Instant cameras are great, since they immediately get you a photo print of whatever scene you shot. Instant photo printers are even better, since you can use them to print whatever images you captured on your phone’s camera. The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo puts both devices in one.
While this isn’t the first Fujifilm product to combine both instant camera and instant photo printer functions, it is the first to do so in the outfit’s Wide format instant film. That means, it produces prints that are twice the width of standard Instax prints, which makes it a great option for those who like bigger photos for their collection.
The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo is billed as a “hybrid instant camera,” which means it can function as both a modern Polaroid and a portable photo printer for your smartphone captures. It has a wider size to accommodate the wider film stock, albeit with a reasonably slim frame that should still make it easy to handle. The camera features a 15.67mm lens, the widest used on any Instax camera to date, allowing you to capture wide-angle images to make the most of its two-times wider prints. You can turn off the wide angle shots, though, if you prefer a closer crop, so it offers some versatility on that end. In wide angle mode, it shoots in 4,608 x 3,456 resolution, while capturing in 2,560 x 1,920 resolution with the wide angle turned off.
Around the back, you get a 3.5-inch LCD for framing your shots (no viewfinder), as well as physical buttons underneath it for activating functions and navigating menus. If you prefer taking selfies, there’s a small mirror out front, so you can frame yourself without having to check the LCD at the back.
The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo comes with 10 lens effects and 10 film effects to let you add some creative flair to your shots, with dials on either end of the camera allowing you to quickly scroll through the different effects on offer. You can also adjust the intensity of the effects using a ring control situated around the camera lens, so there’s plenty of room here for stylizing your shots. Captures can be stored in the built-in storage, which can hold around 45 images, although you can also add a microSD card if you want to save more photos. According to the outfit, the rechargeable battery can print up to 100 images between charges.
Unlike the Polaroids of old, images don’t just instantly print as soon as you take them. Instead, you choose an image from storage and pull the crank on the side to commence printing, with each print taking approximately 16 seconds each to finish. You can, of course, also print images from Fujifilm’s smartphone app over Bluetooth. Do note, images printed from the camera have better resolution (1,600 x 1,200 pixels) than those from a phone (800 x 1,260), so we’re not sure how good it will be to use as a smartphone printer.
The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo comes out in February, priced at $349.95.
