Fujifilm’s Instax cameras are fun, but the expense of the cartridges is a drag and you’re either into the “illusion of truth” of instant photography or you ain’t. The Instax Square heads past this by integrating a display so you can choose whether or not to print a shot. It also prints square photos, like old-fashioned Polaroids (albeit smaller), instead of the usual half-size or widescreen Instax slips.
The drag now is the basic price: $280! And despite my pooh-poohing of the idea that instant photography is any more truthful than “best selfie of 100” smartphone photography, I kind of wish they hadn’t added filters. I suppose once you have a digital display, you’ve got some computing power in there, and that kind of feature creep is inevitable. Likewise, there’s now a card slot to let you transfer photos to phone or computer. It’s out in May, but you can order it already.
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10 Instant Camera [Amazon link]
