This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.Learn more Smartphones had practically killed the compact camera market until recently, with popularity in point-and-shoot cameras steadily rising as generations young and old yearn for traditional photography.This has resulted in camera brands scrambling to release new cameras at the same time the secondhand market for decade-old Sony Cybershot and Canon PowerShot cameras skyrockets.One such firm is Fujifilm, which has seen enormous success with its X100 series of digital cameras.These premium-priced digital cameras command north of £1,500 even when resold, making them quite out of reach for most casual photography fans.But Fujifilm is also catering to different budgets with its current range, and I’ve been testing out two different models with wildly different price tags: The £94.99 Instax Mini 41 instant camera, and the £699 X-Half digital camera.Both shoot photos in vertical portrait orientation, geared towards a Gen Z crowd who are used to such framing thanks to Instagram, TikTok and shooting portrait-way up using a smartphone.The Instax Mini 41 is one of several cameras in Fujifilm’s instant range.
It’s completely manual, and works like old Polaroid cameras in instantly printing out a physical photograph once you've pushed the shutter button.The camera itself is large and not pocketable.You can wear it on an optional neck lanyard or but I stowed it in my bag, and there’s a wrist strap in the box.You take photos through the viewfinder or as a selfie by lining yourself up in a tiny mirror on the lens.
Its fixed focus lens can cope with anything 30cm or further away from you.It’s powered by two AA batteries.Film packs of 20 cost £14.99 from Amazon or Boots, which brought me firmly back to my youth and the almost forgotten concept of having finite photos left to take.It means I thought much more carefully about what to snap a photo of, as the film is pricey and precious.
I ended up with scores of little photos (they measure a diminutive 54 x 85mm, with the image itself just 46 x 62mm) of family and friends hanging out, at sports matches, gigs and on holidays.Not only were most of my shots keepers, as I was inclined to take them of people at fun times, their existence as physical photos meant I looked at them a lot more than if they were memories hidden in my smartphone’s gallery app amongst screenshots and receipts.I even bought a frame online with a mount for eight photos, which now sits proudly on my wall to encapsulate a summer.At the other end of the pricing scale (though still £900 less than the Fujifilm X100VI) is the £699 Fujifilm X-Half I’ve been testing alongside the Instax Mini 41.Unlike virtually all other digital cameras, it takes photos in vertical 3:4 format.You can take single shots or use the smartphone app (sigh) to produce 2-in-1 diptychs where you have two different shots side by side.
Fujifilm’s pitch is that “it provides a filmlike experience with digital ease”.The camera is wonderfully light and compact compared to the bulky Instax, and is styled in silver or black to look like a vintage film camera.It’s powered by a removable battery you recharge over USB-C, and you shoot using the tiny screen on the back or via the viewfinder.I found it hard to get into shooting with the X-Half and its fixed-lens setup.Its 35mm equivalent focal length is short, so like the Instax you need to be quite close to subjects to get a shot.
My photos were either of people, nearby scenes or buildings in the moody autumn UK weather.The 1-inch sensor is larger than most phone camera sensors, which means it gathers more light and more data to produce photos with more detail and dynamic range.With a half-step shutter button it also has autofocus, but you can manually focus with the lens’ ring, which also lets you change aperture.A thumb wheel changes exposure, and you can adjust ISO with the on-screen controls.These three pillars of manual photography are necessary to tackle to get the best looking shots, which means the X half is very much a manual camera rather than a compact point-and-shoot, despite its auto aperture setting.
I had to get to grips with exposure and ISO to get the right feel on photos, alongside the fun options for selecting film filters.To the left of the viewfinder screen is a thin digital strip meant to look like the film canister window on analogue cameras, which you can scroll to select from 13 classic Fujifilm filters, such as Provia Standard, Astia Soft, Reala Ace and Classic Chrome.These simulate the look of these old film stocks, and you can also apply 26 other filters on top of them.Unlike the latest iPhones, you can’t change the filters after the fact, so you need to find your favourites and cycle between them when shooting, as the photo is final once you’ve taken it.That’s amplified by the fact you can’t shoot in RAW, the photo format proffered by professional photographers that lets you edit photos on your PC later on.All photos are saved as compressed JPEG files.
It means this camera, for its price, is more of a fun curio than a pro purchase, which makes it hard to justify the high price.With this analogue vibe you can still shoot like a digital camera and view your shots immediately on the poky LCD screen, but you can also shoot in Film Camera mode.This locks you into shooting a film roll’s worth of shots as though shooting on actually film, so you need to shoot off a whole virtual ‘roll’ before you can see your shots.It’s a cute idea, but not one I loved.Seeing your shots straight away is part of the appeal of digital.
I found walking around London shooting shots fun once I’d got the hang of the settings, but I definitely needed to see how I was doing to improve my output.If you’re a skilled photographer you might fare better.After using the X half for a few weeks, I found myself gravitating back to the Instax.I’m lucky enough to test gadgets like the X half, and at first I thought it might be suited to more casual snappers such as myself.
But despite the novelty factor, the price does in facr reflect that it’s still a product for skilled photographers - or someone with patience and an appreciation for the 3:4 format.For most of us, that scratch can be itched by spending less than £100 on an Instax, a camera that gives you fun shots that you can keep in an album, share with friends, and use with no photo training.Cameras get expensive very quickly when you start to look into more capable machines, but the Instax Mini 41 is perfect for anyone who wants to put down their phone and carry a camera with fun at its heart.The X half is plenty of fun too, but only if you have the skills to get the best out of it.Buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 from ArgosBuy the Fujifilm X half from Argos SUBSCRIBE Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you.This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding.
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