The best instant photography cameras – reviewed

Test winner: Lomo’Instant Automat (£179/$199)

What’s the story?

Ditching digital and going instant doesn’t mean missing out on extras. With the Lomo’Instant Automat you get a box full of lenses – including wide angle, fisheye and macro options – plus a remote shutter and colour gels.

The lens barrel twists to turn on the camera and adjust focus between close, mid and infinity, but otherwise that’s about it. You get a few more buttons around the back, letting you lighten or darken the exposure by one stop, turn the flash on, and snap multiple exposures per shot.

Like most instant cameras, the Automat takes Fuji Instax film, which means you’re going to get credit-card sized snaps. Two packs of 10 shots will set you back around £15, which works out at about 75p per shot – slightly cheaper than the colour film Leica sells for the Sofort.

Any good?

The position of the viewfinder, which is set off to one side, makes it a little tricky to frame your shots at first. But you soon get used to it and the Automat’s pictures have a warm and vintage vibe you just can’t match with filters on a screen.

While it takes great instant shots right out of the box, it’s the flexibility and added value of the lenses and accessories that really lift the Automat above its rivals. Each lens just screws onto the front of the camera, which means no detaching the standard lens like a regular DSLR. And the flash gels, which slot on top of the flash, help add even more personality to your photos.

Buy the Lomo’Instant Automat here from Wex photographic (UK)

Buy the Lomo’Instant Automat here from Amazon (USA)

HP Sprocket (£109/$129.99)

What’s the story?

HP’s Sprocket is the key to unlocking the phablet photo prison that is your phone. Rather than just giving your pics an occasional glimpse of the outside world via Facebook or Instagram, this battery powered printer liberates them one sticky backed print at a time.

Pair it with the app and you can pick pictures from your camera roll, Insta or FB profiles for it to spit out onto small rectangles of paper, turning social media into something physical. And because it uses Zink’s heat-sensitive paper it doesn’t even need any ink.

Any good?

The Sprocket only takes about 20 seconds to churn out each image but the quality isn’t great, with an overly yellow tint to the sticky prints. It’s a good job they’re tiny, too, or you’d really notice the drop in detail.

Still, you weren’t planning on using it to populate an archive or art gallery, were you? The app is simple to use and you can litter your pics with the all-important emojis before you hit the print button, but you’ll have to be careful not to get too trigger happy – you only get 20 sheets of paper in a £10 pack.

Impossible l-1 (£249)

What’s the story?

Working out of an old Polaroid factory in the Netherlands, Impossible has resurrected the original instant camera, a format that was seemingly closed for business. Modern updates, such as charging via micro-USB and the handy I-1 app enhance the experience.

Once connected to your phone, you’ll unlock some kooky features, such as light painting, double exposures, and remote triggering. Design-wise, it’s a knockout; the flat bit at the bottom stores the film and there’s a pop-up viewfinder which snaps into action at the push of a button. As you switch on the I-1, the ring flash will light up to indicate how many photos you have left on the film.

Any good?

This funky cam takes 600-type film, which only allows eight photos. This means you can’t go snapping willy nilly as you might be used to with your phone, especially when a pack will set you back £14.50 (£1.80 per photo). Instant processing is known for its unpredictability; random splodges and markings and the Impossible is no different.

Once you get the hang of it, though, it’s weirdly addictive and does push you to get creative. The ‘on’ switch is foolishly placed near the shutter button, so you can accidentally hit it and capture the inside of your own elbow. And they haven’t been able to do anything about development time – it takes half an hour to fully expose. Just don’t shake it. OutKast lied. Keep them somewhere warm and dark.

Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 (£110)

What’s the story?

The trouble with most instant cameras is the pictures they take are just too small. Not so the Fujifilm Instax Wide, which spits out 86x108mm images which are twice the size of standard Instax.

The camera is about twice the size too, so it’s never going to be any good for candid shots, but it comes into its own at a party. There’s an automatic flash with a fill-in mode – great for capturing gurning faces in dimly lit rooms – and you can choose from two focus ranges to make it easier for the Wide 300 to lock on. There’s even a clip-on lens for selfies.

The Instax 300 uses Instax Wide film, which is slightly more expensive than standard Instax, at around £1.25 per print if you buy a pack of 10, although the cost comes down as you buy in bulk. But on the plus side, the camera runs on AA batteries, meaning you’re unlikely to find it’s juice-less just when you need it.

Any good?

The Instax Wide 300’s pictures are decent enough, with a nice, retro feel and fairly punchy colours, but they’re definitely not as good as those from some of the smaller cameras. Nor do you get as much control over the exposure as you do on some others, and it’s easy to blow out highlights or end up with a murky mess if you don’t pay attention and use the darken or brighten controls beforehand.

But against all that, you get those lovely big prints. The difference the extra size makes is, well, enormous – stick these on your fridge and you’ll actually be able to make them out across the room. And while the Wide 300’s body is a bit big and ungainly, it does make passing it around at a party somehow part of the fun.