old-fashioned camera with new functions
Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 NEO-ClASSIC Instant Film Camera is a new product developed by the company Fujifilm whose emergence in the twenty first century might seem odd, since in the era of Instagram where millions of quickly made pictures are posted every day, paper based photos are not probably the best marketing solution.
However, the statics shows quite the opposite. According to Bing Liem, Fujifilm’s VP of sales, “[Instax has] become wildly popular in a lot of the Asian markets and it's a very, very important product to Fujifilm worldwide” (Byford). It is evident that creation of the retro-looking Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 NEO-ClASSIC Film Camera has been inspired by the old product released by Polaroid in 1946. Meanwhile, if the latter was a true innovation for its time, Instax Mini 90 in the modern context of LED photos represents a challenging alternative to omnipresent smartphones and digital cameras.
This challenge actually consists in forming quite a different attitude toward a photo and the process of making photos in general. While multiple cheap and expensive smartphones and standard cameras enable their owners with a wide range of functions allowing for creating hundreds and hundreds of pictures in the shortest possible time, Instax form Fujifilm has nothing in common with such a batch production. In contrast, the new instant film camera relates to an old social tradition of offering paper-based pictures where you can scribble some captions for your friend that looks much more tangible than an inhuman image stored among thousands of similar images in a phone. Moreover, due to Instax Mini 90’s high quality pictures, the camera may be interesting to professional photographers or amateurs who enjoy making slow and excellent photos.
It should be noted that despite its retro- looking physical interface (that by the way makes the camera even more gorgeous and adorable), Instax Mini 90 is equipped with all important functions of a good modern camera. Being designed as a NEO-CLASSIC product, it allows for most of options available in standard similar cameras, e.g. double and bulb exposure, creative light capture, and at the same time, it provides some quite new functions, including high performance flash or macro mode.
In particular, one of the unquestionable advantages of the new camera by Fujifilm is its numerous modes (kids mode, party mode, etc.) that allow for creating truly impeccable photos regardless the ambient light and any other external factors. The usability of the product has been improved as well by equipping the camera with a so-called dial mode that simplifies the choice of the right mode, a rechargeable battery, a possibility of fixing it on a tripod, and by placing the shutter button just next to the power switch so that a photographer could press both at the same time (Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC).
It is interesting how this functionality of the product has been embedded into an old-looking and really adorable design of the camera. Being a rather small and toylike device, Instax, however, looks more than serious referring, in this way, to another model produced by Fujifilm – X-series. Similarly to the latter, Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC has a perfect rectangular form and, though being made of plastic, the new instant film camera is so well-built that touching and holding it become a real pleasure. An in-pack leather strap reminding us of X-series, is also present in Instax mini 90. All in all, it is obvious that Fujifilm’s designers succeeded to create a truly NEO-CLASSIC product that combines improved functionality with a seriously beautiful exterior.
Nevertheless, despite all these advantageous features of Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC, there are also some considerable shortcomings to be noted. The first and the most disadvantageous thing about the instant film camera is the high price of the film which should be changed frequently.
In particular, the average price for two packs of ten shots is around $15-$20 (Byford) that will definitely prevent a common user from making a lot of pictures. Meanwhile, this disadvantage is not so obvious for those who love genuinely beautiful photos and do not mind spending a lot of time for preparation before making a photo. As it was mentioned above, Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC has been developed primarily for people who enjoy making really good photos without any hustle and who understand the value of a moment. The same may be noted about the readiness of paper-based pictures coming out of the camera. Although you need to wait at least five minutes before pictures’ full saturation with colors, this shortcoming of the camera is questionable as well, since it is not developed for someone in a hurry.
Notwithstanding, the next minus of Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC might be significant for those who like large or even medium-size photos, since the instant film camera from Fuji is only capable to produce so-called credit cards-sized pictures due to its compact pocket format. Moreover, it may be unfortunate that the viewfinder for the modes is rather small, and the price for the new Fujifilm camera is not very low, namely around $200.
However, the taxonomy of Instax Cameras allows for purchasing analogous products, such as Instax Mini 70 in style, Instax Mini 8, Instax Mini Hello Kitty, Instax 50S, Instax Mini 25, and Instax wide 300 whose detailed description is available on the official site of Fujifilm (Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC). All analogous products from the series of Instax Cameras have the main common feature of producing instant photos. Meanwhile, depending on the price, their functions differ considerably.
For instance, some of them are not equipped with all the modes that are present in Instax mini 90, but most of these similar devices are available in multiple colors that makes the process of making photos very funny. It seems that in all these different models Fujifilm’s designers tried to take into account various expectations of their clients. For example, the last model of Instax wide 300 is capable to make really large pictures in contrast with its pocket-sized counterparts.
Other analogs of Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC are produced by Polaroid, Leica, and some more companies in this field. They are all equipped with different functions as well and sometimes have a very stylish design. Meanwhile, it is rather difficult to compare Fugifilm Instax Mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC with all of them, since combining the hi-tech interior with the retro-looking exterior, this camera is definitely unique and quite special. It is obvious that people who value both the high quality of photos and the old culture of making them, will choose Fujifilm Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC without any hesitation.
Works cited
Byford, Sam. Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 review: instant photos in the Instagram age. Do Polaroid-style photos have a place in 2014? The Verge. July 14, 2014, http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/14/5897053/fujifilm-instax-mini-90-review. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.
Instax mini 90 NEO-CLASSIC. Fujifilm. http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/cameras/instax_mini_90/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.
