Instax Mini 12vs Leica Q3
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
VS
Leica
Leica Q3 (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Travel, street & premium compact shooters
View Leica Q3
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Beginners, Parties & Gifting — Instax Mini 12 (2023): The perfect starter instant camera — effortless to use, great colours, and comes in beautiful pastel shades.
Travel, Street & Premium Compact Shooters — Leica Q3 (2023): 60MP, Summilux 28mm, IBIS, and weather sealing — the Q3 is the ultimate fixed-lens camera for those who can justify the cost.
Who should buy what
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
Leica Q3 (2023)
- Photographers who want a fixed-lens full-frame camera with no compromises
- Q2 owners upgrading to articulating screen and improved autofocus
- Travel photographers who want one premium compact that does everything
- Street and documentary photographers who want Leica quality without changing lenses
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the leica q3 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | Leica Q3 (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 60.0MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 8K/30p, 4K/60p, C4K/60p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | Phase-detect AF with subject/face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | N/A | 5.5-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 15fps |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | 380 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 743g |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | 0.787" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C 3.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | Leica Q3 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Street | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12
Camera family history