10 Best Instant Cameras of 2026

The instax mini 13 is the simplest way into instant photography and the easiest gift on this list. You twist the lens to turn it on, twist further for Close-up Mode, and the camera sets exposure and flash for you. Fujifilm adds a selfie mirror, parallax correction so close-ups land in the center of the print, and two self-timer settings: 2 seconds to cut shake and 10 seconds for group shots. A small wedge on the hand strap tilts the camera up when it sits on a table. Two AA batteries last about 10 packs of film by Fujifilm's figures. Prints use instax mini film, with a 62 by 46 mm picture that develops in about 90 seconds, and a twin pack of 20 shots lists at $25.99, the lowest per-shot cost of any analog film here. The trade-off is control: there is no double exposure, bulb or color effect mode, so creative shooters should look at the mini 99.

The WIDE 400 is the camera to pick when print size matters most. instax WIDE film gives a 62 by 99 mm picture, which Fujifilm describes as twice the width of instax mini film, so a group of friends or a wide view fits without cropping. Exposure and flash are automatic, and you twist the lens ring to switch between Normal mode and a distant-scene mode. For close-ups, a clip-on lens is included and works from 40 to 50 cm. The self-timer is a dial with 4, 6, 8 and 10 second settings and an LED countdown, and an included angle accessory props the camera up at two heights. A tripod mount sits on the bottom. Four AA batteries are rated for about 100 prints. A twin pack of WIDE film lists at $37.99 for 20 shots, about $1.90 each, which is cheaper per shot than Polaroid i-Type film. The camera weighs 616 g, so it is bulkier to carry than a mini.

The SQUARE 2 replaces the SQUARE SQ1 as Fujifilm's easy square format camera, and at a $119.95 MSRP it costs less than the SQ1's $159.95. It prints a 62 by 62 mm square picture on 86 by 72 mm film, noticeably more image than a mini print. Exposure and flash are automatic, and the lens twists between Standard, Close-up and distant-scene modes, with a selfie mirror for close-ups from 0.3 to 0.5 m. A Mood Filter switch adds a warm or cool tint, or turns it off for the plain instax look. Four AA batteries last about 30 SQUARE film packs by Fujifilm's figures. A twin pack of SQUARE film lists at $31.99 for 20 shots, about $1.60 each, between mini and WIDE film. Fujifilm's specification list does not include a self-timer, so groups who want to be in the shot should look at the mini 13 or WIDE 400.

The Now+ Generation 3 is the Polaroid to buy if you want the iconic large white-frame print and some room to experiment. It shoots full-size i-Type and 600 film, and its two-lens autofocus picks between a close zone of 0.40 to 1.3 m and a far zone of 1.0 m to infinity. Polaroid says Gen 3 brings optimized exposures for sharper pictures in bright light. Connected to the Polaroid app by Bluetooth, it adds aperture priority, manual mode, remote control, double exposure and a self-timer, and the camera has six usable apertures from f64 to f11 and a tripod mount. The rechargeable battery is rated for up to 15 film packs. The cost is in the film: Color i-Type film is $18.99 for 8 photos at Polaroid's US store, about $2.37 each, and Polaroid lists a development time of 10 to 15 minutes. At 452 g it is also heavier than any instax mini.

The mini 99 is for people who like instax prints but want to shape them. A Color Effect Dial drives LEDs in the four corners inside the camera to add six analog effects: Faded Green, Warm Tone, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia and Light Leak. There are five brightness levels, a Vignette mode, and shooting modes for Indoor, Sports, Double Exposure and Bulb, where the shutter stays open for up to 10 seconds. The lens dial switches between Macro, Standard and distant-scene focus. Two shutter buttons handle vertical and horizontal grips, and a milled base grip doubles as a tripod mount. An NP-70S rechargeable battery is rated for about 100 prints. It uses the same mini film as the mini 13, so running costs stay low at about $1.30 a shot. The price is the barrier: $234.95 MSRP buys a lot of film, so casual buyers will get more from the mini 13.

The Flip is Polaroid's attempt to make every expensive shot count. Sonar autofocus measures the distance to your subject and switches between four focus zones, from 0.4 to 0.77 m up to 1.68 m to infinity, and a scene analysis feature lights an LED in the viewfinder when a shot looks over or underexposed. Polaroid calls its flash the most powerful it has made, with a range of 4.5 m at f8. An LED display shows the mode, film count and battery level, and the Polaroid app can control the camera remotely. It also has a tripod mount and a snap-on filter mount. Like the Now+, it shoots i-Type and 600 film, so prints cost about $2.37 each with Color i-Type film. The downsides are size and price: it weighs 648 g with the lid design and costs $219.99, $70 more than the Now+ Generation 3.

The mini Evo is a digital camera and instax printer in one body, and it suits people who hate wasting film on blurry shots. You frame and review on a 3.0 inch LCD, then print only the photos you want onto instax mini film in about 16 seconds. A lens ring and a film dial each offer 10 effects, for 100 combinations, and you can set exposure compensation, white balance, macro and a 2 or 10 second self-timer. Photos save to about 45 images of internal memory or a microSD card, and the free app turns the camera into a printer for phone photos and a remote shutter. The built-in battery is rated for about 100 prints. It is a 1/5 inch sensor recording 2560 by 1920 pixels, so prints come from a modest digital file rather than direct exposure. Fujifilm also sells the newer mini Evo 2 at $289.95 with a 4.5 inch touchscreen.

The Smile+ is the camera for buyers who care more about the cost per print than about the look of real instant film. It is a digital camera with a built-in Zink printer, and Kodak notes the paper is ink-free, so there is no ink or film cartridge to buy. Prints come out at 2 by 3 inches with a sticky back that suits journals, lockers and scrapbooks. An effect-changing lens adds filters, the battery is rechargeable, and Kodak lists compatibility with iOS and Android devices. The big win is running cost: Kodak's 2x3 Zink paper is $9.99 for 20 sheets, $24.99 for 50 and $49.99 for 100, so each print costs about $0.50, less than half of instax mini film. The trade-offs are a small print and a look that differs from chemical instant film, and Kodak's store page lists few technical specs such as sensor resolution.

The Go Generation 3 is the cheapest way into Polaroid and the easiest camera here to carry. Polaroid calls it the world's smallest instant analog camera, and it weighs 251.9 g without film, about 106 by 84 by 65 mm. Gen 3 brings sharper, more zoomed-in selfies through the mirror next to the lens, a stronger flash and double exposure and self-timer modes. The fixed focus lens has f14.4 and f32 apertures and a shutter from 1/500 to 1 second, and the rechargeable battery is rated for up to 15 film packs. It shoots Polaroid Go film, which is smaller than i-Type but much cheaper per shot: a Go Color Film Double Pack with 16 photos is $21.99, about $1.37 each. That is close to instax mini pricing while keeping Polaroid's look and colors. There is no autofocus, so distant and very close subjects will be less sharp than on the Now+ or Flip.

The I-2 is the most capable instant camera on this list and the least suited to a casual gift. It has a 3-element lens with continuous autofocus and a 98 mm focal length, and you can choose Aperture, Shutter, Multi exposure, Timer, Manual or Auto mode. Apertures run from f8 to f64, exposures from 1/250 sec to 30 sec, and bulb mode can hold the shutter open for up to 99 hours. A viewfinder display and an outer display show settings. It accepts SX-70, 600 and i-Type film, and the USB-C rechargeable battery is rated for 28 packs per charge by Polaroid. For someone who already understands exposure, those controls mean fewer ruined prints on film that costs about $2.37 a shot. For everyone else, the $599.99 price buys the Now+ Generation 3 plus more than 20 packs of i-Type film, so it ranks last here on value.