Instax Mini 12vs G85
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
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 & Video — G85 (2016): The G85 is the definitive enthusiast MFT package — combining 4K/30p, Dual I.S. 2 stabilisation, and weather sealing in an affordable, well-built body. It lacks phase-detect AF (contrast-detect only) but covers travel, landscape, and casual video effectively. One of the best-value used-market MFT cameras available — a practical, capable companion for photographers who want reliability over cutting-edge specs.
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
G85 (2016)
- Travel photographers who want weather sealing on a budget
- Vloggers and hybrid shooters
- MFT system users stepping up from entry-level
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the g85 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | G85 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £350 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 16MP Micro Four Thirds CMOS (no low-pass filter) |
| Resolution | — | 16.0MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K/30p, 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | Contrast-detect AF, DFD technology |
| Stabilisation | N/A | 5-axis Dual I.S. 2 (body + lens) |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 9fps |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~330 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 426g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 128.4 × 89.2 × 74.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Micro Four Thirds |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | G85 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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