An instant camera is one of the few gifts that gets used on the day it is opened. Hand one around at Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday party and you end up with a stack of real prints by dessert, which is a big part of why these cameras keep topping Amazon’s gift charts every fall.
We compared seven instant cameras you can order on Amazon today, from the $83.97 Instax Mini 13 to the $205.32 Polaroid Flip bundle. Five use Fujifilm’s Instax film in three sizes, and two use Polaroid’s larger i-Type film. Prices, ratings, and rankings are snapshots from Amazon’s U.S. listings on Oct. 28, 2026, and they change often.
What to look for
Film format comes first. The camera decides which film you will buy for years, and film is the real running cost. Instax Mini prints show a 62 × 46 mm image, about the size of a credit card; Instax Square shows 62 × 62 mm; Instax Wide shows 62 × 99 mm; and Polaroid i-Type shows a 79 × 79 mm square, per Fstoppers. Polaroid film costs about $2 a shot, per PCMag, roughly twice as much as Instax.
Focus and exposure control. Basic models like the Mini 13 have two focus zones and fully automatic exposure, so you have to remember to switch to close-up mode for selfies. Step-up models like the Mini 99 add exposure compensation and creative modes, and the Flip uses sonar to pick one of four lenses for you.
Analog or hybrid. An analog camera prints every frame, good or bad. A hybrid like the Instax Mini Evo takes a digital photo first, so you print only the keepers and can also print from your phone.
Batteries. Some run on AA or CR2 cells, while others have a rechargeable battery. Rechargeables cost less over time but need a cable on trips.
How we chose
Expert testing first. We started from the instant camera guides from Fstoppers, The Telegraph, Amateur Photographer, and CNN Underscored, then added hands-on reviews from PetaPixel (Instax Mini 13), PCMag (Polaroid Now Gen 3 and Flip), and Trusted Reviews (Instax Square SQ40). Specs come from Fujifilm, Polaroid, and the Amazon listings.
Then what people actually buy. The Instax Mini 13 is No. 2 in Amazon’s instant camera best sellers, behind a kids’ toy camera, a Polaroid Now Gen 3 bundle is No. 3, and the Instax Mini Evo is No. 8. Every pick ships from Amazon.
Quick pick guide
Best overall: Fujifilm Instax Mini 99: real creative control in a classic analog camera, for $189.05.
Best budget and best for kids: Fujifilm Instax Mini 13: the simple, colorful point-and-shoot that most people buy, for $83.97.
Best hybrid: Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo: shoot digitally, print only the keepers, and print from your phone, for $189.28.
Best for group shots: Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: prints twice the width of Instax Mini, for $129.95.
Best square format: Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40: a retro faux-leather body and square prints, for $158.
Best budget Polaroid: Polaroid Now Generation 3: the classic Polaroid shape and big i-Type prints, for $96.40.
Best Polaroid: Polaroid Flip: sonar autofocus with four lenses, sold with 16 photos, for $205.32.
Comparison at a glance
| Model | Price | Film | Focus | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instax Mini 99 | $189.05 | Instax Mini | 3 manual zones | NP-70S rechargeable |
| Instax Mini 13 | $83.97 | Instax Mini | 2 zones incl. close-up | 2 AA |
| Instax Mini Evo | $189.28 | Instax Mini (hybrid) | Digital, 5MP sensor | USB-C rechargeable |
| Instax Wide 400 | $129.95 | Instax Wide | 2 zones + close-up lens | 4 AA |
| Instax Square SQ40 | $158 | Instax Square | Auto + selfie mode | 2 CR2 |
| Polaroid Now Gen 3 | $96.40 | Polaroid i-Type / 600 | 2-zone autofocus | USB-C rechargeable |
| Polaroid Flip | $205.32 | Polaroid i-Type / 600 | 4-lens sonar autofocus | USB-C rechargeable |
Prices from Amazon’s U.S. listings on Oct. 28, 2026; the Polaroid Flip price is for a bundle with two packs of film (16 photos). Film is sold separately for the other cameras. Amazon ratings: Instax Mini 99 4.6 stars, Instax Mini 13 4.4, Instax Mini Evo 4.6, Instax Wide 400 4.0, Instax Square SQ40 4.4, Polaroid Now Gen 3 4.3, Polaroid Flip 4.2.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 99: best overall
Photo: Amazon listing
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is the best overall pick from Fstoppers and Amateur Photographer, and PCMag names it an Editors’ Choice. It is still a fully analog camera, but it gives you the controls the cheaper Instax models lack: five shooting modes, exposure compensation, and six color effects made by LEDs inside the camera that tint the film as it is exposed.
Per Fujifilm’s spec sheet, it has a 60 mm f/12.7 lens with three manually selected focus zones, a flash range of 0.3 to 2.7 m, a shutter that runs from 1.8 seconds to 1/400 second plus a Bulb mode of up to 10 seconds, exposure compensation from -5/3 to +1 EV, a tripod mount, and a vignette switch. The rechargeable NP-70S battery lasts about 10 packs of film, and the camera weighs 340 g. It is $189.05 on Amazon, sold by a third-party seller and shipped by Amazon, with 4.6 stars from more than 180 ratings.
Trade-offs: it costs more than twice as much as the Mini 13, the matte black body is the only color, and you still can’t preview a shot before it prints.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 99
Best overall: modes, color effects, and exposure control in an analog camera, for $189.05.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 13: best budget and best for kids
Photo: Amazon listing
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 13 replaced the Mini 12 this year and is the camera most people buy: the Clay White version is No. 2 in Amazon’s instant camera best sellers. Twist the lens to turn it on, look through the viewfinder, and press the button. Exposure and flash are automatic, a close-up mode for 0.3 to 0.5 m corrects for parallax so selfies and close shots land where you aimed, and there is a small selfie mirror beside the lens.
The one new feature is a self-timer lever around the shutter button with two- and 10-second delays, per Fstoppers, and PetaPixel notes a rubber wedge on the strap for propping the camera up. It runs on two AA batteries, good for about 10 packs, per Fstoppers. PetaPixel gave it 7 out of 10, praising its price, its accurate viewfinder framing, and its simple operation. It is $83.97 on Amazon, sold and shipped by Amazon.
Trade-offs: PetaPixel found prints prone to overexposed, washed-out highlights, with no exposure control to correct them, a flash that reaches only close subjects, and no tripod thread for timer shots. If you forget to switch to close-up mode for near subjects, prints come out soft.
Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo: best hybrid
Photo: Amazon listing
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo is CNN Underscored’s best instant camera overall and the hybrid pick at Fstoppers, and it fixes the biggest problem with instant film: wasted shots. It takes a digital photo first, which you review on the 3-inch screen on the back, then you flip the print lever only for the frames you want. Ten lens effects and 10 film effects give 100 combinations, and the Instax Mini Evo app lets you print photos from your phone over Bluetooth, shoot remotely, and save printed images to your phone.
Per Fstoppers, it has a 4.9-megapixel sensor behind a 28 mm-equivalent f/2 lens, and prints about 100 photos per charge. It is the most-rated camera here, with 4.6 stars from more than 2,000 ratings, and is $189.28 on Amazon, sold by a third-party seller and shipped by Amazon.
Trade-offs: purists may miss the surprise of a true analog print, and a 5-megapixel image is modest by phone standards, though it suits the small Mini print. Also note that Fujifilm announced the Instax Mini Evo 2 on Oct. 26, with a 4.5-inch touchscreen and an Immersive Movie mode, for $289.95 at the end of November. The original is about $100 less and in stock now.
Fujifilm Instax Wide 400: best for group shots
Photo: Amazon listing
The Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 is the wide-format pick at Fstoppers, and the camera to choose if you shoot families, parties, and landscapes. Its prints are twice the width of Instax Mini, so a whole table of people fits in the frame. Exposure and flash are automatic, and the lens dial switches between Normal (0.9 to 3 m) and Landscape modes, while a clip-on close-up lens covers 40 to 50 cm.
Per Fujifilm, it has a 95 mm f/14 lens, a self-timer lever with four, six, eight, and 10-second settings and an LED countdown, a tripod mount, and an angle adjustment accessory for propping it up. Four AA batteries give about 100 prints. It weighs 616 g and is $129.95 on Amazon, sold and shipped by Amazon, down from its $175.95 list price.
Trade-offs: it is the bulkiest camera here, Wide film costs more per shot than Mini, and PetaPixel found its viewfinder framing less accurate than the Mini 13’s. Its 4.0-star average is the lowest of our picks.
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40: best square format
Photo: Amazon listing
The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 is the square-format pick at Fstoppers and the easiest way to get the classic square look on cheaper Instax film. Trusted Reviews describes it as the simple SQ1 in a new retro body: exposure and flash are automatic, and a selfie mode and mirror help with self-portraits. Its black faux-leather and silver body looks like a vintage camera.
Per Fstoppers, it shoots 62 × 62 mm images. Two CR2 batteries last about 30 packs of film, and it weighs 453 g. It is $158 on Amazon, sold and shipped by Amazon’s German store, with 4.4 stars from more than 400 ratings.
Trade-offs: Trusted Reviews found close-ups could be blurry, and there is no parallax correction, so close subjects can end up off-center. CR2 batteries cost more than AAs, and there is no exposure control.
Polaroid Now Generation 3: best budget Polaroid
Photo: Amazon listing
The Polaroid Now Generation 3 is the classic-Polaroid pick at Fstoppers and the cheapest way into Polaroid’s big square prints. It takes both i-Type and older 600 film, and its two-lens autofocus picks a close-up or a distance lens for you. It has a tripod socket and a USB-C battery that lasts about 15 packs.
It is $96.40 on Amazon, sold and shipped by Amazon, with 4.3 stars from 550 ratings. A bundle with film is No. 3 in Amazon’s instant camera best sellers.
Trade-offs: PCMag tested the near-identical Now+ Gen 3 and found its two-zone focus doesn’t always hit the mark, that color i-Type film can be unpredictable in hot or cold weather, and that each print costs about $2. This Now model has no app, so there is no manual exposure control.
Polaroid Flip: best Polaroid
Photo: Amazon listing
The Polaroid Flip is the Polaroid to buy if you want more keepers. The Telegraph names it a Best Buy, Amateur Photographer includes it among its top picks, and PCMag makes it its Editors’ Choice among i-Type cameras. Instead of two focus zones, it uses sonar to measure the distance to your subject and picks one of four lenses. Scene analysis lights an LED in the viewfinder when a shot will be over- or underexposed or your subject is too close.
PCMag found its sonar autofocus did a better job than the Now+ in side-by-side shooting, and the Flip has exposure compensation on the body plus Bluetooth for the Polaroid app. Per Amateur Photographer, shutter speeds run from 1/200 second to 30 seconds, and it weighs 648 g. Its flash reaches up to 4.5 m, per the Amazon listing. This bundle includes two packs of color i-Type film (16 photos) and is $205.32 on Amazon, sold and shipped by Amazon.
Trade-offs: it is big and heavy for an instant camera, Polaroid film is expensive, and Amateur Photographer lost two of 16 shots in testing and found the film slower to develop than Instax.
Bottom line
For most people, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is the best instant camera: it is fully analog but gives you real control over exposure, focus, and color, for $189.05. If you are buying for a child or just want fun party snaps, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 13 does the basics well for $83.97.
If wasted film bothers you, get the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo and print only the shots you like. For bigger prints, the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 fits whole groups for $129.95, and the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 gives you square prints in a retro body for $158.
If you want real Polaroids, the Polaroid Now Generation 3 is the budget way in at $96.40, but the Polaroid Flip gets more shots in focus and comes with 16 photos for $205.32. Whichever you pick, buy a few extra packs of film with it.