Instax Mini 12vs A7 III
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the a7 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | N/A | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Video | — |
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12
Camera family history