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The Best Instax Mini Camera and Printer ComboFujifilm Instax Mini Evo

$234 Amazon

The Video StarFujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema

$410 Amazon

Best For Manual ControlsFujifilm Instax Mini 99

$235 Adorama (Bundle With Film & Album)

Best Instax Camera on a BudgetFujifilm Instax Mini 12

$94 $84 (11% off) Amazon

There's something magical about watching an image develop right before your eyes. The Polaroid camera arrived in 1947, and ever since, the world has been fascinated by instant-print cameras. Even with a smartphone camera in every pocket, the appeal of the instant print hasn't diminished.

Today, Fujifilm's Instax line of cameras and printers largely fills the instant camera niche Polaroid created. There are other options, but Fujifilm's Instax cameras and printers have provided the best image quality and most reliable results in our testing. I've been testing and using Instax printers for almost two decades and have owned all but one of these. The lineup can be confusing, but these are the best Instax cameras and printers you can buy based on my experience.

Updated April 2026: We added the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, Instax Mini Link 3 printer, and Instax Mini 13. We've also updated prices and links throughout.

Which Size Instax Prints Do You Want?

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Which Instax camera or printer is right for you depends on the print size you want. Instax film comes in three sizes, Mini, Square, and Wide.

Instax Mini Film: The smallest of the bunch, these are roughly credit card size images (3.4 inches x 2.1 inches), and are vertically-oriented with the large border on the short side. Prices on film fluctuate, but the cost of a Mini film pack is usually about $14 for 20 prints, which puts the price between $.60 and $.70 per print.

Instax Square Film: Don't let the name fool you, they're actually not quite square at 3.4 inches tall and 2.8 inches wide. They're the most Polaroid-like, though they are smaller than Polaroids. Prices are around $1 per print.

Instax Wide Film: The Instax biggie, wide prints are 4.25 inches by 3.3 inches, and are horizontally-oriented with the wide border on the long edge. Instax Wide Film prices are the highest, at about $1-$1.20 per print.

I have found the Wide and Square prints generally appear sharper, with richer colors, but this will depend on which camera or printer you choose, as quality does vary. In the end the choice is up to you. Or you can do what I did and get one of each.

How We Tested Instax Cameras and Printers

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Here at WIRED we like to extend testing to include “living with” the things we write about. In addition to testing new models when Fujifilm releases them, I own and regularly use several Instax cameras. I have been using Instax cameras and printers for almost two decades and shooting instant images for far longer than that.

To test Instax cameras I photograph a variety of scenes, varying light, color, and tones to see how the camera does across a wide spectrum of shooting scenarios (contrary to my photographer's training, Instax cameras tend to give the best results in bright, afternoon or mid morning light). To test the Instax printers I use a variety of images from a variety of cameras to see how the printer handles warmer and cooler tones, whether there are any noticeable color shifts, and how the sharpness varies depending on the source (for example images from my mirrorless camera almost universally come out sharper than images taken with my phone).

- The Best Instax Mini Camera and Printer Combo

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

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Fujifilm

Instax Mini Evo

$234 Amazon

$234 B&H Photo

$234 Adorama

The Instax Mini Evo is best camera-printer hybrid in the Instax line. As the name suggests, it prints Mini film, which is roughly the size of a credit card (3.4 inches x 2.1 inches). The body has a retro, film camera-inspired design (minus the viewfinder), but functions like rotating the aperture ring or ISO-style dial control lens effects and film effects respectively. When you're ready to print you pull the film winder. It's clever and fun, but the design is also very functional.

The Mini Evo uses a fixed aperture, F/2.0 and automatically switches shutter speed (1/4 to 1/8000 second) and ISO (100-1600) based on the exposure meter. The exposure meter is pretty accurate in my experience. High contrast scenes with deep shadows will stump it sometimes, but that's okay because the Mini Evo captures your image to its internal memory (about 45 images, expandable to 1 GB with a microSD card) so you can check your shot on the rear screen before you print. Once you have what you want, just crank the "film wind" lever and out comes your p

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