Instax Mini 12vs D850
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
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.
Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography — D850 (2017): The finest DSLR ever made — 45MP, 9fps, and nearly 2000 shots per charge in a body that still outperforms most mirrorless cameras for battery life.
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
D850 (2017)
- Nikon F-mount lens owners who want the highest resolution DSLR before switching to mirrorless
- Landscape and wildlife photographers who value the optical viewfinder and outstanding battery life
- Professional photographers who need 45MP resolution without the price of a medium format system
- Photojournalists and event photographers with a large F-mount lens investment
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 45.7MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | N/A | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | N/A | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12