The printing time is fast. Instax estimates around five seconds which I found to be accurate, though photos do take a few minutes to fully develop. I personally found I still had trouble centring close-ups and standard shots with the viewfinder, but then instant photography isn’t really about getting the most perfectly framed shots every time. Performance and image quality

It's because the auto exposure system can now vary the shutter speed between 1/2 and 1/250, so it should be able to capture the right amount of light in all shooting scenarios. This is a big step up from the Mini 9's fixed 1/60 shutter speed, and helps massively when shooting indoors. Constant firing flash (automatic light adjustment), recycle time: 6.5 seconds or less (when using new batteries), effective flash range: 0.3 to 2.7 m VALHALLA, N.Y., March 2, 2023 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Imaging Division, announced today the introduction of its INSTAX MINI 12 Instant Camera (MINI 12). Following in the footsteps of the popular INSTAX MINI 11™ Instant Camera (MINI 11) launched in 2020, MINI 12 brings a new look and enhanced features for instant photographers, including parallax correction capabilities, automatic flash control, and a convenient multi-function twist lens. The camera now has auto flash exposure, but I should stress that the flash still fires for every single picture. The theory is that the power of the flash is adjusted depending on what the camera sees, within the 0.3m to 2.7m range. It's an issue we've seen in other instant cameras, though, so it's more of a learning curve for the photographer than a failing of the camera.

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 improves on the previous generation Instax Mini in meaningful ways, making instant photography more accessible than ever with a largely accurate auto exposure system and an adjustable lens that works for close-ups and selfies as well as portraits and landscapes.

Speaking of selfies, now giving the lens barrel an extra pull extends the lens ready for close-up shooting. It's a much simpler system than the Mini 9's easily forgotten clip-on attachment, though you have to grip the lens barrel awkwardly to close it up again, otherwise you end up turning the camera off completely. Push the lens barrel release and it extrudes using a spring mechanism, with the built-in flash activating automatically. Overall, while the new Mini 12 may not represent a giant leap forwards for Instax cameras, it is more accomplished and more fun to use than its predecessor, and is still a great choice as your first instant photography camera. Solutions like our INSTAX UP! App keep our consumers connected, engaged, and informed,” said Ashley Reeder Morgan, vice president, Consumer Marketing, FUJIFILM North America Corporation. “INSTAX UP! will enable our users to organize, archive, and share their INSTAX photos with ease, helping preserve their special memories and inspiring them to create more.” Colors, Pricing, and Availability Those can appear far more dream-like, while Instax appears more natural. Darker scenes and shadows appear much more dramatic than real life, though.

The Instax Mini 12 is primarily designed to be used in portrait format with the built-in flash at the top.

With it's fun new bubble design, the Instax Mini 12 is a very distinctive looking, almost toy-like camera which is available in five attractively muted colours. We particularly liked the Mint Green version that we had for this test. This field of view is similar to that of the main camera on a smartphone – it’s a little closer to the ‘classic’ 35mm focal length – and in selfie mode at arm's length you can fit yourself and a couple of other people in the picture, with a small mirror next to the lens giving you a rough idea of what the camera sees. We also enjoyed the simpler operation afforded by the twisting lens mechanism, which makes turning the camera on, off and setting it to close-up mode more intuitive than before. Landscape format is more accommodating, but it's a little more awkward to hold the camera and operate the shutter release button in this orientation.

Five Colours and Two Shutter Buttons

Maybe more importantly for this target market, Fujifilm have also refreshed the design of the Mini 12, with a more inflated, iconic bubble shape and a wide array of colourways. Designed to keep up with life, the INSTAX mini 12 is ready to go with a simple twist of the lens. Twist again and you’re in Close-up mode, perfect for selfies. Combined with the perfectly positioned selfie mirror, automatic flash control and cheery mini prints, the mini 12 is a selfie moment-grabbing extraordinaire. Size-wise, the Instax Mini 12 fits in the hand comfortably enough. There's not a single right-angle on the curved plastic body, which has a smooth and slippy non-textured surface. As with the Instax Mini 9, you see subjects through a small optical viewfinder window with a magnification of 0.37x. For selfies, a small mirror is integrated right next to the lens. To activate the selfie mode, pull the lens out to the selfie-on mark. The focus range is therefore between 0.3 and 0.5 m, so you can also take close-ups with this setting. An additional close-up lens, such as the one supplied with the Instax Mini 9, is therefore no longer necessary. The Popular Instax Mini Size Even so, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is undeniably a camera that's both fun to look at and fun to use, delivering a satisfyingly analog experience in a mostly digital world with a minimum of fuss.