Did you get the Mini Evo?
I have the mini 90, which is not a hybrid - you takes your photo and that’s what you get. With a hybrid, you can give a copy to your subjects. Even so, I like its controls and it does have a rechargeable and removable lithium battery.
I’ve just bought an SQ6 - nearly the same amount of controls, bigger photo. I think it’s easier to use.
The advantage of these mini Instax cameras is that film is everywhere. With your Evo, you can be selective and not print photos you don’t want and retake them.
Yup, about two weeks ago. B&H got them in, and they were sold out almost immediately, but I managed to nail one. Some thoughts:
1 A real hipster toy. So many of the options are silly (to me) Instagram-oriented gimmicks.
2 A serious artistic tool. Just as the Holga spawned a new genre of photography decades ago, the Evo could follow in its footsteps. Results are unique, with a quality not found in other (non-instant) photo processes. It demands a different approach and a new way of seeing. And, unlike other instant processes, results are repeatable. An infinite number of identical prints can be made. Pretentious Fine Art photographers (I confess to those tendencies, though I try my best to resist) could make numbered editions, if they so choose. I don't intend to sink to that, however.
3 As a Retro-Grouch, I don't own a smart phone (GASP!!!). Images loaded into my computer from the SD card just look like crappy lo-res digital files from a cheap flip phone, so the only way to get an Instax print, for me, is from the camera memory or the card. This is significant, since the "secret sauce" in the process is the actual Instax film. That crappy lo-res image undergoes a change into something "rich and strange" when it hits the film, that creamy, dreamy, and unique instant film look.
4 The camera's monochrome option, when used with standard color film, isn't really monochrome. It's a sort of very dark warm greenish that looks monochrome until you print the same file on actual monochrome film (which is itself not really monochrome, either, but richer, with deeper blacks, and a cooler tone). Since I'm essentially interested in B&W images, I'll use the monochrome film. But having color film in the camera is like being able to switch backs on a Hasselblad. Sorta, kinda...
5 The live view is an accurate rendition of what your digital file looks like. But there's a learning curve to understand how that translates to a print. Highlights blow out, sharpness is lost, edges seem to bleed into the Instax emulsion. All pretty normal with instant processes, but not for someone locked into the f64 way of seeing. I love it.
6 I've yet to try filters on the camera. A 25A could be interesting, or a mess. The camera also offers blue, red, and yellow tints which, from the screen, seem to have something of a filtration effect. I have yet to try those with monochrome film. In color, they're just hipster gimmicks (to me).
The take-away? Get one!!! I've fallen in love with this thing. It's a real kick in the pants for me, since I mostly do a sort of edgy, medium format documentary thing. The Instax imposes a charming, lyrical quality on everything I shoot with it, so it's a very interesting challenge. It's great when a new piece of equipment pushes you to expand your seeing!
