Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the Instax Mini 99 an Instant camera designed for fujifilm's Instax Mini film launched in March 2024 And costing around $200 or £175 is aimed at anyone who wants more Control than a budget model like the Mini 12 while remaining a fully analog Camera the 99 let you brighten or darken Exposures offers bulb and double Exposure modes has three Focus zones a Rechargeable battery a tripod thread and Features colored LEDs inside the body to Deliver pretty neat effects without any Digital manipulation now these will Roughly double the camera's price over a Basic mini 12 but I reckon they're worth It for those who want more than a fully Automatic experience it's by far the Most advanced analog insx camera from Fujifilm to date and it's easily become My favorite as an analog camera the mini 99 doesn't have a sensor a screen or any Memory or any means to transfer images To your phone instead the light from the Lens directly exposes the film inside With paper prints emerging after you Take the shot and with the image fading Interview a couple of minutes later if You want to share one of these photos on Your phone you'll need to take a photo Of the print itself although fujifilm's Updated Instax app at least makes this Easy like all Instax Mini cameras the
Mini 99 is only compatible with Instax Mini cartridges which contain 10 prints And cost around $15 or pounds for a twin Pack so that works out at around 75 Cents or 75 p a print larger packs are Also available and sometimes work out a Bit cheaper and Fujifilm also sells a Variety with different border Styles if You fancy it as well as monochrome Cartridges for black and white Photography inst sta mini prints are Roughly credit card sized with the Actual pitch measuring 2.4x 1.8 in or 62 X 48 mil leaving a little bit of room on One side for writing a note or a caption With a marker pen I generally shoot Instax Mini in the tall portrait shape So the extra space is below the image Rather than to its side the mini 99 is The Unofficial successor to the mini 90 Also known as the neoc classic a camera Released about 10 years ago and while Now long discontinued you may still find One for about $50 or pounds less like Most new Instax cameras there's a number Of features shared with the previous Model but the mini 99 boasts many more Upgrades than the entry level Series has Seen in a long time making it the most Advanced analog camera in the in series To date in terms of design the mini 99 Is closer to the vintage style of the Mini 40 on the left sensibly steering Away from the cuter but inevitably more
Toilight looks of the mini 12 on the Right so it's out with the mini 12's Curves pastel colors and smooth finish An in with sharper angles and a classy Looking orbe it not rubberized black Textured finish with engraved lettering Sadly the 99 lacks the red and brown Versions of the old 90 so it's black Only for now if you prefer to to cover Up though Fujifilm sells an optional Case for the mini 99 which continues the Retro styling in a classy feature Inherited from its predecessor the mini 99 is powered by a rechargeable and Removable lithium ion battery or be a Different type to the mini 90 sadly this Battery still can't be charged in camera Though so you'll need to remove it and Fit it into the supplied charger which Is a bit of a shame this is however Powered by USBC and while Fujifilm does Supply a cable you'll need to provide Your own AC adapter in another classy Move over the budget models the 99 Inherits the tripod thread of the 90 It's squeezed into one corner but the Camera is so light you can still keep it Steady with even a small tripod new to The mini 99 is a small metal cylinder Which screws into the tripod thread Providing an unusual looking additional Grip which is actually surprisingly Effective when shooting in the tall Vertical orientation or bit less so when
Shooting in the horizontal wide Orientation this little cylinder also Includes the thread on the opposite side So you can still use it on a tripod if You like it does look a little bit odd But it still works like all of Fuji Films analog inax mini cameras the 99 Employs a 60mm f12.1 lens which on Mini Film delivers coverage equivalent to Around 34 mil so that's a mild wide Angle ideal for General use from Portraits and selfies to buildings and Landscapes as with previous models Twisting a ring around the lens Barrel Extends it for use while also powering Up the camera like the mini 90 before it There's three focusing ranges with the First twist preparing the camera for Subjects between 3 m and infinity a Second small twist refocuses the lens For subjects between 60 cm and 3 m while A final twist adjusts it for subjects in A 30 to 60 cm range this choice of three Ranges is a little more sophisticated Than the two ranges of the basic mini Cameras like the 12 although the closest Focusing distance is actually pretty Similar in the first of the new features A small lever on the front of the lens Barrel partly closes a small Iris which In turn creates a vignetting effect Where the corners on your prints become A bit darker this is a really fun way to Physically apply a vignette but do
Remember to switch it back when you're Done otherwise you're going to get those Darker corners and all your pictures When holding the camera for vertical Prints you'll use the shut release Button on the front that's to the left Of the lens housing but in a considerate Move Fujifilm has also equipped the Camera with a second shutter release Button on the side that's more Comfortable to use when you're shooting In the horizontal or landscape Orientation that second shutter button Is actually inside one of the other Major upgrades on the mini 99 a pair of New control dials on the side the dial On the left dials in one of six new Color effects faded green warm tone Light blue soft magenta sepia and light Leak at first these all sound like Forgettable digital effects until you Remember this is a fully analog camera So how's the mini 99 applying them Opening the film compartment on the back Reveals the 99 secret a colored LED in Each corner of the frame which Illuminate during an exposure to add Extra color you can see them faintly Blink briefly as I go through the modes Here I reckon this is absolute genius And I love how they're applying a Variety of color defs in a fully analog Workflow they're not too heavy-handed Either although since they are adding
Extra light you may want to underexpose Your shots when using them lightly proed To be my favorite of the effects and it Actually seems to use different Combinations of light on each pitch you Take giving them a unique look meanwhile The dial on the right hand side houses The second shut release button and more Importantly acts as an exposure Compensation control with two options to Lighten the image and two to darken it l And l+ brighten the image by plus 2/3 or Plus 1 EV respectively while D and D+ Darken it by – 2/3 or – 5/3 EV now I Often find that analog insa cameras can Under or overexpose under certain Conditions so I'm delighted to have some Kind of manual control over that now to Be fair the earlier mini9 also had some Exposure control but the 99 takes it Further allowing it to handle a broader Range of conditions at least until you Hit the extremes of the shutter speed Range which is the same on both of those Cameras note that both dials do turn Quite easily and neither are lockable so Do beware when pulling the camera out of A bag or a snoke pocket remember the red N on the left left dial stands for Neutral with no color effects applied While the single dot in the middle of The right dial is for normal exposures But that's not the end of the controls As there's three buttons and an LCD
Screen on the rear pushing the mode Button Cycles between five options Normal indoor which uses slower shutter Speeds to brighten Interiors Sports Which uses faster shutters to freeze Action Double Exposure which lets you Take two shots that are combined on a Single pitcher and bulb which keeps the Shutter open for up to 10 seconds while You keep the shutter button held all put The normal mode are indicated with an Icon on the screen along with the Battery life and the shots remaining in Your cartridge note that there are some Restrictions based on the lens focusing Range for example when set to the Closest focusing Zone indoor and sports Become unavailable pushing the self Timer button in the middle toggles a 10-second self timer with a light on the Front which blinks for the final 3 Seconds coupled with the tripod thread It actually makes the Mini 99 pretty Practical for keeping slow exposures Nice and steady although do note that The self timer won't work with the bulb Mode as that requires you to manually Hold the shutter button down for as long As you want it to stay open for so You'll have to do that very carefully And finally the flash button Cycles Between Auto based on the conditions Fill which always fires off and radar Reduction there's also a slow Synchro
Mode when used with the indoor mode Again nothing new over the mini 90 but Having control over the flash is a big Improvement over those basic Instax Models which basically fire it blindly Every single time the screen on the back Also indicates the color mode to remind You if you've got one of them selected But it doesn't show the current Brightness setting by the other dial so Again it's worth checking the position Of both of those dials before you commit To pushing the button after all remember Each print is costing you the best part Of a pound or a dollar so it's really Annoying when they don't come out right As an analog camera composition is with An optical viewfinder only on the rear Which like any kind of guidelin so it's Something that you just have to get used To as always Parallax means the accuracy Of the viewfinder also reduces at closer Ranges but in another considerate move The mini 99 slightly adjusts the Viewfinder coverage when you twist the Lens to the minimum distance it's still Not 100% accurate but it definitely Helps like the mini 90 before it though The 99 lacks the selfie mirror on the Front of those budget models now this Little mirror may seem a bit cheesy but It genuinely helps you compose selfies With those models and I actually missed It here so for selfies on the 99 you'll
Just be shooting blind okay now for some Prints that I took with the mini 99 and I wanted to start with a view that's Normally Overexposed on the basic analog Mini cameras even on an overcast day Here the print on the left was taken With a normal exposure or be it with the Vignette enabled hence those darker Corners while the version on the right Was taken with the darkest D Minor Setting and the vignette disabled you Can clearly see how the image on the Right is darker retaining details in the Overcast sky and white peer building Which are completely washed out on the Normal version will be in turn losing Most of the foreground to Shadow insta Film does have a fairly limited dynamic Range so unless you're very creative With the Flash and the subject distance You'll generally have to sacrifice Either bright highlights or Dark Shadows But at least you now do have some Control over that note the mini 99 Shares the same shutter speed range as The mini 90 in most of its modes so That's 1.8 seconds to 4 100th of a Second and that gives both of those Models a broader selection than the Basic instat cameras allowing them to Better handle brighter or darker Conditions I personally found the Vignette control didn't work Particularly well when given the
Completely blown out white sky as you Can see on the left but when you Deliberately underexpose a picture or Have more clor across the frame it can Be much more effective as seen in this Shot on the right and now here's another Deliberate underexposure for a moody Result orbe it now taken without the Vignette or the other end of the scale Here's a couple of examples taken Indoors in low lights with the flash Turned off and that in turn has forced The camera to deploy a slower shutter Speed for a correct exposure the cafe Shot on the left was handheld so it is Suffering from a little bit of wobble at The slowest shutter speed but the Guitars on the right were taken from a Mini tripod with a self timer showing How crisp the results can be if you're a Bit more careful with your Technique Taking this even further here's two Shots I took using the bulb mode at Night as double decker buses drove past In both cases I was using a mini tripod Carefully keeping the shutter fully Pushed until the print emerged so both Represent the longest 10c exposures now Limitations with the actual Instax film Itself means you'll sometimes notice Dark marks where the paper has become Oversaturated such as in the middle of Very bright lights but overall I love Being able to make longer exposures like
These it gives the 99 and the earli 90 Greater control than those basic models Also inherited from the mini9 the chance To make double exposures now as a fully Analog process there's no chance to Preview the first shot as you line up Your second and I'd also recommend Underexposing both shots otherwise You're going to end up with too much Light but again it's a really fun and Creative bonus over those budget models Moving on to the big new feature of the 99 over any model to date though here's Some examples of the various color Effects again generated by those little Colored LEDs inside the body itself now These have varying success depending on The subject but I just love how they're Being created entirely in the analog Domain without any digital manipulation Not that for brighter landscape views You may wish to combine them with a Deliberate underexposure I find that the Colors look better then of all the Effects I think my favorite is the light Leak mode which appears to generate a Random result each time or at least have A few different combinations for the Camera to pick from again the result can Inevitably look a little bit faded or Overexposed but then that's what a light Leak would do and give it's being Generated artificially I think it Actually looks quite authentic certainly
As someone who's suffered from several Film cameras with light leaks I can tell You the result isn't dissimilar and it Gives a nice vintage style to some of These photos it's so much fun playing With the various effects that you forget The camera can also take normal pictures Under normal conditions in fact it's the Sheer variety of conditions that the Mini 99 can work under that makes it by Far fujifilm's best analog in status Camera so far it may inherit a great Deal from the now discontinued mini 90 But it genuinely adds some new and Innovative features most notably the Vignette and the color effects applied By a physical Iris and internal LEDs Respectively now we've seen similar Effects in the digital domain including On several of fujifilm's digital Evo Models but I just love that they're Being generated in a fully analog system Here couple them with some control over Exposure and you've got a camera that's Not only more fun than the basic models But capable of handling a much broader Range of conditions from light to dark Not only does this provide greater Creative options but it means far fewer Wasted prints due to limitations on Those budget models sure composition With the basic Optical viewfinder is Still a weak point on all of fuif films Analog insa cameras but even third-party
Instant slrs like those from nons Involve compromises too if you want Accurate framing on an instant camera You're just going to need to dump your Fully analog fantasy in favor of a Digital model and while the mini 99 may Also lack the full manual exposures of The nons slrs I felt there was still Sufficient control to achieve pretty Much any effect I wanted under pretty Much any condition in fact short of Developing a completely new framing System the only thing I'd request in the Future of versions for Instax square and Instax wide formats if you personally Prefer the mini format do also keep an Eye open for discounted mini 9s which Offer a similar degree of control but Overall the 99 does become fujifilm's Best analog camera today and it's well Worth spending the extra over say a Basic mini 12 is very welcome for anyone Who wants a practical upgrade in control And creativity while maintaining a fully Analog system right that's it for this Review I hope you found it useful do let Me know what you think in the comments If you are interested in other Instax Products be a different shape a digital Camera for more predictable results or a Portable printer for use with your phone I've reviewed all of them on my channel So do check out some of them if you're Interested thanks for watching this
Video and I'll see you next time bye-bye
