Introduction
Launched in March 2024, the Instax Mini 99 is Fujifilm's most sophisticated model in its comprehensive selection of instant photography cameras.
It "instantly" produces small 54x 86mm (2.1 x 3.4in) paper prints which emerge from the opening in the side of the camera and progressively vanish into view 90 seconds after you first struck the shutter button.
Designed for those who want more control than the solely point-and-shoot experience afforded by the entry-level Mini 12, the Mini 99 offers a number of inventive features.
These include a brand new Colour Effect Dial on top of the camera which provides six unique effects via tangible LED lighting within the camera body. The effects are Faded Green, Warm Tone, Light Blue, Soft Magenta, Sepia and Light Leak.
There's also a new Manual Vignette Switch on the front of the lens housing, allowing users to add artistic shaded frames to their images.
Other key features inherited from the previous 10-year-old Mini 90 model include Brightness Control with five levels from brightest to darkest, a range of Shooting Modes including Indoor, Sports, Double Exposure, and Bulb modes, and a Self-timer to help ensure ideal group photos.
The lens enclosure can be rotated to select one of three focus distances - Landscape (3m - infinity), Standard (0.6-3m) and Macro Focus (0.3-0.6m).
The Mini 99’s flash controls include Auto, Fill-in (flash will always fire regardless of illumination), Red-eye Removal, or the option to turn the flash off.
Maybe more importantly for this target market, Fujifilm have also refreshed the design of the Mini 99, with a classic and stylish matte black finish and a vintage retro design that recalls old-fashioned cameras from yesteryear, which is much more serious than the inflated bubble shape of the Mini 12.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 comes in black only and costs £174.99 / $199.95 in the UK / USA respectively.
Also included in the box are a rechargeable battery (NP-70S), battery charger (BC-70C), shoulder harness, USB Type-C cable and a Base handle Tripod Mount accessory that functions as a useful handle when unmounted.
It utilizes Fujifilm Instax Mini paper which arrives in a cartridge comprising 10 pages. A single bundle of 10 sheets typically costs around £8.99 / $7.99, but you can usually buy multi-packs for a lower cost per unit. For instance, a two pack is generally £14.99 / $13.99 each and a five bundle of 10 sheets is anything from £34.99 / $34.99.
Ease of Use
Despite being a serious instant film camera intended at more sophisticated users, the Fujifilm Instax Mini 99 is fortunately very simple to initially establish. It also comes with a concise instruction manual to follow for a seamless experience.
To get started, you'll need to equip the camera with the rechargeable NP-70S Lithium Ion battery that is supplied in the box and, of course, the instant film. Battery life is around 100 pictures, or 10 packets of film.
Before opening open the large rear door, you'll need to power the camera on by rotating the focus dial and examine the LCD panel on the rear. If a number is displayed on the right (from 1-10), then there is film already stored.
With the rear door open, the yellow indicator on the film cartridge aligns up with the one inside the camera. Slot in the cartridge and close the door. Simple.
Before you get started, you'll need to take a shot to eject what is referred to as the safety document from the cartridge.
The print receptacle is found on the top of the Instax Mini Evo (when viewed from the rear in portrait orientation), so make sure it is unobstructed when you press the print button.
Once an image has been printed out, you’ll need to allow some time for the Instax film to develop - in other words, don’t be alarmed when it comes out completely white. After a few minutes, the colours should have fully rendered.
To turn the camera on, you simply rotate the lens clockwise from the Off to one of the three zone focus positions - Landscape (3m - infinity), Standard (0.6-3m) and Macro Focus (0.3-0.6m).
You'll observe that the lens is labelled with a 60mm focal length, which in this format translates to around 35mm - that's a moderately wide angle of view that's employed by all Fujifilm Instax cameras.
With a subject that's around a metre distant, you'll be able to include a decent quantity of environs in the photo. For a selfie from around 0.4m, you can comfortably accommodate in two people, but if anyone else steps in it's a true squeeze.
Shots can be composed using the optical viewfinder, although you won't want to rely on its accuracy too much, something that can be disconcerting for the first-time user. Also, you really have to force your eye in close in order to see through the finder in the first place.
Fujifilm have significantly enhanced the accuracy for close up subjects so that when you select Macro Focus, your primary subject will be right in the center of the frame, rather than off to one side as on some previous models.
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Conclusion
The Instax Mini 99 is Fujifilm's most sophisticated and most creative analog camera to date, offering a winning combination of control and enjoyment via an intuitive user interface.
Loosely based on the now 10-year-old Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic model that was introduced way back in 2013, the new Mini 99 principally adds more control over exposure and the innovative colour and vignetting effects.
Both of these have only previously been available on Fujifilm's digital Instax cameras - now they've very ingeniously been incorporated into a fully-analog model, particularly in the case of the LED-driven colour effects which is an engineering stroke of brilliance.
What you don't get on the Mini 99 that you do enjoy on the digital models is accurate composition - as with all of their optical viewfinders, the one on the Mini 99 only offers an approximate approximation of what will actually be captured on print, which takes some getting used to if you're new to Instax.
This is all part of the appeal and above all joy of Instax cameras, though, and Fujifilm have certainly cranked that sensation up on the Mini 99. It might be the most proficient model in the range, but it's crucially still a lot of fun to use, with so many effects and controls on offer that it's all-too-easy to neglect to take a "straight" picture.
The Instax Mini 99 is almost double the price of the entry-level Mini 12, which is a proficient model that delivers decent results in most common shooting situations. We'd still recommend the affordable alternative for more casual consumers.
If you've ever desired more control from an analog instant camera, though, the Mini 99 is hard to beat, particularly as it doesn't neglect to be Fun with a capital F!
