What is it?
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 13 is a small instant camera with a very big visual advantage: it is gorgeous.
The body is softer and rounder than the Mini 12 it replaces, with the lens housing flowing out from the front and the shutter button worked into another circular control. A metallic silver Instax logo adds sparkle without turning the camera into jewellery bling.
The colours make an obvious contribution. Candy Pink is the immediate eye-catcher, while Lagoon Green gives it a wonderfully retro feel. Frost Blue and Dreamy Purple extend the pastel theme, while Clay White is a more restrained option. Together they make the Mini 13 look closer to a fashion accessory than a conventional camera – if you like your fashion bulging with character.
A bulky lens dominates the front, the controls are simple and oversized, and a small selfie mirror beside the lens looks at home on a camera designed for pictures with people in them. The rounded body also makes the Mini 13 feel less mechanical than many instant cameras.
The basics remain uncomplicated. Load an Instax Mini film cartridge, twist the lens ring to switch it on, press the shutter, and a physical print emerges from the top and develops in front of you.
That physical print remains the reason for buying an Instax. A phone can take a technically better photograph and share it on socials, but the Mini 13 offers something one can hand to the person in the picture. At parties or dinners, the photo can become part of the occasion instead of another forgotten image.
An Instax picture consumes a sheet of film every time, so pressing the shutter still carries a little, let’s say, commitment. But then, that is part of the charm when the picture is going straight into someone’s hand.
The biggest functional change is the addition of two self-timers. A two-second option helps with selfies, an d a 10-second timer gives the photographer time to get into a group shot. A wedge-shaped angle-adjustment accessory built into the hand strap can prop up the camera on a flat surface, so the timer has a practical partner built into the package.
The little wedge is a masterpiece of efficiency. It avoids carrying a mini tripod for the kind of pictures that seldom justify one, and it uses an accessory that is already attached to the camera.
Close-Up Mode works from 0.3m to 0.5m, with parallax correction helping the viewfinder match what the lens captures at short range. The selfie mirror gives a quick guide to composition, with automatic exposure adjustment and flash control keeping the controls simple.
Although the Mini 13 is a point-and-shoot camera in the most literal sense, it does meet the modern user halfway: the Instax UP! app adds a digital copy of the physical experience by scanning Instax prints into a phone. That means a cool print can migrate to the fridge while a scanned copy goes onto WhatsApp or social media.
In a further nod to the new, an update to the app uses AI to distinguish the edges of the print from the background more accurately.
How much does it cost?
The Instax Mini 13 has a recommended South African price of R1,749 including VAT. A R2,199 kit includes the camera, a case and one pack of Mini film. It is available in Candy Pink, Clay White, Frost Blue, Dreamy Purple and Lagoon Green.
Does it make a difference?
The Mini 13 has been developed and updated around a simple idea: the photographer should be in the picture too. The Mini 12 already catered for selfies, but the new two- and 10-second timers, combined with the wrist-strap accessory that props up the camera, turn the Mini 13 into an instant camera designed for shared pictures.
What are the biggest negatives?
- Instax Mini film can become costly with frequent shooting.
- There is no preview before a picture is printed.
What are the biggest positives?
- The pastel redesign makes the Mini 13 look superb.
- Dual timers make it much easier to join the picture.
- The wrist-strap prop is a clever solution for group shots.
* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx, editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za, and author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI – The African Edge.