Lomography Lomo'Instant (119 USD) is the first instant camera that this company has attempted. It's an interesting and fun product. The camera uses Instax Mini film format. It captures images measuring 2.4 by1.8 inches. It has an integrated flash and manual aperture control. The bulb mode allows for longer exposures.
Lomo could have designed a larger Instax Wide model, but the Lomo'Instant can be used with smaller frames. The biggest downside is price—Instax Mini runs about $0.75 per shot, which is a lot less than the larger Impossible Project Polaroid film, but can still add up if you're shooting in higher volumes.
Why shoot instant film? There's certainly a factor of nostalgia involved for those of a certain age—I used the Lomo'Instant at a birthday party attended by 30-somethings and their young progeny, and I was asked more than a few times if I could still buy instant film.
Photographers with an artistic streak are often drawn to alternative processes, and the Instax certainly qualifies—the multiple exposure modes certainly appeal to art photographers looking to experiment with image capture.
Let's be honest, it is quite fun to watch an image grow right in front of you. Fujifilm recognizes this—it sells a few different cameras that take Instax film, and even markets the wireless Instax Share($249.95 at Amazon), which converts digital images from your smartphone into Instax Mini prints.
Lomo'Instant is 3.75x5.5x2.2 inches (HWD), and 13.4 ounces once loaded with batteries. The Black Edition was sent to us for our review. It does not include many extra accessories. You can purchase the Instant in white leatherette for the same price or the Sanremo Edition at $139. You can spend $30 more than the regular price for any one of the editions to get a package which includes Fisheye, Portrait and Closeup lenses attachments. These lenses were not available to me while I was using the Instant.
At the bottom of your lens board is the power switch. It has settings for A, Flash and Flash. For long exposures using a flash with the Bulb shutter and C Flash, C flash is the best choice. The switch at the bottom allows you to toggle between Bulb exposure and the normal 1/125 second shutter speed.
The top of the lens board houses a dial to adjust the aperture—it's set at f/16 by default, but can be adjusted to f/8, f/11, f16, and f/22—along with a shutter release and a thread for a shutter release cable. For long Bulb exposures, a tripod and a cable are recommended. You can capture multiple frames with the switch MX.
Manual focus is necessary. A 27mm prime lens (full frame equivalent) is available. The wide field of vision and narrow aperture allow for a very large field of view, making it possible to zone focus. The camera can focus on anything within 1 meter of the film plane. You can extend the focus lever away from the body to get a close focus between 0.4 and 0.9 meters.
There are no markings for feet or inches, so you'll have to think metric when focusing—just remember that 1 meter is about 3.3 feet. While the Instant's optical viewfinder can be adjusted to align with the lens, it doesn't allow for parallax when framing images.
Four AAA batteries power the Lomo'Instant. I was supplied with two packs of film for this review—each pack holds 10 shots—and had no issues using a charged set of Eneloop batteries to shoot both packs. There is one other cool feature of note—there's a mirror on the front of the camera, next to the lens. Yes, you can use it for taking selfies. You can use it to get a rough idea of your face relative to the lens, so that you can snap a quick photo of you or a friend.
There are many options available if you are looking for an instant camera. An old Polaroid camera can be purchased on eBay. However, you will only have the option of using Impossible Project film, which costs around $3 per shot.
Its large format and square size might make it worth the investment, particularly if you aren't shooting at high volumes. Fuji makes several cameras using the Instax Mini format. These include the Mini 90, ($149.99), and Mini 8. Lomography also offers the Instax Mini back$89 for its Diana F+.
There are a few benefits to the Lomo'Instant over its competitors. The Lomo'Instant is priced between low-end Fujifilm models and the high-end Fujifilm lenses. However, its 27mm equivalent lens is larger than the Fuji 35mm cameras and the aperture of f/8 captures more light than the Fuji lens.
If you prefer a tighter field of view, the Portrait add-on lens for the Lomo'Instant narrows its field of view to equal the 35mm frame captured by the Fuji models—and if you opt for the lens pack, you also get a close-up adapter and a fisheye conversion lens. The only real advantage offered by the Fujifilm Mini 90 is an internal light meter and a shutter that can vary its speed from 1.8 seconds down to 1/400-second—you'll need to adjust the aperture to control the exposure when using Lomo'Instant's fixed 1/125-second shutter.
However, you won't buy an instant camera solely based on specifications and shutter speeds. Bottom line, the Lomo'Instant can be fun and has a unique appeal for creatives. The Lomo'Instant is equally comfortable taking photos at parties or as a travel photographer looking for interesting shots around the globe.
The only problem I have with the Instax Mini film format is its small size. Instax Wide costs only $0.82 per shot, but is approximately twice as large in terms of area. The larger format of film would have made the camera heavier and more expensive. I can understand why the Mini format was chosen. The Lomo'Instant is a great choice if you are looking for an instant camera and like the Instax Mini image sizes.