Skip to main content

This odd accessory adapts an expensive Hasselblad to shoot Instax Mini film

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hasselblad medium-format cameras are film classics, but what happens when you mix an old, high-end Hasselblad with the modern, inexpensive Fujifilm Instax instant film? The Escura Hasselblad Portrait back adapts the medium format film camera to shoot the readily available Instax Mini film.

Putting cheap Instax film inside an expensive medium format Hasselblad V-system camera feels a bit like buying the $54,000 Mac Pro just to surf the web. But, while on the surface the pair seems to be an odd mix, there are a few perks to shooting Instax with a several-hundred-dollar camera instead of an $80 Instax point-and-shoot. At least enough for more than 400 backers to raise over $100,000 to launch the Hasselblad portrait on Kickstarter in just a few days.

While putting an Instax back on a medium-format film camera negates all the perks of using larger film for better background blur and more light-gathering power, the 6×6 medium format film is expensive. The expired FP100C film costs $7 for each photo, Escura says, while Instax film is less than a dollar each shot. That alone can help photographers fine-tune the shot before shooting with that pricey film.

The Hasselblad also has the manual controls that a Fuji point-and-shoot doesn’t, which will still allow for better depth of field using wide apertures. Hasselblad lenses are interchangeable and will offer more sharpness than what’s built into an instant film camera.  And, of course, shooting with an old film camera with a waist-level viewfinder is a completely different user experience than working with a modern point-and-shoot film camera.

Escura says that the Hasselblad Portrait is designed to look and feel like the film back on the Hasselblad V-system cameras. A viewfinder adapter crops the view to fit with that smaller film size. Photographers can frame the image and shoot as they would with the regular film back. Once shot, a knob on the film back ejects the instant film photo.

The back is made from machined aluminum and wrapped with a fake leather to match the Hasselblad body. Escura says the Instax film back is also weather-sealed.

The Hasselblad Portrait comes from Escura, a brand that launched a battery-free Instax Mini film camera in 2018. Escura is part of the company Carbon, which launched in 2008 in Hong Kong.

To get that cheaper Instax film on a Hasselblad camera, backers will have to pledge about $232 and take that Kickstarter risk. The project was successfully funded after only two hours, but will need to successfully get through the production process before shipping to the earliest backers. Escura estimates that will happen in July.

Editors' Recommendations

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
DJI Mini Pro 4 leak appears to reveal the drone’s specs
A retail box apparently showing DJI's upcoming Mini Pro 4 drone.

DJI appears close to unveiling the Mini 4 Pro, the successor to the Mini 3 Pro that launched in May last year.

First, as a reminder, DJI’s smallest and lightest “Pro” drone tips the scales at just 249 grams, a carefully considered move as it’s just 1 gram below the drone weight category that involves having to register it with the authorities. Sure, that’s no great hardship for most folks, but the fewer hoops you have to jump through to get your bird in the sky, the better.

Read more
GoPro unveils its latest action camera, the Hero 12 Black
GoPro's Hero 12 Black action camera.

GoPro: Introducing HERO12 Black | Everything You Need to Know

GoPro is back with the latest iteration of its popular action camera. The new GoPro Hero 12 Black is the kind of solid piece of kit we’ve come to expect from a company that’s been in the game for years. That’s actually created a bit of a problem for GoPro, with many customers happy to hang onto their current model rather than upgrade. So it'll be hoping the latest version will be attractive enough to prompt a wave of purchases among current owners, while at the same time attracting a bunch of first-time buyers, too.

Read more
How to hide photos on your Android phone or tablet
Google Photos

While modern smartphones are quite secure as long as they remain locked with a passcode or biometrics like a fingerprint, by default those features only protect the front door. If someone picks up your phone while it's unlocked, there aren't typically any barriers that will keep them out of exploring everything from your contacts and emails to your photos.

This can be particularly challenging when it comes to photos, since those are the things we like to show off the most from our phones. We've likely all had those moments when we want to show a friend or co-worker a funny cat meme, so we hand over our phone and trust that they won't swipe right and see the photo of the hairy mole that we sent to our doctor that morning.

Read more