Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of Instax Mini 12. the Latest instant camera to use fujifilm's Enormously popular in Stax mini film Launched in March 2023 and available in Five pastel colors the mini 12 produces Small prints using a fully analog Process these eject straight away and Gradually develop before your eyes in Roughly 90 seconds the concept and print Quality is essentially the same as Earlier models but the 12 Now features a Newly designed body shape a twisting Barrel for easier power up and access to The selfie mode plus a useful automatic Adjustment to both the viewfinder and The Flash brightness when shooting close Up like the mini 11 before it the 12 is Not a digital camera it doesn't have a Screen or any means to connect it to a Phone or computer the only way to get Images from it into your phone is to Literally take photos of your prints Although fujifilm's new Instax up app Launched alongside the mini 12 does make Capturing and sharing them easier and it Can be downloaded free of charge by Anyone the mini 12 camera itself costs Around 79 or pounds roughly 10 more than The three-year-old mini 11 it replaces Meanwhile Instax Mini film costs around 20 or 15 pounds for a twin pack Containing 20 shots which works out at Around a dollar or 75 Pence per print
Large packs can work out a bit cheaper And Fujifilm also sells a variety of Different border Styles if you prefer to Compare the mini camera's shape let's go Back a couple of generations to the mini 9 seen here with its relatively chunky Grip note the exposure settings on the Lens Barrel which you had to set Manually back then and the button Alongside it to Power It Up Fujifilm Skips the number 10 so the next model in The series was the mini 11 seen here With its slimmed down grip and while the Push power button remained the exposure Was now fully automatic and you no Longer needed to remember a clip-on Adapter for those selfies and finally Here's the latest mini 12 showing off Its less curvy grip and switching the Push power button for a twisting Mechanism similar to that scene on the Earlier Instax sq1 with all three models Side by side from left to right the mini 9 11 and 12. you can see how fujifilms Evolved The Styling and I have to say I Personally really like the look of the Latest model which moves away from the Almost toy-like bubble appearance of the Earlier models without losing its Cuteness which you prefer but for anyone Who still finds the mini 12 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 with much the same Internals as the mini 11. now let's Switch out the mini 40 on the left for Fujifilm's most recent Instax Square Camera the sq1 which is obviously much Wider now the main difference between Them is of course the shape of their Prints Square for the sq1 and tall and Thin for the mini and since each Instax Camera or printer can only take one type Of film you should choose a model based On your preferred print shape like Previous models in the series The Mini 12 is powered by a pair of double-a Batteries housed in a compartment on the Grip side and good for up to 100 charts Or roughly 10 packs of film Fujifilm Includes a pair of disposable alklines To get you started round the back you'll Find a large door for loading the film Cartridges although do check the window First for a yellow Mark which means You've already got one loaded and if you Do a counter towards the bottom right We'll tell you how many shots you've got Remaining if the counter says s you're Safe to open the door unload a new Cartridge just align the yellow mark on The cartridge with the one on the camera Push it inside then close the door Next switch on the camera by twisting The lens Barrel then push the shutter Button this ejects the initial safety Sheet which you can dispose of and then
You're ready to go after loading a new Cartridge you'll notice the counter on The rear indicating that you now have The full 10 shots remaining the first Major difference between the 12 and the Models before it is how you actually Switch it on the mini 12 employs a Twisting control on the barrel so one Twist will power it up and extend the Lens for General use while a second Twist will extend it a bit further for Close-ups or selfies compare it to the Previous mini 11 scene here where you'd Push a large button to extend the lens And power up the camera before then Manually yanking out the lens a bit Further for those selfies or close-ups It was a bit awkward the twisting Control comes from the earlier Instax Sq1 scene here and it really does make The mini 12 easy to use than previous Models the frame your shot you can Either use the simple Optical viewfinder When you behind the camera or a small Mirror to the left of the lens when You're shooting selfies at first glance This would appear no different to the Mini 11 before it but in a really useful Upgrade Fujifilm has now added Parallax Correction to the 12 where the Viewfinder can adjust its view when you Have it set to the close-up mode this Allows you to more accurately frame Subjects at close range and avoid them
Appearing off center to show it in Action I filmed the view through the Mini 12s viewfinder where you can see my Subject the old sq1 camera positioned in The Middle with the same amount of space On either side now 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 now this is due to The Parallax Effect at close range where the Viewfinder and lens are not pointing at Exactly the same thing as I twist the Lens Barrel to the selfie close-up mode Though notice how the viewfinder changes Showing the subject now shifted to one Side I'll now move the subject to Recenter it in the viewfinder and take Another shot now while this final print Is still not perfectly centered it is an Improvement over the previous version And it allows you to be more accurate With your framing at close range with Fewer wasted prints as a consequence Twisting the lens into the selfie Close-up mode also reduces the power of The flash automatically and this is Going to minimize Overexposed subjects Here's two selfies that I took with the Old Mini 11 on the left and the new mini 12 on the right the difference is pretty 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 anecdotally I Found most of the Selfies that I took With the mini 12 did look better exposed Than those from earlier models and since That is a key use maybe the primary use For this kind of camera is a really Useful upgrade unless of course you like That washed out look as for the lens It's the same as before 60 mil which on The mini format delivers coverage Equivalent to around 34 millimeter so That's good for capturing a mild wide Angle view ideal for general purpose use From portraits and selfies to buildings And Landscapes again as before the Camera can focus between about half a Meter to Infinity but twist the lens Into its selfie close-up mode and that Range adjusts down to between 30 and 50 Centimeters as for exposure the mini 12 Remains fully automatic like the 11 Before it both employ a fixed lens Aperture an automatic shutter speeds Between 250th of a second and half a Second and like early models The Flash Will fire on every single pitch you take As before this system is adequate for General situations but it will struggle Under very dim or bright conditions The Flash is fine for Illuminating people or Other close subjects and dark Surroundings but don't expect it to see Much in the background of say a dimly Lit nightclub or a Dusky landscape and
At the other end of the scale the mini 12 is still overexposes bright outdoor Or scenes here's a couple of shots I Took in Brighton on an overcast day Where the sky is completely washed out And to bear in mind that this was taken In England in Winter if it's sunny the Subject can also become washed out so do Be aware of using any Instax cameras for Bright daytime photography it's a common Problem so to me it's frustrating that Fujifilm still hasn't fully addressed This limitation as having only a Slightly faster shutter speed could Actually resolve most overexposures Outdoors but so far this is something That affects all Instax cameras so at Least you're warned here's a few more Shots taken with the mini 12. the photo Quality is unsurprisingly similar to the Models before it albeit with the Benefits of better exposed selfies and More accurately framed close-ups these In turn should reduce wasted prints Overall the Instax Mini 12 becomes the Best budget Instax camera to date Especially if you're into selfies or Portraits the print quality may be Essentially the same as previous models But by reducing the flash power and Adjusting the viewfinder when set to Close-up mode the mini 12 minimizes Washed out subjects and inaccurate Framing and that means less wasted
Prints I also like the twisting Barrel Which makes it easier to power up and Into close-up mode on the downside Though you will still suffer from Overexposures under bright daylight Conditions but the upgrades are still Worth spending the extra Tanner over the Previous mini 11 especially if you Mostly photograph people if you've Decided that you love the Instax format There's really only two questions that You need to ask yourself first do you Want the fun and convenience of a camera Or the flexibility of a wireless printer That connects to your phone and secondly Which of the three Instax print formats Is your favorite as each model can only Use one type mini square or wide only You can decide but I've got reviews of All of them on my channel and if you do Opt for a camera that takes the mini Format then the latest mini 12 becomes The best budget option for you as always I've got links to check the latest Prices below or to shout me a coffee if You found any of this review useful Thanks for watching and I'll see you Next time bye
