The throwback thrill of the instant photo print
It is the official launch of the Fujifilm Instax instant camera line in C3 Events Place in Greenhills and the cutesy theme nearly gives me a toothache. The place is decked out with candy colors and balloons. You expect a more formal product launch perhaps, and suddenly feel like the odd godfather in a baptismal party…
Retreat to the display shelf.
Instant cameras were fascinating, if a bit clunky looking, back in the day. It allowed you take a picture and almost immediately, the camera printed out your shot.
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Candy colors
The new Fujifilm Instax cams have improved on the old, hand torture-looking devices. The new instant cameras are light and come in blue, white, yellow, pink and black. (Ahhhh, that explains the theme of the launch party.)
Peruse the black one. You don’t really have a color hated or favored but you have a strong feeling pink won’t sit well on days when your facial hair is unkempt.
The Polaroid company pioneered instant cameras. Consequently, most instant photos, regardless of brand, were generally referred to as “polaroids.”
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Analog days
The Instax camera line from Fuji was introduced in the late 1990s when they got the permission to use Polaroid’s proprietary technology.
In the old, non-digital days, professional photographers usually had an instant camera in their arsenal. The prints from the camera were used to preview lighting and other compositional concerns before photographers went on to take the proper shots.
It was a blast seeing and, yes, holding in your hands, a photographic print mere moments after the shutter clicked.
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Specs
Fuji’s new affordable Instax line includes the basic no-frills Mini 8 (the cute ones) to the wide-format 210.
The Mini 8 is a no-brainer to use: pop the lens, wait for the appropriate “scene” indicator on the base of the lens to light up, click the dial to match the light (or not), and press the shutter button.
Or you can just pop the lens and shoot and hope for the best. The credit card-sized photo sheet is ejected and in 30 seconds the image emerges.
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Price
(If you’re finicky about specs: the f-stops for the four available main “scenes” are 12.7, 16, 22, and 32, plus a “Hi-Key” option and the flash always fires at 1/60 sec.)
The basic camera costs a little less than P4000 each.
The required ISO 800 Instax Mini Film comes in packs of 10 sheets that’ll set you back about P450—limiting and bit pricey, yes, but it will force you to compose your shots carefully. This, after all, is an analog device.
A one-off
The result is what it is—no software or filters will apologize for you. There are no reprints either since there is no negative. Ergo, every shot is a one-off… which is the whole point.
It is as honest and on-the-spot as you can get. And yes it’s FUN (that is, until your subject insists on prying said photo from your fingers due to either an unflattering angle or as a nice keepsake).
In the digital age, what you hold is a device—whether a camera or a smartphone—that contains an image. With instant cameras, what you’ll hold eventually is the image itself.
Here it is, that one moment, in your hands.
Let’s have the yellow one…
Francis "Brew" Reyes is a guitarist, producer, arranger, music journalist, photographer and host. He once played guitar for the Dawn and was a DJ for NU107. Like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and check out his Tumblr.
