It's been nothing short of a triumph. The Instax Mini Evo has been well received by reviewers, and is selling like hot cakes to customers – reportedly shifting twice as many units as Fujifilm predicted. But I'm an instant camera nerd and… well, I kinda hate it.
No shade intended. The Instax Mini Evo (opens in new tab) is quite a capable device, and certainly one of the best digital instant camera (opens in new tab) hybrids (which is to say, it combines the advantages of the best instant cameras (opens in new tab) with the decidedly non-instant advantages of the best portable printers (opens in new tab)).
However, I geek out hard over instant cameras. I've got all manner of Polaroids and Lomos and Instaxes sat on my shelves, from refurbished 600s to Japan-only Minis with obscure anime branding. And while I got proper excited when I saw the Evo first appear, after using one I decided that it would be the first Instax I wouldn't add to my collection.
Now, I'm usually the last person on Earth to complain about "style over substance", because I firmly believe that style is substance. However, if a camera ever fit that bill it would be the Instax Mini Evo.
For all intents and purposes, it's a slightly snazzier version of the Instax Mini LiPlay (opens in new tab), only it's bigger and (to my eye) not as cool to look at, despite being designed as an aesthetics-first camera.
It does, however, suffer from all the same issues that the LiPlay does, such as the subpar LCD screen (compared to modern electronics), underpowered image sensor (which suffers from banding and artefacting even in relatively simple scenes), and shots that are betrayed by their low resolution if you don't print them out (meaning your phone is a better instant option).
While I definitely appreciate the "analog-ness" of the camera – like the windable film lever, and turnable dial and lens – they make the device feel more like a toy than anything. Especially with some of the very iffy looking filters available in the editing menus.
If you're looking for an all-in-one hybrid instant camera with a nostalgic twist, the Evo may well ring your bell. Personally, though, I'm much happier taking instant snaps with the Instax Mini 11 (opens in new tab) or Polaroid Now+ (opens in new tab), and using the Instax Mini Link 2 (opens in new tab) or Instax Link Wide (opens in new tab) to print out my photos on-demand.
Read more:
Instax Mini Evo review (opens in new tab)
Instax Mini LiPlay review (opens in new tab)
Instax Mini 11 review (opens in new tab)
Instax Mini Link 2 review (opens in new tab)
Instax Link Wide review (opens in new tab)
