The 3 Best Instant Film Cameras for Your Next Party
These instant film cameras will shoot photos you and other guests will love.
If you’re going to a party, there’s no reason not to bring instant film cameras. They’re so fun. You point, shoot, and get the photo. What’s better than that? You can then get back to drinking and hang out with those you care about. And better yet, it’s almost impossible for anyone to look bad with instant film. That’s because of just how big the lenses are and how they work with the film. And yes, you’re shooting real instant film–sort of like Polaroids back in the day. Check out this guide on choosing the best instant film cameras.
The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house by our staff. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve thoroughly reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance that it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge.
Pro Tips for the Best Instant Film Camera
Choosing the best instant film camera isn’t easy. Here’s what you should keep in mind.
- How big do you want your images to be?
- Do you want more details or fewer details on your face? Do you typically use a beauty filter?
- Who is using it in your household?
- What color do you want?
- Square or business card?
- Are you ready to have fun?
Fujifilm SQ1: A Beauty Among Instant Film Cameras
In our review, we state:
“The Fujifilm SQ1 doesn’t have very much to it. Loading the film is straight forward. The same goes for installing the batteries. And using the camera is deceptively simple. I thought it would have more complicated settings, but it doesn’t. Turn the lens ring to the on, off, or selfie mode, and that’s it. The 65mm f12.6 lens is made of plastic and shoots as close as just under a foot away. That’s fun, for sure. But the best part is that with this lens, no one is going to look unflattering. It’s too soft to render much detail from someone. And because it’s a medium format equivalent, everyone looks better at a given focal length.”
Lomography Lomo’Instant Square: A Lot of Retro Fun!
In our review, we state:
“So what’s great about this camera? The lens: it’s incredibly sharp and when you add flash to the scene it’s going to deliver a sharpness that rivals so many cameras out there. In fact, the imaging area is slightly larger than 6×6 medium format. For that reason, I really wish that there were manual controls. But that isn’t happening anytime soon if my conversations with Lomography’s owners were any sort of hint at the future. Still though, I have to admit that if you were to take this image quality and put it against Fujifilm’s the Lomography Lomo’Instant Square will win hands down each and every time.”
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11: A Rare Glass Lens
In our review, we state:
“Due to the glass lens in the Fujifilm INSTAX Mini 11, the images are sharper and better than before. The better image quality is also thanks to what I believe is new metering in the camera. As far as a purely analog Instax experience goes, these are some of the sharpest images that I’ve seen. Lomography also has sharp glass lenses. MiNT’s aren’t that sharp when working with Instax, but they’ve got their own charm for sure. The nicest thing about the Fujifilm INSTAX Mini 11 is that the images are sharp and well balanced without looking like their digital images being printed.”