As a professional photographer who sometimes dabbles in film, I’ve watched the rise of the compact camera and the resurgence of analog photography with fascination. But if there’s one camera that comes to mind as both compact cameras and film cameras return to the spotlight, it’s the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo.
The Instax Mini Evo is a hybrid camera, which means that it is both a compact digital camera and an instant film camera in one. The Evo snaps digital photos, yes, but then it has a built-in printer that exposes that image onto real instant film.
The hybrid design isn’t the only reason that I fell in love with the Evo the first time that I picked it up, though. I immediately fell head-over-heels in love with the Evo because of its myriad of built-in creativity tools. The compact camera has several film effects that adjust the color and style, but those can also be mixed with the camera’s different lens effects, including a retro light leak, soft focus, and double exposure.
The ability to combine those different effects together in camera was creatively liberating – and the biggest reason why I had so much fun with a budget compact camera. It’s not the only reason that I think of the Evo as legendary, but it’s the biggest reason.
The camera has a classic retro design with a silver body and a black or brown wrap (or, there’s the new pink-on-pink version). There’s a lever styled after an old school film advance lever, and the lens effects adjust with a dial around the lens.
The Instax Mini Evo is the sort of camera that brings joy back into photography. The Evo isn’t a technical masterpiece – the sensor is small and the resolution is 2560x1920. That's fine for Instagram, but it isn’t going to create large wall art. But that’s not the point; the point is to have fun with photography again.
In that way, the Evo reminds me a lot of the Fujifilm X Half. Both cameras are designed more for the experience of photography than the specs, although the pricier X Half certainly has better specs than the Evo.
The Instax Mini Evo is now a few years old, yet it’s still the first camera that comes to mind when I think of budget compact cameras. The Evo’s mix of creative tools and retro design makes photography fun again in a way that few cameras at this price point have managed.
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