EOS R1vs Instax Mini 12
Canon
EOS R1 (2024)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View EOS R1
VS
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
Beginners, Parties & Gifting — Instax Mini 12 (2023): The perfect starter instant camera — effortless to use, great colours, and comes in beautiful pastel shades.
Who should buy what
EOS R1 (2024)
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
- Complete beginners wanting their first instant camera
- Anyone buying an instant camera as a gift
- Party hosts who want to hand out physical prints on the night
- Kids and teenagers who want a fun, colourful camera
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the eos r1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | Instax Mini 12 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £80 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | — |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | N/A — instant film camera |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | N/A |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | N/A |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | ~293g (with batteries, without film) |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | N/A |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | N/A — instant film only |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | N/A |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | Instax Mini 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | — |
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history