Fujifilm instax mini 25 review

Hello! ♥ 

Haven't been doing reviews lately, mainly because I destroyed my lightbox. T_T I've been meaning to make another one, but I haven't found the time to do so, yet! Also, my room isn't big enough for the lightbox I have in mind~ Sigh. Not sure how I'll work around it, but I'm sure I will, lol! When there's a will, there's a way.. 

Meanwhile, please enjoy some product shots from my old white box~ I took the photos last December, when I first got the polaroid camera for my sister! I was so excited about posting it on the blog, but since my sister only came down to visit in the end of January, I had to wait because I wanted to surprise her with her extremely belated birthday present! X) 

I got a polaroid camera for her because I myself am an absolute gadget geek! 8D I'm also a huge fan of photography, painting with light and capturing the essence of memories and moments! ^_^ Hopefully my sister will be able to capture her moments in life with her polaroid camera~

I got her the instax mini 25! It's a newer model compared to the mini 7S~ It has a self shoot mirror, whereas the 7S does not, which is one handy tool when it comes to self-portrait shots/photos with friends!

There's also a limited edition Hello Kitty version of the mini 25 but my sister is all about simplicity, so I got her the normal one instead!

FUJIFILM INSTAX MINI 25 

Features

• Self-shoot mirror
• Close-up lens for focusing from 35cm
• Intelligent flash
• Motorized 3 position, collapsible lens
• 2 shutter design for landscape & portrait pics
• Uses Instax Mini film – creditcard size

Full Specification

• Film: Fujifilm Instant Color Film "instax mini"
• Picture size: 62mm x 46mm
• Lens: Move in/out type, 2 components, 2 elements, f=60mm, 1:12.7
• Viewfinder: Real image finder, 0.37x, with target spot
• Focusing: Focusing Motor-driven 2-range switching: Normal Mode 0.5 - 2.5m / Landscape Mode 2.5 - ∞
• Shutter Release: Shutter Release Programmed electronic shutter release, 1/3 - 1/400 sec. Shutterspeeds, 2shutter release buttons (vertical shooting / horizontal shooting)
• Exposure control: Exposure control Automatic, Interlocking range (ISO800): LV5.0* - LV15.5, Exposure compensation (Lighten-Darken Control): ±2/3EV *When Fill-in Flash Mode are used
• Film Feeding Out: Automatic
• Flash: Built-in, Automatic electronic flash, Auto mode, Fill-in Flash Mode (Intelligent Flash for Brighter Backgrounds), 0.2 - 5sec. Recycle time (when new batteries are used), with flashcharging lamp (red), effective flash lamp range: 0.5 - 2.5m
• Self-shot: With self-shot mirror
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): Exposure counter (number of unexposed films), LandscapeMode, Lighten-darken control, Fill-in Flash Mode
• Power Supply: Two CR2/DL CR2 lithium batteries, Capacity: 30 film packs (Based on Fujifilm's test conditions)
• Others: With film pack confirmation window, With simplified macro lens (range: 35cm - 50cm)
• Dimensions & Weight: 112.0mm x 121.0mm x 50.5mm / 275g (without batteries, strap and film pack)

The CF is soo cute! Hahaha! ♥

I got 2 different types of films - Hello Kitty design and the normal film.

Of course, there are heaps of other cartoon films to choose from too! ♥ ALL of them are so adorable!

A few sample shots -

Developing~

Without flash and with flash - underexposed and exposed! Usually the auto function will be able to sense the lighting conditions and switch flash on~ Personally, I think polaroids taken with flash on usually look better than the ones without flash! ^_^

How cool is this set by Frankie Yeung? Panoramic view constructed by instax minis!

My thoughts:

I personally think that if you LOVE taking photos, you'll definitely LOVE a polaroid camera! And the instax mini 25 is definitely the way to go~ It is SO easy to use and idiot-proof, haa! Films can be expensive though, so make sure you know where to get reasonably priced films. They are usually $7+ for a pack of 10 films. It's a good switch from the digital camera world we now live in! I have so many photos in my camera/computer that I REALLY want to develop, but never actually get around to... :( With the polaroid camera, it's instant - you snap, and you get to hold your photo right away~ And since they're credit card sized, they fit into every wallet!