Instax Mini 12vs A9
Fujifilm
Instax Mini 12 (2023)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Beginners, parties & gifting
View Instax Mini 12
Sony
A9 (2017)
Starting from £1999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
View A9
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 Sports, Wildlife & Action Photography — A9 (2017): The camera that changed professional photography — the A9's 20fps blackout-free burst and silent shutter proved mirrorless had definitively surpassed the DSLR.
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
A9 (2017)
- Sports photographers who want the original 20fps mirrorless at a lower used price than the A9 II
- Wildlife photographers who need blackout-free burst with fast, reliable tracking
- Sony FE system users who want a professional sports body
- Photographers interested in the camera that changed the industry
Quick take: The instax mini 12 is the most affordable; only the a9 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Instax Mini 12 (2023) | A9 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £1,999 |
| Sensor | Instax Mini film (62 × 46mm image area) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | N/A — instant film camera | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (0.3m–∞ standard; 0.3–0.5m in close-up mode) | 693 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | N/A | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 20fps (blackout-free, silent electronic shutter with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | 2× AA alkaline batteries (~100 shots) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | ~293g (with batteries, without film) | 673g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 107.6 × 121.7 × 67.3mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 63.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical viewfinder (0.37×) | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification, 60fps refresh (blackout-free) |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Instax Mini film pack (10 shots per pack) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | N/A — instant film only | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Instax Mini 12 | A9 |
|---|---|---|
| Parties & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Everyday | — | |
| Low Light | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with Instax Mini 12
Camera family history