Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo 2 review: A hybrid instant camera that changed my mind

2 hours ago 33

I thought previewing photos would take the fun out of instant photography. Instead, the Mini Evo 2 made me want to experiment.

Fujifilm Instax mini Evo2 hybrid instant camera in silver and black.

When Fujifilm released its first hybrid instant camera in 2017, I was a bit flummoxed by the concept, which combines the features of a digital point-and-shoot with those of an instant camera. Subsequent models didn’t do much to change my mind, either. Much of the joy I find in instant cameras comes from their inherent spontaneity, and the prospect of seeing my photos before printing them seemed as if it would take away from that. I hadn’t ever used one, though, so this was all an assumption based on what I knew the cameras to be.

Nearly a decade later, I finally had a chance to use one of Fujifilm’s hybrid instant cameras, via the Instax Mini Evo 2. And after spending some time with the camera, I have to admit that I now consider myself a fan of the format.

What is the Instax Mini Evo 2?

Back view of a black and silver digital camera featuring a large screen and a dedicated print button.

As with the rest of the Evo series, the Mini Evo 2 captures and stores digital photos that you can transfer and share like any other digital file, and you can also print them on Instax film. They also let you print as many copies of individual photos as you want, unlike traditional instant cameras, which produce a one-off Instax image.

The Mini Evo 2 is the successor to the original Mini Evo, bringing a larger sensor and replacing the 3-inch LCD with a 4.5-inch touchscreen. It also gains a new wide-angle mode, face-detection autofocus and a video mode called “Immersive Movie” that records short clips before you take a photo. The camera retains its retro-inspired controls, including the film advance-style lever that triggers a print, a dial for changing the film effects and a dial on the lens for adjusting lens effects.

As the “mini” in the name suggests, the camera uses Fujifilm’s Instax Mini film. This is the smallest film in the company’s lineup, and results in a 62 x 46mm (2.4 x 1.8″) image area. The camera has some limited built-in storage, with Fujifilm specifying the ability to store 45 still images (it doesn’t provide details on capacity beyond that). It accepts microSD cards, which is necessary if you want to use the Immersive Movie mode or save the larger, wide-angle images.

Regaining creative control

Top view of a silver digital camera body featuring a textured black grip and a prominent circular control dial.

After only a few shots with the Mini Evo 2, it won me over. In fact, it addressed a lot of the complaints I had with the Instax Square 2.

One of those improvements is the inclusion of autofocus, which takes away the need to judge subject distances and select a focus zone. With the Square 2, I frequently misjudged, resulting in out of focus images. I found the autofocus to be generally reliable, especially for what I’d expect from a camera like this.

A blue and white ceramic bowl being painted in a pottery studio filled with shelves of supplies and tools.

I didn’t take many portraits, but some of the ones I took were in low light, and it still managed to find the face and focus appropriately. I had less success with Macro mode, which sometimes struggled to focus on small subjects even when they were beyond the specified minimum focusing distance of 10cm (3.9″). But for general photos, the autofocus gave me reliably in-focus images without any work on my part.

Beyond getting subjects in focus, the Mini Evo 2 also gives you much more creative control. It offers 10 lens effects, including vignetting, light leaks, soft focus and the aforementioned wide-angle mode. You can also choose from 10 film effects, which change the colors in your photos. With those two dials alone, you can get 100 different looks.

Seven instant film photos of a basketball court, each featuring a handwritten note identifying a specific visual effect like soft focus, vignette, or color shift.

Not all of those looks appealed to me, but my favorites were the double exposure lens effect and the monochrome film effect, both of which I found myself using a lot. I have used double (and more) exposures in my conceptual and fine art work for a long time, and I could see myself utilizing this camera to continue that work in a different way.

Wooden boardwalk curving through a landscape of grasses and trees.

The camera also offers a new and slightly perplexing “Expanded View.” When toggled on, you’ll see a framing guide with a view of the scene beyond that. Fujifilm says this is to help you “compose with greater intention.” Interestingly, though, switching it off gives the normal lens effect mode the same field of view as the wide-angle effect.

What I appreciated even more than the creative modes, were the manual controls. You can turn the flash on or off (or leave it on auto), and you can choose from standard white balance presets. The camera also features exposure compensation (from -2 to +2 EV), so if it’s not exposing how you would like, you have the option to lighten or darken the image before pressing the shutter.

Fujifilm Instax mini Evo hybrid instant camera in a silver and black finish.

The camera also offers a self-timer, a cold shoe and a tripod mount. You can even edit photos on the camera before printing them, which I appreciated since I found myself wanting to adjust the look of prints pretty frequently (more on that later).

Immersive Movie was the one feature I didn’t find much use for. Saving a few seconds of movement alongside a photo isn’t something that appeals to me on my phone, and it didn’t add much to the experience here, either. I tried it a few times, but was much more interested in making still images and prints.

The printing experience

Silver and black digital camera, shown from the back, featuring a large LCD screen and a top-mounted button labeled PRINT.

One of the things I love about instant cameras is being able to photograph someone and immediately hand them a print. But with a traditional instant camera, giving that print away means I no longer have a copy. Sometimes that’s fine; other times, particularly during a more formal shoot, I want one for myself. The Mini Evo 2 gives me the best of both worlds without actually having to take two pictures, which won’t be exactly the same.

I first used the camera during a shoot for a personal series of documenting artists in their studios. Those images eventually go on my website, so I want to have copies of them. However, it’s a nice little treat for me to be able to hand something physical to the artist at the end of the shoot, too. Because of the hybrid format of the Mini Evo 2, I could print images for the artist on the spot, then make another set for myself to scan and share on my website, or even just share the digital files.

Silver digital camera with a blue instant print emerging from the top slot.

Additionally, even the smaller format Instax Mini film isn’t exactly cheap, and being able to review an image before printing it is a nice benefit. This is especially helpful for the double exposure mode, since I was able to verify if the image actually looked interesting before deciding to print it. Sure, it takes away some of the spontaneity and guesswork that I really enjoy about analog photography, but I still get a physical photo a few moments after I take it, if I want to. And if it’s bad, I don’t need to waste roughly $1 on a piece of film..

The images print very quickly from the Mini Evo 2, and you get to watch a digital version of the film make its way out of the camera on the large display. It’s a small detail that doesn’t have any practical implications, but I find so much joy in it that it makes printing photos even better. The images still take the standard 90 seconds to fully develop, so while they come out quickly, you’ll need to wait a little bit to see the actual image.

Four black-and-white instant film photos displaying a wooden boardwalk winding through grass and trees.

While there’s a lot to love about printing images with the Mini Evo 2, there are some downsides, too. First, the prints I made had noticeably less contrast and less vibrant colors than the images on the display. This was especially disappointing with black-and-white images, since monochrome was one of my favorite effects to use. They looked crisp with just the right amount of contrast on the display, but the prints came out a bit flat with varying tints.

My other complaint about the camera’s physical images is that they are tiny. The Instax Mini film is certainly the most approachable in terms of price, but I am not a fan of its diminutive size. As someone who likes looking at photos and seeing at least some detail, I would enjoy a larger film size much more. Of course, that would require a much larger camera body, so there would be a trade-off.

The digital experience

A row of electrical utility meters and panels mounted on a white stone wall beneath horizontal corrugated metal siding.

The hybrid format has more benefits, too. Most notably, if you run out of film while you’re out taking photos, it doesn’t mean you have to stop. You can simply keep on shooting away and print later, or stick to digital-only files. It also means that you can share those digital files without needing to take a photo of or scan the print. And, if you don’t want that white Instax border, you aren’t left cropping an already tiny image.

In light of that, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on the digital image quality. While Fujifilm did increase the sensor size in this camera compared to its predecessor, it’s still a small, Type 1/2.77 (20.6mm²) sensor. By default, the camera produces 6.1MP files. However, resolution gets a bit complicated, as it depends on both the framing settings and where you save the files.

A curved wooden boardwalk winds through a grassy field bordered by trees and shrubs.

With a microSD card inserted, selecting the wide-angle effect or switching off the “Expanded View” setting, which uses a wider field-of-view, produces 3100 x 4128-pixel images (approximately 12.8MP). With Expanded View on, the other lens effects produce 2144 x 2860-pixel images (approximately 6.1MP). Additionally, images saved to internal memory are all limited to 6.1MP regardless of those settings.

Most of my images were the higher-resolution files, and I was actually pretty pleased with the digital image quality. I wouldn’t want to blow them up into giant prints, but they hold up well beyond the tiny Instax Mini film format. I’d happily share them on social media or use them on my website as part of the aforementioned artist series. There’s a fair amount of detail captured, especially when there’s plenty of light. The dynamic range isn’t outstanding, with plenty of clipped highlights, but I wouldn’t expect much more than that given the sensor size and the jpg format.

Nearly the sweet spot for an instant camera

Silver and black Fujifilm Instax mini Evo 2 hybrid instant camera with a honeybee resting on the lens housing.

Despite my reservations, I had a blast using the Mini Evo 2. That’s not to say that it’s perfect. The prints’ lower contrast was a letdown after seeing the images on the large, vibrant touchscreen. And the tiny size of the prints doesn’t make as much of an impact as larger film formats. However, being able to review images before printing didn’t take away as much of the joy as I’d expected. Instead, it gave me room to experiment without committing a sheet of film to every attempt. It even seemed to increase my enjoyment and make me want to just play, which I always appreciate.

All of the above features add up to a camera that gives you lots of control and provides plenty of room for creativity. You can keep things completely basic and automatic if you want, but if you want to use the camera for more creative pursuits, you have the flexibility to do so. I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what you can do with this camera, and as an artist, that’s really exciting.

About the Author: Abby Ferguson holds an MFA in photography and blends a fine-art background with extensive editorial and commercial experience. She built and led an in-house imaging program for a large vacation rental company and has served as an associate editor at Popular Photography. She also teaches at a local community college and serves on its Photographic Technology Program Advisory Board, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for the medium.

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