The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo 2 brings big upgrades to its hybrid instant camera

Fujifilm is keeping the Instax releases flowing with the next iteration of its hybrid instant camera, the Instax Mini Evo 2. The new version brings some noteworthy upgrades, including a substantially larger sensor, a larger rear display with touch controls, face-detection autofocus and a new video clip feature.

Like its predecessor, the Mini Evo 2 combines a digital camera with an instant printer, letting users review their photos and print only those they choose, while retaining digital copies of all. It uses Fujifilm’s Instax Mini film, which produces a 62 × 46mm (2.4 × 1.8″) image, but doesn’t use a sheet every time you press the shutter.

Fujifilm opted for a Type 1/2.77 (20.6mm²) sensor in the Mini Evo 2, a significant upgrade over the Type 1/5 (6.3mm²) sensor in the original. The new model also introduces a wide-angle mode, offering a standard field of view of 33mm equiv. that expands to 23mm equiv. in the new mode (found in the Lens Effects menu).

The massive touchscreen takes up the entirety of the back of the camera. Fujifilm

Although the sensor has approximately 16.3 million effective pixels, Fujifilm says that standard photos are saved at approximately 6.1MP. Wide-angle shots offer a higher 12.8MP resolution when saved to a memory card, but are capped at 6.1MP when using internal storage. Autofocus still covers 10cm (3.9″) to infinity, but the Mini Evo 2 adds face-detection AF.

The company also replaced the original’s 3-inch LCD with a 4.5-inch touchscreen. It occupies the entire back of the camera, with Fujifilm ditching the physical buttons in favor of a larger viewing area. Otherwise, the looks and controls remain mostly consistent with the first iteration, including a dial on top of the camera to adjust “film effects” that alter colors and a dial around the lens to change lens effects. It also retains the film-advance-style print lever.

In addition to the hardware changes, Fujifilm added some new software features. That includes an “Expanded View” feature that shows the scene beyond the edges of the final image, with a framing guide indicating what will appear in the photo. The Mini Evo 2 now also offers video, though in a very limited capacity. The “Immersive Movie” mode records approximately 5-second MP4 clips at 560 × 992 pixels and 24 fps, but users will need a memory card inserted to use the feature.

The Instax Mini Evo 2 provides much more control over images compared to Fujifilm’s non-Evo Instax lineup. As with the first generation, it features 10 lens effects that can be combined with 10 film effects for 100 total looks. The selection has changed slightly, however. Fujifilm swapped the Fisheye and Mirror lens effects for wide-angle and “After Image.” Plus, the camera offers auto, forced-on and off flash settings, along with exposure compensation, white balance control and a macro mode.

Fujifilm says the Instax Mini Evo 2 will be available at the end of November for $290. Unlike the first version, which came in three colors, the Mini Evo 2 is only available in black.

Fujifilm