Fujifilm Photography News and Rumors

Ivan Joshua Loh hacked his Instax Square SQ10 to print images from his Fujifilm GFX, X-T2, X-Pro2 and X100F via the micro SD card. The process involves converting your JPG files into JPEG files that are JFIF compliant using Paint Shop Pro if you aren’t using a camera that creates compatible files. If you want to read more about Ivan’s somewhat cumbersome discovery check out the first linked story below.

ivanjoshualoh – HIP to be Square (SQ10)

The Phoblographer – Review: Fujifilm Instax SQUARE SQ10 (Instax Square Format)

Engadget – Fujifilm’s SQ10 is an instant camera for the Instagram generation

Stuff – Fujifilm’s Instax Square SQ10 gives you creative control with instant results

albedomedia – Fujifilm Instax Square SQ10

Fujifilm Instax Square: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

The Instax SQ10 is coming out soon and, while I have one on order I am conflicted about the format. While Fujifilm has fulfilled some of my wishes for this “hybrid” format they haven’t really done so in an ideal manner. The Instax SQ10 design isn’t a hybrid analog+digital design, but rather a point and shoot digital camera+Instax Square printer, which reduces the size of the lens needed since the film isn’t being exposed directly. This arguably makes Instax Square an inferior format to Instax Mini or Wide at this time, since you are printing camera phone images with a printer, compared to exposing a large piece of modern instant film.

I am pretty sure that I will keep my preorder at this point, but the current Instax SQ10 isn’t the same caliber as the Instax Mini that Leica licensed. Hopefully, we see a true analog Instax Square in the future and an actually analog+digital hybrid implementation of Instax. Ideally, I would like to see an analog Instax camera that makes uploading images to sites like Instagram easy enough that there is no excuse not to use their product for photo blogging. One of the main reason I don’t really use sites like Instagram is the amount of effort I have to put into them. I almost never use my iPhone for photos anymore and while I like Instax quite a bit and see a use for it for behind the scenes shots, the ideal way to upload Instax photos at the moment is with an app like PhotoScan by Google.

Most Instax SQ10 users might not care about these kinds of details, but I think Fujifilm’s marketing strategy is a little deceptive. The Instax SQ10 is not a hybrid camera in the way that most Instax fans would want one to be designed. Hopefully, Fujifilm will release a stand alone Instax Square digital printer soon since they already designed one that fits in the SQ10. Instax Mini is too small for X and GFX prints, but a Wide/Square printer would be more acceptable for event printing in my opinion. Of course, printing like this would get expensive, you can always pass expenses like this along.

Fujifilm Instax Square: B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama