Quick Verdict
The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 is an easy to use and great performing analogue instant camera offering a range of creative shooting options including flash colour filters.
+ Pros
- Clear images
- Easy operation
- Flash filters are fun
- Strap included
- Cons
- Large, chunky design
- Off-centre viewfinder can make composing images difficult
The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 if Fuji's first square format analogue instant camera. Available in 3 trendy colours - pearl white, blush gold and graphite grey, the camera has various modes to help you be more creative with your shots, and also comes with flash colour filters which let you give a colour cast to the photo easily. Here, we find out how it performs.
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 Features
The Instax Square SQ6 comes well equipped for creativity - in the box you get a strap, and 3 flash colour filters in red, green and purple. These just slide onto the flash unit on the front of the camera.
The camera has a plastic construction with a diagonal ribbed texture to improve grip. On the front is the rather large lens, which expands to a fixed shooting position when turned on. There's a small selfie mirror to help you when taking photos of yourself. The shutter button is also located on the front, just under the optical viewfinder.
On the right-hand side is the battery compartment - the camera takes 2x CR2 lithium batteries. On each side there is a metal connector for the strap. On the bottom of the camera a tripod thread has been provided allowing you to mount the camera for timed shots and more stability. On top, is the on/off switch and the slot where your images will emerge.
On the back you'll find the mode/ self-timer and flash toggle buttons down the left-hand side. Film is inserted through the back. Along the top edge of the film door are symbols which have a light above them to tell you which mode you've selected. Available modes are auto, selfie, macro, landscape, double exposure, expose lighter and expose darker.
Key Features
- Square format film (a lot like the original Polaroid film)
- 7 shooting modes
- Self-timer
- Flash toggle
- Strap included
- 3x flash filter colours included
- Each film pack holds 10x photos
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 Handling & Performance
The camera is very easy to use - to load film, simply open the catch, line up the yellow line on the film cartridge with the yellow line inside the compartment and push the pack into place. Once the door is closed you can turn the camera on and press the shutter button once to eject the protective cover, and you're good to go.
There are a good level of modes to choose from without the operation becoming too complicated - covering just about everything you may want to use the camera for. The flash colour filters are great fun to use, especially against plain backgrounds to really make the colour pop.
The different modes on the camera alter the focal length of the lens - macro mode should be used for subjects 0.3-0.5m away, normal mode for subjects 0.5m-2m away and landscape mode for subjects 2m and beyond.
Battery life is excellent - batteries should last for 30 film packs of 10 films - that's 300 photos.
The photos produced are good - clear, and sharp with nice bright colour representation (when not used with altering filters!). Using the filters creates a vivid effect to give your photos a creative twist.
Value For Money
The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 is available for £124.99 from Amazon ($129.95 on Amazon USA). This is relatively good value for money considering that the Instax Mini 90 NEO, which has similar styling but prints out an image half the size, is available for £119 in the UK / $124.29 in the USA.
Other options to consider that use square film are the Instax Square SQ10, which is a hybrid camera that takes a digital image that you can alter in camera before printing. It is available for £199.98 in the UK / $199.99 in the USA.
If you want a really retro feel with a unique design, have a look at the Lomo' Instant Square which features a bellows-like construction. If you want more manual control, the Impossible I-1 allows you to control the exposure of shots via an app.
Alternatively, if you just want to print images taken from your phone, there is an Instax Square printer, the Instax Share SP-3, which lets you process images via an app and print them via Wi-Fi. It's available for £154.99.
Take a look at our Top 8 Best Instant Cameras article to see what's available.
Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 Verdict
The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 is a great choice for those that want creative options without complicated settings. It's also great for analogue fans, who want to create organic images.
If you want a bit more flexibility with what images you print out, then the Instax SQ6 lets you see its digitally captured photos and then choose which ones to print out.
It's a great choice for those that want a square photo format and the clarity that Instax film delivers for images.
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The Instax Square SQ6 is a fantastic analogue camera offering clear and colourful square instant photos with easy operation. |