InstantCamera
Latest
Canon takes on Fujifilm's Instax with its IVY instant cameras
Canon is going up against Fujifilm with its first instant cameras, the IVY CLIQ and CLIQ+. You can save digital photos or load them up with 10 sheets of Zinc paper and print in 2x2- or 2x3-inch formats. The cameras pack built-in flashes and selfie mirrors, optical viewfinders, microSD card slots, USB charging and auto exposure/focus. They feature wide and relatively fast 25.4mm f/2.2 lenses.
Kodak's Smile camera and printer are its latest take on instant cameras
While most companies are at CES 2019 trying to sell people on the future of technology, Kodak showed up for the show with a whole lot of nostalgia. The camera company that was once synonymous with memorable moments is hoping people will put down their smartphones and capture the perfect picture with its Smile-branded line of instant cameras and printers.
Fujifilm shakes it off with a Taylor Swift-themed instant camera
Fujifilm is no stranger to collaborating with people from other industries, particularly when it comes to its instant cameras. A couple of years ago, the company worked with designer Michael Kors on a special, fashionable edition of the Instax Mini 70, and now it's enlisting none other than Taylor Swift to help it sell its retro cameras. Pictured above is the Taylor Swift Edition of Fujifilm's first analog square-format shooter, the SQ6, which was apparently designed by the pop star herself.
Fujifilm's Square SQ20 is an ideal modern instant camera
Over the past few years, Fujifilm has been trying hard to make instant cameras a thing again. And the company has introduced yet another model at Photokina 2018. The Instax Square SQ20 follows the SQ10 from 2017, featuring a similar hybrid instant system that lets you print out Polaroid-style photos while simultaneously giving you access to a small touchscreen. That retro tech combined with digital features is what makes Fujifilm's SQ line appealing to new and old generations alike.
Fujifilm's Instax Square SQ20 uses video to improve instant photos
Fujifilm has unveiled a new Instax Square camera, the SQ20, that uses new tricks to help you capture the ideal moment. Like the original Instax Square SQ10, it shoots square, Instagram-like photos from the digital sensor, then prints out the photo right away, Polaroid style. The SQ20 has a new trick, however. By capturing up to 15 seconds of video, you can cherry pick the best still image. You can also use it to create a faux long exposure by adding motion blur, and another option, "time shift collage," gives you a sequence of up to four photos all on one frame.
Polaroid’s OneStep+ instant camera makes remote selfies possible
Following the launch of its OneStep 2 instant camera last year, Polaroid Originals is back at it again with another retro shooter -- though this time it's a smart one. Like the OneStep 2, the new One Step+ also uses the company's recently developed i-Type film, but what makes it different is that it can be paired with a smartphone (or tablet) via Bluetooth. That means you can use Polaroid Original's app to take pictures remotely, as well as get access to a set of different modes, including double exposure and a light-painting feature that'll add a bit of color to your prints. There's a manual setting in the app, too, which will let you adjust things such as shutter time, aperture and exposure on the fly.
AI-powered instant camera turns photos into crude cartoons
Most cameras are designed to capture scenes as faithfully as possible, but don't tell that to Dan Macnish. He recently built an instant camera, Draw This, that uses a neural network to translate photos into the sort of crude cartoons you would put on your school notebooks. Macnish mapped the millions of doodles from Google's Quick, Draw! game data set to the categories the image processor can recognize. After that, it was largely a matter of assembling a Raspberry Pi-powered camera that used this know-how to produce its 'hand-drawn' pictures with a thermal printer.
Fujifilm unveils its first square-format analog Instax camera
Fujifilm's Instax SQ10 is already available if you want to take square-format instant photos, but what if its half-digital technology is still too close to Instagram for your tastes? Don't worry, you're covered. The company has unveiled the Instax Square SQ6, its first analog camera to take (you guessed it) square shots. The closest you get to digital is the programmable electronic shutter release -- otherwise, it''s mostly a throwback to the pre-digital days. Not that you go without some creature comforts.
Kodak channels Polaroid for its hybrid instant camera
I still remember how excited I was when my parents brought home a shiny Kodak instant camera, and how that turned to disappointment when it was recalled in a patent dispute with Polaroid (yes, I'm that old). I'm not nearly as excited with Kodak's latest instant camera, the Printomatic, though. That's because this time, it's nearly a carbon copy of Polaroid's Snap, introduced in 2015 and produced by a third company, C+A Global, that licensed Kodak's name.
Lomography's all-analog square camera uses familiar film
Do you prefer to shoot photos with a completely analog camera, but wish you could get in on the square photo trend that's all the rage with the Instagram crowd? Lomography thinks it can help. It's crowdfunding the Lomo'Instant Square Camera, a fully analog instant camera that takes the same square Instax film you'd use in Fujifilm's semi-digital Instax Square SQ10. You won't have to look far to restock, in other words. The camera itself, meanwhile, revels in its non-digital nature -- although there are some concessions to modernity.
The best instant camera
By Erin Lodi This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After 10 hours of new research and testing (on top of three years' worth of work on previous guides), we think the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic is the best instant film camera for most people, combining ease of use, great-looking photos, and retro-cool style at a reasonable price.
Fujifilm's SQ10 is an instant camera for the Instagram generation
Instant film cameras have been making a comeback in recent years, and Fujifilm is partially responsible for this. The manufacturer's Instax Mini 8, for instance, is a best-seller on Amazon, which may have to do with the fact it only costs around $70. But the company seems to think people are willing to pay way more than that for one of its Instax shooters. Enter the Square SQ10, a hybrid digital instant camera that costs $280, offering the best of both worlds at a premium. It features a newly minted CMOS sensor (1/4-inch) with a 28.5mm f/2.4 fixed lens and an image processor that, Fuji says, will push out the best shots yet from an Instax product.
Fujifilm's new Instax camera is half digital, half instant
Panasonic isn't the only camera maker introducing a new, affordable product today. Fujifilm is doing the same with the Instax Square SQ10, a hybrid digital/instant shooter with a retro look and a 3-inch, 460,000-dot LCD on back. Inside, the SQ10 features a freshly minted system with a CMOS sensor and an image processor that, according to Fujifilm, will produce better shots than any previous Instax camera -- especially in low-light situations. In addition to that, the company is introducing a new film format, which will let you print pictures in a 1:1 aspect ratio (aka a square, like most of your Instagram posts).
Fujifilm's Instax Mini 9 is colorful and selfie friendly
Fujifilm's Instax Mini 9 might not be as chic as the brand's Michael Kors-designed model, but its color variants sure are pretty. The Flamingo Pink, Ice Blue and Lime Green versions of the instant camera will be out in April, while the Cobalt Blue and Smokey White variants will follow in June. It also takes after its predecessors and has a small mirror next to the lens that you can use to check your framing when taking selfies. Sure, that mirror's no swiveling screen like the ones found in fancier digital cameras, but it makes the model more selfie friendly than those that don't have one.
Polaroid's Pop is a user-friendly chunk of a camera
Polaroid's just-announced Pop camera could be the most basic digital distillation of its iconic instant cameras we've seen thus far -- but unfortunately, all the company had to show at CES was a non-working prototype. However, I was able to get a sense of just what we'll be dealing with when the Pop ships near the end of the year. To sum up: It's a big, chunky plastic camera that should be incredibly simple to use. There's one button on the front, along with its 4-inch touchscreen, and that's basically it. Camera lens is on the back, prints come out the top, and the bottom is a colorful plastic border with a wrist strap.
Polaroid Pop is a modern take on the company's iconic camera
Polaroid has launched a new digital camera for its 80th-anniversary year, one whose print format is a throwback to the company's iconic photos. The American electronics maker has unveiled the Polaroid Pop at this year's CES, where it also introduced a new Nest-like security cam. Pop takes on a more square-ish form unlike the Snap and the Touch, which look more like traditional digital cameras. It shares its predecessor's Zero Ink Printing Technology, though, giving it the capability to print images without the use of ink.
Fujifilm and Michael Kors made a fashionable instant camera
Fashion designer Michael Kors wants to make a mark on the tech world. Less than a month after the debut of his brand's Access Android Wear watches, a new product is being born from partnership with a popular camera maker. Meet the Michael Kors x Fujifilm Instax Mini 70, an instant film shooter that's geared toward fashionistas everywhere. Or, really, anyone who feels nostalgic and wants a camera that reminds them of the good ol' days. The MK edition of Fujifilm's Instax Mini 70 features gold tones, a 60mm lens, flash and viewfinder -- nothing shocking there.
Polaroid's digital camera with inkless printing ships in October
Despite recent experiments with photography apps and, uh, smart TVs, Polaroid is still making new cameras that print physical photos on the spot. To build on the success of its inkless instamatic Snap released last year, the company premiered the Touch at CES 2016, an upgraded version that adds a touchscreen and Bluetooth sensor. If that hybrid machine sounds right up your alley, Polaroid is now accepting preorders on its website to ship out sometime in October.
Leica unveils the Sofort instant film camera
With Kodak and others trying to make film cool again, Leica has jumped into the fray with an instant camera, the Sofort. It uses Fuji's Instax format, and Leica has even decided to release its own brand of film, available in black and white or color. The German company designed the body itself, though it's very ... un-Leica like. If anything, Fuji's own retro-styled Instax camera has a more Leica-esque look.
Impossible Project debuts its take on the Polaroid camera
The Impossible Project is releasing a new, old-timey instant camera on May 10th for people who want to be able to print their photos on the spot. It's called the I-1, and it works like Polaroid cameras of old, but with a modern twist. The I-1 connects to an iOS app via Bluetooth, giving you the power to trigger it remotely, as well as to adjust its shutter speed, aperture and flash. Plus, you can charge its battery via USB instead of replacing it when it runs out.
