Black and white film has gone mini. Earlier today, Fujifilm announced the release of Instax Mini Monochrome.
The 10-frame instant film will be available worldwide beginning in October. The film is designed for Fujifilm’s line of Instax mini cameras, which use 86mm by 54mm instant film, a smaller version of the traditional instant prints that Polaroid once popularized.
The monochrome version joins the Instax color lineup as Fujifilm’s only instant film in black and white. While there are currently nine different Instax Mini film options, they are all color film with different frame designs — like the traditional white, as well as rainbow or striped borders.
The reason behind the new black-and-white option may come as a surprise from a film lineup that also contains a Hello Kitty frame version — according to the announcement, the monochrome mini film was added because of the “increasingly sophisticated demands of users.”
While the Fujifilm Instax cameras have largely became popular as party cameras where it’s still possible to share a physical print of that selfie, instant film is also a medium for more serious photographers who lack the resources — or time — for a full darkroom. In fact, the company’s Instax cameras outsold their digital options earlier this year. The black-and-white option, Fujifilm says, expands the lineup for potential use in street photography as well as other artistic purposes.
The announcement may seem less surprising given the existence of the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90, which is a less playful camera compared to the other Instax Minis, with a classic body design along with double exposure, bulb and macro modes, though that camera is now two years old.
Whether or not serious photographers decide embrace the mini format, the wide format Instax currently only has color in a 108mm x 86mm size, while the professionally-oriented FP-100C should be favored for color accuracy. That leaves the Mini for photographers who want to shoot with black-and-white instant film from Fujifilm.