Your friends may call still call them Polaroids, but most instant shots made by millennials and Gen Z are done with Fujifilm materials, particularly its most popular Mini format.
The low cost of entry, ease of use, and instantly shareable, physical photos have made the format the populist choice.
The Instax Mini 11 ($69.95), Fuji's latest entry-level offering, finally brings fully automatic exposure, and improves the selfie capability, without losing any charm of the previous model, the Mini 9, making it our new Editors' Choice.
Pick Your Color
Fujifilm sells the Mini 11 in a virtual palette of finishes.
We received the Ice White version for review, but you can go with Blush Pink, Charcoal Gray, Lilac Purple, or Sky Blue if you prefer.
It's a plastic camera, expected at this price, with rounded surfaces all around—no sharp edges here.
That's a good thing for kids and teens, who are sure to get a kick out of snapping a picture and seeing a print develop in front of their eyes, and even the college-age set who use instant shots to capture memories that they don't want going into the cloud.
It measures 4.8 by 4.2 by 2.7 inches (HWD) and weighs about 10.3 ounces.
Power is provided by two AA batteries, and the camera won't be anything but a fashion accessory without a pack of Instax Mini film loaded.
You can get it in color or black and white, and you'll have to remember to buy some with the camera as none is included.
The design is as basic as it gets.
Film packs load in the back, and the number of shots left (out of 10 total) is shown in a cutout window.
A fixed optical viewfinder is there to frame shots, and the shutter button is the only control.
The previous model, the Mini 9, made you set exposure manually, but here it's all automatic.
The camera turns on when the lens extends—a push button next to it does the job.
You'll need to pull it out a little farther to set focus close for selfies, as well as other close-up shots.
There's a mirror on the ring bordering the lens to help with your framing.
When you're ready, just push the lens back in to turn the camera off.
To make a photo, just press the shutter in.
The flash will fire and your photo ejects from the top.
It'll show all white at first, but an image will emerge within minutes.
It's more natural to hold the camera in portrait orientation than landscape, so you'll shoot more tall photos than wide ones.
Fujifilm includes a pair of rubber shutter attachments with the camera.
You can try them out and see if they make it more comfortable to use—they're definitely softer to touch.
I didn't find them that useful, personally, but your mileage may vary.
There's no tripod socket, but there's also no long exposure mode and the Mini 11 will sit upright on a flat surface.
You can step up to the Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic or Lomo'Instant Automat if you want the option to use a tripod.
Flash Required
The lens covers a moderate wide angle, similar to a 35mm prime on a full-frame camera.
It's not bright, though—Instax Mini film is big, with a 1.8-by-2.4-inch image area, so in order to keep things small and affordable, the optics are restricted to a meager f/12.7 aperture.
That means you're going to need the flash for any sort of shot indoors or in dim light.
It does a good job in most cases, but I noticed some overexposure in tough situations, like trying to get a close-up shot of a white cat in a fairly dark room.
You end up with a slightly overexposed cat.
Still, for a snapshot camera, it works well enough.
You're going to get overexposed images more consistently when working in very bright conditions, like sunny days.
Because Instax camera lenses don't catch a lot of light, the film is extra sensitive (ISO 800).
Expect to see shallow colors when things get very bright, and if you catch the sun in a shot, it'll typically show up as a black dot.
As for image quality, it's as good as you can expect from the format.
The Mini 11 uses the same lens as many others from Fujifilm.
It has glass elements, and snapshots look quite good.
The smaller images can fit in a wallet, so they don't have as much impact as Instax Wide, Instax Square, or Polaroid I-Type formats, all of which are physically larger.
You'll spend more on those, but they're worth investigating if you're beyond entry-level photography.
For more on different film formats, check our instant photography starter guide.
The Basic Instax
Whether you're looking for an instant camera for yourself, as a starter for a budding Diane Arbus, or as a gift for a friend, it's tough to go wrong with the Instax Mini 11.
It's inexpensive, powered by the same AA batteries you already have somewhere in the house, and offers up one-button operation.
Instax Mini film is easy to find at retail, relatively affordable to buy (around $6 per pack, depending on how many you buy at a time), and you can go artsy and get it in black and white if you want.
Given its price and its one-touch operation, we're naming the Mini 11 our Editors' Choice for shoppers looking for a basic instant camera.
You'll need to buy film to get started, but you can't beat the price.
You can still find the Mini 9 at retail for a few dollars less, but most will be happier with the newer edition.
If you're looking for an instant camera with more advanced features—things like multiple exposures on a single frame, long exposures for light painting or other artistic effects, or perhaps a lens with a wider view, you have options.
We like the Mini 90 and the Lomo'Instant Automat Glass in the Mini format.
For Instax Wide, check out the Lomo'Instant Wide, and for the Instax Square format, the Fujifilm SQ6 and Lomography Lomo'Instant Square are worth a gander.
Finally, if you're a Polaroid fan, you can use its I-Type film in the Polaroid OneStep+.
Pros
Inexpensive
True automatic exposure
Mirror and close focus for selfies
Available in many fun colors
Uses color or black-and-white Instax Mini film
AA battery power
View More
The Bottom Line
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 is fun, inexpensive, and a selfie machine.
If you're looking for an instant camera and don't want to spend a lot of money, it's the one to get.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Specs
Dimensions
4.8 x 4.2 x 2.7 inches
Weight
10.3 oz
Type
Analog
Memory Card Format
Fujifilm Instax Mini
Battery Type
AA
35mm Equivalent (Wide)
35 mm
Stabilization
None
Viewfinder Type
Optical
Your friends may call still call them Polaroids, but most instant shots made by millennials and Gen Z are done with Fujifilm materials, particularly its most popular Mini format.
The low cost of entry, ease of use, and instantly shareable, physical photos have made the format the populist choice.
The Instax Mini 11 ($69.95), Fuji's latest entry-level offering, finally brings fully automatic exposure, and improves the selfie capability, without losing any charm of the previous model, the Mini 9, making it our new Editors' Choice.
Pick Your Color
Fujifilm sells the Mini 11 in a virtual palette of finishes.
We received the Ice White version for review, but you can go with Blush Pink, Charcoal Gray, Lilac Purple, or Sky Blue if you prefer.
It's a plastic camera, expected at this price, with rounded surfaces all around—no sharp edges here.
That's a good thing for kids and teens, who are sure to get a kick out of snapping a picture and seeing a print develop in front of their eyes, and even the college-age set who use instant shots to capture memories that they don't want going into the cloud.
It measures 4.8 by 4.2 by 2.7 inches (HWD) and weighs about 10.3 ounces.
Power is provided by two AA batteries, and the camera won't be anything but a fashion accessory without a pack of Instax Mini film loaded.
You can get it in color or black and white, and you'll have to remember to buy some with the camera as none is included.
The design is as basic as it gets.
Film packs load in the back, and the number of shots left (out of 10 total) is shown in a cutout window.
A fixed optical viewfinder is there to frame shots, and the shutter button is the only control.
The previous model, the Mini 9, made you set exposure manually, but here it's all automatic.
The camera turns on when the lens extends—a push button next to it does the job.
You'll need to pull it out a little farther to set focus close for selfies, as well as other close-up shots.
There's a mirror on the ring bordering the lens to help with your framing.
When you're ready, just push the lens back in to turn the camera off.
To make a photo, just press the shutter in.
The flash will fire and your photo ejects from the top.
It'll show all white at first, but an image will emerge within minutes.
It's more natural to hold the camera in portrait orientation than landscape, so you'll shoot more tall photos than wide ones.
Fujifilm includes a pair of rubber shutter attachments with the camera.
You can try them out and see if they make it more comfortable to use—they're definitely softer to touch.
I didn't find them that useful, personally, but your mileage may vary.
There's no tripod socket, but there's also no long exposure mode and the Mini 11 will sit upright on a flat surface.
You can step up to the Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic or Lomo'Instant Automat if you want the option to use a tripod.
Flash Required
The lens covers a moderate wide angle, similar to a 35mm prime on a full-frame camera.
It's not bright, though—Instax Mini film is big, with a 1.8-by-2.4-inch image area, so in order to keep things small and affordable, the optics are restricted to a meager f/12.7 aperture.
That means you're going to need the flash for any sort of shot indoors or in dim light.
It does a good job in most cases, but I noticed some overexposure in tough situations, like trying to get a close-up shot of a white cat in a fairly dark room.
You end up with a slightly overexposed cat.
Still, for a snapshot camera, it works well enough.
You're going to get overexposed images more consistently when working in very bright conditions, like sunny days.
Because Instax camera lenses don't catch a lot of light, the film is extra sensitive (ISO 800).
Expect to see shallow colors when things get very bright, and if you catch the sun in a shot, it'll typically show up as a black dot.
As for image quality, it's as good as you can expect from the format.
The Mini 11 uses the same lens as many others from Fujifilm.
It has glass elements, and snapshots look quite good.
The smaller images can fit in a wallet, so they don't have as much impact as Instax Wide, Instax Square, or Polaroid I-Type formats, all of which are physically larger.
You'll spend more on those, but they're worth investigating if you're beyond entry-level photography.
For more on different film formats, check our instant photography starter guide.
The Basic Instax
Whether you're looking for an instant camera for yourself, as a starter for a budding Diane Arbus, or as a gift for a friend, it's tough to go wrong with the Instax Mini 11.
It's inexpensive, powered by the same AA batteries you already have somewhere in the house, and offers up one-button operation.
Instax Mini film is easy to find at retail, relatively affordable to buy (around $6 per pack, depending on how many you buy at a time), and you can go artsy and get it in black and white if you want.
Given its price and its one-touch operation, we're naming the Mini 11 our Editors' Choice for shoppers looking for a basic instant camera.
You'll need to buy film to get started, but you can't beat the price.
You can still find the Mini 9 at retail for a few dollars less, but most will be happier with the newer edition.
If you're looking for an instant camera with more advanced features—things like multiple exposures on a single frame, long exposures for light painting or other artistic effects, or perhaps a lens with a wider view, you have options.
We like the Mini 90 and the Lomo'Instant Automat Glass in the Mini format.
For Instax Wide, check out the Lomo'Instant Wide, and for the Instax Square format, the Fujifilm SQ6 and Lomography Lomo'Instant Square are worth a gander.
Finally, if you're a Polaroid fan, you can use its I-Type film in the Polaroid OneStep+.
Pros
Inexpensive
True automatic exposure
Mirror and close focus for selfies
Available in many fun colors
Uses color or black-and-white Instax Mini film
AA battery power
View More
The Bottom Line
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 is fun, inexpensive, and a selfie machine.
If you're looking for an instant camera and don't want to spend a lot of money, it's the one to get.
