Review: Fujifilm Instax Mini 41

Fujifilm's Instax cameras have taken over what Polaroid started so many decades ago. There are still Polaroid cameras, but Instax is the far more popular choice. Fujifilm's cameras are simple and fun. No matter which Instax camera you buy, it's fun. You point, you shoot, you see the results.

The latest in Fujifilm's Instax line is the new Instax Mini 41, a budget option like the very popular Mini 12, but with a more retro, camera-like design. It lacks the manual controls that photographers might want, but it's simple and fun in a way that more capable cameras often aren't.

A Firm Grip

The Mini 41 is a very plastic camera, though it doesn't look like it. The design makes it look a little like Fujifilm's insanely popular X100VI. Once you pick up the Mini 41, however, the plastic really comes out. It feels like an Instax Mini 12 in a different suit of clothes. This is both good and bad. It's good in that the simplicity and automation remain, but it's not so good in that the plasticky vibes are strong. This is definitely not the Mini 99.

The Mini 12 comes in at $80, the Mini 99 is $200, and the Mini 41 arrives at $129. Why spend more than $80 for nearly the same features? Essentially, you get a camera that looks more like a “camera.” It still has the same fully automatic features of the Mini 12, (including some not-so-good features, like the automated flash that occasionally washes out photos in bright daylight), but it doesn't have the bubbly cartoonish design of the Mini 12.

The old-school camera styling extends to some plastic knurling on the body and around the lens. This is perhaps where the plasticness comes out the most. The minute you touch it, it feels not like actual knurling but like plastic imitating knurling. If that makes sense. Baudrillard would love it. I found it functional enough, if not entirely pleasant to hold.

One big improvement over the previous model is the new lens design, which matches what we've seen in nearly every Instax released in the past year. The lens twists to turn on, then twists further if you want to put it in close-focus mode. This is simple and intuitive and much better than the push level approach of the Mini 40.

This lens offers parallax correction as well, which helps center close-up images (including selfies) by adjusting the position of the “focus” mark in the viewfinder. And fear not, kids, there is still a selfie mirror on the side of the lens.

Mini Magic

The Mini 41 is indeed mini, measuring 4.8 by 4 inches and only 2.4 inches deep. It weighs just under a pound (15.1 ounces) with batteries and film loaded. It probably won't fit in your pant's pocket, but it was small enough that I carried it around in a jacket pocket. The batteries are AA, which is nice. Grab yourself a four-pack of rechargable AAs and you'll never have to worry about replacing the batteries.

Images eject out of the top of the camera and take about a minute and half to develop. I found the automatic focus worked well, and adjusting between normal range and close focus gives you a little extra control. (Be careful, though. The images where I did miss focus were all images where I forgot that I had it in close-focus mode.)

Ostensibly, picture quality should be on par with the Mini 12, and in many situations it is, but the Mini 41 also produced the single best image I've ever taken with an Instax camera. Call it a fluke if you want, or perhaps it was just the right combination of elements that make for a great Instax image. I kind of doubt either of those explanations, though, because I shot it into the rising sun and somehow ended up with a great image. Whatever the case, I love that image. Unfortunately my dog did, too. It's the image above with tooth marks in it—a strong argument for the Mini Evo, which would have a digital copy and allow me to reprint.

The wallet-sized image area (1.8 by 2.4 inches) of Instax Mini film does not lend itself to complex photographic compositions but should feel very familiar to anyone used to shooting portrait-oriented images, which is to say everyone. It's also the cheapest film at just over $1 per print.

If you want a budget Instax camera, with fully automatic controls that looks good and is simple to use, the new Mini 41 fits the bill. For anyone who wanted the Mini 12 but didn't want to carry around the Mini 12, this is the camera to get.

The changes from the previous model (most notably the on/off mechanism) make this a better choice. On the other hand, if you want any manual control or creative options, you'll want to look at more expensive Instax models like the Mini 99 ($200) or the Mini Evo ($200).