Is the Instax Pal 2 the most fun camera ever? I need one now
Fujifilm has turned its tiny digital camera into an irresistible pocket companion, complete with a viewfinder, physical controls and 30 creative effects
Quick Summary
The Instax Pal 2 is a tiny 10MP digital camera that looks like a miniature old-school compact, but it's packed with some modern tricks.
It doesn't print photos itself, but it can shoot Instax-style frames, create little animations and send your snaps straight to your phone.
Are we witnessing the return of the fun camera? The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 certainly suggests that. This ridiculously tiny camera looks like the sort of gadget you pick up and immediately want to take everywhere.
Fujifilm has taken the palm-sized Instax Pal and given its second generation a much more traditional camera design, complete with an optical viewfinder, physical shutter button, control dial and even a lever that makes shooting feel like a miniature version of using an old film camera.
Tiny camera, proper controls
The original Instax Pal was already an unusual little thing, but the Pal 2 looks much more like an actual camera. It's tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand, weighs around 41g and now has a 1-inch LCD screen alongside that optical viewfinder.
There's a 10MP sensor, 28mm-equivalent f/2.2 lens, autofocus and a built-in flash, so this isn't quite as deliberately primitive as some of the cheap viral digicams currently doing the rounds. You can also adjust exposure compensation, while the camera can shoot at either 10MP or a deliberately lo-fi 1MP resolution.
The controls are a big sell here too. There's a proper shutter button, a command dial and a lever that can be used to change shooting modes. Turn that lever and you can switch between Instax Mini, Square, Wide and borderless formats – despite the fact that the camera itself doesn't actually print anything.
30 ways to make your photos weird
Fujifilm has worked hard on the playful side of the Pal 2. There are five filter themes with six effects each, giving you 30 effects to load onto the camera via the companion app.
You can then leave your phone in your pocket and shoot using the camera itself, rather than endlessly fiddling with editing controls after you've taken the picture.
There's even an Instax Animation mode. Hold the shutter button and the Pal 2 can capture up to 10 consecutive frames, which are combined into a little flipbook-style animation that you can share digitally.
You can also use the included angle-adjustment attachment and your phone as a remote shutter, opening up more interesting angles for group shots, selfies and the inevitable dinner-table nonsense.
It won't replace your phone
Yes, the Pal 2 isn't going to produce better photos than your smartphone. That's fine, though, because image quality isn't really the point. The whole appeal is that the Pal 2 gives you a reason to take a picture differently.
Your photos can be transferred to your phone over Bluetooth or USB-C, with the latter taking around 0.7 seconds per image. And if you do want a physical photograph, you can send the image to a compatible Instax Link printer and print it in Mini, Square or Wide format.
The camera itself can store around 100 images internally, with microSD support if you want to carry considerably more. Battery life is rated at around three hours.
The UK price is where things get interesting. Fujifilm's UK site lists the Instax Pal 2 from £89.99, making it considerably more tempting than the roughly £150 price initially reported for some markets.
Sure, your phone can take technically superior pictures, but it can't fit in your palm, have a tiny optical viewfinder, make you flick a physical lever to shoot a 10-frame animation and generally make taking a photo feel like a bit of an event.
