The Best Instant Cameras for 2023 (2023)

Instant film has made a big comeback in recent years. Fujifilm has its Instax business, and while it's gone through some ownership and branding changes over the years, you can still buy film for many old Polaroid cameras, and buy new ones which use its modern I-Type film packs.

There are lots of reasons to reach for an instant camera. The ability to hand off a photo to someone right after you've snapped it can't be matched with digital capture. Instant film is a big hit at weddings and parties because of this, and it can be a great way to capture moments for posterity in a way that is very different than just another smartphone image.

Younger millennials and Gen Z will look to it as a step away from the digital doldrums, and a way to keep any truly private images away from hackable cloud data services. And you can't discount the artistic crowd, drawn to the allure of making their work stand out in a crowded landscape.

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Buying Guide: The Best Instant Cameras for 2023

Instant Film Formats

Getting your head around the varying instant film formats is important in making a buying decision. Let's start with the most popular, Instax Mini. Developed by Fujifilm, Instax Mini film is about the size of a credit card when you take its border into account, and has an image area that is 2.4 by 1.8 inches (HW) in size.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 11(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Film is available in color ormonochrome, and is compatible with a slew of cameras from Fujifilm,Leica, Lomography, and Mint. Our favorite entry-level model, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 11, sells for about $70 and is offered in a variety of colors. If you're a more serious shutterbug, consider the Lomo'Instant Automat Glass, which has a wider angle lens (better for selfies) and supports multiple exposure images.

Color Instax Mini film is pretty affordable. Prices vary a bit from retailer to retailer, and you'll spend less over the long run if you buy in bulk. Expect to spend around fifty to sixty cents a photo, and if you want film with colorful borders or other special finishes, the cost can double. Black-and-white film is a little pricier, about $0.80 per image.

The Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide uses Instax Wide film(Credit: Paul Maljak)

If you prefer a bigger image, you can opt for the Instax Wide format, also available in color or black-and-white. The image size is about double that of Mini—basically two mini shots side-by-side at 2.4 by 3.9 inches. But it's not double the cost of Mini—expect to spend around $0.75 for color and $1.30 for each black-and-white image.

For some photographers, instant film isfilm, which means a square format is a must. Fujifilm has its own take, Instax Square. It's long been available in color, with a per-shot cost of about $1.00. Fujifilm has recently added Instax Square Monochrome to its catalog for black-and-white shots, but is pricing it a bit higher, closer to $1.50 per frame.

Lomography Lomo'Instant Square(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

Shake It, Shake It...

But what if you've got an honest-to-goodness Polaroid camera? The company has been reborn in the 21st century—it's gone through some name changes over the years, from the Impossible Project to Polaroid Originals, but today it's just called Polaroid. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

You can get color or black-and-white film for an SX70 or 600 series camera. It's expensive, though, about $20 per pack of eight shots. If you don't already have a vintage instant camera, and like the idea of repurposing old tech, you can look to a shop like Mint Camera(Opens in a new window), Retrospekt(Opens in a new window), or Polaroid(Opens in a new window) itself to get a refurbished SX70, 600 SLR, or other classic. We recently took a Retrospekt-restored SX70 for a test drive—check out our story if you're thinking about going the true vintage route.

Polaroid film is bigger than Instax, but be aware, the quality of its color stock just isn't as good. Colors shift in cold temperatures, overall saturation isn't as deep as with Instax, and you've got to take care to shield it from light as it develops. The black-and-white film is a lot better. Both have a larger image area than Instax Square, so the more impactful image might make it worth it to you.

The Polaroid Now+ is the lastest I-Type camera from the iconic brand(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Polaroid makes new cameras too, the Now+ is the latest. It works with I-Type film ($17 per pack) and supports Bluetooth connectivity for app-based remote control. It's a solid option for artistic photographers, and includes a set of color balance filters for gel looks and better black-and-white photos.

You can go smaller too. The tiny Polaroid Go uses similarly tiny film, available in color only. It's cute, but we think it's worth it to use classic Polaroid or Fujifilm Instax Square for their bigger image size.

Converting Digital Pcitures to Instant Prints

Despite it being a very digital age, you have a good number of instant cameras and film formats from which to choose. If you've got an itch to shoot film again, and don't want to have to find a local lab to develop your shots,film will scratch it, and deliver results that almost match digital in their immediacy.

If you have a favorite image that you shot with a digital camera and want to preserve it on instant film, you're in luck. You can print any photo stored on your smartphone onto Instax Mini film using theInstax Mini Link, to Instax Wide with the Link Wide, or onto the square format with theInstax Share SP-3or Polaroid Lab.

On the flip side, you can also digitize your instant prints. Check out our guide topreserving your photosfor tips.