• Fujifilm continues to expand its lineup of instant cameras, with the Instax WIDE Evo being added.
• Dubbed a hybrid instant camera, it can both print pictures on it, as well as ones from your smartphone.
• It is expected in South Africa at the beginning of February.

One of Fujifilm’s most popular divisions, the Instax instant camera offerings continue to grow, and this week the Japanese company announced an addition to the lineup in the form of the Instax WIDE Evo.

It is the company’s latest hybrid instant camera, which means you can either snap pictures using the WIDE Evo or pair with a smartphone (via an app) in order to print on instant film. As such, it offers the best of both for the instant camera experience, with the latter element being one reason why we have favoured Fujifilm’s Instax printers in recent years.

As for the WIDE in the name of this model, it refers to being the widest lens on any Instax instant camera at 15.67mm (F2.4).

Here images can be taken in either the standard width or in a wide-angle mode should there be more content you wish to frame within the photo.

While it touts some digital capabilities, Fujifilm has retained the analogue styling of the camera, which even includes a “Print Crank” on the side, which needs to be turned for an image to print. Another addition is Degree Control, which allows users to determine the degree to which each lens effect is applied to their image. 

“The WIDE Evo sits on top of the Instax line-up alongside its little brother – the popular Instax Mini Evo. And like the Instax Mini Evo before it, the new camera also features 10 lens effects (Light Leak, Vignette, Color Shift, etc.) and 10 film effect options (Sepia, Monochrome, Amber, etc.), offering 100 different combinations for users to express their creativity,” explained Fujifilm SA in a release shared with Hypertext.

“It doesn’t stop there, with five Film Styles included to customise images even further. Options include a cinematic look with black bars across the top and bottom of the image, a classic film strip look, a traditional date/time stamp format, a retro contact sheet look, or a vintage collodion process effect,” it added.

Other elements worth highlighting include the WIDE Evo capturing images at close to 16MP, which is another first in the Instax lineup. Recording on internal storage can also be expanded via a MicroSD card. with a 3.5″ LCD display found on the back of the camera to handle image selection, adding effects, editing, printing and adjusting image settings. Lastly the built-in lithium-ion battery musters up to 100 image prints per full charge.

Fujfilm SA confirms that the Instax WIDE Evo will land locally in early February, but at the time of writing has not shared recommended retail pricing. Given all the features onboard, this may be one of the more pricey Instax models to date.

[Images- Provided]