Hey guys. I’ve recently started getting into photography and specifically instant photography. I was looking into get a Polaroid camera but when I went to my local camera store, the guy recommended a Fuji Instax. I bought the bundle for the Mini 12 and then soon after purchased the Mini 99. I just got my hands on a Wide Evo. I wanted to share my thoughts and some photos from my recent trip to Disneyland since I’ve read mixed reviews here on Reddit. 

Pros:
- Can choose what I want to print. This is probably the biggest pro. The option to take photos, edit them (minimally), and choose what I want to print makes this camera get a lot more use out of it then the Mini 99 or 12. With the 99, I need to specifically try and find the best shot to conserve my film. The Wide Evo lets me take as many as possible and choose the best to print. 
- The amount of possible customizations when it comes to film simulations and lighting gives a lot of fun options to customize photos and make them come to life. When using a film simulation, there is also a range for 0-100 to change the prominence or look of the film simulation. So light leak can be minimized or maximized or even change a bit of its color. This gives a lot of freedom to be creative and have fun. 
- The wide film itself makes much better landscape shots in my opinion. The wide angle lets me capture a lot more and grabs landscapes much better then the 99 or 12. 
- A lot more options when it comes to exposure, lighting, and auto focus then the Minis. There’s more exposure options. The 99 has D+, D, N, L, L+. The Wide Evo has a range from -2 to 2 with increments in between. The Mini 12 does not have an option to turn off the flash but the 99 does. However, this has more options with the auto focus illuminator and facial recognition. 
- cranking/spinning the small lever to print a photo is a lot of fun. 

Cons:
- Bulkier and heavier than the minis obviously. I found myself in Disneyland grabbing out the Mini 99 a lot of times due its ease to hold and much simpler to capture photos. The Wide isn’t something I can put on and walk around without not noticing it, whereas the 99 is able to go around my neck or shoulder and I don’t feel any excess weight. 
- It had a firmware problem for me where the camera would freeze and just show whatever the lens was looking at, but wouldn’t be able to take a photo, go to menu, turn off. I tried using the hard reset button and that didn’t work. The only solution I found was to let the camera die and then recharge it. Each time this would reset the date of the camera. This happened twice in the span of twelve hours. 
- I purchased it for $650 on Amazon because they’re all sold out. The retail price is $350. It’s a great camera for instant photos but for right now at $650, a few hundred more could get you a pretty decent digital camera if you want the Wide Evo for the digital aspect more. I think it was worth the cost and I sure have gotten my money out of it. If someone wants it primarily because it’s also digital, I would wait until more are on the market and available for $350. 

All in all, I feel pretty positively about this camera. It hasn’t replaced my Mini 99 but it’s my main and a really fun and versatile option for instant photography. 


Instax Wide Evo review