The New Instax Evo Instant Hybrid Camera Hands on Review

So, Fujifilm have a shiny new hybrid camera in their mini range- The Instax Evo. I was so keen to get this camera I took the plunge and ordered from Amazon Japan. It is due to be released in the USA and Europe in February 2022.  It cost me £185 after import fees. I do recommend you wait for February because you will be missing the warranty if you buy from Japan and the app has not yet been officially released in many regions.

You can find my video review here: Instax Evo Mini Hands on Review - YouTube

A comparison between the Evo and Liplay video here: Instax Mini Evo Vs LiPlay Fuji Hybrid Cameras Comparison - YouTube

On paper it seems similar to the LiPlay, so how about we directly compare the two, and whilst we are at it include the Instax Square hybrids cameras the SQ10 and SQ20...

Specs	Instax Mini Evo	Instax Mini LiPlay	SQ10 (Square)	SQ20 (Square)
Sensor	1/5-in	1/5-in	¼-in	1/5-in
Effective pixels	2560 × 1920	2560 × 1920	1920 x 1920	1920 x 1920
Flash Effective Range	50 cm to 1.5 m LED	50 cm to 1.5 m LED	Auto/Compulsory flash/Suppressed flash/Slow synchro/Red-eye removal  Effective range: Approx. 50 cm to 8 m	Auto/Compulsory flash/Suppressed flash Effective range: Approx. 50 cm to 2 m
Sensitivity	ISO100 to 1600 (automatic switching)	ISO 100 to 1600 (Auto)	ISO 100 to 1600 (Auto)	ISO 100 to 1600 (Auto)
Aperture	F2.0	F2.0	F2.4	F2.4
Shutter Speed	1/8000 to 1/4 second	1/8000 to 1/4 second	1/29500 sec. to 1/2 sec. (Auto), maximum 10 sec. in Bulb mode	1/7500 sec. to 1/2 sec. (Auto), maximum 10 sec. in Bulb mode
Focal length	f = 28 mm (35-mm film equivalent)	f = 28 mm (35 mm film equivalent)	28.5mm	33.4 mm
Focus range	10 cm to ∞	10 cm to ∞	10 cm to ∞	10 cm to ∞
LCD	3.0-inch TFT, 460,000 dots	2.7-inch TFT, 230,000 dots	3 in TFT Colour LCD Monitor (Approx. 460k-dots)	2.7-in. (6.9 cm) TFT colour LCD monitor, Pixels: Approx. 230k-dots
Filters	10 lens effects, 10 film effects, 100 possible combinations	6 filters, 10 frames	6 Partial colour (Red / Orange / Yellow / Green / Blue / Purple), plus10 Filters, Brightness adjustment, Vignette	For still & video: 6 Partial colour (Red / Orange / Yellow / Green / Blue / Purple), plus 10 filters, Brightness adjustment, Vignette Plus 2 dedicated filters to still images and 3 dedicated to video.
Print resolution	25 dots / mm x 12.5 dots/ mm (635 x 318 dpi, 40 x 80 μm dot pitch) 12.5 dots / mm when printed from smartphone app (318 dpi, 80 μm dot pitch)	12.5 dots/mm (318 dpi, 80 μm dot pitch)	12.5 dots/mm (318 dpi, 80 µm dot pitch	12.5 dots/mm (318 dpi, 80 μm dot pitch)
Battery Life & Type	Approximately 100, Built-in	Approximately 100, Built-in	Approx. 160 prints, removable	Approx. 100 prints, built in
Digital Zoom	Yes	Yes	2.4x	Up to 4 X in shooting/printing
Shooting modes	Standard, Double Exposure	Standard	Standard, Double Exposure, Bulb	Standard, Double exposure, Bulb mode, Split, Collage, Time Shift Collage
Dimensions	87 mm x 122.9 mm x 36 mm	82.5 mm × 122.9 mm × 36.7 mm	H12.7 x W11.9 x D4.7cm	119 mm x 50 mm x 127 mm/
Weight	285 g	255 g	450g (includes film pack and battery) 400g (without film)	440 g/15.5 oz. (including film pack). 390 g (without film)
Tripod?	Y	N	Y	N

They have tried to go for an analogue look with the Evo, which looks great but not is all as it seems. The camera itself is all plastic made to look like metal and leather. Take a look of the Evo compared to my much-loved Rollei 35mm analogue camera, you can see they tried to replicate some of the original analogue features such as the print lever made to look like a film advance lever and the selfie mirror made to look like a view finder.

A cool feature is the print lever, which may not be totally necessary and gimmicky but looks good. I have managed to catch it a few times when putting the camera in my pocket, and because it's plastic I worry about this one day breaking. That brings me to another point, there appears to be a move away from removable batteries as seen in the SQ10 to built in. They don’t last forever, so once your battery is spent so is the camera, unless you don’t mind taking the camera apart yourself and finding the right type of battery, but for many this will not be an option. Disappointing in an environmentally aware world we live in. As you can most probably tell, I am anti throw away, a shame!

 Well at least they have brought back the tripod hole that was missing in both the LiPlay and SQ20, unfortunately they have lost the bulb function that oddly was available on the tripodless SQ20.

 In many ways the Evo is much like a tarted up LiPlay, with much the same lens and sensor. The main difference of course is the addition of many more filters which are easily accessed via a clicky turny knob for the film effects and the turning lens ring for the lens effects. I do miss some of the filters that were on both the SQ10 and SQ20, especially the partial colour filters. I loved being able to only see one colour and the rest being black and white.

No filters

Lens filter vignette film filter normal

Lens filter vignette film filter vivid

Lens filter vignette film filter monochrome

This brings me on nicely to the main differences with the square hybrid cameras filters and those seen on LiPlay and Evo. With the LiPlay and Evo you select the filter before taking the picture, and the picture is saved with that filter applied. With the Evo there are 100 different combinations.  In comparison with the SQ10 and SQ20 the image is saved without filters, but you can apply different ones after you take the image making it it better for playing around with different filters before printing.  The main drawback with the Evo’s filters is not being able to change the filter after taking the image, as well as the time it takes to scroll through the options . The Evo tries to help by allowing you to save your favourite combinations as a pre-set, you can save up to 3 different combinations. 

Lens filter vignette film filter blue

Lens filter vignette film filter red

Lens filter vignette film filter yellow

Lens double exposure film filter normal

The main advantage of both the Evo and LiPlay is the ability to use the camera as a Bluetooth printer with your phone. The app like the LiPlay's version is really easy to use. Interestingly despite the print resolution being higher for the Evo for images printed  directly from the camera, this does not happen with images printed from the phone, which matches the LiPlay’s lower resolution.  One way around this is to upload images directly to your cameras SD card. This can be fiddly, because you need to have a file name with 4 letters and 4 numbers (e.g. ABCD1234) and needs to be a jpeg. I'm not sure if it's worth doing though, as you may not notice much of a difference.

It also trumps the LiPlay in terms of looks and the screen, which has twice the resolution making it easier to view what your image and filters will look like. I have noticed images can appear brighter on the screen compared to reality, plus the view changes at certain angles so not always consistent. The LiPlay's lower resolution was also a major drawback of the SQ20 from the SQ10, which had the same poor 230k dot resolution.

As with the LiPlay there are limitation of what a pretty basic sensor can achieve. Sometimes contrast can lead to loss of details, especially in shadows or direct sun light. Your phone is much more likely to take better images, but the way to look at the digital side of the camera is purely a printing guide to print on a small film, so won’t win you any awards based purely on their digital image. I see the digital images just as a back up to the physical images themselves and to decide what to and what not to print, important considering the cost of films. There is still something to be said for Instax’s analogue range, especially the Instax Mini Neo and SQ6 which allow you to experiment and offer the element of surprise of whether your picture is what you imagined. This of course is more expensive due to more film wastage, but that’s the part of instant films charm and the challenge. For this reason, analogue instant cameras mean you are more likely to take more considered images.

Lens filter mirror film filter normal

Lens filter mirror film filter vivid

Lens filter light leak film filter vivid

Lens filter vignette film filter vivid

Lens filter normal, film filter monochrome

I remember when I first got the SQ10 being disappointed with the image quality but liked the ability to apply some interesting filters. In many ways the SQ10 has the best sensor despite being the eldest in the line-up. Although the others are all based on the original SQ10 sensor, the sensor size has been reduced and the flash was moved from a decent traditional flash to low powered LED flashes that have a much shorter range. Considering the sensor size light is important so don’t expect great indoor images. However, there is a solution for the Evo with the welcomed addition of a cold shoe mount. You can add a stronger LED to improve your indoor images and avoid those noisy high ISO images. Please note it;s not a hot shoe mount, so you can't have a synchronised flash only continuous LED light. 

Overall, I think the EVO Instax is a worthy upgrade of the LiPlay. I was a little disappointed with the lack of improvement of the sensor. I Like the cold shoe and how the camera looks despite being plastic. I like the big clear screen and the many filters. I miss bulb mode and some of the filters that featured on the SQ10/20, but you can’t have it all! Fingers crossed for a wide hybrid camera maybe??

Lens filter vignette film filter monochrome

Lens filter fisheye film filter vivid

 Lens filter vignette film filter monochrome

Lens filter half frame film filter vivid

Lens filter mirror, film filter vivid

Lens filter mirror, film filter monochrome