Instax Mini 12vs Leica SL3
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
VS
Leica
Leica SL3 (2024)
Starting from £6499 new
Best for Professional & luxury hybrid shooters
View Leica SL3
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.
Professional & Luxury Hybrid Shooters — Leica SL3 (2024): Leica's most capable mirrorless — 60MP, 30fps burst, 8K ProRes, and 7.5-stop IBIS with L-mount's growing lens ecosystem.
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 SL3 (2024)
- Leica photographers who want autofocus full-frame in the L-mount system
- SL2 owners upgrading to 60MP and improved autofocus performance
- Professionals who want Leica build quality with L-mount lens versatility
- Photographers who want to share lenses across Leica, Sigma, and Lumix bodies
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the leica sl3 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | Leica SL3 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £6,499 |
| 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, Apple ProRes |
| 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 | 7.5-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 30fps electronic |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | 410 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 875g body only |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 146.0 × 104.0 × 42.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | 0.78" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots |
| Screen | N/A | 3.2" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Leica L-mount |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Dual SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C 3.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | Leica SL3 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12
Camera family history