Instax SQ1 Camera Case - Chalk White

Product Information

Meanwhile at the other end of the scale, access to longer shutter speeds allows the SQ40 to capture more of the surroundings in dim interiors. There’s also a third option to consider which in theory gives you the best of both Worlds: going for one of Fujifilm’s digital instax cameras, which employ a sensor, built-in memory and screen, allowing you to not only take lots of photos and apply various effects to them, but crucially view them on the screen before deciding whether to print them or not. Like the SQ1 before it, beware of framing as you get closer to your subject, as the viewfinder will become less accurate due to parallax. In both of these shots, the donut sculpture on the left and the coffee cup on the right were placed in the middle of the viewfinder. The former has come out how I expected as it was a few meters away, but the coffee is well off-centre as it was shot at much closer range, so be warned. But hey, not quite knowing what you’re going to get is all part of the analogue charm, right? The 62 x 62mm square prints that the SQ40 churns out are perfect in size – equal in height as Instax Mini film but in a wider square format, with the film itself measuring 86mm x 72mm.

In theory this approach sounds like a no-brainer, but I actually find them the least compelling in practice. If I want predictability, I’d prefer a instax printer that’s designed to work with my phone. If I want the fun, the analogue instax models will give me something genuinely different in operation and results to a digital camera. In fact I’d say there’s an argument for having both a wireless printer and an analogue camera. Fujifilm instax SQ40 verdict

How to Use the INSTAX Connect Feature

Next to the light meter is a Flash Light sensor for the always-on flash. I’d like a button to deactivate the flash for the times when I don’t want the foreground subjects brightly illuminated, and without that feature I often opt to physically cover the flash as a workaround.

Again like the fully-analogue instax models before it, composition is with a small optical viewfinder when you’re behind the camera, or a tiny mirror to the right of the lens when you’re in front of it taking a selfie.Place them side by side and you’ll notice the functional parts, like the lens, viewfinder, flash and shutter buttons are all in the same places, confirming the SQ40 on the right is simply the SQ1 with a different finish. Same features, same photo quality, but more serious looks for those who find the SQ1 on the left a little frivolous.

That’s not to say the instax process can’t make great-looking prints of very bright or very dark scenes, but you’re unlikely to be using an instax analogue camera to take them. Meanwhile those who never want a wasted print and like the idea of making instax photos from their larger cameras should get an instax Link printer, again available in any of the three print formats. The sample gallery (above) shows the sort of aesthetic quality you can expect from any Instax camera – that's a lovely desaturated vintage look, and the SQ40 is no exception.

How to use the AR Print Feature

Auto exposure parameters are 1/2 sec with slow sync flash, which is ideal for flash portraits indoors, and up to 1/400 sec, which gives more headroom in bright sunlight than the Instax Mini, which tops out at 1/250 sec and washes out (overexposes) more often. Ok, here’s some shots I took with the SQ40. The simple lens delivers mild wide-angle coverage that’s suitable for general-use from portraits and selfies to buildings and landscapes. Exposure is again automatic with the camera able to access shutter speeds from half to 400th of a second that, with the fixed aperture and film sensitivity, should cover you from fairly bright scenes to dim interiors. As before, selfies in medium light seem to work best of all, and I was pleased to find my pasty skin tones not becoming washed-out. Very bright scenes are however still likely to over-expose with washed-out skies becoming a familiar sight on all the analogue instax cameras I’ve tested. But at least the SQ40 remains an improvement over the Mini 11 and 12 which have a fastest shutter speed of 1/250 and especially the Mini 9s and earlier models which stopped at 1/60 and over-exposed in even mild brightness. That said, I still think Fujifilm should boost the top shutter speed to 1/500 or maybe faster still on future models to better cope with very bright conditions – after all, surely many instax cameras are taken on Sunny holidays.