The best instant cameras obviously aren’t going to be used by professionals shooting at sports games or up the side of mountains. However, they still offer a satisfaction and feeling that other cameras, from smartphones to the best cameras money can buy, just can’t truly replicate.
There’s a simplicity to instant camera photography that many people enjoy. It’s often nicer to shoot, print and make a memory instantly than it is to sweat over photographic perfection and spend hours in the editing suite. There’s also obviously the instant gratification and pleasing retro feeling of holding a printed photo in the hand — something that by default we aren’t used to in today’s smartphone age.
Thanks to these reasons, and their cheapness and simplicity, instant cameras are often the go-to choice for parties and weddings, and also for giving images as heartfelt gifts.
Unlike the analogue instant cameras of old, today’s instants have a range of features to help them blend seamlessly into digital society. These range from the ability to add filters, through to smartphone connectivity, allowing users to print pictures from their phone’s camera roll.
Many of the best instant cameras cost under $150, while some cost less than $100, making them great guilt-free purchases for special occasions. We’ve rounded up our favorites that you can buy right now, to help you make the right choice. Read on for our pick of the best instant cameras.
The best instant cameras you can buy today
The Polaroid Go Gen 2 is, as Polaroid claims, the world’s smallest instant camera. Compact and premium-looking, it really is “take anywhere-able” as you can slip it into your pocket and go about your day. With a maximum aperture of f/9, a top shutter speed of 1/300 second and a built-in flash, it delivers superb and detailed retro prints, especially in bright conditions. With the addition of a double exposure mode which was missing from the original Go, you can get really creative with your shots. There’s also a selfie mirror and self-timer, and both are fun to use. User-friendly with only 3 buttons, this little beauty can be used by anyone, even someone who isn’t well-versed with the semantics of photography. The Go Gen 2 also boasts great battery life as a single charge will last you between 15 and 18 shots.
The camera, however, doesn’t perform as well in low-light conditions and might have you considering other options if that’s a dealbreaker. Similarly, there is no dedicated macro mode so shooting a flower, for example, up close takes a bit of trial and error. Film is also relatively expensive — a single print will cost you approximately $1.12.
That being said, the Go Gen 2 is the cutest and most user-friendly camera I’ve shot with. It looks and feels premium, and it’s easy to carry, making it the ideal travel companion.
Read our full Polaroid Go Gen 2 review.
The best instant camera for creativity
The Fujifilm Instax mini 99 is the best instant camera for anyone wanting high levels of creativity — that's really what the mini 99 is all about. There are loads of creative filters and modes to help you get unique shots, including: creative color profiles, a double exposure mode and a vignette mode. The camera also features exposure compensation dials allowing you to fine tune the brightness of your shots.
There's not getting around how beautiful the Instax mini 99 looks, either. This camera features Fujifilm's trademark retro aesthetic, employed to perfection. It's also extremely well built, but remains easy to carry.
The Instax mini 99 is easy to use and has really strong battery life, although we wish it could be charged in camera. Instax film packs are also quite pricey, even though we love the look of them, and we missed the camera having a selfie mirror which plenty of rivals have.
Read our full Fujifilm Instax mini 99 review.
The best wide format instant camera
The Fujifilm Instax Wide 400, much like its predecessor the Instax Wide 300, is a bulky beast. With a 95mm f/14 retractable lens, it uses Instax Wide film that’s ideal for landscapes and group shots. It’s an easy-to-use camera, featuring just one button: the shutter button. It comes with an attachable macro lens that doubles as a selfie mirror. The camera doesn’t have any manual flash control, so the auto flash optimizes the lighting according to distance.
Fujifilm has improved on the predecessor’s design by giving the Instax Wide 400 a rounded body for better handling — you can even grip it with just one hand. Where the camera shines is in bright conditions. The prints are big and they come out bright and detailed. The dedicated macro lens takes a little time to get used to, but close-up shots are lovely once you get over the initial struggle. The camera falters in low-light conditions, though, and there are no creative modes, like double exposures.
Overall, the Instax Wide 400 is a great instant camera, especially if you’re a fan of the retro aesthetic.
Read our full Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 review.
The best 2-in-1 instant camera
Fujifilm’s smallest instant camera and the antithesis of the Instax Wide 400, the Instax mini LiPlay received an update in summer of 2024 which saw the introduction of three new colorways, a USB-C charging port, and the ability to update firmware from your smartphone. It’s a 2-in-1 hybrid camera and printer that produces lovely prints with ample of detail, and enables you to quickly print photos from your smartphone.
Some might be allured by the ability to print photos with soundbites as the Instax mini LiPlay allows you to record up to 10 seconds of audio which can then be added as a QR code to prints. While cumbersome, it’s an attractive feature and can be used to flex creativity. Speaking of creativity, you can also add frames and choose from an array of filters.
Though it falters in low-light conditions, the Instax mini LiPlay is a solid choice for those who want to shoot in bright conditions and get detailed prints.
Read our full Fujifilm Instax mini LiPlay review.
The best instant camera for selfies
One of several Fujifilm Instax Mini models in this list of the best instant cameras, the Mini 40 shares many of its specs with the Instax Mini line, but wraps them in a cool retro body.
It lacks the bells and whistles of some of the other entries here — particularly the entries sitting above it — but what it loses in features it makes up for in ease of shooting; this is a really simple instant camera to get the best from.
Not that it's without any features at all: a selfie mode is a nice extra and there's a constantly firing flash that gives it better skills in low-light conditions than you might expect.
Most importantly, it takes lovely photos, with vibrant color and generally good exposures. Other instant cameras may do more, but the Instax Mini 40 does its thing with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of style — and all for a great price of less than $100.
Read our full Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 review.
The best instant camera for digital storage
This simple and inexpensive digital camera has a number of features we really like: A slide-open mechanism protects the lens and keeps the camera from turning on accidentally; buttons on the back make it easy to navigate menus; and you can review photos on the Smile's small LCD display before opting to print them out.
However, the quality of the prints from the Kodak Smile were a step below other Zink cameras. Whites turned a bit pinkish, and other colors were muted. Also, the digital images stored by the Smile are on the small side. But for $99, the Smile is a good instant camera.
Read our full review of the Kodak Smile camera
The best instant camera for beginners
The Instax Mini 12 is an entirely analog experience, with no accompanying smartphone app to make adjustments or send images to another device. That makes it super simple and great for beginners. The camera furnishes just a single adjustment: turning the lens barrel one click sets it to shoot at a normal distance; turning another click sets it for close-ups and selfies.
The flash is always on, which is generally a good thing. But the option to turn it off would be nice to soften the look of close-ups like selfies. Framing shots in the tiny optical viewfinder is a tad tricky. You'll see nothing if your eye is placed even a few millimeters off center.
Images show pleasing colors and definition, and the results are nearly immediate, with photos developing in 90 seconds. At about 75 cents apiece, the photos are affordable, but not the cheapest: Kodak's similarly-sized Zink film, for instance, costs about 50 cents per shot.
Also tested
The Kodak Smile Classic's design riffs on the iconic Polaroid instant camera, but in a slightly more compact design. The thing we liked the most about the Smile Classic is its massive prints, which measure 4.25 x 3.5 inches—very satisfying. While the camera prints out every photo you take with it, you can also use it to print photos from your smartphone, and add filters and stickers in the process. Of course, with larger prints comes more expensive paper, but it's a good tradeoff.
The Kodak Smile Classic is priced much cheaper than the Instax Wide 400, however, we think the handling benefits of the Wide 400, as well as the lovely image quality from the Instax paper make that a better choice.
Read our full Kodak Smile Classic camera review.
The Kodak Mini Shot 4 Era isn't without its virtues. In testing, we loved the super cheap film and the retro images the camera produces, plus the quick and easy borderless printing via Kodak's companion app. It's a super easy camera to use with a straightforward interface that anyone can pick up and get to grips with. What's more, this camera comes with autofocus and face detection like one of the best mirrorless cameras.
However, we haven't awarded it a place in our top picks (hence why it's in the also tested section). The reasons above are great and all, but this cameras costs nearly $240 when bundled with 10 film cartridges. That's a huge chunk more than its wide rival, the Instax Wide 400. For that money, you'd expect performance on a par with the Instax Wide, right? Well, think again. Unfortunately, print quality isn't great, and versus the Instax Wide 400, the Kodak feels cheap, plasticky and uncomfortable to hold.
Find out more in our full Kodak Mini Shot 4 Era review.
The Instax Mini Evo merges the experience of a dedicated digital camera of the 2000s, the fun of 70s and 80s instamatics, and the design aesthetics of 50s and 60s SLRs. With a fake silvery-metal and leatherette finish, plus chunky dials and buttons, it provides tactile satisfaction and quick access to some key settings. The camera has two shutter buttons: one on top for shooting in landscape orientation and one on the front for portrait alignment. You can make many adjustments on the device, including exposure compensation, white balance presets, print style, and toggling off flash and face detection. All those capabilities cost, though: the camera will set you back over $200.
What to look for when buying an instant camera
Instant cameras are not exactly instant. You have to wait at least 90 seconds for the picture to "fill in" to view the finished result, but we often found it took several minutes for the completed image to fully bake, revealing richer color and sharper focus.
Zink vs. Fujifilm Instax
Some instant cameras use the Fujifilm Instax film cartridges, which come in several sizes and varieties. This is the photo paper that Polaroid cameras have traditionally used: the paper is exposed to light, and the chemicals react to produce an image.
Other instant cameras use Zink paper, which uses heat to activate colors in the paper. The advantage to Zink is that you don’t have to worry about accidentally exposing the paper to light, as you do with Instax film. However, we’ve found that Zink prints tended to be less vibrant overall.
Does it print everything you shoot?
With traditional instant cameras, every photo you took was printed out. That's still the case for a good number of modern instant cameras, but given the cost of film, that approach can be very pricey — 50 cents and higher per shot, in some cases. However, some instant cameras now let you preview each shot so you can decide if you want to print it out or not. It could save you money in the long run.
Digital storage
While not universal, some of the new instant cameras have a microSD card slot, and save a digital copy of every photo you take. Not only does this make it easier to make a second print, but you can also share that photo on social media a lot more easily.
Smartphone app
Still other instant cameras can connect via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. This opens up a few more features, such as the ability to use the camera to print photos taken with your smartphone, add filters, stickers, and more.
How we test instant cameras
We test instant cameras in the same way we test full mirrorless cameras: that is to say, we put them through their paces. Obviously, we look at how much the camera costs, but we also consider how much money you're going to spend in the long term, too, with things like film cost, ink cartridge prices and battery expenditure.
Then we test the cameras in a range of scenarios to give a complete evaluation of their pros and cons. We'll always test out our instant cameras shooting in the types of places and scenarios you would: indoor selfies with friends, group shots, outdoors in the street and, of course, with any cute pets we come across along the way!
We always make sure to shoot with the cameras in daylight as well as low light to work out how well the cameras perform in challenging conditions. We test out all of their features and components, to see how much control they will give you over exposure and how much creativity they'll offer with things like filters. This naturally allows us to test out the camera's focusing and any other neat features, like screens, audio recording or digital storage. After all this, we'll have a great feel (literally) of what the camera feels like in use, how comfortable it is to hold, and how well its built.
If there's an app, we'll use it to edit our photos, as well as printing smartphone images if we can. Of course, we print out all our instant photos and evaluate the quality of the prints, the aesthetic of the camera filters and film, plus the colors, sharpness and definition. While doing this, we also get a good idea of how long the camera spends printing.
What does all this mean? That you can rest assured we've put the instant cameras in this list through rigorous testing, and the best picks come highly recommended.
Be sure to check out all of our camera picks:
Best cameras | Best DSLR cameras | Best action cameras | Best waterproof cameras | Best point-and-shoot cameras | Best mirrorless cameras | Best cheap cameras | Best GoPro camera | Best GoPro accessories | Best drones | Best 360 cameras | Best iPhone lenses | Best iPhone tripods |DSLR vs. mirrorless | Best Nikon accessories | Best Sony a6000 accessories
The best apps and software for editing, managing, and sharing your photos:
Best photo organizer apps | Best photo storage sites | Best photo editing software | Best photo editing apps | Best photo collage apps
