons for iPhones…
What does the $18 re-order get you? 10 more prints?
Probably not. I wonder if anyone is actually buying these.
I wonder what the actual size is though. To me it just seems like it would be a handful to carry around.
Yeah, If this thing would fit into my book bag, or even a small purse, I would be all over it. Just for fun of course.
For a portable option that is nice when you do not have your smartphone, I can see buying this. The double shutter is nice for the selfie reason, one thing that is tough for smartphones and the fact that you can recharge with USB puts it ahead of other “lower” end cameras on the market.
it does not surprise me that more companies are coming into the digital camera market, but it does surprise me when I see a camera you are going to pay almost $300 for and it has limited “real” features needed in today’s camera world.
I still think that most people are going to use a smartphone before using this.
You are probably right, but there are those old schoolers that like to carry things like this around just for conversation sake.