Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 Review

Ease of Use

Despite being a serious instant film camera aimed at more advanced users, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is thankfully very easy to initially setup. It also comes with a concise instruction manual to follow for a smooth experience.

To get started, you’ll need to load the camera with the rechargeable NP-70S Lithium Ion battery that is supplied in the box and, of course, the instant film. Battery life is around 100 shots, or 10 packs of film.

Before popping open the large rear door, you’ll need to turn the camera on by twisting the lens dial and check the LCD panel on the rear. If a number is displayed on the right (from 1-10), then there is film already loaded.

With the rear door open, the yellow mark on the film cartridge lines up with the one inside the camera. Slot in the cartridge and close the door. Simple.

Before you get started, you’ll need to take a shot to eject what is referred to as the safety sheet from the cartridge.

The print slot is found on the top of the Instax Mini Evo (when viewed from the rear in portrait orientation), so make sure it is unobstructed when you press the print button.

Once an image has been printed out, you’ll need to allow some time for the Instax film to develop – in other words, don’t be alarmed when it pops out completely white. After a few minutes, the colours should have fully rendered.

To turn the camera on, you simply twist the lens clockwise from the Off to one of the three zone focus positions – Landscape (3m – infinity), Standard (0.6-3m) and Macro Focus (0.3-0.6m).

You’ll notice that the lens is labelled with a 60mm focal length, which in this format translates to around 35mm – that’s a moderately wide angle of view that’s employed by all Fujifilm Instax cameras.

With a subject that’s around a metre away, you’ll be able to include a good amount of surroundings in the shot. For a selfie from around 0.4m, you can comfortably fit in two people, but if anyone else jumps in it’s a real squeeze.

Shots can be composed using the optical viewfinder, although you won’t want to rely on its accuracy too much, something that can be disconcerting for the first-time user. Also, you really have to press your eye in close in order to see through the finder in the first place.

Fujifilm have greatly improved the accuracy for close up subjects so that when you select Macro Focus, your main subject will be right in the center of the frame, rather than off to one side as on some previous models.

The Instax Mini 99 is primarily designed to be used in portrait format with the built-in flash at the top. Landscape format is more accommodating on this model as Fujifilm have added a second shutter release button on the side to be used in this orientation.

For the most accurate framing, the ‘O’ seen in the middle through the viewfinder should be positioned slightly up and to the right of centre to your subject. If you switch to landscape format with the flash still on top, then the ‘O’ should be slightly to the upper left of centre.

Guidance regarding composition can be found in the instruction manual – it’s possibly the most tricky aspect of any Instax camera to consciously remember.

The Instax Mini 99 measures 103.5 mm x 117.5 mm x 60 mm and weighs 340g without battery, strap, and film.

The camera is made from plastic, so ideally you won’t want to drop it from any great height, but it is robust enough if you do.

Size-wise, the Instax Mini 99 fits in the hand comfortably enough – for reference, I have large hands. It has a much more angular design than the smooth curves of the Mini 12, and it also has a usefully textured surface.

It mimics the look of classic film cameras pretty well, with the faux leatherette coating both looking genuine from afar and also making it easier to grip than the smooth, shiny surface on the Mini 12. The textured coating is made from plastic, though, not true leather.

On the side of the Mini 99 are two circular dials. The first allows you to choose one of the six available Color Effect settings (Faded Green, Warm Tone, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia and Light Leak), or the N (normal) setting to render things as they are.

These colour effects are applied via physical LED lights within the camera body, located underneath the film compartment, which illuminate during the exposure to add the colour effect.

The second dial acts as exposure compensation, offering five levels of adjustable brightness, including Light +, Light, Normal, Dark and Dark-. In the middle of this dial is the second shutter release button.

On the rear of the Mini 99 are three small buttons – Mode, Self Timer and Flash.

The first accesses the five shooting modes, including Normal, Indoor, Sports, Double Exposure, and Bulb, which optimize the camera for a specific scene.

The Normal mode automatically adjusts the flash and shutter speed to capture the perfect level of brightness. The Indoor mode uses slower shutter speeds to help brighten interiors. The Sports mode uses faster shutter speeds to help freeze the action. The Double Exposure mode takes two individual shots and superimposes them into one photo. The Bulb mode keeps the shutter open for up to 10 seconds – note that you need to keep the shutter button pressed.

The built-in self timer is useful for subjects like group shots. It’s ten seconds long and activates a light on the front of the camera which blinks for the final three seconds.

Unlike the Mini 12 which fires the flash for every shot, regardless of whether it’s really needed or not, the more sophisticated Mini 99 offers Fill-in flash, Red-eye removal, Automatic Flash or Flash off options.

Almost hidden away from view, the new Manual Vignette Switch is a clever addition to the Mini 99 that we’ve not previously seen on an Instax camera.

Located on the front of the lens housing, this small switch narrows the lens aperture, thereby applying a vignetting effect to the corners of the print. Turning it off captures all available light for a more natural shot.

Completing the external controls are a 1/4″ tripod socket, which as with most of the user interface is optimally positioned for when the Instax Mini 99 is in portrait mode.

Image Quality

Product Images

Conclusion

The Instax Mini 99 is Fujifilm’s most sophisticated and most creative analog camera to date, offering a winning blend of control and fun via an intuitive user interface.

Loosely based on the now 10-year-old Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic model that was launched way back in 2013, the new Mini 99 principally adds more control over exposure and the innovative colour and vignetting effects.

Both of these have only previously been available on Fujifilm’s digital Instax cameras – now they’ve very cleverly been integrated into a fully-analog model, especially in the case of the LED-driven colour effects which is an engineering stroke of genius.

What you don’t get on the Mini 99 that you do enjoy on the digital models is accurate composition – as with all of their optical viewfinders, the one on the Mini 99 only offers a rough approximation of what will actually be captured on print, which takes some getting used to if you’re new to Instax.

This is all part of the charm and above all fun of Instax cameras, though, and Fujifilm have certainly amped that feeling up on the Mini 99. It might be the most capable model in the range, but it’s crucially still a lot of fun to use, with so many effects and controls on offer that it’s all-too-easy to forget to take a “straight” picture.

The Instax Mini 99 is almost double the price of the entry-level Mini 12, which is a capable model that delivers good results in most common shooting situations. We’d still recommend the cheaper alternative for more casual users.

If you’ve ever wanted more control from an analog instant camera, though, the Mini 99 is hard to beat, especially as it doesn’t forget to be Fun with a capital F!

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 from around the web.

Specifications

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