Fujifilm’s new Instax Mini SE just hit the Indian market, bringing its compact, no-fuss charm to instant photography fans. Available in colours like green, blue, pink, purple, and light grey, it comes bundled with either 10 or 40 shots of Instax mini film, priced at ₹8,499 and ₹9,999. But with the popular Instax Mini 12 around, is this latest model really worth it?
Simple, compact, and ready for instant prints
The Mini SE is as straightforward as it gets. You can adjust the brightness based on where you’re shooting, and that’s about it — no zoom, no extra frills. It’s super compact, so it easily fits in a small bag, which makes it a great travel buddy for spur-of-the-moment snaps. I took it on trips to Bhubaneswar and Mumbai, and it was nice not having to worry about carrying a bulky camera.
Decent pics, but it’s hard to justify the price
The Mini SE delivers decent photo quality for an instant camera, but here’s the catch: It doesn’t offer much that justifies its price when you compare it to the Instax Mini 12 — or even the Mini 11 — with better features at pretty much the same price. Knowing you can get more with the Mini 12 makes the SE feel like a bit of a letdown.
The verdict
If all you need is a simple, point-and-shoot camera that’ll give you instant prints without much tinkering, the Instax Mini SE gets the job done. But if you’re after the best value, the Mini SE might not be the way to go.
At this price, the Mini 12 feels like a better choice. This would’ve been a solid entry-level camera at a lower price point, but as it stands, it’s tough to see why you’d pick this one over the Mini 12.
