I thought it might be the perfect camera for social occasions; not that we get many of those these days. And it really is. Show it to the kids, take a picture and print it, then show them the buttons to use and let go. For anyone wincing at the cost of Instax (£15 for ten shots?), this works out at two prints to the penny. Sure, the prints are high contrast and low detail, but the fridge soon gets covered in them.
The added joy is that you also have a digital file, so you can make multiple prints or even print them in colour. Three images will fit on a single 100*150mm sheet of paper. The image quality, especially in the dark, is as rough as a badger’s arse if you pixel-peep but still perfectly acceptable at the normal print size of 83 by 48mm. Despite my moaning, it copes pretty well with low light so it’s great for sociable evenings under house lighting. The mono prints from the camera will only show highlights, but the digital files can be printed later in colour and hold much more detail.
I also like that the prints are wide and thin. I’ve written before about the fun of cropping to a 5:2 format to fit onto Moo business cards. These prints are about 7:4 so not as letterbox as the Moo cards but wider than normal.
Down sides? Squeeze it in a bag and you can turn it on and eventually drain the battery. So carry it on its strap and put up with the odd looks. Tear the prints off downward or risk a rough tear. Perhaps the strap is a bit short if you are bigger than a child. It won’t print while it’s charging. And that’s it.
This is definitely my party with friends camera. Not that I can do that presently. But when I get the chance again, it will be out with the bear-cam and cover the fridge with daft pictures.
My wife, who bought me the camera, was worried that I would think it was a gimmick and not use it. Instead, I love it (and my wife, obviously). It’s done two small bubble gatherings since June and it’s a hit. If I pulled out a normal camera I’d be shouted at to put it away and join in. The bear-cam gets passed around and we all take daft pictures of each other and then laugh some more in the morning.
Recommended for post-apocalypse parties.
Fup Duck Photography 
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