Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarFujifilm rumored to launch US$100 Instax hybrid camera this month
The launch of the medium format GFX100 II and three G-mount lenses last week seemed to be news enough from Fujifilm for a while. However, Fuji Rumors has just received information from a source claiming that there is another Fujifilm product release yet to take place this month. A new camera is rumored to be launched, not under the X or GFX range, but as part of the Instax instant camera lineup.
The camera is said to be “very small” and “all digital”. Based on the former descriptor, it’s safe to say it will accept Fujifilm’s credit-card sized ‘mini’ instant film (not the Square or Wide sizes). The “all digital” is a slightly puzzling choice of words, given that the current Instax lineup is categorized under either ‘analog’ or ‘hybrid’ – conceivably the only two ways of accurately describing instant cameras. Analog refers to the classic mechanism where one shoots through the optical viewfinder and the photo gets printed immediately. Examples include the Instax mini 12, mini 90 and all of Polaroid’s current lineup.
The hybrid type allows you to frame on an LCD screen like a typical digital camera, apply effects or filters, and then choose whether or not to take a print, thus avoiding wasting film on bad shots. Current examples are the Instax mini Evo and mini LiPlay, and it seems likeliest that the rumored newcomer will be of this type. The mini LiPlay is the smallest of the Instax lineup, at 3.25 x 4.84 x 1.44 inches (82.5 x 122.9 x 36.7 mm), so we can expect the new camera to be in this size range, if not smaller.
Another point to note is that the new camera will reportedly cost US$100, making it an entry level model compared to the mini Evo and mini LiPlay, both priced at US$199 at launch. Instant cameras have been selling extremely well over the last few years: the Instax series is one of Fujifilm’s biggest money-makers, and continues to grow every year, so it makes sense to expand it. Interestingly, while Fujifilm is expanding further on the affordable side of this segment with a US$100 camera, Polaroid has chosen to go premium with its recently launched US$599 I-2 manual instant camera.
You can buy the retro-styled Fujifilm Instax mini 90 Neo Classic on Amazon
Source(s)
