Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 Review

The $199.95 Instax Mini 99 isn’t just the most attractive Mini instant film camera in Fujifilm’s current lineup, it’s also the most capable. While basic models like the Mini 12 are simple one-button point-and-click affairs, the Mini 99 includes exposure and shutter control, as well as a clever set of internal LEDs that add color tints and simulated light leaks to prints. We’ve seen filtered looks in digital Instax cameras like the Evo Mini Hybrid before, but this is the first all-analog model we’ve tested with them. For its unmatched level of creative control, the Mini 99 is our Editors’ Choice winner for photo enthusiasts who want an advanced instant camera. If you just want to snap a few print photos, however, the Mini 12 is still an excellent alternative at $79.95.

A Classy, Retro Design

If you’re looking for an instant camera that doubles as a fashion accessory, the Mini 99 should be right up your alley. Fuji opts for an all-black aesthetic here in contrast to its predecessor, the silver Mini 90 Neo Classic. I prefer the latter’s finish, but the Mini 99 still looks more upmarket than the pastel Mini 12.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

At around 4.4 by 4.0 by 2.1 inches (HWD) and 14 ounces, the Mini 99 is about as small as it gets for an all-analog Instax Mini camera. The Mini film format dictates its size: It has to be big enough to accommodate a film pack and the lens optics must cover the medium format picture area (1.8 by 2.4 inches). That said, Fuji has made some smaller digital versions, including the discontinued Mini LiPlay that was barely bigger than a film pack (4.8 by 3.3 by 1.4 inches, 8.9 ounces).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Mini 99 uses the same 60mm f/12.7 optical-grade plastic lens as its predecessor, which gives it an angle of view roughly equivalent to 35mm on a full-frame camera. This wide standard angle falls between the “1x” and “2x” lenses of many smartphones. Focus is manual, with three zones for close-up (0.3-0.6m), midrange (0.6-3m), and distant (3m-infinity) distances. For those of us with brains trained on the Imperial system, that’s about 1-2 feet, 2-10 feet, and 10 feet and beyond, respectively. The lens’ small f-stop means you need to use the flash in dim light as well as to add fill for subjects in shadow, though you can turn the flash off if you prefer.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The camera includes a tripod socket, an uncommon feature for the Instax Mini lineup. It’s positioned for portrait orientation mounting, so you need to angle a tripod head 90 degrees to take landscape images. Mounting the camera to a tripod head prevents the film door from opening, but Fuji includes a short aluminum extension column that adds enough space to support film changes when the camera is mounted.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Fuji advertises the extension column as a handgrip for the camera, though I find it a little too short to be comfortable. The Mini 99 is small and light enough to carry without it, as well as includes a neck strap in the box. Wide, flat strap lugs accommodate anchor links too, so I was able to attach the same Peak Slide Lite strap I use with most digital cameras without the metal ring that some of Fuji’s digital offerings require. With the X100VI, for instance, there’s no way to get a Peak anchor into its tiny eyelets without a keychain-style split ring. That add-on can be a source of frustration for folks with arthritis or other ailments that compromise dexterity.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The camera uses the NP-70S rechargeable battery, and Fujifilm estimates a capacity of 100 photos per charge. That number seems conservative from my experience since the battery bar didn’t drop much from full when I shot nearly five packs of film (each with 10 shots) in testing. I had the camera only for a week, so I can’t speak to whether the battery discharges slowly when you aren’t using the camera. If you use the camera infrequently, I recommend topping off the charge before breaking it out for photos.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I’m happy to see an instant with a rechargeable cell since most use disposable AA or CR123 cells, but there’s a hitch. Like the Mini 90, the Mini 99 skips in-camera charging, so you need to keep track of the included, tiny USB-C charging cradle. External charging is a bit of a throwback, as most digital cameras just plug into a USB power adapter to charge these days. It’s not a big deal to take the battery out, though it’s a bit too easy to forget to pack the charger for a trip, grab the camera without realizing the battery isn’t inside, or lose the charging cradle altogether.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Instax Mini film is easy to find at retail, both online and in brick-and-mortar locations. Costs vary, but you can find a 20-pack of color film for around $14 at press time, which works out to about $0.70 per picture. A 10-pack of black-and-white film costs around $8, or about $0.80 per image. Fuji regularly cycles special edition films with decorative or colorful borders at a slight premium, usually in the neighborhood of $10 per pack of 10, or $1 per photo.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Instax Mini Gives You Options

The Instax Mini film format is fairly popular, so you have some choice as to the type of camera you use. Apart from the Mini 12 I already mentioned, Fuji also sells the Mini 40 ($99.95). It looks a lot like the Mini 99 but is a basic, one-button model.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

As for other brands, you can pick up the Lomo’Instant ($89) or Lomo’Instant Automat ($159), both of which use plastic lenses with a similar angle of view to the Mini 99 and support multiple exposures. Meanwhile, the Automat Glass ($199) has a wide, 21mm-equivalent prime with glass elements. It’s one of the sharpest cameras that uses Mini film, though its angle of view makes it a specialty option. The TLR-inspired Mint Instantflex TL70 2.0 ($389) and interchangeable lens Nons SL645 ($539) represent the top end of the market.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The above are all purely analog cameras, meaning that light passes through the lens and hits the film. Fujifilm has also released a couple of digital cameras with built-in Instax Mini printers, including the discontinued Mini LiPlay, the current-generation Mini Evo ($199.95), and the Leica-branded Sofort 2 ($389). The digital cameras support the cost-saving print-on-demand feature and a bevy of Snapchat-inspired filter effects.

Analog, With Filters

You don’t get the convenience of digital capture with the Mini 99, but it goes beyond other models in terms of creative control and special effects. The body includes four LEDs inside the film compartment that can simulate a light leak or add a color tone to photos. Five tones are available (Faded Green, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia, and Warm Tone), which you can select via a control dial. The dial also has a neutral (N) setting for filter-free photography.

Selfie with the light leak filter (right) and without (left) (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The filters work well with color film, adding a color cast or interesting light leak effect that gives your instant pics an even more retro look than usual. Just be aware that the color cast options are useless with black-and-white film; they simply make your monochrome images look overexposed.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Although the filter dial turns with confident clicks, it’s very possible to move it inadvertently. I put the Mini 99 into my camera bag set to Neutral on several occasions, for instance, and noticed it changed to another position when I grabbed the camera for a photo—the friction of moving it in and out of the bag was enough to affect the setting. It’s thus worth double-checking the selection before you take a photo.

Faded Green filter effect (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The exposure compensation dial handles in much the same way. The Mini 99 supports two levels of Exposure Value (EV) on both sides, along with a neutral point. If you’re using the camera against a backlight or trying for a brighter look, it’s worth moving to the L (Lighten) or L+ position. Meanwhile, the D (Darken) and D- provide two levels of control if you want a darker, moodier exposure. A dot represents the neutral position.

Setting the EV dial to the D setting makes dark, moody exposures possible (Credit: Jim Fisher)

You get two shutter buttons on the Mini 99. One is part of the EV dial, while the other is on the front near the flash and viewfinder window. It’s an unusual arrangement for a Mini series camera, but I like it quite a bit. Whereas the Mini 12 and Mini 40 cameras have ergonomics that encourage you to take more portrait-style images, the main shutter release here makes it more natural to hold the camera in landscape orientation. The front button still works well for portrait-orientation images and selfies. I wish there was a selfie mirror, though it’s not that tough to keep the lens centered on yourself at arm’s length.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A quick twist to extend the optics turns the camera on and gets it ready to take photos. As mentioned, the lens has three zones for close, mid, and distant focus, so you need to make sure you have it in the right position before snapping an image. The lens also includes an optical vignette switch. It controls an external aperture mask that slightly restricts the angle of view, letting you darken the corners of your photos. It’s something you can use along with the LED filters if you desire a vintage look.

The optical vignette effect darkens corners in photos (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The rear panel has a monochrome information display, three buttons (Mode, Self Timer, and Flash), and an optical viewfinder. The LCD shows the battery life, the number of shots left in your film pack, and the current shooting mode. There’s no icon for the Everyday Capture setting (default), but you see a house icon for the Indoor (low light) setting, a running man for the brisk-shutter Sports mode, two overlapping rectangles for Double Exposure, and a capital B for the long-exposure Bulb option (which keeps the shutter open for as long as you hold down the button).

For the flash, you don’t get an icon for automatic operation, though you do see a lightning bolt icon for forced flash, a lightning bolt and an eyeball for red-eye reduction, and a bolt with a Ghostbusters-style naught outline when the flash is off. The LCD is visible in daylight and typical household lighting but is tough to see in dim light due to its lack of a backlight.

If you suppress the flash indoor subjects can appear dark (left), but they are properly exposed with the flash turned on (right) (Credit: Jim Fisher)

The optical viewfinder meets my expectations for a fixed-lens Instax camera. It shows a fairly accurate preview of your frame, with a circle outline at its center that helps you keep subjects in the middle of the frame. Built-in parallax correction means the angle of the finder shifts to give a truer preview of your shot in the close focus mode.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Instax Mini Goes Beyond the Basics

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 offers photographers who like the wallet-sized Mini film format an enjoyable step-up option from the one-button Mini 12 and Mini 40. We particularly like the color filter effects, vignette control, and EV dial, all of which are missing from the Mini 90. Those upgrades and its general ease of use are enough for the Mini 99 to earn our Editors’ Choice award for advanced instant cameras. Just don’t count out the Mini 12 if you want a more affordable (and basic) instant camera, or the Lomo’Instant Automat Glass if you prefer wider views and a bright glass lens.