Fujifilm announces Instax Mini Evo Hybrid instant camera that blends analog and digital features

Fujifilm has announced a new instant camera, the Instax Mini Evo Hybrid Instant Camera. What makes it a hybrid camera? The new Mini Evo blends the analog printing features of the Fujifilm Instax line with digital camera features, such as a digital image sensor, internal storage and wireless connectivity.

'The Instax Mini Evo Hybrid Instant Camera offers a unique way to chronicle life’s milestones,' said Manny Almeida, division president, Imaging Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation. 'This camera was designed to give the photographer the flexibility to choose which images to instantly print, which images to share, and which images to store for later access. This unique variety of options, when paired with the classic analog style of traditional Instax cameras, creates a premium experience for the consumer that transcends standard instant photography.'

The Mini Evo includes 10 integrated lenses and 10 film effects. The 100 possible combinations allow photographers to customize the look and feel of their photos. The integrated lenses are Normal, Vignette, Soft Focus, Blur, Fisheye, Color Shift, Light Leak, Mirror, Double Exposure and Half-Frame. The film effects are Normal, Vivid, Pale, Canvas, Monochrome, Sepia, Yellow, Red, Blue and Retro.

The Instax Mini Evo can save photos to integrated memory, which holds about 45 photos, or save to a microSD card. You don't need to print photos as you shoot them but can instead share them digitally or store them for later. The camera includes a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery that can power up to 100 prints.

Inside the Mini Evo is a 1/5-inch CMOS image sensor that captures images with 2560 x 1920 resolution, which works out to about 4.9 megapixels. The sensor is paired with a 28mm (in 35mm equivalent terms) lens with an F2.0 aperture.

The camera has an ISO range of 100-1600 and the shutter speed ranges from 1/4s to 1/8000s. The camera can focus as close as 10 cm (3.94"). The camera has a built-in flash, manual white balance options, in addition to automatic WB, and +/- 2 EV exposure compensation.

In terms of style, the camera has an old-school-inspired look. It comes in one color, silver with a black leatherette accent. The front of the camera sports some retro-styled text, and the back of the camera has a 3-inch LCD. There's even an 'advance film' lever for printing, which is a neat touch.

Alongside the Instax Mini Evo, Fujifilm is releasing a new Instax Mini Stone Gray instant film. Instead of a traditional white border, the new film has a gray border, to help make vivid colors pop in your prints. The film will be sold in a single pack of 10 exposures for $14.99 USD ($13.99 CAD).

Both the new film and the Instax Mini Evo camera itself will be available in February 2022. The Mini Evo has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $199.95 USD ($249.99 CAD). For more information, visit Fujifilm.