Instax Mini 12vs Sony A9 III
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
VS
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 III
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.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
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
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the sony a9 iii is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | — | 24.6MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | N/A | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | N/A | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
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