We can always count on Fujifilm to do something interesting with an instant camera. The latest to depart from the Japanese firm’s native country is the Instax mini Evo Cinema, a so-called “hybrid” camera that’ll do the things you’d expect from an Instax, plus one more. In addition to taking and printing photos, it’s also capable of shooting short videos.
That explains its (loose) resemblance to an old Super 8 film camera, a format that several manufacturers have replicated in recent months. Kodak has a modern model, as do others. Fuji is obviously hoping that its Instax fanbase will pick up its short film variant with as much enthusiasm as they do its standard instant cameras.
Now that’s Evo Cinema
Stuff had a look at the retro shooter a week ago when it was still a Japan-only release. Now, it seems that enthusiasm (or a staggered market rollout) will see the Evo Cinema travelling to locales outside of Japan. The first countries to receive it will be the United States and Canada, but the price tag could scare customers. It’s packing a R6,750 ($410) cost to go along with its retro features.
One of these is a Gen Dial, a toggle that switches image capture between hardware eras. It’ll produce shots that effectively replicate the hardware from the 1930s all the way up to the 2020s. If you’ve got a particular feel in mind for your costume party, the new Instax hybrid should provide it.
Don’t get too wedded to the idea of shooting videos with it, however. The camera’s 1/5in image sensor will only capture fifteen seconds of footage at a time, with users extending clips up to 30 seconds via the Instax app. Handy for extremely short social media posts, but creating something longer will take a ton of editing work and creativity.
At present, the Fujifilm Instax mini Evo Cinema is only confirmed for North America and Japan. Since South Africa has seen everything else launch here in recent years, we expect this one, too. Eventually. At the very least, the company’s (also) new Instax mini phone printer will make it, but that seems like a poor second prize.
