7 Best Instant Cameras That Print Photos You’ll Actually Want to Keep

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Instant film cameras make it easy to share tangible keepsakes that go beyond the fleeting scroll of digital photos on social media feeds. Sure, smartphones offer instantaneous sharing, but there’s a certain charm in handing a loved one a freshly printed photo. It becomes a token of a shared experience, something they can cherish for years to come. Sharing a physical photograph also feels much more personable than tapping a “Like” button on a screen. Beyond sentimentality, instant cameras are simply fun and delightful to use, especially at gatherings where everyone can get involved in capturing the moment.

The Best Instant Cameras

• Best Overall: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera

• Best Budget Camera: KODAK Mini Shot 3 Retro 68 Sheet Instant Camera Bundle

• Best Retro Camera: Polaroid Now+ Generation 2 i-Type Instant Camera

• Best Premium Instant Camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini EVO Instant Camera

• Best for Serious Photographers: Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 Instant Camera

What to Consider

The world of instant cameras can be a bit overwhelming, with options from established brands like Fujifilm, Polaroid, and Kodak. We’re here to help you separate the best from the rest, but there are a few things to keep in mind before making a purchase.

Understanding Instant Photography

Before diving in, it’s important to manage expectations. Instant cameras aren’t about replicating the high-resolution, zoom-equipped capabilities of smartphones and digital cameras. They typically have fixed lenses, basic viewfinders, and no preview screens. This might lead to some “duds” where the printed photo isn’t exactly what you envisioned. However, that’s part of the charm! Instant cameras prioritize fun, spontaneity, and creating tangible keepsakes.

Print Size and Film Compatibility

Instant cameras come in various shapes and sizes, and so do the photos they produce. Here's a quick rundown of the most common print sizes:

• Mini (3.4x2.1 inches): This is a popular choice, oftentimes used by Fujifilm’s Instax camera line. It’s also the easiest film to find in stores and online.

• Polaroid (4.2x3.5 inches): The classic Polaroid format offers a nostalgic feel, but the film can be pricier, sometimes exceeding $2 per print.

• Square (3.3 x 2.8 inches): This type is ideal for Instagram enthusiasts who crave physical square prints.

• Wide (3.4 x 4.2 inches): This format is best for capturing landscapes or group shots. However, it’s becoming much more uncommon.

Many brands offer films in a variety of styles, from classic black and white to playful colors and patterns. You can even find an adhesive-backed film that lets you turn your photos into stickers.

Battery Life and Features

For hassle-free charging, prioritize a camera with a built-in rechargeable battery. Even better, opt for a camera that features a USB-C charging port. This convenient option allows you to use the same charging cable you already have for your smartphone, laptop, or tablet, eliminating the need to carry an extra cord or shop for batteries.

Additionally, consider features that might enhance your experience. Do you crave a smart camera with app connectivity so you can print photos from your smartphone? Are manual adjustments important? Do you want something highly portable, or perhaps a vintage-inspired camera is more your style? Keep on reading to find the best instant film camera for your needs and budget.

How We Selected the Best Instant Film Cameras

With over a decade of experience reviewing consumer electronics and a degree from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, I know my way around a camera. To select the best instant cameras, I enlisted the help of Nick Hart, a former classmate from the Scripps College of Communication’s photojournalism program — which boasts Pete Souza, former chief White House photographer for Presidents Obama and Reagan, as a faculty member.

We loaded each camera with film and put them through their paces, capturing a variety of shots and subjects in all sorts of lighting conditions. Besides analyzing print quality, I made note of how long it took each photo to print, how intuitive the cameras were to use, and for cameras with companion apps, assessed how well they connected to smartphones, as well as tested the functionality of any special features offered by the app.

Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera

Chances are you’ve heard the phrase, “The best camera is the one you have with you,” and after testing the latest instant film cameras over the last three years, I can confidently say Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 12 is the one I consistently find myself reaching for. It’s hands-down the best instant camera for the money. It’s easy to use and consistently takes great-looking shots in both bright and dark environments.

While it doesn’t pack any smart features like a digital viewfinder, artistic filters, or Bluetooth connectivity for your phone, it excels at the basics and feels more like a simple point-and-shoot. It is also more fun to use than your smartphone camera. Plus, you get the instant gratification of sharing physical photos on the spot.

The camera’s plastic housing comes in a wide array of pastels, including Blossom Pink, Clay White, Lilac Purple, Pastel Blue, and Mint Green. I found it to be lightweight, highly portable, and easy to grip — especially thanks to the included hand strap. It comes with AA batteries (which need to be swapped after 100 shots) and has a nifty mirror on its front, which I loved for selfies.

Costing around $1 per shot, the camera’s built-in film counter encouraged me to be more mindful about what and when I captured, as well. My only complaint is I wish the flash could be disabled.

The Instax Mini 12 makes for an outstanding gift given its price point and is great for people of all ages and experience levels. It’s everything you need to capture life’s events on cute, easily shareable credit-card-sized prints.

Mini Shot 3 Retro 68 Sheet Instant Camera Bundle

The Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro is a hybrid camera that combines the fun of a retro instant film camera with a cool and convenient digital component. Unlike its competitors, it’s much more budget-friendly, especially if you purchase one of Kodak’s bundles on Amazon that come with 68 film sheets. During our analysis, we found Kodak’s film costs around $0.33 per shot.

Its 3x3 inch prints are small enough to share with friends but large enough to cherish for yourself. You can print photos with or without borders. This instant camera, available in classic white and Kodak's signature yellow, boasts a comfortable, retro-inspired design that fits snugly in your hand at approximately 5.2 inches by 4.1 inches.

Arguably, the best part about the Mini Shot 3 Retro is its 1.7-inch LCD screen, which lets you preview your photos before printing, helping you avoid wasting film. Its companion smartphone app also makes it easy to upload your photos to social media, print photos from your smartphone, correct blemishes, and add fun edits like stickers and frames.

With its playful design, user-friendly features, and included 60-sheet film pack, this instant camera bundle is a blast to use for casual social gatherings and makes a fantastic gift for anyone who loves capturing and sharing memories.

Now+ Generation 2 i-Type Instant Camera

Channeling the look and feel of classic instant-film cameras with its retro-inspired design, square I-Type film prints, and iconic Polaroid-style frames, this camera offers a unique blend of vintage charm and modern convenience. However, it costs a fraction of the price of vintage cameras and boasts more modern features like smartphone connectivity and a USB-C port for easy charging.

While the Now+ is simple enough for anyone to pick up and use, it’s also one of the better instant film cameras for photography enthusiasts. It offers manual controls for exposure, color settings, and even lets you experiment with creative effects by using the five included colored lens filters.

It’s worth mentioning that this camera takes about 15 minutes to develop a photo fully and doesn’t deliver as impressive low-light performance as Fujifilm’s instant film cameras. Regardless, the Polaroid Now+ produces fun, shareable photos in a unique 3.1-inch square format that's bigger than competitors. This larger size allows for more detail in your captures and adds to the nostalgic, artistic vibe Polaroid cameras are known for.

Instax Mini EVO Instant Camera

If you want a premium, easy-to-use instant camera that takes outstanding photos almost every time, consider the stylish Instax Mini Evo from Fujifilm. It looks a lot like the camera makers’ $1,500+ X100V shooter but is priced significantly cheaper and prints photos on the fly.

The Instax Mini EVO has a 3-inch onboard digital LCD screen so you can see how your pictures look before you print them. That way, you don’t waste precious film, which can often be quite expensive. Having grown up with digital point-and-shoot cameras, I appreciated the built-in LCD screen's ability to act as a viewfinder, which made it easy to frame and capture photos.

During my tests, I found that the EVO quickly paired with my iPhone so I could instantly print, edit, and share photos with friends and family. Plus, as a techie, I love that it charges with a USB-C cable, so I don’t need to lug around an extra power cord when I travel. My much more creative friend who majored in photojournalism said he liked that the Fujifilm app offered dozens of lens and filter combinations for customizing the final look of photos.

Overall, if you’re in search of a sleek-looking instant film camera that effectively blends classic photography into the Instagram age, you won’t be disappointed.

Instax Mini 99 Instant Camera

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is the perfect example of form meeting function. It boasts a classy matte black finish and channels a premium retro aesthetic echoing Fujifilm's much pricier mirrorless cameras. It's also incredibly compact, measuring in at just 4.4x4.0x2.1 inches and weighing only 14 ounces.

It’s also a unique camera designed for creative exploration. I found that the camera makes it exciting to unleash your inner artist thanks to its playful palette of color filters, from vintage faded green to light-leak cool, all controlled with a charmingly retro dial. I had a blast experimenting with double exposures on this camera, and the photos came out beautifully.

While the Instax Mini 99 offers creative control for more experienced photographers, beginners might find it less intuitive than other options. But even if you gravitate to automatic mode instead of a manual one, the camera has a “Neutral” setting that reliably captures clear shots with practically no effort on your part.

Instax Square SQ1 Instant Camera

The Instax Square SQ1 is compact, easy to hold, and has a nice little window on the bottom right that tells you how many exposures you have left. We love its vintage aesthetic that's accented perfectly by the color options of terracotta orange, glacier blue, and chalk white.

Besides looking cool and eclectic, the SQ1 shoots 1:1 square format shots and has an always-on flash. My biggest complaint is that the camera is powered by CR2 batteries, which aren't as widely available as AAs, so you might need to plan for replacements. Fortunately, it offers enough battery life to snap 300 shots on a single charge.

The images it produces are bright, true-to-life, and detailed, given their 2.4x2.4 inches size, which is 1.5 times the size of an Instax Mini photo. The camera also packs a convenient selfie mirror and is small enough to hold one-handed. Overall, the Instax SQ1 is a stylish and portable instant camera that delivers sharp square photos with a fun, retro vibe.

Go Generation 2 Mini Instant Camera

This pocket-sized instant camera fits in the palm of your hand and has a budget-friendly price, making it the perfect option for kids or anyone looking to capture life's fleeting moments on the go. The Polaroid Go also produces the smallest prints out of any instant film camera on the market — just 2.6x2.1 inches. The colors in the printed photos have a soft, dreamlike quality with darker shadows and that unique, vintage aesthetic Polaroid is known for.

It boasts a rechargeable battery and a USB-C port but lacks Bluetooth for pairing it to your smartphone for editing photos and adjusting settings. On the plus side, it still offers a self-timer, double exposure mode, and an automatic flash that can be disabled.

Overall, if you’re looking for a light, highly portable, and affordable instant film camera, the Polaroid Go is a great choice that only sacrifices a few features in the name of its compact design.

You Might Also Like

• The Paris Hilton Housewares Collection Brings ‘That’s Hot’ Energy to Your Kitchen

• 16 Best Noise-Canceling Headphones Perfect for Rocking Out in Quiet Bliss

• Beyoncé Uses This $26 Amazon Product for Her Glossy Blonde Hair