Imaging camera Fujifilm Instax Wide 300: description, specs, reviews

Now, when Polaroid, as it was known and loved (to some extent), no longer exists, Fujifilm remained the only major manufacturer of snapshot cameras. And this is not surprising. Fujifilm is also the only remaining manufacturer of consumables required for this.

History of the model

Cameras of the Instax series are cheap, have a lightweight plastic case, a minimal set of controls for shooting and are designed to provide the user with instant and satisfactory results. But many camera owners of this line, past the old Polaroid school, were surprised by their miniature size - only 62 x 46 mm (as a credit card) compared to 79 x 79 mm for the Polaroid SX70.

Therefore Fujifilm also produces a lineup and a film that allow to obtain prints in the size of 99 x 62 mm. This is more than a Polaroid. On the eve of the Photokina 2014 exhibition in Cologne, the company announced a new 129.99-camera Fujifilm Instax Wide 300, which is reviewed below.

Design

Like other Instax cameras, such as the Mini 90 and Share SP-1, the Wide 300 is completely made of plastic. But this is not its drawback - the model is not intended for professional use, and it does not require a magnesium alloy chassis, all-weather or ultra-rigid tolerances. For an instant photo, sharp corners are part of the fun.

Nevertheless, the Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 is much more reliable than most other cameras in the line. First of all, the device has considerable dimensions. The camera is much wider than any Polaroid, and more than all Instax Mini models. This makes sense: the film is larger, and, consequently, the camera. This does not mean that a model of this size has no other advantages. Instax Wide 300 is equipped with a grip handle, a shutter release button in the style of SLR cameras and a rubber focusing ring. There is also a flash and a tiny, inconvenient optical viewfinder above and to the left of the lens, which helps to crop the picture.

Like most instant film cameras, a consumable cartridge is loaded from the back of the device and the photo comes out from the top right after the picture is taken. In order for the image to become discernible, it will take a minute or two, and it will take some time to fully form it. Pictures are obtained as clearly as in other similar cameras, and their contrast is also sufficient. According to user feedback, photos will never be as sharp as digital cameras, but they are full of character, filled with emotion every time the imprint is in hand. At the edges of the print, there is enough space to make a large signature or drawing. And, unlike Facebook or Instagram, you can not fix it. So, before writing, you have to really think.

At the back there is a small monochrome LCD display for displaying the number of frames left in the cartridge, a flash button and a brightness control switch. There is even a rigid plastic notch for the thumb so that the camera is more comfortable to hold.

On the bottom panel of Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 there is a plastic universal socket for a tripod, which, according to Fujifilm, is perfect for group shots. This is true, but someone will have to stay with the camera, since there is no remote control.

Functionality

95-mm lens Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 compared with the previous model was slightly improved. For example, if you use the included adapter, then it can focus at a distance of 40 cm, which is enough to remove the Selfie (and this is a sacred function of instant cameras from time immemorial). Also, the lens allows you to choose between two priority focus areas: from 90 cm to 3 m and from 3 m to infinity. The focus ring does not reach the level of Zeiss lenses, but it's not so important. It does everything necessary, as it is required from this kind of camera.

Another useful feature of Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 user reviews is called the brightness adjustment, which is a rudiment of exposure compensation and allows you to choose between the dark, ordinary and light aesthetics of the picture. If you prefer the effective style of fashionable selfies, then you should stop on the last option. Pictures in a more sad mood require darkness. For everything else, it's probably better to stick to the normal mode.

Flash

Extra lighting is absolutely necessary at parties and other places where the camera is usually used. But according to user feedback, the flash can not be turned off when shooting in bright light conditions. A more expensive model of the Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic does this. You can hold the flash button on the rear panel for additional fill-in lighting, but that's all that's available to the user.

Consumables

Cartridge Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 allows you to make 10 prints, so you will need to regularly replace it. At a cost of more than $ 8 apiece, such a survey is an expensive pleasure. However, in instant photography there is something that can not be reproduced by digital cameras, no matter what filters are used.

Food

Inside the camera handle there is a compartment for the batteries. The model uses 4 AA batteries. Users do not have anything against this decision, but, according to their feedback, installing a lithium-ion battery would significantly reduce the mass of the device, as the manufacturer did in the Mini 90.

Conclusion

The company Fujifilm at the exhibition Photokina 2014 presented only two types of cameras: the mirrorless compact premium-class X-series and the Instax model. This shows the respect with respect to the manufacturer's attitude to their instantaneous imaging devices and their attractiveness in a rapidly changing photography market.

The Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 represents the evolution of the Wide 210 model with advanced control, the addition of a couple of additional functions and a control scheme close to the DSLR cameras, which greatly improves the overall impression. Although users would like to have more options for manual adjustment from the Instax Mini, but a set of functionality will please almost everyone. This is an easy, inexpensive, convenient camera that produces delightful pictures in retro style that can not be simulated by digital camera filters . They can be repeated only on second-hand Polaroid. In general, if someone else takes instant pictures, then the camera Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 must necessarily be included in the list of their possible acquisitions.