Instax Mini 12vs Q3 43
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
Leica
Q3 43 (2024)
Starting from £6995 new
Best for Documentary, portrait & reportage photography
View Q3 43
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.
Documentary, Portrait & Reportage Photography — Q3 43 (2024): The Q3 with the most human lens — 43mm, 60MP, and Leica rendering at its most natural and versatile.
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
Q3 43 (2024)
- Portrait and documentary photographers who find 28mm too wide and 50mm too tight
- Q3 owners who prefer a natural 43mm perspective over the iconic 28mm Summilux
- Reportage photographers who want the discreet Q3 form factor with a more intimate focal length
- Leica system users who want a fixed-lens body that excels across multiple genres
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the q3 43 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | Q3 43 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £6,995 |
| 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 10-bit — L-Log |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | Phase-detect AF with face and eye detection |
| Stabilisation | N/A | 8-stop IBIS (combined with OIS) |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 15fps electronic |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~350 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 743g body only |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.1mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | EVF 0.79× 5.76M-dot OLED |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.84M dots |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Fixed Summicron-M 43mm f/2 ASPH (43mm — closest to human field of view) |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Single UHS-II SD slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | Q3 43 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Street | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12
Camera family history