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The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10 is less fun than it should be

16 Jul

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10
$ 280/£249 | www.fujifilm.com | Buy Now

The Instax Square SQ10 represents two firsts for Fujifilm’s Instax line. It’s the first to use the brand’s new square format film, which looks more like a classic Polaroid than the credit card-sized Instax Mini film used by all of the company’s other instant cameras. It’s also the first ‘hybrid’ instant camera offered by Fujifilm, meaning it’s actually a digital camera with the ability to print photos on instant film. You can do this as soon as you snap the shutter for a just-like-instant experience, or manually once you’ve had the chance to review it.

That’s right, this is a digital camera imitating a mobile app that imitates the effects of film cameras. What a time to be alive.

Since it is a digital camera, the SQ10 offers some modern conveniences that its instant-only peers don’t. For one, there’s a real LCD for image composition and menu navigation. There are also a few straightforward image setting adjustments available, like exposure compensation (+/-3 EV).

Key specifications

  • 3.6MP 1/4-in CMOS sensor
  • 3″ 460k-dot LCD
  • microSD card slot / built-in memory for 50 photos
  • Fixed 28.5mm equiv. F2.4 lens
  • Auto ISO only (100-1600)
  • Shooting modes: Standard, double exposure, bulb mode
  • Self timer: 10 or 2sec
  • Built-in NP-50 battery rated to 160 prints
  • Micro USB charging
  • 119mm x 47mm x 127mm / 4.7 x 1.9 x 5″

You can also save photos to internal memory and microSD. The camera automatically stores the last 50 images it printed to internal memory, so you can re-print photos. The SQ10 includes a selection of Instagram-style filters that can be used while shooting or added to images later, as well as a vignette effect. That’s right, this is a digital camera imitating a mobile app that imitates the effects of film cameras. What a time to be alive.

In use

In my first few outings with the camera I was determined to treat it like a true instant camera and left it in Auto print mode. But when not everybody in the photo was looking the right direction, or it turned out that I’d left the flash turned off when it was needed, it felt like I’d really screwed up and wasted a print. Just knowing that it could have been different made the experience less enjoyable than the carefree “Oh well, that’s film!” attitude I can take with my Instax mini 90.

If you dial in exposure compensation or turn the flash off, the SQ10 will continue to honor those settings even if you turn the camera off and back on. But it’s easy to forget they’re enabled as there’s no information displayed on the shooting screen. Before switching to manual printing I lost a few precious prints that way.

I also found that in printed images, shadow tones tend to come out significantly darker than they appear on the screen when viewed straight on. Features that were visible when I previewed images ended up being crushed in shadows when printed. Tilting the camera and viewing the LCD at an angle actually gives a more accurate print preview in some cases than viewing the image straight on.

The good news is that any modern digital camera will take nice photos in the right light

The good news is that any modern digital camera will take nice photos in the right light, and in ample sunshine the SQ10 produces very nice images. I got the best results leaving exposure compensation alone and embracing the punchy contrast. Flash portraits with subjects at a reasonable distance also look pleasant. Images taken in shade or under cloudy conditions have a noticeably cooler tint, and there’s no way to adjust white balance.

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When you do end up with a nice exposure, print quality is the Square’s strong point. It’s expensive, but I prefer Fujilm’s Instant film’s deep blacks and rich colors over the zero-ink Polaroid-branded competitor any day. And the square format is a selling point for my money – it’s the format associated with instant photography and if it’s good enough for OutKast, it’s good enough for me.

Fujifilm claims you can print photos from other cameras using the SQ10 if you load them onto a microSD card. I followed the instructions in the manual to the letter and never got anything but a read error when trying to view it on the camera. Your mileage may vary. Even if you can get it to work, it’s a pretty clumsy process. There’s no Wi-Fi included for printing from a phone or Fujifilm camera, which is a shame.

The SQ10 is also significantly heavier than the Instax mini 90 – at least it felt significant to my shoulders. The SQ10 weighs about a pound (450g) fully loaded; the 90 is half that Not back-breaking, but noticeable when you carry it around all day. The built-in battery is rated to 160 prints, and indeed it never needed a recharge during the course of this review.

Summing up

The Instax Square SQ10 offers a convincing imitation of instant photography, plus some of the modern comforts of digital. And there are plenty of benefits from this mashup of digital and instant technology. Having the ability to save the printing step for a convenient time is very nice if you’re say, on a hike, and don’t want to carry around a developing photo. Being able to make multiple prints is another bonus, and if you run out of film, great news – you can still take pictures.

But the truth is, if you opt to print manually rather than as you go, you’re basically just carrying around a mediocre digital camera that’s glued to an instant printer. The camera in the SQ10 is just not as good as a modern smartphone camera, plain and simple.

To be sure, smartphone cameras are awfully sophisticated these days, and if you count the phone they’re attached to, cost well more than the SQ10. And the great thing about the year 2017 is that even a bad digital camera will take nice photos in many conditions. If bright-light snapshots and flash portraits are your aim, then the SQ10’s digital camera component will serve you just fine. But if you plan to take photos without flash in lighting that’s less than ideal, you’d be better off using your phone.

The camera in the SQ10 is just not as good as a modern smartphone camera

If instant photography appeals to you but you want more control over the output than an all-film camera, the Instax Square SQ10 is worth a look. But it’s hard to recommend over Fuji’s standalone Instax SP-2 printer used with a smartphone. The camera that’s already in your pocket or purse likely offers a better automatic exposure mode, a polished user interface, infinite film-simulation filters and better control over exposure settings.

Shortcomings like poor image quality in low light are much easier to forgive in an all-film instant camera, but somehow feel more egregious in the SQ10 simply because it seems like the camera should be able to do better. To me at least, it feels less fun than all-instant photography, with not enough of the convenience of digital to make up for it.

What we like:

  • Digital conveniences like saving images and printing later
  • Lovely square format film
  • Good battery life

What we don’t like:

  • Small sensor struggles in low light
  • Prints are expensive at around $ 1.50 each
  • Tendency to crush shadows can make it difficult to judge exposure

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Fujifilm’s SQ10 Instax Square camera is an instant/digital hybrid

19 Apr

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Fujifilm’s first square format Instax camera is here, and it’s a half-digital, half-analog beast with a $ 280 price tag.

The SQ10 uses a 1/4″ CMOS sensor to capture 3.6MP color images, and offers a 3″, 460k-dot LCD for composition and camera operation. It’s a departure from the all-analog cameras in Fuji’s current Instax lineup, but provides benefits of digital capture like adding filters in-camera and saving files to microSD. Auto exposure control, facial recognition and autofocus are also offered.

Images are printed in 1:1 format on 86 x 72mm film, which will sell for $ 17 for a pack of 10 sheets. The camera and its film go on sale in May.

Press Release

FUJIFILM ANNOUNCES THE NEW INSTAX SQUARE SQ10, A HYBRID INSTANT FILM CAMERA

SQ10 gives users a simultaneous digital and traditional print photo experience that instantly changes how we take pictures today

Valhalla, N.Y., April 19, 2017 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation today announced the all-new INSTAX® SQUARE SQ10, a sophisticated square format hybrid instant film camera that combines digital imaging technology with square film prints. The SQ10 uses a new INSTAX SQUARE Film format that delivers exceptional image quality with numerous artistic expressions. This new system takes the image quality of INSTAX to the next level and allows everyone to add a creative, artistic edge to their photography with an intuitive interface designed especially for the SQ10.

Hybrid-powered Beautiful Image Quality
The SQ10 is the first camera in the INSTAX series to be equipped with the newly developed hybrid INSTAX system – a digital image sensor and image processing technology integrated with the existing INSTAX system. These technologies allow the SQ10 to take brighter photos in low-light conditions (indoor and night scenes) and close-up shots from a distance as close as 4 in cm with new functions including automatic exposure control, facial recognition, and auto-focus.

Simply Stunning Design
The SQ10 has an iconic design and a thin, round, symmetrical shape for easy holding. It has a dual shutter system with two shutter buttons – one on the right and one on the left (buttons also work as function buttons to switch shooting modes). The lens ring is made with shaved metal, and specific areas add a sense of depth and texture throughout the solid black camera body.

The SQ10 is simply designed to let users take fun, easy and creative pictures anywhere. The SQ10 allows simple operation with a 3” TFT color LCD monitor (460K dots), operation dial and buttons on the back of the camera. Three buttons arranged at the top of the operation dial correspond to the main functions — ten different filters, vignette control, and brightness adjustment. Users will see a live display of all operations throughout the composition during shooting, editing, processing and printing on the LCD monitor. This new interface enables photographers to edit and process photos with a simple and intuitive operation. Users may also choose to select and edit (e.g. zooming, cropping and filters) the image before printing. This is particularly useful when sharing multiple prints with a number of people.

After a picture is taken, users can print, or save the image to the SQ10’s internal memory, save to the micro SD \ microSDHC card, or transfer from the camera to a computer using a micro-USB for ultimate flexibility.

Stir Your Creativity with New Shooting Modes
The SQ10 lets users shoot in various modes with several filters for outputting creative and trendy square photos. Ten different color filters, saturation and dramatic vignetting effect can be adjusted for truly artistic pictures.

The vignette effect is especially suitable for portraits or still life images as it highlights the photographic subject at the center of the photo. The SQ10 features special shooting modes including, Double Exposure that can overlap two images onto one print by pushing the shutter twice, Bulb Exposure function for night scenes and creating pictures with dramatic light streaks, Division mode for putting up to nine images on one print, and Micro mode for photography as close as 4 in cm.

New INSTAX SQUARE Film Format
The SQ10 uses a brand new INSTAX SQUARE Film format with a 1:1 aspect ratio that has been especially popular with photo enthusiasts and mobile app shooters. All INSTAX film features excellent color reproducibility, taking full advantage of Fujifilm’s long-standing research on photographic film manufacturing and image design technology.

An INSTAX Generation
Since INSTAX cameras were originally launched in 1998, they have proven to be extremely popular with users all over the world, with cumulative shipment volumes reaching over 25 million units. This has made INSTAX the leader of the world’s instant photography market over the past several years.

Fujifilm is committed to offering new products and services that meet various consumer needs by leveraging innovative technological advancements. The company is also dedicated to enhancing the enjoyment of photography worldwide, and encouraging users to experience the value of shooting, preserving, displaying and gifting photo images that deliver the message of “enriching your life with photographs.”

INSTAX SQUARE SQ10 Key Features:

  • FUJIFILM INSTAX Square SQ10 with all-new hybrid INSTAX system
  • 3” TFT color LCD monitor with 460K dots resolution
  • ¼” CMOS image sensor with primary color filter
  • 1920×1920 recorded pixels
  • Rechargeable Li-ion battery (NP-50) for up to 160 images per charge
  • Images taken and edited / processed can be saved in the internal memory (up to about 50 images) or on microSD \ microSDHC card slot (sold separately)
  • 28.5mm fixed focal length (in 35m format equivalent)
  • F2.4 aperture
  • Micro USB for internal battery recharging
  • JPEG image file format
  • Print from internal memory or micro SD \ microSDHC card
  • Tripod mount
  • New INSTAX SQUARE Film format (color) sold in 10 sheets per pack
    o Screen size – 62mm×62mm (L×W)
    o Film size – 86mm×72mm (L×W)

For a full list of specifications, visit INSTAX SQUARE SQ10.

Availability and Pricing
The INSTAX SQUARE SQ10 will be available in May 2017 in the U.S. and Canada for USD $ 279.95 and CAD $ 369.99.

INSTAX SQUARE Film will also be available in May 2017 in the U.S. and Canada for USD $ 16.99 and CAD $ 15.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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