Instant gratification – Fuji Instax Mini 7s!

Inspired by the relaunch of the Polaroid film, but put off by the exorbitant pricing, I got inspired instead to purchase a Fuji Instax!

The Fuji Instax has been around for a while now, and the movement has been picking up steam since the demise of Polaroid. Maybe the market for instant film is too small for two players, or the end of Polaroid made people treasure the last player in the market more. Anyway, I always felt that the Fuji cameras gave much sharper and more vibrant prints.

About the size of a pair of small binoculars...

So on to my latest purchase – the Fuji Instax Mini 7s. There are other models available in the Instax range, but the most popular model is the definitely the Mini 7s. The camera is the most compact in the range (the others are just too large!) and the film is the most affordable and fits nicely in your wallet.

Polaroids are back again!

Remember the good old days of instant Polaroid photos? I sure do, because I have a Polaroid Spectra 2 in my camera collection gathering dust, because Polaroid decided to discontinue instant film in 2008.

The world’s entire inventory of 300 million working Polaroid cameras seem destined for the landfill, until a Netherlands-based group, The Impossible Project, decided to take on the improbable task of restarting the manufacture instant film again. The idea seems laughable, until the group held a press conference on 25th March 2010 and announced to the astonished journalists that the first packs of instant film will start shipping that every day!

For now, the instant films will be compatible with Polaroid’s SX-70 cameras and the 600-series cameras, and they are either monochrome or sephia (colour versions are on their way!). According to Dr. Florian Kaps of the Impossible Project group, the new films have totally different technology from the Polaroid predecessors, having invested US$3.1 million to develop the new emulsion.

The new instant film retails for US$21 and contains 8 exposures per pack. They will be available for sale online at the Impossible Project website, at select retailers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and also at The Impossible Project store in Berlin.

Oh… in the meantime while you’re waiting for the films, you can convert your digital images to look like Polaroid films with this funky software from Poladroid (not related to Polaroid or the Impossible Project). Try it… it’s free and fun!