Fujifilm brings second instant-film camera to U.S.

(Credit: Fujifilm)

With Polaroid killing off its instant-film business in favor of its Zink printing technology, Fujifilm saw a hole it could fill with its instant-film cameras. The first Instax camera arrived in November 2008, and Wednesday the company announced the arrival of the Instax Mini 7S.

The 7S features:

• Automatic built-in flash for low-light shooting
• 1/60-second electronic shutter
• LED exposure indicator
• Silken white finish
• Measures 5 inches by 5 inches by 2.5 inches (HWD)

The camera uses Fujifilm's Mini Instax 2-inch by 3-inch film with a printed area of 1.8 inches by 2.4 inches. It's an ISO 800 speed with a glossy finish and, at that size, hopefully very little visible graininess. A 10 pack runs $19.99, though, which is kind of prohibitive for regular shooting.

I'm pretty sure it's the same camera that was being sold at Urban Outfitters earlier this year, but regardless, this one will be available at more than one retail location in September for $95.99 (which again seems like a steep price for a niche market).

[mmntech]

A friend of mine bought one of these imported from China. She likes it, but the film is so ridiculously expensive. More of a novelty than anything else.