Instax Mini 8 Camera

I can't even tell you how long I wanted to pick up a Polaroid camera. They do seem to be everywhere you look now, and in every flat lay you see on Instagram. But that's not why I wanted one. I love cameras, I don't really know anything about them, but I love them. I like taking photos and making a permanent snapshot of a memory, that means something to me. But, what I miss is getting them printed and the excitement of seeing how they all came out. With digital you can upload, edit, touch it up and it'll stay online forever. With a Polaroid, you take it as it is. It's incredibly old school, with an old style filter already added in, and cute little memories to stick around the house.

I ended up picking up the Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera, in blue of course. I got mine from Amazon, and it came with 10 films. I thought perfect, that gives me 10 films to start with to decide whether or not I love it enough to buy more. Now, I've never done a "tech review" before, but I wanted to talk you through my thoughts on this particular camera.

COSMETICS

First of all, it's bloody gorgeous. It looks really cute, really jazzy and it have a very fun design to it. The colour is beaut, and you have a range to choose from in blue isn't your favourite, and it's very bright and vibrant. I would say it feels a little chunky, but I guess it's part of the fun and the retro feel. My husband said it looks cheap and tacky, I'm not going to completely disagree - it is cheap for what it is and it a plastic camera, but I actually really like it. It looks super cute, it's very retro and its fun.

BATTERY AND FILM

So it's not a rechargable battery - and at the moment I'm not sure how you tell when you've run out of power. You use AA batteries, so I assume once they've run out you just can't turn it on. It doesn't really bother me, it just means if I take it anywhere I'm also going to have to pack a load of batteries which isn't always ideal. The film itself is super easy to install and to store. It comes in a cartridge, each one holding 10, and you simply open the back, put it in and shut. Easy as pie. The films are a super cute size as well. They are mini so if you want standard Polaroid size you'll need to look elsewhere, but I love the size. They're adorable and perfect for how I want to use it and catalogue my memories. 

EASE OF USE

Basically, super duper easy. One of the easiest things I've ever had the pleasure of using. Putting the batteries in - done. I was always a bit eek about putting film in, but it's so simple as I've said above. The camera itself is really very simple. Turn it on, point and shoot. You do have settings at the front for different lighting areas which is really really hand, but honestly - point and shoot. Done.

QUALITY OF PHOTO
Now, this was something I was worried about as a friend of mine has one and the focus doesn't always work. But, actually these are great. The quality and lighting is perfect, and they look like proper polaroids - it's also like it has a constant instagram filter, which is awesome. I really like how they come out, they're not too white and they're not to fuzzy. They're just a really little momento of a moment.

Overall, I think this was exactly what I hoped it would be. I love having it, and I love the photos we get out of it.I would highly recommend this one, it's super cute and I'm ordering some new film as we speak...

Much love, Lisa May

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter, Instagram, facebook and bloglovin.