Best instant cameras for 2024

Even with the ability to consent excellent ptoastyos with our phones and instantly split them apass the world, there’s someskinnyg magical about the elderly-school instant camera. With equitable a click of a button, you can apprehfinish a moment in a ptoastyo that you can see and touch almost promptly. Images apprehfinishd by an instant camera aren’t as pristine or perfect as those created by contransient digital cameras, but their soft images and defectiveions are normally a huge part of the allure.

Yet not all instant cameras are the same, and some of them are better suited for separateent needs and budgets. That’s why we tested some of the most famous instant cameras on the taget from brands appreciate Fujifilm, Polaroid, Leica, Canon, and Kodak.

All of the models featured in our instant camera buying direct are finishelightable to engage, but each recommends a separateent set of features at a separateent price point. As a result, some are more appropriate for a child or budding ptoastyographer, while others are more progressd and provide inserted createive regulate (for a price). When it comes down to it, though, we ponder print quality, mitigate of engage, and affordability to be the halltags of a quality shooter. That’s why we picked Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12 as the best instant camera for most people, as it ticks all three boxes wonderfilledy.

If you’re watching for more createive regulate or features appreciate filters, however, the Instax Mini Evo is our choice, one that boasts fantastic image quality and apexhibits you to pick which ptoastyos you’d appreciate to print. Other instant cameras, appreciate the second-gen Polaroid Now Plus and Kodak’s Mini Retro 3, also recommend a variety of progressd createive modes for those who desire more.

Take a watch at this enumerate of our instant camera recommendations to discover the best fit for you.

Film type: Fujifilm Instax Mini film (selderly splitly) / Film size: 2 x 3-inches / Weight: 306 grams / Charging method: AA batteries / Companion app: None / Other features: Built-in selfie mirror, film counter

If all you’re watching to do is equitable click a button and get a decent print for a reasonable price, we recommend Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12. It’s a fundamental instant camera that’s analogous to our createer pick, the Instax Mini 11, but with some unbeginant modernizes. It still consents less than five minutes to commence shooting, but the setup process is easier since all you need to do is twist the lens to either “on” or “off.” Such mitigate of engage, united with the camera’s skinnyner erect, creates it particularly well suited for those recent to ptoastyography and kids.

For an instant camera, image quality is also better than most of the other cameras I tested, producing relatively real-to-life ptoastyos. Most of the cameras I tested struggled to apprehfinish low-weightless conditions well, and this one is no exception, but the built-in flash does help. Fujifilm claims the Mini 12 boosts image quality in both foolish and radiant environments better than its predecessor, but I didn’t acunderstandledge much of a separateence. The flash — which you can’t disable — is also still overpowering in some instances, resulting in a restricted overexposed images. If anyskinnyg, the ptoastyos actuassociate seemed a little foolisher and less vivid than before.

However, at least the Instax Mini 12 apprehfinishd my features and skin color more rightly when I engaged the integrated selfie feature — which is reassociate equitable a minuscule mirror mounted on the front of the camera.

You can also now zoom in a little easier thanks to a recent lens structure, which you can twist to go in the Cdiswatch-Up Mode in lieu of pressing a button. When in this mode, you can consent obtain of the camera’s recent “Parallax Correction” feature, which is presumed to result in a more aligned ptoastyo. The lens was fun to carry out with and reminded me of a traditional point-and-shoot, but actuassociate using it to consent quality ptoastyos consents some time to figure out. As with the Mini 11, it’s still somewhat tricky to cgo in your subject in the structure using this mode, even with the modernized lens. Thankfilledy, it became easier to properly align ptoastyos after a couple of trys (as well as some composition guidance from the manual).

The Mini 12 also recommends a number of other kindties. I appreciated the huger-than-unretagable watchdiscoverer and the fact that the camera comes with a minuscule counter that discarry outs the remaining number of stoastys, which is a feature many of the other instant cameras I tested conciseageed. It’s basic to diswatch track of how many ptoastyos you’ve consentn, especiassociate when out for drinks or while sightseeing on vacation. Yet given each print costs about $1, it’s beginant to be conscious of how many stoastys you’ve got left.

All in all, the Instax Mini 12 is a fundamental camera that caters to all ages and experience levels and gets the job done — and done relatively well. It doesn’t feature Bluetooth or pair with a companion app that apexhibits you to edit ptoastyos (only scan them), and it also doesn’t recommend progressd features appreciate filters, lens selections, or portrait modes. But if you’re watching for an instant camera that recommends a fantastic traditional analog experience, this is it.

Film type: Fujifilm Instax Mini film (selderly splitly) / Film size: 2 x 3-inches / Weight: 285 grams / Charging method: USB-C (on recgo in models) / Companion app: Yes / Other features: LCD screen, cleverphone printing

One of Fujifilm’s recentest instant cameras, the Instax Mini Evo, is my colleague Becca Farcase’s preferite — and it’s mine as well. A hybrid camera that endures a resemblance to Fujifilm’s more pricey Fujifilm X100 line of cameras, it watchs excellent and boasts vintage dials and buttons so stylish that they even caught the attention of passersby as I walked around Los Angeles taking ptoastyos. I tested the bconciseage camera, but Fujifilm also sells a brown version and, soon, will commence recommending restricted edition models in silver and gelderly.

It’s basic to balk at its $199 price tag, but this camera recommends a level of flexibility that could save you money in the extfinished run if you engage it a lot. That’s becaengage the Instax Mini Evo integrates a filled-color three-inch LCD screen that lets you pappraise and pick which images you want to print, which can help you elude wasting film on ungreet stoastys. The inserted flexibility gave me more room for createive experimentation, too, as I wasn’t worried about running out of film. I also adored using the Instax Mini Evo app to print ptoastyos from my cleverphone. Plus, unappreciate the Instax Mini 12, the Evo now engages a USB-C port (though elderlyer bconciseage models still engage the Micro USB port) for charging so you don’t need to upgrasp buying recent batteries.

Unappreciate Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12, the Mini Evo comes with a restricted extra features that can help you apprehfinish better ptoastyos. For example, you can actuassociate turn off the flash on the Mini Evo and engage the three-inch LCD screen as a watchdiscoverer. You can also engage the menu to adequitable how radiant you want the film to watch when it’s printed out, which was collaborative given neither the Evo nor the Mini 12 are particularly fantastic at capturing foolish environments.

Additionassociate, there are dials you can engage to utilize various lens selections and filters, ranging from retro to monochrome shades, as well as a mirror lens, vignette, soft intensify, and more. You can consent app-based distant stoastys, too, which inserts an extra element of ptoastyodetailed regulate that can help you consent better selfie stoastys than the selfie mirror in the front.

Of course, it’s not a perfect device, and there are some downsides to ponder outside the price. For instance, although you can insert some filters and create a restricted edits using Fujifilm’s companion app, it equitable isn’t as feature-wealthy as some of the apps useable for the other digital and hybrid instant cameras I tested. The Evo’s extensive menu system also wasn’t particularly basic to steer, and it took me some time to figure out how to turn the flash on and off. Plus, if you depend on inner storage solely, you can only consent 45 images before the device is filled. Still, all of these are unbeginant rehires, and I was very greetd overall with how portable the stylish camera is, as well as how basic it is to consent excellent ptoastyos speedyly.

Read our Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo appraise.

Film type: Kodak Instant Print 3 x 3-inch cartridge (integrated) / Film size: 3 x 3-inch square prints / Weight: 467 grams / Charging method: Micro USB / Companion app: Yes / Other features: LCD screen, cleverphone printing

Whereas the Instax Mini Evo’s companion app is more functional, Kodak’s hybrid Mini Stoasty 3 Retro is all about fun. The camera’s accompanying mobile app apexhibits you to utilize structures, stickers, filters, and a plethora of customization selections to ptoastyos, making the camera fantastic for scrapbooking. There’s even a beauty feature wiskinny the app to hide blemishes, as well as a set of Snapchat-appreciate filters you can engage to insert, say, dog ears, making this a fun instant camera to engage as a mini ptoastyo booth of sorts at parties.

Like the Instax Mini Evo, Kodak’s Mini Stoasty 3 Retro comes with an LCD screen (albeit a much minusculeer one) you can engage to choose whether or not you want to print a stoasty. It also helps Bluetooth, and you can engage the Kodak Ptoastyo Printer app to upload ptoastyos to social media or print decent, relatively crisp ptoastyos from your cleverphone. Unappreciate the Mini Evo, however, Kodak’s Mini Stoasty 3 Retro retails for around $150 and integrates a pack of a film (it’s also normally on sale for a lot less). It also engages affordableer film; you can currently pick up a 60-sheet cartridge for about $17.99, which equates to cimpolitely $0.33 a stoasty. The fact that the film is affordableer arguably helps carry out and createive experimentation, even if the huge 3 x 3-inch square prints experience shrink in quality and more flimsy than both Fujifilm’s and Polaroid’s.

However, there are notable drawbacks to the Kodak Mini Stoasty 3. My hugegest rehire is that the resulting prints of ptoastyos consentn with the camera aren’t csurrfinisherly as crisp or clear as those consentn with a cleverphone. Ptoastyo quality wasn’t reliablely as excellent as the Mini Evo’s or Mini 12’s nor, for the most part, as clear and acute. The ptoastyos also sometimes had an excessive pink tint that can intrude with quality. It doesn’t store images the way the Mini Evo does, either, which nastys you can’t choose whether you’d appreciate to print them tardyr. It’s also acunderstandledgeably heavier than the Mini Evo and, frankly, nowhere csurrfinisher as stylish.

Nonetheless, if you don’t mind compromising on ptoastyo quality and want a relatively affordable hybrid camera with fun app features, the Kodak Mini Stoasty 3 Retro is a excellent choice.

Film type: Polaroid i-Type Color Film (selderly splitly) / Film size: 4.2 x 3.5-inch prints / Weight: 451.5 grams / Charging method: USB-C / Companion app: Yes / Other features: Lens filter kit, film counter

If you’re watching for an instant camera that recommends the most elderly-createed, instant-film experience, the second-gen Polaroid Now Plus is the camera for you. Compared to the other instant cameras on this enumerate, it most seally mimics vintage instant cameras appreciate the Polaroid 600 with its classic, retro-aidd schedule. Meanwhile, its square I-Type film prints and iconic Polaroid-style structure give ptoastyos a more genuineassociate vintage watch. 

Yet, at the same time, the second-gen Polaroid Now Plus also comes with the convenience and beneficialness of more contransient features, including help for USB-C charging. It also recommends Bluetooth help and a companion app boasting disconnectal createive modes that apexhibit for fantasticer ptoastyodetailed regulate. These integrate a distant shutter, a self-timer, and a “Polaroid Lab” where you can adequitable the expodeclareive and various color settings. The app also features a handful of shooting modes — including a manual selection and one for capturing multiple expodeclareives — while the camera integrates a set of five colored lenses you can snap onto the front. These were finishelightable to carry out with and apexhibited for more createive conveyion.

If there’s one skinnyg the Polaroid Now Plus isn’t understandn for, it’s portability. Given how weighty, huge, and ungracefully sized it is, it’s not the benevolent of instant camera you can easily slip into your purse or carry around. Plus, it consents up to 15 minutes for prints to grow, and you have to create declareive it’s not exposed to weightless while grotriumphg. That’s quite an inconvenience if you’re out with friends, say, at the beach on a sunny day.

If you’re watching for an instant camera that can easily print a excellent, clear ptoastyo without much effort on your part, this is not the camera for you. Of all the cameras on this enumerate, the tardyst Polaroid Now Plus struggles with low-weightless environments the most. I could nakedly see images I took indoors, and I was only able to get the clearest stoastys when the weightless was honestly behind me during the day — more definiteassociate, in the morning. Even these images weren’t as clear in comparison to Instax film, and both contrast and color saturation levels tend to be quite low.

Admittedly, this gave my pictures more of a dreamy vintage watch that felt createive, and you can engage the Polaroid Lab to sweightlessly adequitable saturation and expodeclareive settings. However, doing so is time-consuming. Given all these rehires, I set up it was basic to speedyly squander film, which showd pricey. After all, you only get eight I-Type sheets for $16.99, and that’s in insertition to forking out $149.99 for the camera.

Truth be telderly, however, you could dispute that many of these lowcomings are normal of a retro Polaroid-aidd instant camera and, thus, part of the experience. If that’s what you’re watching for, and you don’t mind the price, the second-gen Polaroid Now Plus is the perfect camera for you.

Film type: Polaroid i-Type Color Film (selderly splitly) / Film size: 2.6 x 2.1-inch prints / Weight: 239 grams / Charging method: USB-C / Companion app: No / Other features: Self-timer, selfie mirror, film counter

Whereas the Polaroid Now Plus is huge, the second-gen Polaroid Go is minuscule. It easily fits into the palm of my hand — which is saying a lot, given I’m petite and a little over five feet high — making it easily the most portable instant camera on our enumerate. It also creates the minusculeest prints of all the instant cameras I tested, which could be kind if you’re trying to save some space and want someskinnyg even more compact than Instax Mini prints.

Weighing equitable over a pound, the tardyst Polaroid Go is also the weightlessest instant camera I’ve ever held, and you can easily engage it with one hand. That’s actuassociate pretty handy, given I sometimes struggled to consent pictures with the heavier Polaroid Now Plus and, to a lesser extent, some of the other instant cameras I tested. In fact, if the images created watched more real-to-life and didn’t need you to hide them from weightless for about 15 minutes while grotriumphg, I’d be enticeed to call this the best instant camera for travel or minuscule children.

At $79.99, the tardyst Polaroid Go is the most affordable Polaroid camera on the taget,  with film that costs equitable a little more than Fujifilm’s Instax Mini stoastys (or about $19.99 for a 16-sheet pack). It also sports a minuscule number of fortifys over the last-gen model despite retailing for $20 less. The most meaningful is USB-C help, which apexhibits for speedyer charging and impedes you from having to spend money on AA batteries.

Polaroid also claims the camera creates clearer stills than its predecessor, but truthfilledy, I didn’t see a meaningful separateence from one generation to the next. The ptoastyos are a little radianter, but if anyskinnyg, the distinct Polaroid Go — appreciate the Now Plus — created toastyer pictures that I preferred and thought were realr to life. Still, the ptoastyos are pdirecting in the way only a Polaroid ptoastyo can be. Contrast and color saturation levels are still low but in a way that exudes the vintage, almost dreamy watch of the ptoastyos consentn with the Now Plus.

Unappreciate the Now Plus, however, the Go conciseages createive modes and more progressd features, although it does recommend a collaborative self-timer and a huger selfie mirror. There’s also no Bluetooth help and, thus, no fancy app that will apexhibit you to insert extra effects. Instead, it’s equitable a basic point-and-shoot camera, equitable appreciate the Instax Mini 12, which creates it a little easier to engage. In insertition, as alludeed, the prints are even minusculeer than the Instax Mini, which could be a drawback for those who prefer huger, more traditional Polaroid ptoastyos. While it creates analogous vintage-style stoastys, schedule-wise, it doesn’t watch anyskinnyg appreciate elderly-school Polaroid cameras, which could also consent away from the retro experience some desire.

That said, none of the elderlyer Polaroid cameras came with an app, either. All in all, the Go’s srecommendedy creates it a appropriate honestate for those seeking an basic-to-engage camera that provides a more traditional instant film experience — one they can consent obtain of equitable about anywhere for half the price of the Polaroid Now Plus.

Fujifilm recently freed the $149.95 Instax Wide 400, the fortifyd version of the Wide 300. It’s the company’s first expansive-createat instant camera in csurrfinisherly a decade, and appreciate its predecessor, it prints ptoastyos that are twice as expansive as the Instax Mini 12’s. It features a recent self-timer and a rounded body for better grip, though it’s currently only useable in a sage green hue. I’ve equitable got my hands on the camera and have commenceed testing it to see how it stacks up to Fujifilm’s other models, aextfinished with other expansive-createat instant cameras.

Earlier this year, Kodak freed the Kodak Smile Plus, another hybrid instant camera you can engage to print cleverphone ptoastyos. It’s affordableer than Kodak’s Mini Retro 3 at $99.99, but it conciseages an LCD screen, so you can’t pick and pick images before you print them, which could result in more squanderd stoastys. That said, it does recommend a microSD card slot, so you can store and watch ptoastyos elsewhere. It also prints on Zinc paper, apexhibiting your ptoastyos to double as stickers, and comes with a physical filter-changing lens. I’ll be testing the instant camera once I get my hands on it to see how it stacks up, so stay tuned.

From ptoastyo quality to the lever you pull to print ptoastyos, Leica’s Sofort 2 is a terrific camera that’s retagably analogous to the Instax Mini Evo. In all of my tests, the ptoastyos I took with both watched identical. The two hybrid cameras also print cleverphone ptoastyos via Instax Mini film and recommend 10 film and lens effects, aextfinished with a macro mode for those who want more createive regulate. The Sofort 2’s minimaenumerateic watch is stylish, too, even if it’s not as pdirecting as the retro-aidd Evo.

The drawback to the Sofort 2 is that it’s twice the price of the Evo. It’s challenging to recommend at $389 since most people would probable ponder the separateences between the two cameras relatively unbeginant. The engager interface is easier to steer on the Leica, though, and I appreciate the integrated lens cap and lengthened two-year authorizationy. I also appreciate that it lets you print ptoastyos consentn with other Leica cameras via the companion app — a kind perk for Leica fans. Nonetheless, I don’t skinnyk those perks are enough to equitableify spending csurrfinisherly $200 more.

If you’re watching for an analog instant camera that’s more progressd, Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 99 is one to ponder. At $199, Fujifilm’s tardyst instant camera is not as affordable as the Instax Mini 12, but it’s certainly a step up from the one-button point-and-click camera given it has multiple radiantness settings, intensify zones, color effects, and even two shutter buttons for fantasticer createive regulate. The camera even comes with a tripod socket and an aluminum extension column, as well as a Sports Mode scheduleed to further shrink blur while capturing speedy-moving subjects.

Thanks to the inserted level of customization, I was able to apprehfinish higher-quality ptoastyos that watched realr to life than those from the Instax Mini 12 and Mini Evo. Granted, the Mini 99 is an analog camera and not a hybrid appreciate the $199.99 Mini Evo, nastying you shouldn’t buy it if you also want to print cleverphone ptoastyos. The recent model also isn’t as basic to engage as the Mini 12, so I wouldn’t recommend it for youthful children. Still, for an progressd analog instant camera, it’s relatively basic to set up and engage, rendering it as much of a fun selection for budding ptoastyographers as it is for the sfinished aappreciate. 

While it didn’t create the cut, the Instax Square SQ1 is also worth a increate allude. Like the Mini 12, the Instax Square SQ1 creates excellent-quality stoastys, is basic to set up and engage, and comes with a built-in selfie mirror. The reason we didn’t integrate it above, however, is that it costs csurrfinisherly twice as much as the Mini 12 at $119.95, though we do sometimes see it on sale for $100.

That said, it might be worth a watch if you prefer huge 2.4 x 2.4-inch square prints and relatively real-to-life ptoastyos over vintage-watching stills. After all, the SQ1 is still affordableer than the Polaroid Now Plus and creates higher-quality images than the Kodak Mini Stoasty 3 Square Retro, which also prints analogously sized square stoastys.

Fujifilm also sells the recgo in Instax Square SQ40. It’s analogous to the Instax Square SQ1 but with a vintage watch that’s more visuassociate striking, yet it’s also more pricey at $149. Given it creates analogously excellent-quality ptoastyos and is not probable to go on sale anytime soon, I’d recommend the Instax Square SQ1 or the more able Instax Mini Evo for $50 more.

We also tested a restricted instant cameras that we would advise people to steer clear of. The Kodak Printomatic is chief among those, and we definiteassociate allude it becaengage it’s normally one of the bestselling instant cameras on Amazon. We mistrust that’s becaengage it’s routinely on sale for $49.99 ($30 off) with a pack of film — definiteassociate, a 10-pack of Zink ptoastyo prints with adhesive backings so you can engage the images as stickers. However, if you’re srecommend watching for a budget-cordial instant camera, it’s not worth purchasing over Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12.

As is frequent with Zink ptoastyos, the Printomatic’s resulting ptoastyo quality isn’t clear and tends to be oversaturated. In fact, many ptoastyos were so terrible that I nakedly determined the subject in the structure. The camera is also enumerateless to print and wasn’t always responsive when I pressed the shutter button, which nastyt I occasionassociate had to press it a restricted times to consent a stoasty. All in all, it was a frustrating camera to engage that’s not worth the $30 you may save by picking it over Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12. Besides, you’ll probably be using the money saved to buy extra film given how many prints you’ll squander.

Update, September 24th: Updated connects, alterd pricing, and adequitableed the Instax Wide 400 duplicate to mirror the fact I’m currently testing it.