Let’s Welcome a New Camera!

Look at my new camera!

So I did a thing! I added a new instant camera to my collection. Welcome the Instax SQ20!

For those of you that don’t know, the Instax SQ20 is somewhat like an older square version of the Instax Mini EVO. One of the biggest differences between the two (besides film size) is that the EVO has bluetooth capability while the SQ20 doesn’t. But not a deal breaker for me. Now you may be thinking Tcha, what’s the big deal about this? Like, do you really need a whole blog post about it? It’s my blog so I’ll do what I want.

So you may be wondering what’s so great about this camera. So glad you asked! First, this is what I would consider a hybrid camera. It’s a mix between a digital camera and an instant camera. Let’s dive in.

LOOKS AND FEELS

The SQ20 has a square-ish round body. What I mean by that is the overall body is square, but it has rounded corners. The camera is of course made out of plastic. The plastic is slick. I do wish the plastic was a bit textured so it wasn’t as slick, but the body has a feature that helps with that (I’ll talk about it further down.) It’s smaller and thinner than something like the Instax Wide 300. At the time of writing this post, I don’t have my Mini 11 with me, but I would say it’s probably comparable in size (just a bit thinner).

Front of Camera

On the front of the camera, you have the flash/charging/self-timer light, left and right shutter buttons, lens, zoom ring, and selfie mirror. Like with most Instax cameras, the film ejection slot is at the top of the camera.

Back of Camera

The back of the camera shows the LCD screen, all the buttons to operate the camera, and the film door lock. (Let me know if I need to update this blog to list out all the buttons on the back of the camera.)

Sides of Camera

On both sides of the camera, you have the strap hooks. On the left side (if you’re looking at the back of the camera), there is a door that contains the microUSB charging port, reset button, and microSD card slot.

Colors

This camera comes in two colors: matte black and beige. I ended up getting the beige version.

Here are two of my favorite features about this camera’s body.

• Shutter buttons: This camera has shutter buttons on the left and right side so no matter if you’re a righty or lefty, you’ll be able to easily press the button and take a photo.

• Thumb rests: So you remember the slick plastic I mentioned earlier? Here is how Instax combats that with this camera. The left and right sides of the back of camera have these thumb rests. They allow you to hold camera without feeling like it’s going to slip out of your hands.

FEATURES

The camera has a 1/5-inch sensor with a fixed focal length of 33.4 mm and an aperture of F2.4. The shutter speed ranges from 1/7500 to 1/2 (auto selected) and a max of 10 seconds when in bulb mode. The ISO ranges from 100 to 1600 (auto). There is also the option to use exposure compensation with a range of -2.0 EV to +2.0 EV (with increments of 1/3 EV). There are three flash options: auto, compulsory flash, and suppressed flash. The flash has a range of 50 cm to 1.6 ft to 6.6 ft.

It has single autofocus while in photo mode and continuous autofocus while in movie mode. (Movie mode for an instant camera?!?! We’ll talk more about that lol.) It has a focus range of about four inches to infinity. There are six photo shooting modes: standard, double exposure, bulb mode, split, collage, and time shift. There is also a self-timer that can go off in two-second or 10-second intervals. Lastly, there are 21 different filters (18 for photos and three for movies) and the ability to adjust brightness and add vignette.

Battery/Charging

It takes about two to three hours to fully charge the SQ20 if you’re using a 0.5A USB port. One full charge will last you about 100 prints. It uses a microUSB charger. If Instax ever does an update of this camera (hint hint Fujifilm), hopefully they will go to a USB-C charger.

FILM AND PRINTING

This is kind of a given, but it uses the standard Instax square format film. That film is about 3.4 inches x 2.8 inches with the actual photo space being 2.4 inches x 2.4 inches (hence the squareness). It takes about 12 seconds for the image to print out of the camera and about 90 seconds for it to be almost fully developed. You can only print JPEG images from the camera (if you’re importing from a microSD card).

The camera can hold about 50 photos without a microSD card. If you add a microSD card, it can hold about 1000 photos per 1 GB. I have a bunch of larger capacity microSD cards (think 64GB and up), so I’ll probably try and find an 8 GB or 16 GB card and I shouldn’t have to change the card or delete any images for a while.

Finding Film

I don’t think the square format film is that hard to find. You can find it at most major retailers…Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc. You can also find it online at websites like Amazon, B&H, and Adorama. I usually get my film from Amazon just because I can get it delivered right to my door and I usually get a discounted price because I order several packs. A double pack (20 photos) will normally run you between $20-$25. If you get one of the specialty films like Sunset or Rainbow, they can run about $15-$20 for a pack of 10.

Instax Square Film: Sunset, White Marble, Monochrome, White, Rainbow, Black, and Star-Illumination

Okay, so I’ve talked about all the technical stuff, let’s talk about the actual user experience. I took the SQ20 out for a spin this morning (03JUL24) and it was pretty easy to use. I was able to figure it out without having to use any type of manual. It’s pretty simple to use. Simple push the sliding button(?) to the photo icon (or movie if you want to record a video), compose my shot, and then press one of the two shutter buttons. Printing the photo is pretty straight forward as well. After I took the photo, I hit the print photo button, a message popped up essentially asking me to verify that was the photo I wanted to print, I selected okay, and it printed. The autofocus worked relatively well. I wish I had the option to move the focus point because sometimes it wouldn’t focus on what I wanted it to, but I don’t have any major complaints about the focusing. Most times it focused on what I needed it to focus on.

I was even able to figure out how to take a double exposure shot by just scrolling through the menu. Now, this could be because I’ve used the Mini EVO before so I have at least an idea about the menu system for Fujifilm, but I think even if you’ve never had an EVO or LiPlay, you could figure out how to use the camera.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, my initial thoughts are that I don’t regret getting this camera. It’s nice having the option not to immediately print photos while I’m out and about. This way I don’t have to worry about losing my prints. The camera is easy enough to use and takes some great instant photos. I can’t wait to play around with it more.

Stay tuned for my next post. I’ll share some of the photos from my first outing with the SQ20 and more about my experience.

Until next time!