the instax SHARE or the instax mini

hello everyone! today i have a review post which basically sums up my thoughts on both the fujifilm instax mini 8 as well as the instax SHARE. this post is for all of the people who have asked me if i think the SHARE is worth investing in. hopefully after reading this post you'll have a better idea of whether to buy the instax mini 8 or the instax SHARE!

fujifilm instax SHARE

i received my instax SHARE about 3 or so months ago and in this time have used it to print about 20 photos. i find that being able to print photos from your phone is really helpful if you don't want to carry anything around with you. the app which you can print from is extremely easy to use and it connects well with the printer.

the pros of the fujifilm instax SHARE:

1 // print photos from your phone within minutes wirelessly 

2 // preview your photos before you print them

3 // option to reprint photos

4 // various templates and settings which you can adjust on the app

5 // passcode for your printer so that nobody else can print on it!

some negatives of the instax SHARE:

1 // photos sometimes come out brighter than you thought

2 // not as capable of capturing the precision of photos like the instax mini 8

although the photos do come out brighter than they look on the app, this gives them a softer impression and would be like using the 'high key' setting on the mini. to avoid making them print overexposed, edit the contrast and make the photo darker than it is before printing. i would recommend the SHARE if you tend to take heaps of photos on your phone and don't really want to carry something around. it's great if you're printing out photos that you took on holiday because what makes me a bit upset is when i get a really good photo on the mini 8 but then that's the only copy of the photo that ill ever have :( and then i don't have a digital copy that sucks so i guess thats what makes the instax SHARE desirable. also, its hard to waste film using the instax SHARE because you can preview your photos and all of that so thats definitely one thing to consider because film can be pretty costly if you waste some.



if you look closely you can see how the instax mini photo is very clear and details are extremely accurate (the faces are detailed), where as with the instax share it is slightly less clear (the faces are slightly overexposed meaning that less detail is visible).



again, you can see a slight difference in the clarity of the photos.

fujifilm instax mini 8

this camera is probably one of my favourite gifts i have ever received. i got it at for christmas in 2013 and i have taken it on so many adventures and captured the most gorgeous moments.

heres an outline of the pros of this camera:

1 // prints detailed images from 60cm up to about 2-3 metres

2 // user friendly- just point and shoot

3 // 5 different light settings

4 // a viewfinder so that you know what you are taking the photo of

5 // comes in 7 different colours

cons of the instax mini 8:

1 // close up photos are usually out of focus (photos closer than 60cm)

2 // long distance photos are also out of focus

3 // sometimes photos come out overexposed or underexposed

4 // auto-flash goes off everytime and there is no way to turn it off
5 // the viewfinder isn't 100% accurate

luckily there are ways to avoid the above:

1 // buy an instax close-up lens to prevent blurry close up photos here

2 // to prevent overexposed or underexposed photos, first point your camera to where you want to take the photo, then look at the indicator near the lens of your camera. turn the dial to the setting which the light is on. for the brightest photo, use high key.
3 // there is no way to get around the auto-flash however i find that this makes the camera unique - why buy an instax camera if you want to take the best possible photos? this camera is meant to easily capture photos without having to change plenty of settings and all the photos i have taken with this camera have the retro feel with the flash.
4 // to avoid inaccuracy when taking a photo, look through your viewfinder and make sure the subject of the photo is in the middle, then turn your camera slightly down and slightly to the left. keep experimenting until you get the hang of it!

remember that your first 10 or so photos won't come out perfect and thats just how its going to be. you have to learn your camera and keep trying even so that you improve your photos :)

i would suggest that if you are most likely going to be taking mid-range or close-up photos and don't mind getting the hang of the camera and experimenting to see which settings work best for you, buy the instax mini 8.
if you tend to take more photos on your phone, definitely buy the instax SHARE. if you want your photos to come out at normal exposure then make sure to edit them a bit darker before you print them!
sometimes photos might come out blurry or overexposed or underexposed but this is just something thats inevitable so expect that if you are buying an instant camera. that's where the true character of the camera comes in because its always a surprise as you are waiting for the film to develop + its totally unique! you will never ever be able to capture that moment again so its quite beautiful really (sorry for my ramble ahah).
obviously, both the SHARE and the mini 8 have their own strengths so it really depends on what you're going to be using it for, the price budget you have etc etc..

i hope you enjoyed this post! please comment if you found it helpful or have any other questions, i'm more than happy to answer them. see you again soon xx

Disclosure: I was sent the instax SHARE from FUJIFILM in return for a collaboration on my blog and instagram. This is a sponsored post and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.