If you like retro, photography or cool cameras then a Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Instant Camera is for you. I won't go through all of the cameras, where to buy them and prices but I will got through how to use the camera and will touch on some of the amazing accessories and films that you can get.
The first step when you have purchased your Instax Mini 8 Camera, is to follow the instructions thoroughly to make sure you don't mess it up. It is not hard so don't freak out! Loading the film is the trickiest part of owning one of these retro-funk cameras. But, using the camera is super easy as long as you follow the instructions.
Step One: Turning The Camera On
To turn the camera on you simply press down the button located in the bottom corner underneath the lens. When you turn the camera on the lens will pop out so make sure it is not covered.
Step Two: Choosing The Best Setting
To stop your picture being over-exposed by their be too much light getting in to the lens, or the opposite where not enough light has got into the lens, you have to choose the right setting. Forgetting to change the setting, or not changing it to the right setting can be a costly mistake. If you are using plain film it costs $1.50 per photo and if you are using patterned film it costs $2.00 per photo. The settings are located just above the lens on the front and can only be moved when the camera is on. When the camera is off the lens can seem like it has a zoom on it because it moves, but when you actually turn the camera on it only changes between four positions and is not a zoom. To change the settings you use the knob (I wasn't sure what to call it, but the bit where the arrow is) to change the setting. The selected setting will light up so that you know what setting you are on. Remember when you turn off the camera the last setting is erased so it will go back to the default setting of 'indoor' this is the mistake I made in the picture below that was over exposed.
A is for indoor use. When using A you must have the artificial light that electric lights make. Remember that to a camera, artificial light is always darker then natural light.
B is for cloudy days outside. If you are squinting whilst outside, although the clouds are covering the sky, I would personally advise that you use the next setting. This setting is more for if it is dark outside (not pitch-black or night sky dark) rather then if there are clouds in the sky.
C is for light sun. I find that it is better to go higher then lower because the camera thinks that light sun is really weak but what we consider not that bright is bright to the camera. If that didn't make sense, look at the pictures below of when I was playing around with the settings.
D is for full sun. This can be at the beach, at the park, basically anywhere. When I used the 'light sun' setting for what I thought was a light sun day it was over exposed and worked a lot better on this higher setting.
Step Three: Choosing The Best Position
An important thing to remember when using the camera is its distance. The camera only takes pictures up to 0.6 metres away or 60cm. Don't take long distance photos or photos from a distance because you will end up with a white background and you will miss heaps of detail. Trust me, I have made nearly every mistake there is to make with these cameras, such as taking a picture of the sea. It looked like it still had to develop but it never did! Another important thing to remember is that you can't crop the pictures. Once they are printed out, thats it, you can't crop, cut, remove or edit the photos. Also don't plan to have a big background, just get straight to what you want a picture of. As you can see with the picture below, I had hope to get a nice background and all detail but the focus is more on the close grass.
Step Four: Don't Be Fooled By The View Finder
Remember that on this camera the view finder is simply a hole with a shape inside it. There is nothing technical about the view finder, it does not change lighting, distance and it doesn't create an exact replica of what the photo will come out like, it is just a piece of glass showing you what you are looking at. When looking through the view finder, you will see things that when the image is printed out you will not see.
Step Five: Now Take The Photo
Now that you are happy with the light, distance and quality of your photo, take the photo. To take the photo you press down the button (indicated in the picture below by the arrow). You don't need to hold the button down or anything fancy, just a quick press and you will not only hear the picture being taken but you will be able to feel the camera working. An important tip to remember is the camera can struggle to take pictures of moving objects so taking a picture of a car, someone running etc. is not a great idea.
Step Six : Developing The Photo
Once the image has printed out is is hanging out of the...top bit (sorry I don't know all the technicalities of the camera but hopefully the visual aids compensate for my lack of knowledge)!
The image will look all white but make sure that when you take the image out, you don't touch the actual image, only the bit at the bottom. The bit at the bottom actually feels like it has the ink in it, because it does but it is fine to touch it. You then hold the image upside down and shake for one-two minutes. The image will faintly appear and then get darker and darker until it is finished. Once it has finished developing, it won't continue to develop the more you shake it. You may think that the image is still to develop but its not. When the camera is on the wrong setting, it can look as though the picture still has more developing to do, but it just stops. This can be annoying but does help for future reference.
Step Seven: Turning The Camera Off
To turn off the camera you hold down the on button, then push in the lens that popped out when you turned it on.
Tip: When storing the images do not leave them in direct sunlight, in a wet, damp or heated place but in a dry, clean space. Ideal for a purse, handbag, scrapbook, photo album etc.
Accessories
Now, I love to accessorise so I just wanted to share with you some of the accessories I have. The first is a case. A case is not an essential, as in your camera will not die without it, but I think it is very important as it protects the camera, the lens and the film inside and it also has a strap which makes it convenient for travelling. The great thing with my case as it fits perfectly, I can take it off and put it on really easily and I can take off the straps as well.
I bought it for around $15 - $20 at Kmart. It is available in a range of colours.
Film is the only other accessory that I bother with because it is essential to using the camera. You can get plain white film (pictured in all other pictures) or you can get patterned film. I have never bothered with getting the patterned film because:
• It is more expensive. I buy my plain film for $15 for a ten pack from Kmart but you can buy patterned film from camera stores and at certain Kmart's for $20+.
• I personally think that this is a waste as you get the same amount of film, the pictures come out just the same and you can make mistakes with it just the same. If I was taking pictures at an event I would possibly consider buying it, but the problem is, is that if you have rainbow film in and you have only taken five pictures with that film and then you want to take one with a different film, you can't without ruining the rest of the film.
I have heard of film covers, which are cheap to buy and you stick it on the films outside edge where the pattern would be, if you want a cheaper alternative.
I personally have a picture album which I picked up at a proper camera shop for $15-$20. It is really handy and stores all my photos. It holds are 30 photos so it will last a long time. A quick tip when buying an album is to always check if the images will fit in because although this particular one is good and it came from a camera shop, I had to return the first one because they wouldn't fit. Always take a image to try it out and never be afraid to ask to open it to double check.
Thank you for reading this, I hope you have enjoyed it and that it has helped you in some way but I just want to point out that this was not a sponsored post but just a personal advice post as when I had my camera to begin with, I think it would have been a lot easier if I had some advice.
Xx
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