Instax Mini 12vs A1
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
VS
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
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 Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
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
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | — | 50.1MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | N/A | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — |
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12
Camera family history