The best instant cameras in 2024 – retro prints from Instax, Polaroid and more (2024)

The best instant cameras do something that no other camera can do: give you an immediate, physical, one-of-a-kind photograph. An actual photograph!

These photos can be gifted, scrapbooked, slipped into greeting cards, stuck on the fridge, treasured in a wallet…in short, the best instant cameras make meaningful, physical photographs, which are wonderful for wedding receptions and perfect for parties with friends.

While most models are analog, popping out an image as soon as you press the shutter, there are also digital instant cameras that marry the thrill of instant photography with the convenience of modern technology. These hybrids combine a digital camera with a built-in printer, so you can choose which shots to print (and when you print them). Some can even print photos from your phone!

I'm currently in the process of reviewing the Generation 2 versions of the Polaroid cameras on this list (the Now+, Now and Go). I still happily use the original versions of these three cameras, but I will update this guide if I find the newer models to be superior.

The Quick List

This is the quickest way to navigate the best instant cameras. Check out my quick thoughts below, and you can jump to my in-depth verdict ofeach pick along with specs and a link to my full review.

The best instant cameras I recommend in 2024

Here are my thoughts on each of the best instant cameras that have made the cut for this guide. After testing them all, I now personally own quite a few of these –I put my money where my mouth is, so you can trust my recommendations!

Best overall

If you're after full-size instant photos that possess quality and that elusive "vintage look", the Polaroid Now+ is the obvious choice.

My personal favorite instant camera, it combines the same image quality and shooting experience of the base Polaroid Now with the modern-day features of the now-discontinued OneStep+, giving you the best of both worlds.

It has several creative modes such as light painting, aperture priority, double exposure, portrait mode and many more, which are all available through the phone app (which pairs via Bluetooth).

There are also several physical lens filters that create natty in-camera effects, which isn't something that any other instant camera is currently bundled with (the red vignette filter is the pick of the bunch, in my opinion).

It even has a tripod mount, which again isn't present on many other instant cameras, so you can proper selfies and group shots using the self-timer, and really take advantage of the long exposure modes on offer.

Between its physical and phone-based extras, this is the most feature-rich instant camera on the market –which makes it the most fun to get creative with.

Read my full Polaroid Now+ review for more details

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Best budget

The Instax Mini is the most popular instant camera on the market –and the latest model is the Mini 12, with its irresistably cute soap-bubble redesign and new pastel colors.

Those cosmetic changes really form the main differences from its predecessor, as technologically it only offers a few minor improvements on the Instax Mini 11.

These take the form of a more sophisticated lens deployment and retraction mechanism, along with a degree of parallax correction to make it easier to accurately frame your shots. It's a shame that the flash still can't be disabled, though.

The Mini 12 is definitely the one you should go for but, since the older version is only going to go down in price, I think the 11 is still worth considering. Check out our Instax Mini 12 vs 11 comparison to see if a few pennies saved is worth missing out on the new features.

Read our full Instax Mini 12 review for more details

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Best pocket-sized

I fell in love with this palm-sized camera faster than it took a photo to develop –and so does everyone I show it to! It's the world's smallest analog instant camera, and it produces fittingly tiny instant photos, too.

That's really the main calling card, here. The Polaroid Go is like a tiny burger slider, disappearing into your palm and making you feel like a giant using a miniature camera.

For this reason it's also perfectly proportioned for little hands, making it an ideal camera for kids to shoot with.

That said, of course, there's the price of the film to consider, as Instax Mini film works out cheaper than Polaroid Go film. But then you'll also need to replace AA batteries on a Mini, whereas the Go just is rechargeable via USB.

Despite being so tiny, the Go boasts double exposures – which you won't get on Instax unless you opt for pricier options like the Instax Mini 90 (below).That said, the Minis produce better conventional image quality.

A fun and funky little camera, the Polaroid Go will be the star of your next party. I absolutely love mine –I bring it for the fun factor, accompanied by a Now+ or a Square SQ40 for "keeper" images.

Read my full Polaroid Go review for more details

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Best hybrid

This was a massive sales success for Instax, and it's my favorite hybrid digital instant camera right now (which used to be the Instax Mini LiPlay, though I still prefer the LiPlay's aesthetics).

The Evo is like an Instax Mini that enables you to edit your photos before you print them –and you can also beam images from your phone (including ones you've taken on a "proper camera") and turn them into physical photos.

Not only can you make tweaks and edits before printing, you can also choose from a selection of digital filters –marrying the fun of analog photography with effects familiar to the Instagram generation.

On top of that, the Mini Evo boasts a beautiful vintage design.My favorite part of the camera is the physical lever on the back; designed to mimic the film advance lever on old film cameras, here you use it to print photos when you're ready (and the image on the rear LCD even slowly "ejects" from the screen as it emerges from the side of the camera).

The ability to pair it with your phone for use as an instant printer seals the deal for me. If you love sharing photos with friends, here you can give them the one you've just taken or transform a phone snap into a sweet Instax print.

Read our full Instax Mini Evo review for more details

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Best all-rounder

With its classic silver styling finished in black, brown or red leatherette, I think the Mini 90 Neo Classic is the best-looking Instax Mini camera.

It is also the only analog Instax with a rechargeable battery, which the company claims will last up to 100 shots –which feels about right, in my personal use.So if you're concerned about waste, this is a big plus.

The retro styling is a throwback to SLR cameras, and fittingly the Mini 90 offers some manual control over exposure –and even the option to disable the built-in flash if you feel pictures are too bright.

Bulb and double exposure modes offer creativity options for the curious (although the results were a bit hit-and-miss), and there are shooting modes for things like parties (giving better exposure to whatever's in the background) and landscapes (for faraway scenes).

An advantage over cheaper instant cameras is an LCD display strip at the back, revealing your chosen settings. The viewfinder is small but adequate for its purpose, and there's even a tripod thread for proper selfies!

Read our full Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 review for more details

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Best for simplicity

Want to shoot classic, full-size square prints but don't need all the bells and whistles of the Now+? Then this is the one I recommend you go for.

The base Polaroid Now is a much more straightforward shooter –no apps, no lens filters, no superfluous buttons or dials and no messing around: just point, press, and out pops an iconic Polaroid.

Given the mirrors inside Polaroid cameras, they are much bulkier than their Instax counterparts –so you won't be able to carry this around in a handbag (I caved in and bought the specially designed bag from Polaroid, as it's too chunky for my messenger bags).

However, while the Instax Square cameras may be slimmer, to me there's nothing like the tactility of holding a big, boxy Polaroid when you're shooting old-school instant film.

Again, Polaroids produce a much more "dreamy" and authentically vintage photo (rather than the crisp, contrasty Instax shots). If you want images with the same look as the ones your parents and grandparents took, the Now is sure to Wow.

Read my full Polaroid Now review for more details

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Best for style

Yes, Leica makes an instant camera! However, while it is a very good instant camera, I have to be absolutely straight with you: aside from the cool design and Leica Big Red Dot™, this camera is otherwise identical to the Instax Mini Evo (it even uses Instax Mini film).

So if you only care about the actual performance, the Evo the one to go for –but if you feel that having a snazzier body and a Leica logo is just as important, the Sofort 2 is for you. I really do think this is the best-looking instant camera to date!

Leica is renowned for its fantastic and premium style, and the Sofort 2 has it in buckets, with a small and compact shape ready to slip into a pocket, and smooth gloss finishes to the front and the back of the camera that look very chic.

Unfortunately, like other hybrid cameras, when it comes to digital image quality, it's not great with only a 4.9MP sensor. Although you can argue that, for snapping and printing Instax Mini images, the resolution is perfect.

Still, like other hybrids, the fun factor here is the main selling point; this is something to be passed around at parties for taking (and making prints of) on-the-spot memories. And for that, the Leica Sofort 2 is a class act.

Read our full Leica Sofort 2 review

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Best for big photos

The Wide 300 is the daddy of the Instax family. It's powered by four AA batteries rather than the usual two, making this chunky camera not far off the size of a medium format system.

That said, replaceable AAs will make the camera last longer than one with an integrated battery that stops holding its charge after a few years. And it's able to deliver much larger prints using the Instax Wide film packs, making it much better for group shots and landscapes.

It's not a camera to take selfies with, though, between its bulky design, the lack of mirror, and a close focus distance that's a bit too long for most arms. And while it has a tripod mount, bizarrely there's no self-timer function (nor any other creative modes). So it's great for group photos, but only if there's someone behind the camera.

I still love it, though. It's got the most powerful flash on this list (thanks to all those batteries) and it produces the largest photos with great image quality. So if you want sheer scale with no frills, this is your best bet. If I don't have to pack light, this is the instant camera I bring with me.

Read our full Fujifilm InstaxWide 300 review for more details

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Best square images

Where Polaroids have that "dreamy" vintage look that's not to everyone's taste, Instaxes have a much more "modern" kind of image quality. So if you're looking for square instant photos that have punchy contrast and crisp sharpness, the SQ40 is the way to go.

It steps away from the cute, brightly-colored design of the older Instax Square SQ1 and adds a sleeker and more sophisticated camera to the Square lineup. (Check out our Instax SQ1 vs SQ40 comparison for more info.)

As you'd expect, it takes pristine photographs whether you're indoors or outdoors –though I'm sad that it lacks many of the features from the discontinued Instax Square SQ6 (such as a self-timer, tripod mount, and double exposures).

So the Polaroid Now+ trumps it if you want advanced and creative tools, but the Instax takes it for conventional image quality.

My main gripe is that it requires tricky-to-find CR2 batteries –which, wastefulness aside, and can be a pain if you don't already have some spares when the camera runs dry!

Read our full Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 review for more details

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Best Zink photos

Both Instax and Polaroid film are expensive, but there is an alternative: Zink, ("zero-ink"). Rather than exposing a sheet of film, this uses thermal paper which is much cheaper, and also produces smudge-proof, water-resistant prints.

They literally are prints, though, as this is effectively a camera with a Zink printer inside –so the quality is more like a color printout or photocopy. The backs can be peeled off, though, turning them into stickers –perfect for scrapbooking.

If you're happy not shooting on film, though, I think the Kodak Smile Classic is the best Zink instant camera on the market thanks to its large sensor that captures enough detail for 3.5 x 4.25-inch pictures (unlike the typical 2 x 3-inch of most Zink printers).

I love the design, which is inspired by classic Polaroid cameras, and although it prints every photo you take, you can also insert a microSD card to shoot digitally. There's also a companion app that enables you to add augmented reality (AR) features!

Between the lower cost, the more durable prints and the fun AR features, this makes a really good option for kids as well as adults.

Read our full Kodak Smile Instant Print review for more details

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How to choose the best instant camera

How we test instant cameras

We don't test instant cameras using the same scientific lab tests we do on the latest mirrorless cameras and lenses – but our evaluation is no less exhaustive! When I get an instant camera, I take it to an actual shooting environment and run a few packs of film through it (since it's possible to get a bad batch of film), seeing how it performs in a variety of lighting and environmental conditions. This is especially important with cameras that use a photochemical exposure process, since results can vary greatly even in only subtly different situations.

I also take any "clever" features into consideration, especially as this relates to ease of use.After all, instant cameras are supposed to take pictures instantly with minimal fuss! Battery life is a key point as well, given that there's a physical mechanism and usually a flash being fired. Image quality is quite subjective – photochemical prints inherently possess a different set of characteristics, though Zink images can be more fairly evaluated in terms of print quality –but ultimately I won't recommend a camera that takes a bad photo!

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