Fujifilm knows the first Instax Pal was a strange little camera. The company itself admits that some buyers were not quite sure what to make of it when it launched, while others liked having a camera small enough to carry almost anywhere. For the second generation, Fujifilm has kept the tiny form factor but added several things the original conspicuously lacked.
The new Instax Pal 2 gets an optical viewfinder, a 1-inch screen on top, physical dials and levers, better image quality, and twice as much built-in storage. Fujifilm has also given it a more traditional camera look, which feels appropriate for a device that is now trying a little harder to behave like one.
It is still tiny, but far more camera-like
The Pal 2 uses a 1/3.06-inch sensor and captures 10-megapixel images, up from 5MP on the original. Internal storage now holds up to 100 photos instead of 50, and a microSD card can push that much further.
The new viewfinder and top-mounted display are probably the biggest changes in everyday use. Photos can be checked immediately after shooting, and the added dial makes it possible to switch between effects directly on the camera.
There are 30 effects in total, split between Modern, Y2K, Vintage, Chromatic, and Fantasy themes. Six can be loaded onto the Pal 2 at once. Fujifilm also lets users choose between Mini, Square, Wide, and frameless formats before shooting.
Another new mode, Instax Animation, captures up to 10 frames and turns them into a flipbook-style animation. The result can be tied to a physical Instax print through a QR code, which can later be scanned to play the animation.
Printing still requires another Instax device
Like the original, the Pal 2 does not print anything itself. Photos have to be sent to a compatible Instax Link printer or one of Fujifilm’s Evo or LiPlay hybrid cameras. Transfers work over Bluetooth, or the camera can plug directly into a smartphone over USB-C. Fujifilm says a wired transfer can take roughly 0.7 seconds per image.
The Instax Pal 2 will be sold in black and white in the U.S. from late September for $169.95. Pre-orders are currently open. That is still a fair amount for a digital camera that cannot make its own prints, especially when models like the Instax Mini 13 can do exactly that for far less. The appeal of the Pal 2 is its size and portability, though, and that is something a conventional instant camera like the Mini 13 simply cannot match.
