Instax Mini 12vs BF
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
Sigma
BF (2025)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Photographers who want to strip back every distraction
View BF
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.
Photographers Who Want To Strip Back Every Distraction — BF (2025): The most radical camera in years — no dials, no buttons, just a flat aluminium body and total creative minimalism.
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
BF (2025)
- Photographers who find camera menus and dials a distraction from the creative process
- L-mount system users who want the lightest, most minimal full-frame body available
- Design enthusiasts who value the object quality and philosophy as much as the output
- Sigma fp/fp L users ready for a more radical step toward minimal photography
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the bf is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | BF (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 24MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.0MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K/30p, 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | Phase-detect AF — face and eye detection |
| Stabilisation | N/A | 5-axis IBIS — 7 stops |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 9fps electronic |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~400 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 427g body only |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 127.0 × 75.0 × 45.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | EVF 0.75× 3.68M-dot |
| Screen | N/A | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen — primary interface |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | L-mount (Leica/Panasonic/Sigma) |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Single UHS-II SD slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | BF |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Street | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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