Instax Mini 12vs A7R II
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R II
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.
Portrait, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
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
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the a7r ii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £799 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | — | 42.4MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | N/A | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 5fps |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Architecture | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history