My Instax adventures

[lynnb]

Picture #94 with the Instax Mini 9.

When you turn the Mini 9 on (by pressing the button that extends the lens) the camera's aperture defaults to wide open, f/12.7. You have to remember to wait for the battery to charge up the camera's electrics and exposure meter, which takes about 1-2 seconds, then look to see which LED light is indicating the correct aperture to set (or you can just go ahead and manually set it using Sunny-16, but the camera won't fire until it's ready and the exposure LED is alight). If you've recently turned the camera on there is still some charge remaining and the camera will be ready instantly 😀.

This is what happens if you're a klutz like me and sometimes forget to adjust the aperture after turning it on. It was bright sunshine so it's way overexposed - film speed is ISO800 and shutter speed is fixed at 1/60. Nevertheless I like the result!

 

[lynnb]

Picture #96 with the Instax Mini 9

Overexposure is unavoidable with the Mini 9 in bright sunlight unless you use an ND or color filter. Problem is, the camera comes with three dinky plastic color filters (red, orange, blue/green) and a close up filter, which clip onto the front of the (recessed) lens. The lens barrel itself is a much bigger diameter and has no filter thread. The barrel retracts fully flush with the camera housing when collapsed. There's no ND filter. The only way to use one is to hold it in front of the lens with one hand while taking the picture with the other. The only exposure control is aperture (from f/12.7 to f/32). Shutter speed and ISO are fixed (1/60s and ISO800).

This picture shows what happens when ambient light exceeds the exposure range of the camera/film. Using one of the supplied color filters would have given the image area a color cast, while the surrounding white border would remain white. If you scan the print and try to correct the image, you'll change the border area to whatever color compensation you've used. The only way around that is to mask it (eg. in LR) which creates extra fiddly workflow. So without having an ND filter to hold in front of the lens I've put up with overexposure. I used a curve in CS6 to pull down the shadows to give more definition. I still like the image.

Manly beach, April 2020

 

[lynnb]

Pictures #97 and #98 with the Instax Mini 9, taken at the same time as #96.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #95 with the Instax Mini 9, because every thread needs cat pictures 😀

This is my youngest daughter's cat. She's 10 but still thinks she's a kitten.

 

[lynnb]

Using color filters with Instax color film

Picture #41 with the Instax Wide 300

Waves are one of my favorite subjects and I was curious to see how Instax film handled them. The answer: not well! The white water and spray rendered as white mush with no definition. Underexposing didn't help to resolve more detail. So I figured it was worth it to try holding a medium/dark orange filter in front of the lens. I took the Instax Wide 300 loaded with color film and a 39mm orange filter along to the rock platform and this is what resulted:

 

[philslizzy]

Lovely pictures. You have gotten to grips with the shortcomings of the film and camera. I particularly love #13. It has a pictorial quality about it that I can't describe. Lovely

 

[Shab]

I love the way you see, the way you put it in a picture and how you share with us, with all your explanations... so, thank you Lynn. It's a pleasure to come to this thread.

 

[Pál_K]

This may sound crazy, but the SQ6 might be too good - perhaps I'm just becoming fond of the impressionist feel of the Mini 9's photos.

 

[lynnb]

Lovely pictures. You have gotten to grips with the shortcomings of the film and camera. I particularly love #13. It has a pictorial quality about it that I can't describe. Lovely

Many thanks philslizzy

I love the way you see, the way you put it in a picture and how you share with us, with all your explanations... so, thank you Lynn. It's a pleasure to come to this thread.

You're welcome Xabier! I always look forward to seeing your pictures too!

This may sound crazy, but the SQ6 might be too good - perhaps I'm just becoming fond of the impressionist feel of the Mini 9's photos.

Pál, not crazy at all. I'm very fond of the Impressionist Mini 9 images too. Or perhaps pictorialism might be a better description? The Mini 9 is like using a colour sketchpad.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #253 with the Mini 9.

Cabbage Tree Bay, Sydney, June 2020. A favourite place to enjoy the sun at a waterfront cafe with a coffee and camera and watch the passing parade of people. The bay is a marine reserve, the water crystal clear and full of fish - including a friendly groper, I am told. It's popular with swimmers and snorkellers.

Instax film turns specular highlights black for some reason. In this picture I have lifted the shadows - they were much darker in the original.

 

[lynnb]

Color filters

Picture #134 with the Mini 9

Dee Why beach, Sydney, April 2020. Given how the Mini 9 overexposes in bright light I experimented with the blue snap-on filter that came with the camera, then adjusted the scanned image's colour in Lightroom 6. This is about as good as I could get it. You can see what filtration in LR was required from the color cast in the white border. At least the picture isn't overexposed.

 

[mcfingon]

Picture #253 with the Mini 9.

Cabbage Tree Bay, Sydney, June 2020. A favourite place to enjoy the sun at a waterfront cafe with a coffee and camera and watch the passing parade of people. The bay is a marine reserve, the water crystal clear and full of fish - including a friendly groper, I am told. It's popular with swimmers and snorkellers.

Instax film turns specular highlights black for some reason. In this picture I have lifted the shadows - they were much darker in the original.

That's the automatic Man Ray solarisation feature Lynn. It's a wonder you weren't charged extra. 🙂
John Mc

 

[lynnb]

That's the automatic Man Ray solarisation feature Lynn. It's a wonder you weren't charged extra. 🙂
John Mc

Thanks John, of course.. I should've realised that.

 

[charjohncarter]

As you probably know, Fuji destroyed the packfilm production equipment and designated the facilities for other operations. So... there's no chance of resurrecting packfilm (at least Polaroid didn't destroy the facility in Europe, thereby allowing Impossible to proceed).

By the way, that's a nice angle shot of someone playing a Selmer alto sax.

Lynn: thank you for creating this thread and continuing it.
We are impressed with your photos.

He plays soprano, alto, and baritone; all well. He used to record with Sublime after he left them to go to college.

I guess Fuji's garage isn't like my friends: packed with junk from the 50s.

 

[robert blu]

#81 is gorgeous! I like the simple almost monochromatic color palette, dark blue and white.

 

[lynnb]

Thanks, Robert. This film is interesting!

Picture #289 with the Instax Mini 9.

Today's milkshake at the beach taken with the clip-on close up filter. Framing with the close-up filter is a matter of guesswork due to the parallax.

 

[robert blu]

And now a change in your colour palette ! From your blue skys and waters to such a bright yellow!! Vibrant!

Love it!

 

[lynnb]

And now a change in your colour palette ! From your blue skys and waters to such a bright yellow!! Vibrant!
Love it!

thanks Rob!

 

[lynnb]

Picture #090 with the Instax Wide 300

The sun was setting behind me, I didn't know what detail might be rendered in the darker foreground. None, as it turned out.

 

[lynnb]

Picture #91 with the SQ6

Dee Why beach, winter 2020