instax Mini 11 Camera Accessory Kit, Sky Blue

Product Information

It's because the auto exposure system can now vary the shutter speed between 1/2 and 1/250, so it should be able to capture the right amount of light in all shooting scenarios. This is a big step up from the Mini 9's fixed 1/60 shutter speed, and helps massively when shooting indoors. But for anyone who still finds the Mini 12’s styling a little too frivolous, here’s the earlier Mini 40 on the left with its more serious looks, a little like a vintage film camera, albeit much the same as the Mini 11 inside.

To show it in action, I’ve filmed the view through the Mini 12’s viewfinder where you can see the old SQ1 camera positioned in the middle. This is with the lens set to the normal distance, but here’s the actual photo taken with this framing, where you can see the subject is off to one side. This is due to the parallax effect at close range where the viewfinder and lens are not showing the same thing. At first glance this would appear no different to the Mini 11 before it, but in a useful upgrade, Fujifilm has now added parallax correction to the 12 where the viewfinder adjusts when you have it set to close-up mode. This allows you to more accurately frame subjects at close range and avoid them appearing off-centre. The Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 improves on the previous generation Instax Mini in meaningful ways, making instant photography more accessible than ever with a largely accurate auto exposure system and an adjustable lens that works for close-ups and selfies as well as portraits and landscapes. Switching the camera into selfie / close-up mode also reduces the power of the flash to minimise over-exposed subjects. Here’s two selfies I took, with the older Mini 11 on the left and the new Mini 12 on the right. The difference is subtle in this comparison, but the Mini 12 selfie on the right is definitely a little less washed-out, showing better skin tones and more detail. And at the other end of the scale, the Mini 12 still over-exposes bright outdoor scenes. Here’s a couple of shots I took in Brighton on an overcast day where the sky is completely washed-out – and remember this is England in Winter. If it’s sunny, the subject can become washed-out too, so beware of using any INSTAX cameras for bright daytime photography.The INSTAX Mini 12 is the latest instant camera to use Fujifilm’s enormously popular INSTAX Mini film. Launched in March 2023 and available in five pastel colours, the Mini 12 produces small prints using a fully analogue process that eject straightaway and gradually develop before your eyes in roughly 90 seconds.

It's an issue we've seen in other instant cameras, though, so it's more of a learning curve for the photographer than a failing of the camera. Constant firing flash (automatic light adjustment), recycle time: 6.5 seconds or less (when using new batteries), effective flash range: 0.3 to 2.7 m Speaking of selfies, now giving the lens barrel an extra pull extends the lens ready for close-up shooting. It's a much simpler system than the Mini 9's easily forgotten clip-on attachment, though you have to grip the lens barrel awkwardly to close it up again, otherwise you end up turning the camera off completely.

Specifications

There's no way to disable the flash, no self timer, and no tripod thread on the bottom. This is about as simple as instant cameras get. Anecdotally I found most of the selfies I took with the Mini 12 looked better exposed than those from earlier models, and since that’s a key use for the camera, it’s a useful upgrade – unless of course you like the washed-out look. With all three side by side, from left to right, the Mini 9, 11 and 12, you can see how Fujifilm’s evolved the styling, and I have to say I really like the look of the latest model which moves away from the almost toy-like bubble appearance of the earlier ones without losing its cuteness. Which do you prefer? The twisting control comes from the earlier SQ1 seen here, and makes the Mini 12 easier to use than previous models.