Instax

Key takeaways

Instax belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Instax to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Instax from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Instax (stylized as instax) is a brand of instant still cameras and instant films marketed by Fujifilm.

The first camera and accompanying film, the Instax Mini 10 and Instax Mini film, were released on November 10, 1998. The "Wide" film and first accompanying camera were released the following year. The Instax Square film and accompanying camera were released in 2017. The formats of Instax film give an image size of 46 mm × 62 mm (1.8 in × 2.4 in) for the Mini, 99 mm × 62 mm (3.9 in × 2.4 in) for the Wide and 62 mm × 62 mm (2.4 in × 2.4 in) for the Square. The Instax colour film is available in Mini, Wide, and Square formats and the black and white Instax Monochrome is also available in Mini, Wide, and Square formats. Other manufacturers also make compatible cameras and camera backs.

Cameras and printers

Fujifilm produces a range of Instax Mini, Instax Square and Instax Wide cameras, as do other manufacturers. Fujifilm also produces Instax Mini and Square printers and has in the past produced Instax Pivi printers.

Film characteristics

Fuji's instant film products are based upon the improvements made to Polaroid's SX-70 instant film system that the Eastman Kodak Company sold in the 1970s and 1980s – namely the ability to expose the film through the rear of the photograph and the reversal of the dye layers' order so that development in the blue layer is visible first. As a result of these changes, the image does not need to be taken via a reflex mirror in order to reverse the image (as all Polaroid integral film cameras do). Colour balance and tonal range are also improved over Polaroid integral instant films. Fuji's decision to integrate the pressure plate springs and batteries into the camera bodies rather than the disposable film pack itself helps make the Instax system more economical per exposure than Polaroid's equivalents.

Instax Mini

Instax Mini is a 54 mm × 86 mm (2.1 in × 3.4 in) (approximately ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 credit-card-size) integral daylight ISO 800 color film designed for use with Fujifilm instax mini compatible cameras. In Japan, the Instax Mini cameras are called and referred to as cheki (チェキ), derived from the English "check it".

Digital Instax Pivi The Digital Instax Pivi line was intended as a digital/analog hybrid. The original intention was to produce a new format to feed a series of digital instant cameras similar in approach to the Olympus C-211, a digital camera with a built-in Polaroid 500 film printer. Fujifilm eventually released the FinePix PR21, a digital camera with a built-in Instax mini printer, in 1999. A stand-alone printer was planned from the start but was not the primary focus, but this changed with the advent of mobile devices. This device made it to market in 2004 (as the Pivi MP-100), after about five years in development. Instax Pivi film looks physically identical to Instax mini, but it takes a different formulated film producing a color-inverted image when used in a mini camera, making them incompatible.

Instax Wide

Called Cheki Wide in Japan. Released the year after the mini film and cameras, the area was increased on this format to create an image size based on the golden ratio. Upon introduction, this format was simply called Instax without any suffix (making it the normal, not mini, Instax film), Fujifilm gradually embedded the "Wide" moniker into the name of the product. That rebranding pattern can also be seen on the Instax 210 which is now described on the Fujifilm web site as Instax Wide 210, despite not being referenced elsewhere in such a way. Instax Wide is available in colour and black and white. Instax Wide 300 has shutter release 1/64 - 1/200 s with exposure compensation ±2/3 EV (Lighten-Darken control) on ISO 800 speed. Film developing time is around 90 s (depends on temperature).

Instax Square

Called Cheki Square in Japan. Instax Square is a square size of Instax film released in 2017, available in colour. Fujifilm initially only offered a hybrid digital camera/printer. Later, a separate printer and cameras offering fully analog exposure became available. On September 25, 2018, Fujifilm launched the Square SQ 20 which has a configurable "Motion Mode" function that allows recording of video (max 15 seconds), and the selecting and printing of a frame. In September 2020, Fujifilm announced that Instax Square would be available in black and white in mid-October.

History

Pre-Instax Kodak ceased production of instant film cameras when it was successfully sued by Polaroid for patent infringement in 1986. Fujifilm, through an agreement with Polaroid specifying they could not officially distribute in certain territories (such as the US) until the original patents expired in the mid-1990s, continued to manufacture and market their own line of films. As such, Fuji produced several lines of instant films starting in the early 1980s.

Release Instax was released to consumers on November 10, 1998 and was based on those earlier instant film systems, having the same film speed and dye order. Fujifilm originally wished to release the Instax series worldwide including North America and Europe simultaneously, but chose to work with Polaroid on the mio camera based on the Instax mini 10/20 for the US market. The mio product was discontinued after a few years.

Polaroid withdraws With Polaroid ceasing production of instant films in 2008, the Instax system was the only integral instant film system in production until Impossible Project (now Polaroid through brand acquisition) launched their integral film in early 2010. The Instax Mini system is also sold in some markets by Polaroid itself through the Polaroid 300 and Polaroid 300 Film brands (in reality, rebranded Instax Mini 7S and Instax Mini film).

Reception and growing popularity

In 2014, it was reported that the Instax Mini 8 was outselling flagship models like the Fujifilm X-T1 and Sony α7R. In 2016, it was reported that sales of Instax cameras had risen to 5 million units the previous fiscal year, up from 100,000 units in 2004. Also that year, Fujifilm released a monochrome formulation of the film.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Instax

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Instax claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Instax before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Instax ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Instax

In research: Instax appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Instax in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Instax is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Film formats, Fujifilm, Fujifilm photographic films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Instax outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Instax in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Instax means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Instax out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Instax in simple terms?

Instax (stylized as instax) is a brand of instant still cameras and instant films marketed by Fujifilm. The first camera and accompanying film, the Instax Mini 10 and Instax Mini film, were released on November 10, 1998.

Why does Instax matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Instax?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Instax.