Fuji Instax Mini Monochrome BLACK AND WHITE Instant Film - 20 Shot Pack

Product Information

I chose a number of images that I knew would be challenging to print and would cover the full spectrum of what you might shoot. I printed each image in the SP-2 printer and resolution test images (below), were done at exactly the printer resolution to avoid detail loss through resampling. If you want to do it all in camera, at least you now have that option. Just bear in mind (or pretend not to notice) the less than truly panchromatic colour sensitivity, slightly borked green greys, blown highlights and murky shadows, both of which are mercifully not as bad as Instax Color. Every emulsion reacts to colours differently. In a colour film, this results in a particular colour signature or palette, which is tuned by the manufacturer for its target market. I shot Reala 100 and other Fujifilm films for years and they are tailored for the Asian market.

Year after year, instant film cameras remain popular gifts to give and receive for their old-school, tangible imagery. There’s genuinely nothing like a photograph shot on an instant film camera. From light leaks to blown out exposures to the notion that the one shot you get is the only shot you get, instant film cameras have been an exciting way to capture current moments since our parents’ generation that simply doesn’t exist with the modernized DSLR or smartphone camera.Where I normally find Instax Color produces low contrast images, my experience thusfar with Instax Mini Monochrome is one of slightly higher contrast and some pretty nice grey tones. However, while the image quality is great, the actual size of the image is a major limiting factor. The image is small enough that it can be difficult to make out details, and if the image is blown up too much when scanning, it can turn fuzzy despite the image itself being relatively sharp.

When the film ejects you're greeted with a blank white frame. In a few minutes your photo starts to emerge, and it's fully developed in under 15 minutes. I found that exposures were pretty spot-on with the Automat, just as with the color film I'd shot. Instax film is currently available in two sizes, Mini (2.4 by 1.8 inches, HW) and Wide (2.4 by 3.9 inches), with a Square format coming next year. At press time you can only get the Monochrome film in the smaller Mini format, which is a shame, as images shot on the larger format are more impactful when viewed in person.Fujifilm Instax Color is much like that, but with less dynamic range, latitude, subtlety and overall charm. Blues in particular come out very dark. I almost thought it was a printer profile issue until I realised the printer was working right, but didn’t account for the film’s rendition; shots taken digitally and printed come out more or less as if they had been shot directly on Instax Mini Color. Not suitable for: Instax Mini cameras, Lomo'Instant & Lomo'Instant Automat cameras, Instax Wide cameras, Lomo'Instant Wide and Fujifilm claim 12 line pairs per mm of film resolution for Instax Mini and my 600dpi scans proved capable of wringing as much detail out as possible (300dpi would have been sufficient, maybe even less). Don’t get me wrong, I REALLY LIKE these results and they’ve gotten me excited about shooting Instax again – this is the first box I’ve shot in over a year. That said, I’d like to feel a bit more in control of the process. To be honest, because of all these variables and factors, I really recommend shooting in a highly controlled environment from the photographer or absolutely crappy weather. Some of the best pinholes are made in terrible weather. This is no exception. Image Quality

EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. So do I like Fujifilm Instax Mini Monochrome? Yes. I think it’s fantastic. Do I like the cameras that are out there? No. Do other peoples like the cameras that are out there? Of course they do. However, I yearn for the day where I can affix a proper 120mm f2.8 lens to a camera, set my shutter speeds and apertures, focus using maybe a bellows system, and meter the film against my studio strobes. Then, and only then, would I be able to create an image that I’m really ever so truly proud of with this film. Low Key – high contrast low key image and I know where all the detail is and how far the light patches go into the shadows. Shadows rapidly lose detail while highlights are lost. That said, I got reasonable mid-tones and saw more detail that my Instax Color images throughout the range; initially leading me to suspect that the grain was finer. Polaroid also sells a pair of square format films. Its I-Type has the classic 3.1-by-3.0-inch scope, but it's not as affordable as the Fujifilm equivalent, nor does it deliver as consistent or color-accurate results. Artsy photogs might still prefer it because of its larger size and greater impact, however. Polaroid's other format is the tiny Go film, but we didn't like it much when we reviewed the Go camera a couple of years ago.

More Offers

until we see the eventual release of Leica’s own version, which is most likely rebranded Fujifilm film, anyway – EMULSIVE With all of these cameras, it’s also quite tough to use studio strobes with the exception being the Diana F+. Pair it with glass lenses, and you get something a bit better. Whoever decided to cancel production at Polaroid should be banging their head on a table, because while they assumed the future was exclusively digital, Fuji steadfastly supported their instant film format through the 2000s and into the 2010s. As digital took over the consumer space, something funny happened. People grew nostalgic for the instant photography of old, and when they found Polaroid had essentially disappeared, they turned to the next best thing, something they probably had never used before even though it had been around all along: Fuji Instax film. For artists, I really hope that Fujifilm releases a wide version of this film (and a better Fuji Instax Wide camera to go with it), as the size is still a major limiting factor to an otherwise fantastic film format. It’s simply too small to shoot landscapes and non-portrait photography effectively. If you’re using Fuji Instax Mini, there’s no reason not to grab some monochrome film to use. It’s affordable and blast to use in Fuji’s best instant film cameras.