Because the market for vintage-loving hipsters who refuse to photograph things unless they’re captured in film is never-ending, Fujifilm has unveiled the next line of its Instax Mini instant camera to please just the right audience. Currently available on the Japanese Fujifilm site, the Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic is the Polaroid-esque camera we’ve come to know and love, except this time the body is retrofitted to look like a classic film camera from the 70’s. It’s also a nod to the company’s current X series which bare similar aesthetics.
Aside from the retro-inspired looks, the Mini 90 also has upgraded specs from the Instax Mini 8. Whereas the Mini 8 only has settings for brightness adjustments, the Mini 90 comes with a macro mode for shooting things up-close, double exposure for those who really want to get artsy, and a “bulb” mode for shooting as many as 10 exposures in a slow shutter speed. The lens is a 60mm f/12, and a programmable electronic shutter can shoot as far as 1/400. With the Mini 90, users also have better control of flash so shooting portraits at night won’t wash out the subject, and the camera comes with rechargeable battery instead of the previous models that run on AA batteries. There’s even a mounting hole to use with tripods, so you can make use of that bulb mode more successfully.
Despite the upgraded specs, the Mini 90 still uses regular Instax Mini film which measures a tiny 2.13 x 3.4 inches. A pack of 20 exposures will cost you $15. The new model gives the Instax line a complete refresh that finally makes the product look more like a real camera instead of a plastic toy (not to say we don’t love the old look, cause we do). Even the added holes for a full camera strap makes a difference.
There are no words on when it will be available in the U.S., but the item is slated to hit the Japanese market on September 20 for approximately $210 USD. Hopefully, we’ll see some more news over CES just like we did with the past Instax iterations, or a company like AC Gears would pick it up if it doesn’t make it stateside.
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