Knowledgeable’s Ranking
Professionals
- Combine and match customisation choices
- Traditional and glossy design
- Produces shiny instantaneous pictures
Cons
- Excessive price ticket
- No selfie mirror
- Guides to sure modes could be welcome
Our Verdict
The Instax Mini 99 contains color filters, publicity compensation and a number of taking pictures modes to create distinctive instantaneous prints. It’s actually not for inexperienced persons, however pictures fanatics ought to benefit from the big selection of choices.
Instax merchandise are usually related to youthful audiences, with funky-coloured builds and easy-to-use options. Nevertheless, this mannequin bucks that pattern.
The Instax Mini 99 is a tool for pictures fanatics. Whereas it’s nonetheless an instantaneous digital camera, a plethora of modes and filters present limitless artistic choices to discover. The upper price ticket additionally means this isn’t for informal customers or novelty.
I’ve examined a complete vary of instantaneous cameras over my years as a tech journalist, and the Instax Mini 99 is the primary advanced mannequin that has minimal flaws that I’ve used.
Desgin & Construct
- One basic colourway
- LCD display on the rear
- Rechargeable battery
The Instax Mini 99 doesn’t undertake the pastel shades of the Mini 12 vary. As an alternative, it boasts a basic and refined end appropriate for all ages.
You’d be forgiven at first look for pondering this digital camera seems to be just like the Instax Mini 40. The plastic exterior is textured, so it seems like tough leather-based from a distance, with silver trimmings. Nevertheless, look a little bit nearer and also you’ll discover a number of upgrades.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
On the aspect, there are two dials. The highest one is for lens filters, with the letters representing the next modes: Light Inexperienced, Heat Tone, Gentle Blue, Mushy Magenta, Sepia, and Gentle Leak.
The underside dial adjusts the digital camera for various lighting environments, with 4 further choices moreover N for Regular. For instance, in case you’re taking pictures beneath shiny daylight that will usually blow out a photograph on an instantaneous digital camera, you might wish to use D+. Conversely, in case you’re indoors and wish to raise the tones a little bit bit, then you might use the L setting.
These dials are simply knocked, so in case you maintain the digital camera in a bag, it is best to all the time verify earlier than taking a snap. The underside dial features a shutter button, and there’s one other one on the entrance – that is so you’ll be able to simply change the orientation of the digital camera.
On the again, there are three buttons. One to vary the flash settings (Fill-in flash, Crimson-eye removing, Automated or off), one self-timer for taking pictures remotely, and one for 4 completely different taking pictures modes: Indoor, Sports activities, Double Publicity and Bulb.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Indoor is for pictures taken… nicely… indoors, whereas Sports activities is nice for fast-moving objects or folks. Double Publicity layers over two pictures, whereas Bulb works with gentle trails from vehicles, telephones and different shiny sources of an evening.
As that is an instantaneous digital camera, the viewfinder received’t present you what a photograph will appear like with a filter or mode on – you’ll solely discover out the end result as soon as it’s printed.
The digital camera is powered by an NP-70S rechargeable battery, which have to be charged externally. It’s a disgrace there’s no port to cost the digital camera with out dismantling it. Movie packs are loaded simply beneath this.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Fujifilm claims that the Instax Mini 99 can last as long as 100 pictures earlier than the battery depletes. I couldn’t take a look at this concept, however it didn’t run out of a lot juice for the twenty pictures I took.
The display on the rear of the digital camera tells you what number of sheets of paper are left, what settings are turned on and the battery ranges.
Just like the Instax Mini 12, there’s no energy button. As an alternative, you twist the lens to show the digital camera on. You possibly can twist it 3 times to take pictures in 0.3-0.6m (macro), 0.6-3m (commonplace), and 3m and over (panorama) focal lengths. There’s additionally a vignette button that darkens the sides of pictures.
…it boasts a basic and refined end appropriate for all ages
The field for the Mini 99 additionally features a hand strap and a tripod mount, that means it may be used each on the go and statically. Weighing 340g, it’s completely compact for slipping right into a small bag, and simple to make use of one-handed if wanted.
One odd omission from the Mini 99 is the absence of a selfie mirror close to the lens, which so far has been current on most different Instax snappers.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Options & Picture High quality
- Vary of color filters, taking pictures modes and publicity changes
- Shiny true movie prints
- Works with the Instax Up! app
Instax cameras produce among the highest quality snaps of any instantaneous digital camera, and the Mini 99 is not any completely different. Pictures take round 15 seconds to print, and 90 seconds to completely develop relying on the ambient circumstances.
Even with none filters, in the perfect lighting circumstances pictures are shiny, shiny and detailed. Mini movie isn’t the most important at across the dimension of a bank card. If you need one thing bigger, then you definately’ll desire a digital camera that helps Sq. or Broad movie.
In case you don’t have the perfect lighting, then this digital camera could make up for that to some extent. You’ll see under three pictures shot beneath shiny, obtrusive daylight. The center darkish mode highlights the main points a lot clearer, and minimises the white glare seen on the picture with none filter:
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
At evening, the sunshine mode additionally lifts particulars, however these appear to be softer relatively than sharper. Filters resembling Heat Tone will help ship extra boosted tones. It could be helpful if Instax had been to supply a information for when to make use of every lighting mode, because it took a number of experiments to get proper.
The colored filters, resembling inexperienced, blue and magenta, are fairly placing – even when one of many latter has ‘delicate’ within the title.
My favorite pictures got here from experimenting with extra artistic modes. Utilizing a information for the Instax Mini 90 Neo Traditional, I used double publicity to layer a photograph of my palm in opposition to the sky with a graffitied wall, so the paintings appeared within the form of a hand.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
I additionally used the Bulb mode to create a lightweight path with a smartphone at evening – it nearly seems to be drawn on with the print under. Naturally, these modes could be mixed with varied lighting choices and filters to create distinctive prints. This may be trial and error in case you don’t know what you’re doing, which leads to some wasted movie.
Each these results had been once more achieved by following the guides on the Neo Traditional internet web page.
This may be trial and error in case you don’t know what you’re doing, which leads to some wasted movie
The companion app Instax Up! is obtainable on iOS and Android. Bodily prints from the Instax Mini 99 could be scanned, uploaded into the app then edited through primary color corrections, crops, and eradicating reflections. This app works throughout quite a few Instax gadgets, which homeowners of this digital camera could nicely have.
Uploads could be added to a digital collage within the app, however you can too share them to your socials or obtain them regionally.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Worth & Availability
The Instax Mini 99 prices £174.99/$199.99. Within the UK, you should purchase it from Amazon, Fujifilm, Jessops and Argos. In the meantime, US viewers should purchase it from Amazon, Walmart and Greatest Purchase.
That value equals the launch price of the digital Instax Mini Evo, so it’s actually not low-cost. Nevertheless, that is essentially the most versatile instantaneous digital camera I’ve used, and arguably the most effective decisions for pictures buffs who wish to experiment with their pictures.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
It could actually turn into pricey to waste some movie with a poor shot as I did. Instax Mini sheets price £14.99 for a pack of 20 in the UK, and round $14 for a pack of 20 in the US. Against this, Zink paper (utilized by rivals such because the Kodak Smile+) prices £24.99/$24.99 for a pack of fifty, which is far more economical.
Granted, Zink paper isn’t as top quality as Instax sheets because it’s not actual movie. Simply remember the fact that in case you spend money on the Mini 99 and plan on taking many pictures, the prices could add up over time.
Learn up on additional rivals in our lists of the perfect instantaneous cameras and moveable printers.
Do you have to purchase the Instax Mini 99?
The Instax Mini 99 is essentially the most superior instantaneous digital camera from the model thus far. With a spread of filters, gentle ranges and modes, you’ll be able to experiment with completely different pictures to fit your creative tastes, making it a perfect buy for individuals who love pictures.
The vary of choices and excessive price ticket make it not best for inexperienced persons, however Instax has loads of different cameras for that demographic. The dearth of a selfie mirror can be a disgrace, however that’s a minor gripe for what’s in any other case a stable instantaneous digital camera.
Specs
- 103.5 × 117.5 × 60mm
- 340g (with out batteries, strap, and movie)
- Actual picture finder, 0.37x, with goal spot
- Retractable lens with 2 parts and a pair of components
- Programmed digital shutter, 1.8 to 1/400 seconds
- Automated publicity management and Bulb Mode
- 4 flash modes
- LCD display
- Three taking pictures ranges
- Six color modes
- 4 taking pictures modes
- Rechargable NP-70S battery
- Hand strap
- Requires Fujifilm Instax Mini Movie
- Movie Dimension – 86 x 54mm
- Image Dimension – 62 x 46mm
- 90 secs approx movie creating time relying on ambient temperature