INSTAX 210

After searching for the right instant camera to replace my Polaroid, my mom surprised me with a a Fujifilm Instax 210 camera about a month ago. I had been debating between which model of Instax camera I wanted for the longest time, either the 210 or 50s. In the end I decided to go with the wide format camera for a few different reasons, the main being that the pictures are much bigger. Also, it was quite a bit cheaper than the 50s so I figured it'd be nice to start out with. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my new instant camera, but it certainly doesn't compare to my Polaroid camera that I've come to love over the years. Here's a pros and cons list (I love these) to illustrate the good and the bad aspects of the Fujifilm Instax 210.

Pros: The film and camera are affordably priced. Easy to shoot with and load film. You don't have to hold the shutter button for an extremely long time like on a Polaroid! Instant cameras are a ton of fun shoot with and I really like the wide formatted photos even though I do miss the classic square Polaroids a bit.

Cons: The camera is HUGE. It's even bigger than my DSLR. The colors of the photos don't seem to be as vivid as Polaroids. The camera has a difficult time picking up reflective surfaces, mostly plastic I've noticed. It's left weird dots on my photos where there's any clear plastic visible, which can be seen on the photo of my melting clock and the picture frame next to it and again on the car headlight in the group photo of my friends. The developing time for the photos is quite a bit slower than a Polaroid. You don't really get to watch it develop right before your eyes as you'd be starting at a white picture for a bit, which takes away a bit from the magic of instant photography. The flash always fires and the viewfinder is a bit off.

Here's a photo to compare the size of the Fujifilm Instax 210 and my Canon Rebel XSI. Traveling with the 210 can be a bit of a hassle. I feel like I'm carrying a toaster around when I bring it with me anywhere.

Despite the fact that I've listed more cons than pros, I enjoy my new camera and my test photos. It's nowhere near as great as my Polaroid 600, but that's something I'll have to get over. I plan on bringing it with me to a New Year's Eve party, which will be a ton of fun!

Aslo, I'd like to say that I got a new scanner! It's a Canoon 9000F which is solely for photos, unlike the one I was using previously, which was a scanner/printer/faxer thing so the quality of my scan suffered quite a bit. You can see an example here of some Polaroids I took at my friend's birthday party. I'm extremely satisfied with this scanner and I'm going to start scanning film myself. It's gonna save me a lot of money in the long run! I just have to remember to brush off my photos or film because it picks up every little dust particle as you can see in the images above. Oops!