LOVING THE INSTAX SQUARE
Your Instax dreams are valid. Fujifilm just launched the Instax Square SQ10, the first digital Instax camera that lets one choose and edit photos before printing them in a square format. Show-biz sweetheart Liza Soberano introduced the hybrid camera at the recent launch at SMMall of Asia.
Creativity has always been an advocacy of the Japanese camera company Fujifilm. Its Instax brand is popular among the creative set who collects photos as keepsakes.
Instax shows the magic of taking a photo and watching the film develop into a photograph in seconds, which is as satisfying as it is tricky.
Instax Square is a game-changer in the instant camera arena, an arena which is traditionally a hit-and-miss affair. Take a “blind” shot and hope for the best. If the photograph comes out fine, all is good; if not, then that’s one film down (at P550 for a pack of 10 films, it can be a costly mistake).
Unlike the Instax Mini series that comes in candy colors, Instax Square is available only in black, a serious color since the camera is “for both hobbyists and professional photographers alike,” Fujifilm senior marketing leader Marilen Catanghal said.
Digital, finally
Instax Square is smooth and symmetrical, and carries an iconic Instax look. As a nod to the lefties, it features Dual Shutter buttons—one on the left and another on the right —which also helps in adjusting perspective.
Preview is available on the three-inch LCD monitor where all the editing happens. One may crop photos, choose a filter (there are 10) and adjust the brightness before printing.
Photographers can also play with exposures. The Double Exposure feature combines two shots into a single print; the Bulb Exposure holds the shutter open for up to 10 seconds to achieve long-exposure shots.
Want more images in one photo? Combine them in a collage via the Thumbnail Print option.
Instax Square’s internal memory can hold 50 images; it can also read a Micro SD card, which means it can print photos taken from another camera.
Like most beautiful things, the Instax Square SQ10 comes at a cost. It is sold at P14,999, while the Square Instant Film is P550 per 10 sheets.
Liza Soberano
A true “influencer,” Lisa Soberano is a social-media celebrity with over 6 million followers on Instagram and 2 million followers on Twitter (both @lizasoberano).
She says she’s an Instax girl, and was into scrapbooking before projects with ABS-CBN came in.
Her favorite photography subjects are “structures, statues, flowers and children,” which she shoots with the Instax Square, and her two other Fujifilm cameras: the Instax Mini 9 and X-A3 mirrorless digital camera.
The cute and light Mini 9 is the “selfie” Instax. It features a tiny front mirror beside the lens that assists in taking the perfect selfie. The unit’s Lit setting adjust the brightness automatically.
The box includes a close-up lens attachment for macro shots, and a wrist strap.
Instax Mini 9 comes in five pretty colors: Flamingo Pink, Cobalt Blue, Ice Blue, Lime Green and Smoky White. It is sold at P3,999, and makes use of the credit-card size films.
For taking fabulous travel photos, Soberano recommended the powerful and compact Fujifilm X-A3. The 24.2-megapixel cam comes with extras: a 180-degree movable LCD monitor, touch screen monitor, pop-up flash, WiFi and a price tag of P34,990.
We’re lusting over this retro-style camera that comes in brown, silver and pink.
Visit www.fujifilmph.com.