Instant photography has an awkward habit of shrinking your subject. Get more than four people in shot on a Mini print and everyone becomes a smudge. The Instax Wide 400 solves that with the largest film Fujifilm offers.
The format is the whole argument
Wide prints are around double the width of a Mini frame, and the difference in the hand is dramatic. Group photographs work. Landscapes look like landscapes rather than postage stamps. Photographs you intend to frame have enough presence to justify the frame.
Deliberately simple
Operation is straightforward: automatic exposure, built-in flash, a close-up lens attachment for portraits and a self-timer so the photographer can be in the picture. There is no manual control to speak of, which is consistent with the rest of the range and appropriate for a camera aimed at events.
The compromises
It is big. There is no getting around the fact that large film requires a large body, and this is a camera you plan to bring rather than one you happen to have. Wide film is also the most expensive per shot and the hardest of the three formats to find on a shelf, so buying a few packs at once is wise.
Who should buy it
Wedding and party hosts, families, anyone assembling a guest book, and photographers who want instant prints with genuine physical impact. For everyday carry, a Mini 13 or the more elegant Square SQ40 makes far more sense.
