Tag: review

Instax Square Link

I just bought a Fujifilm Instax Square Link. It is a device that print Instax Square picture. Send from your smartphone a picture, obtain a hard copy on Instax Square instant film. If you have an Instax Mini Link, this is the same for Instax Square.

What’s in the box?

The box contains the printer, a light manual and a USB-C to A cable for charging.

The printer is battery powered (hence the cable). There is no film. I got a pack of white border and a pack of black borders.

The printer is like a big bar of soap. It is still slightly larger than my Instax Mini 90 Neo camera, but that’s to factor in the difference in size of the film pack.

I has two buttons, large one having a LED to show the status, a large door at the back for the film cartridge and a small trap door hiding the USB charging port and a reset hole. The latter is for cases where the troubleshooting involve turning it off and on. There is no display, like for the number of frames left.

The Instax Square Link compared for size to an Instax Mini 90. Both are roughly the same size.
The Instax Square Link compared for size to an Instax Mini 90

The initial setup consist of charging the printer using the provided USB cable (or any USB-C cable for that matter) and a charger (not included); and loading the instax square cartridge. That step is exactly the same as loading you favourite Instax camera.

To turn the printer on, press the big button for a solid second, it will light up white. The colour will change to flashing purple when printing

Print job

Screenshot of the Instax Square Link app

To use it you need a compatible smart phone (Android or iOS), install the Instax app and connect to the printer with Bluetooth. Within the app you can select images to print, and it’s fairly easy. There are other features within the app but beside the collage or frame print, I really don’t get it.

From my phone I printed a picture I posted a while ago on Instagram, works great. I also printed a picture I took recently directly with my phone. As long that the image is on your phone, you can print it.

Once you printed a picture, you can press the smaller button to reprint it, until the printer turns off. Otherwise you can use the application history to re-print later on. In some circumstance it doesn’t recollect the picture printed on the iOS app. This seems to happen if you use “share” to the Instax Link Square instead of selecting the picture from the application.

The Instax Square Link printer is ejecting the print with the picture face down.
The Instax Square Link ejecting the print.

Fujifilm manual state that the print takes 90 seconds to develop, but in my tests after 2 minutes it wasn’t developed.

The print facing is leaning against the printer. The image is not completely developed.
The print developing after 2 minutes.

In the end you obtain a colourful print.

The colourful print is flat on top of the printer, fully developed.
Print from the Instax Square Printer

The output ressemble a lot to the scan.

Instax Camera

One of the feature in the app is the “Instax Camera”. It is basically the camera app to take the picture before printing it. It put the live view inside a small Instax frame. It allow adding the date time superimposed, printed as a 9 segments led display, another bout of nostalgia that the demographics of that device have no recollection of.

Cost

The printer cost CAD$180 (I got mine on sale at CAD$160). On regular price, it’s priced between the SQ1, the cheapest Instax Square and the SQ40 the more comprehensive model. It’s not gonna break the bank.

The 2x 10-pack of film with white borders was CAD$28, and the single 10-pack of black border was CAD$17. That make a cost per print to CAD$1.40 for the white border and CAD$1.70 for the black border. There are other colours a bit more fancy if you like. You can buy the white border film in bigger pack which bring down the price per unit. A 100 pack bring the cost down to CAD1.20 a print. Also while I can find Instax Mini at my local pharmacy, Instax Square is less common. This is to be considered if you need resupplies in a hurry.

The tinfoiled pack of film leaning against the cardboard packaging that contain 2.
Instax Square film pack in its protective packaging as coming out of the box

Specs

The image size is a 62mm square (2.4in). The image printed is 800×800 pixels, which boils to 318 dpi. That’s a resolution similar to any print you got from a minilab. According to the manufacturer you can print around 100 pictures (that’s 10 packs) with a single recharge.

Verdict

Pros:

– Simple to use.
– Device reasonably priced.
– Battery powered.
– Output quality.

Cons:

– Requires a phone app, very limited interoperability.
– Unlike older models can’t be used from a Fuji-X camera.
– What will die first? The printing mechanism or its battery that can’t be replaced.

After thoughts

I enjoy using my Instax Mini but I’m often left off guard with the quality, and it seem all related to the optics on the camera and the exposure, with a limited dynamic range. It’s possibly part of the challenge. The printer demonstrate that the film rendition is good and that an hybrid like the Instax Mini Evo would probably offer similar results. Sadly the hybrid Instax Square SQ10 and SQ20 cameras that were in the earlier Instax Square lineup are no more so the search for a better image quality will probably need to be sought out of the other camare makers like Lomography, MINT or NONS.

Previously: NONS instant cameras

Thorsten Overgaard review of the Leica Q

Danish photographer Thorsten Overgaard has a very comprehensive review on the Leica Q (from May 2015). A camera not without quirks though:

I must say the Auto Focus caused me a few problems at f/1.7 in that I some times unknowingly had been focusing at the background between two main subjects in the foreground that I thought I had nailed the focus on. As time has gone by, I have gotten the hang of it. I think.

Then Overgaard goes on explaining how to use various features of the camera properly. Read thoroughly if you have a Leica Q, or are simply curious.

Craig Mod reviews the Leica Q

In 2010, Craig Mod wrote the GF1 field test — 16 Days in the Himalayas, a very compelling essay advocating Micro4/3 cameras, with the Panasonic GF1 and the 20mm f1.7. And what a gorgeous location. Later in November he wrote Seeing prime, an essay reviewing the Lumix 14mm f.2.5 and photography with a prime lens.

The in December 2013, not necessarily and change of heart but more like evidence of the shift of the whole industry Cameras, Goodbye where the iPhone quality reach the one of bigger cameras that don’t have the online features — something that the author found important. A testimonial about camera phones, with the iPhone spearheading, taking over the compact camera market.

Then come his essay The Leica Q where he took the Leica Q on a field test for six month:

I now understand the limitations of this photographic instrument, of which there are few. And I trust and enjoy it more than any other camera I’ve owned.

Yes, even more than my iPhone.

Read the whole essay — six month of use in the field is quite long enough to have a definitive opinion. It feels that Leica managed to make an attractive camera priced not too insanely above of the Sony RX1 (+ EVF to compare). This echoes quite well the early reviews back in June.

Sony DSC-RX1 Review

James Duncan Davidson reviews the Sony RX1. Gorgeous pictures, very nice website layiout.

His conclusion:

As of February 2013, this camera sets the bar for all compact digital cameras to meet. Finally, after thousands of words, only two more are needed: Highly recommended.

I still believe this camera is too expensive as the full frame sensor is not needed: they could have pulled it with an APS-C sensor and a smaller dedicated lens with a lower price ; and the nickel and diming of not having a battery charger. Not for me, but for the rest I’ll trust the review.

X-Pro1 reviews

Fuji X-Pro1 reviews are starting to appear.

Japan Camera hunter ask whether the Fuji X-Pro1 is the first real consumer rangefinder (archived from the original) or not.

It could be said that this site has a bias towards film cameras, but that is not entirely true. I just don’t often find digital cameras that I like. Until now…

It should be noted also that:

Let’s just be clear though… This is not actually a rangefinder camera. It is a rangefinder ‘style’ camera. This is a mirrorless digital camera and is not actually using a rangefinder system.

Nonetheless the question raised is whether the X-Pro1 can replace a rangefinder cameras. The X-100 seems to be making people happy.

Then Zack Arias who loved his X-100 got offered to test the X-Pro1.

… as I unboxed it I think I said OMG 26 times in a row.

And he did. See his series on Dubai 01, 02, 03, 04.

Last but not least. Roel was lucky to get a sample on loan by Fujifilm and got a First Look at the X-Pro1:

Fujifilm claimed that they would get full frame sensor quality out of a compact camera when they announced the X-Pro1. I believe that they have largely achieved that goal.

Image quality on overall has to rock if you want to satisfy rangefinder users. The current samples look promising.

I can’t wait to get mine.

The Online Photographer: Shooting with a Fuji X100

The Online Photographer has a guest post by Robert Plotkin: Shooting with a Fuji X100.

Plotkin has a lots of gripes against the focusing system:

The imprecise focusing takes an unusually long time. It is like waiting for a cashier to incorrectly manipulate an abacus and hand you the wrong change.

He also have issues with the usability. But in the end:

Shooting the Fuji X100 is like driving a vintage Ferrari: bugs in your teeth, pebbles ricocheting off your goggles, double-clutching straight cut gears, applying opposite lock to correct a slide — and coming out of the corner neck-and-neck with a soccer mom in a black Escalade of an SLR.

Read it thoroughly. I still want to get one.