There are some cameras that just make brilliant gifts, and I think the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo is right up there with the best of them. Even better, Amazon has just dropped the gorgeous brown version to $199, down from $234.95, saving you a very welcome $35.95.
And while I think this would make a fantastic gift for a loved one, I wouldn't blame you in the slightest for buying one for yourself.
The Instax Mini Evo has always stood out to me because it takes the fun of instant photography and makes it considerably more flexible. Rather than taking a photograph and immediately committing it to film, this is a hybrid instant camera, meaning you can see your shot first and decide whether it is actually worthy of using one of those precious Instax prints.
That alone makes it a much easier instant camera to live with, particularly if you're buying it for someone who loves taking photographs but doesn't necessarily want to burn through packs of film every time they press the shutter. But the Mini Evo is also just enormous fun to use.
Fujifilm gives you 10 different lens effects and 10 film effects, which can be combined to give you 100 different looks. You can play around with everything from soft focus and light leaks to monochrome, retro and vivid looks, giving the whole experience much more of that tactile, creative feeling that makes instant photography so enjoyable.
Then, when you have something you really like, you pull the wonderfully old-school print lever and turn it into a physical Instax Mini photograph.
There is also another reason I think the Mini Evo makes such a good gift: it isn't only useful as a camera. Connect your smartphone, and it can effectively become an Instax printer as well, allowing you to take photographs already sitting on your phone and turn them into physical prints.
That means even when you aren't actually shooting with the Mini Evo, it still has a reason to come out at parties, family gatherings, vacations, or just those occasions where having a real photograph feels that little bit more special than leaving another image buried somewhere in your camera roll.
And I particularly like this brown version. The combination of its retro-inspired design, physical dials, and classic-looking finish makes it feel like something you would actually be excited to unwrap.
At $234.95, the Instax Mini Evo was never the cheapest way into instant photography, but at $199 the equation changes considerably. You're saving $35.95 and getting a camera that combines digital photography, instant printing and smartphone printing in one rather lovely little package. That is exactly why I think it makes such a brilliant gift.
If you have a photographer, teenager, traveler, or simply someone who loves keeping physical memories in your life, I would have absolutely no hesitation putting the Instax Mini Evo on the gifting list. Although at $199, you might want to add your own name to that list as well. Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you end up buying for yourself.
