Tom’s Guide Verdict
The Fujifilm Instax mini 41 is a delightful camera.
Its sleek and premium design and long battery life are the cherries on top of the cake.
The Instax mini 41 looks sleek and its comfortable to hold.
Its also extremely easy to use, thanks to just two physical buttons on its body.
However, the flash cant be disabled ever and some images come out overexposed.
Is this the right instant camera for you?
Read my full Fujifilm Instax mini 41 review to find out.
I was able to easily slip it into my cargo pants pocket and carry it around.
The color scheme has been revamped.
I adore how this camera looks.
It also strikes a great balance between retro and modern looks.
The build quality is fantastic, as always.
Even though the Instax mini 41 is made entirely of plastic, it doesnt look or feel cheap.
Its got two focus ranges: 0.3m- for most shots, and 0.3-0.5m for close-up shots.
Once youve decided which setting you want, simply look through the 0.37x viewfinder and shoot.
The viewfinder is small but I didnt have any trouble looking through it, even while wearing glasses.
Shutter speed, 1/2-1/250s, is adjusted automatically as is the exposure.
So all you really need to do is look through the viewfinder and press the shutter button.
Theres also a built-in flash with a range of 0.3-2.2m.
However, it cant be toggled on and off it isalwayson, regardless of where or what youre shooting.
Im not sure why Fujifilm opted for this design choice because you dont need the flash all the time.
In certain situations this can overexpose photos, which is frustrating.
Its so easy to use that even a five-year-old could take photos with it.
I found the camera extremely comfortable to use, with just one hand and both.
The shutter button is easy to reach and it feels like the natural position for your hand.
It also gives good tactile feedback when pressed.
The only other physical button is a ring dial around the lens.
All these controls are easy to access.
Its one of the most straightforward control schemes youll find on an instant camera.
That can be chocked down to theverypowerful flash which, like I said, can never be disabled.
But when the Instax mini 41 takes good photos, it takesreallygood photos.
Most photos taken outdoors turn out lovely too.
Mini format prints are great for pinning up on corkboards or carrying around in your wallet.
The photos above made me appreciate how much detail the Instax mini 41 can capture.
Both of us are in focus too.
The second photo, however, is out of focus.
And of course, the powerful flash being always-on tends to over-expose photos.
I faced the same problem with the Instax mini 12 too.
Youll be paying 75 per picture.
This cost is similar to the film used by theKodak Mini Shot 2 Retro($159).
This is similar to the aforementioned camera.
The Instax mini 41 doesnt have a battery indicator so youll have to play it by ear.
On a fresh pair of batteries, I comfortably got through three packs of film.
The built-in selfie mirror makes the process of taking self-portraits much easier too.
