Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo: Shoot From the 1930s to the 2020s

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The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema is a new hybrid instant camera unveiled in Japan that lets you jump between decades using a physical dial.

From the 1930s to the 2020s, each turn reshapes your image’s mood, grain, contrast, and color, it’s less about historical accuracy, and more about instant cinematic feeling.

And this time, Instax isn’t just about photos.

A new “Eras Dial” for instant time travel

At the heart of the Mini Evo Cinema is a playful new control Fujifilm calls the Eras Dial. Twist it, and you’re shooting in a different decade, each one applying a distinct visual treatment inspired by the look and texture of film from that era.

Think grainier blacks, softer contrast, faded colors, or cleaner modern tones, filters, yes, but designed to feel tactile and deliberate, not buried in menus. It’s nostalgia as a physical gesture.

For video, Fujifilm even adds subtle sound design: some modes layer in reel noise or analog-style audio textures to deepen the illusion of shooting on old film stock.

A Super 8-inspired look and 15-second video clips

Visually, the Mini Evo Cinema marks a clear shift from previous Instax models. Its vertical silhouette takes direct inspiration from the Fujica Single-8, Fujifilm’s 1965-era movie cameras, with a distinctly Super 8 feel.

A dedicated trigger-style button lets you record short video clips of up to 15 seconds, turning the camera into a pocket-sized camcorder. Around the back, an LCD screen acts as your viewfinder, while optional accessories, like a grip, case, or external viewfinder, push the object closer to a “mini cinema camera” you can take anywhere.

The clever twist: print a photo, unlock the video with a QR code

The smartest idea might be the simplest. After filming a clip, you can print a still frame from the video, complete with a QR code embedded on the photo. Scan it, and the video plays back on your phone. Physical memory on the outside, digital motion on the inside.

It’s a neat way of merging tangible Instax prints with modern sharing habits, and a reminder that “hybrid” doesn’t have to mean complicated.

Like the standard Mini Evo, the Cinema version also works as a smartphone Instax printer, letting you print images directly from your phone. Fujifilm is also launching a companion app that allows users to stitch multiple clips together into videos up to 30 seconds, with added text and effects.

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema launches in Japan on January 30, 2026. No international release, or pricing outside Japan, has been announced yet. But as a concept, it’s classic Fujifilm: part nostalgia machine, part modern toy, and entirely designed around the joy of making memories—not perfecting them later.