An instant camera is bought for the print, not the picture quality. A phone takes a sharper photo. What it cannot do is hand a guest a small physical photograph ninety seconds after you press the button. So the questions that matter are how big that print is, what each one costs, and how many you will waste while learning.
The short answer: the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is the instant camera most people should buy. It sets exposure and flash by itself, switches on with a twist of the lens, has a mirror and close-up mode for selfies, and is rated 4.6 stars by more than 1,500 owners. It suits parties, teenagers and first-time instant shooters. If wasted film bothers you, the Instax Mini Evo lets you review a shot on a screen and print only the ones you like.
Our camera catalog holds 43 products sold as instant cameras. Most are children’s cameras that print on thermal paper, and only a handful use real instant film, so the field was narrow. We have not shot with these five ourselves; this guide compares the listings’ specifications with owner ratings and written reviews in our data. Two picks are rated below our usual 4.2-star line, and we say which and why. Prices change daily and are not printed; every button opens the live Amazon page.
How we picked
- One camera per print format. Instax Mini film, a digital hybrid that prints on Instax Mini, Polaroid i-Type film, Instax Wide film and inkless thermal paper.
- Real instant film first. Four of the five use instant film. The fifth is a thermal-print camera for children, labeled as such.
- Owner ratings and what is behind them. Three picks are rated 4.5 or 4.6 stars. The Polaroid Now is at 4.1 and the Instax Wide 400 at 4.0; they are here because they are the only cameras in our catalog for those film formats, and their weak points are spelled out.
- Plain cameras over accessory bundles. Several listings sell the Mini 12 with cases and albums; we picked the camera alone. The Mini Evo appears in our catalog only as a bundle.
The picks
The Mini 12 removes the decisions. Exposure and flash are automatic. Twisting the lens turns the camera on; twisting once more enters close-up mode, where the viewfinder shifts to match the lens so a selfie is framed the way you saw it. Prints are 2 x 3 inches and leave the camera in about five seconds. It runs on two AA batteries, which are included along with a hand strap and a one-year limited warranty. Owners in our data use it at baby showers and birthdays and give it to teenagers. Their complaints are consistent: the photos are small, the film is expensive enough that you become selective, and one reviewer found the picture-only manual useless.
- Fully automatic: twist the lens to turn on, press to shoot
- Close-up mode lines the viewfinder up with the lens for selfies
- Print ejects in about five seconds and develops in about 90
- 4.6 stars from 1,542 owners
- No film in the box
- Owners call the prints tiny and the film pricey
- Indoor and night shots come out dark without good light, one owner warns
The Mini Evo is a small digital camera with an Instax Mini printer inside. You shoot, look at the result on the 2-inch screen, and print if it is worth a sheet of film. Owners in our data name that as the reason to buy it; one says older Instax models waste film while you learn, because every shot prints. The Evo offers ten lens effects and ten film effects, exposure and white balance adjustment, a macro mode and a self-timer, and prints at 600 dpi in a rich or a natural color mode. The app sends phone photos to the camera for printing and saves printed shots back to the phone. This bundle cost almost four times as much as the Mini 12 in our data, and one four-star reviewer thought the filter modes added little.
- Review the shot on screen and print only the ones you want
- Prints photos sent from a phone through the free app
- 100 combinations of lens and film effects, plus macro and self-timer
- 4.6 stars; owners praise the choose-before-you-print control
- By far the most expensive pick at the time of writing
- 612 ratings, a small sample
- One owner reports the camera stopped detecting film after eight months
Polaroid Now 3rd Generation I-Type Instant Camera + Film Bundle
If the point is the full-size Polaroid print, this is the camera. The third-generation Polaroid Now has a two-lens autofocus system that picks the lens for you, and Polaroid says the light meter and ranging sensor were repositioned for sharper pictures in bright light. It takes both i-Type and 600 film, charges over USB-C and is rated for more than 15 packs per charge. The 4.1-star average from 1,483 owners reflects a split in the reviews we hold. Some are delighted, including a buyer surprised by a good first photo in a dim room. Others describe dull color, a green cast or blur. Buy it for the look, shoot in good light, and expect to lose a few frames learning it.
- Shoots full-size Polaroid film, the large format people picture when they hear the word
- Rechargeable over USB-C, no disposable batteries
- Tripod mount, filter compatibility and double exposure for experimenting
- Bundle includes film for 16 color photos
- 4.1 stars, below our usual line
- Owners in our data report dull or greenish color and some blurry shots
- Film is described as pricey by buyers
Instax Mini prints are too small for eight people. The Wide 400 uses Fujifilm’s larger Instax Wide film and is set up for groups: a self-timer lever gives you up to ten seconds with an LED countdown, and an included angle accessory props the camera at one of two heights so nobody has to stay out of the frame. Exposure and flash are automatic, and the included close-up lens handles macro. Owners in our data like the format most of all; one set it beside a wedding guest book. The 4.0 rating comes from a small sample with real complaints: dim indoor shots, a flash that suits close subjects only, a learning curve that costs film, and one camera that stopped ejecting prints within three months.
- Wide prints fit a whole group or a landscape
- Self-timer with LED countdown, set in two-second steps up to ten
- Angle accessory props the camera for timed shots
- Owners use it for weddings and guest books
- 4.0 stars from 331 ratings, the lowest and smallest sample here
- Several owners report dark or blurry indoor photos
- One owner had film stop ejecting after two to three months
This is not an instant film camera, and one owner in our data puts it plainly: it is a thermal print camera, not a Polaroid. For a child that is an advantage. Each print appears in about a second on paper that needs no ink, so a five-year-old can photograph the dog forty times without using a dollar of film per frame. The camera also saves color photos and 1080p video to the included 32GB card, and printing can be switched off to save paper. One owner suggests it for ages five and up and another reports a year of use; two received units that arrived damaged or would not print, so test it on arrival. For more options at this age, see our kids cameras guide.
- No ink or film: prints on thermal paper, three rolls included
- Keeps a color copy of every photo on the included card
- Soft shockproof shell, front camera for selfies, 6x zoom
- 8,624 owner ratings at 4.5 stars
- Prints are black and white and look like a receipt, not a photograph
- Hold still or the shot blurs, one owner notes
- Games and MP3 playback add screen time
Compare the picks
| Product | Print format | Choose before printing | Power | Owner rating | Our score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fujifilm Instax Mini 12Fujifilm | Instax Mini, 2 x 3 in | No | 2 AA | 4.6 / 1.5k | 9.2 | See price |
| Fujifilm Instax Mini EvoFujifilm | Instax Mini | Yes, plus phone prints | USB-C (owner report) | 4.6 / 612 | 9.0 | See price |
| Polaroid Now Generation 3Polaroid | Polaroid i-Type / 600 | No | USB-C rechargeable | 4.1 / 1.5k | 8.2 | See price |
| Fujifilm Instax Wide 400Fujifilm | Instax Wide | No | Not listed | 4.0 / 331 | 8.0 | See price |
| ETIKEZ Kids Instant PrintETIKEZ | Thermal paper, B&W | Yes | USB-C rechargeable | 4.5 / 8.6k | 8.5 | See price |
What to know before you buy an instant camera
The film decides the camera. Instax Mini, Instax Wide and Polaroid i-Type are three different films, and none fits another system’s camera. Decide what size of print you want, then pick the camera that shoots it.
Every press costs money. On a film camera each shutter press makes a print, good or bad. Owners in our data put a print at about a dollar, and reviews of all four film cameras mention the cost. Budget for film and check what is in the box: the Mini 12 ships without film, while the Polaroid bundle includes 16 shots and the Evo bundle a twin pack.
Analog or hybrid. An analog camera exposes the film directly. A hybrid like the Mini Evo takes a digital photo and prints it on film afterwards, so you lose some of the surprise and gain the ability to reject a bad frame and print from a phone.
Zink and thermal are not film. Some cameras print on Zink paper or thermal rolls. The results look different from film. The Kodak Printomatic in our catalog prints 2 x 3 inch sticky-backed Zink photos and has more than 26,000 ratings, but it averages 3.9 stars and owners in our data describe washed-out color, so we left it out.
If you want better pictures and do not need a print in your hand, our guides to point-and-shoot cameras and mirrorless cameras for beginners are the places to look.
Which instant camera is best for beginners?
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 12. Exposure and flash are automatic, it switches on with a twist of the lens, and a second twist sets close-up mode for selfies. Owners in our data describe it as simple enough for younger children to use.
How much does instant film cost per photo?
Our data has no film prices, but owners of the Instax Mini Evo and Instax Wide 400 both put a print at about a dollar, and Polaroid buyers call their film pricey. The ETIKEZ kids camera avoids the cost by printing on thermal paper rolls, three of which are included.
What is the difference between Instax Mini, Instax Wide and Polaroid film?
They are separate formats for separate cameras: Instax Mini makes 2 x 3 inch prints, Instax Wide is a larger format suited to groups and landscapes, and the Polaroid Now uses full-size i-Type or 600 film. None fits a camera built for another.
Can I print photos from my phone on an instant camera?
Among these five, only the Instax Mini Evo can. Its free app sends a phone photo to the camera, lets you crop and adjust it, and prints it on Instax Mini film.
Why do my instant photos come out dark?
Usually because there was not enough light. Owners of the Instax Mini 12 and Instax Wide 400 in our data both report dim results indoors and at night. Move closer, add room light, or shoot outside.
Bottom line
Start with the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12: it is automatic, well liked and the simplest way into instant film. Pay more for the Instax Mini Evo if you want to pick your prints, choose the Polaroid Now for large classic frames and the Instax Wide 400 for groups while accepting their lower ratings, and give the ETIKEZ to a child who will press the button two hundred times.
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