I have a Polaroid SX70 camera and although it is a wonderful iconic camera, every time I push the button, I’m committed to producing a print. I can’t tell you how many times I knew the print would be a throwaway just after pushing that button! And I had to wait for it.
In February 2022 I got a Fuji Instax Mini Evo – a camera that can take digital pictures and allows me to selectively print the ones I want. Like the ad on TV, it does more. I can move a copy of a print to my iPhone or print off a previously stored photo.
When I want to print, I just use the film advance lever like a 35mm camera. You flick the lever and a preview graphic of the print shows on the screen. This preview feature blows people’s minds and when you give them the physical print they are delighted. It’s a friendship camera.
So, when I first started going out with my Evo, I just took pictures to evaluate its camera feel and function without prejudice. It doesn’t hold a candle to my X Pro 1. The metering is a bit sluggish and there is no exposure compensation dial, that is a button pushing process. It’s a snapshot camera, but that’s OK. I can control the exposure by half -clicking the shutter. After I test-shot several pictures and printed them, I found the color quality is quite good.
![](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/V-Sky-1024x617.jpg)
Then I looked at the instruction manual. This camera has built-in filters! Rotating the lens ring gives 10 filters and a knurled knob on top of the camera gives 10 more, for a total of 100 combinations. I decided Light Leak and Canvas are unimpressive, and the Fisheye and color filters are just basically ok. Then I found the mirror filter. This filter takes half of the image, flips it, and puts it next to the original so you get a mirror image. I can do the same thing in Photoshop, except it take about 5 steps and previsualizing the effect is beyond me.
The fantastic thing about this filter is how I see the effect in real-time! It stretches my imagination! I can move the camera around until I have what I want. The symmetry of the images creates a visual harmony that can make the most mundane subject interesting. Patterns become psychedelic. Cactus plants can be turned into monsters, or landscapes can extend to infinity.
![Cactus Monster](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSCF0016-1024x768.jpg)
![Tulips in the Sky](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSCF0040-1024x768.jpg)
![Rainbow Journey](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSCF0028-1024x768.jpg)
![Flying Yucca Monster](https://www.35mmc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSCF0079-1024x768.jpg)
My photo walks have always brought me some visual surprises, but now I can’t even imagine what this camera is going to show me.
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Andrew Bearman on Mirror Mirror – The Fuji Instax Mini Evo and its Mirror Filter – By John Sullivan
Comment posted: 29/03/2022
Today this popular camera is mostly out-of-stock.
John on Mirror Mirror – The Fuji Instax Mini Evo and its Mirror Filter – By John Sullivan
Comment posted: 07/04/2022