Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 £100 / $99

This instant camera is the literal big daddy of Fujifilm’s Instax range. Its almost medium-format-camera-like heft allows it to deliver prints twice the size of Fujifilm’s popular Instax Mini format. It utilises Instax Wide films packs (rather than Instax Mini, or Instax Square film used in the SQ6). Image area is 9.9 x 6.2cm. While its chunkiness means it’s not the most practical option for selfies, its is lighter than you’d think. That’s despite being powered by four AA batteries, rather than the two used in cheaper, smaller models.

A lever encircling the shutter release on its DSLR-inspired handgrip powers this one up and extends its 95mm lens. The built-in flash is again larger than average and, save for a fill-in option, fires automatically. With prints emerging from the slit in the camera’s top plate rather than from the side or front, the only small thing here, oddly, is the left-of-centre viewfinder. Control is limited to adjusting brightness and flash, and exposure modes are restricted to Dark, Normal or Light; but if you want instant prints closer to a more standard photographic ratio, this is the choice for you. PROS Ease of use and large, straightforward controls; larger prints than we’d normally expect CONS The bulky design hardly aids portability (or selfie shooting); small viewfinder

Verdict