How a tiny mirror is making Instax relevant again

I got my Instax Mini-7 around, well, seven years ago. While film was (still is) expensive, I gladly purchased beyond my means. It didn’t matter — I got cute photos out of it. But it really was more about the photos, Instax was an enabler for the insta-generation, way ahead of Instagram. Gen-Xers and Xellennials loved it because it’s a reminder of a not so distant past when photos were printed and Polaroids weren’t just a novelty item at street markets.

But there was a catch. Paris Hilton didn’t invent the selfie — we were already taking selfies with our disposable Kodaks long before she blessed us with Stars are Blind. But we couldn’t take proper ones with our Instax. At that time, front-facing cameras were unheard of, and so we could only make do with our innate human instinct of knowing where our faces were vis-a-vis a camera lens.

This year, Fujifilm launched the Instax Mini 9, which has (gasp!) a selfie mirror. It’s the Instax of this generation. Also perhaps knowing that we as a society have evolved and learned all about good lighting, Fujifilm added a feature that allows the Instax to automatically determine the best brightness for taking the picture. The best option lights up on the dial and you simply have to adjust it to get the best possible shot.

* * *

The new Instax Mini 9 is Php 3,999 All Fujifilm and Instax products are sold at authorized dealers nationwide. For information, visit www.Fujifilmph.com and follow Fujifilm Philippines Lifestyle at Instagram (@fujifilmphlifestyle) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/fujifilmphlifestyle)