Fujifilm has officially introduced the Instax Pal 2 – and if you fancy getting your hands on one of the smallest and arguably strangest cameras in the Instax family, preorders are now open.
In the US the new camera can be preordered from Adorama and B&H for $169.95, while UK buyers can currently place an order through Amazon, Jessops, and Park Cameras for £144.99.
Fujifilm says the Pal 2 is expected to become available in late September, with black and white versions on offer.
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The important thing to understand about the Instax Pal 2 is that this isn't really an instant camera in the traditional sense. There is no film inside and nothing pops out of the bottom after you press the shutter.
Instead, this is an incredibly small digital camera designed to make taking photographs simple and fun, with images either transferred to your phone or sent to one of Fujifilm's compatible Instax printers or hybrid cameras if you decide you want a physical print.
It can work with Instax Mini, Square and Wide formats, giving it considerably more flexibility than a conventional single-format Instax camera.
Fujifilm has also made the Pal 2 feel much more like an actual camera than the original Pal. There is now a built-in optical viewfinder along with a 1-inch LCD screen, while the camera itself uses a 28mm-equivalent f/2.2 lens and a 1/3.06-inch CMOS sensor.
You can choose between 10MP and deliberately lower-resolution 1MP shooting (like the Kodak Charmera), which is an interesting idea if you want a more lo-fi digital look, while single autofocus and face-detection AF should make it considerably easier to use as an everyday point-and-shoot.
It can also focus from around 80mm, opening up the possibility of getting surprisingly close to your subject.
A big part of the Pal 2 is still about having fun rather than obsessing over technical specifications. Fujifilm offers five filter themes containing six effects each, with favorite effects selectable through the accompanying Instax Pal app.
There is also a new Instax Animation mode, where holding down the shutter can capture up to 10 consecutive images and turn them into a flipbook-style animation. The camera can hold around 100 photographs internally before you need to transfer them, with microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC cards also supported if you want additional storage.
I think that slightly unconventional approach is exactly what makes the Instax Pal 2 interesting.
Camera phones already make taking technically excellent photographs incredibly easy, so Fujifilm isn't really trying to compete with one here. Instead, the Pal 2 is a tiny camera you can carry almost anywhere, point at something without thinking too hard about it, and enjoy the process of making pictures again.
You can keep the results digital, share them through your phone, turn them into animations or make an Instax print afterward. At $169.95 in the US and £144.99 in the UK, it certainly isn't the cheapest way to take a photograph, but it might be one of the more entertaining.
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