If you shoot Instax cameras you’ve probably wondered why is Instax film so expensive? In this article I will tell you exactly why and give you a contrarian answer.
How much is Instax film anyways?
Before getting in why Instax film is so expensive, let’s figure out exactly how much each shot cost.
Just like most things if you buy bulk you save. A 10 pack mini is about $9 while a 20 pack is only $13. Also if you want to save the Instax mini is cheaper than the other formats.
| Instax | Average Price | Price per shot |
|---|---|---|
| Instax mini 10 pack | $8.99 | $0.89 |
| Instax mini 20 pack | $13.12 | $0.65 |
| Instax wide 20 pack | $19.20 | $0.96 |
| Instax square | $19.95 | $0.99 |
Each Instax shot is about $1, or half of that if you buy the mini 20 pack. Is that really expensive? When out an about my son always asks me that same question, Dad is that expensive or not?. I always answer him the same way: expensive is relative. $500 is expensive for a toy but for a house? Not at all.
While it may seem like Instax film is expensive, let me suggest to you that it is not. Here’s why.
First there was film
Back when film photography was all the only game in town, you needed a few steps to actually get a print. Besides the camera you needed a roll of film. That costs money.
Second you needed the film developed, that again costs money. And lastly you needed to select or have all of your roll printed, and that again cost money.
Not only this there was a time factor. You needed to either mail your film in or drop it at a CVS or camera shop and then you could get your print. Walgreens and the like made a killing with the promise of one hours photos.
And then came polaroid
The allure of Polaroid was simple. Forget a roll of film. Forget having to develop your film. Forget printing your film. You shoot and out comes a print. This was revolutionary but there was a cost attached to it. So instant photography was always somewhat costly.
Why? Because every single Polaroid print essentially was a mini-lab inside of a print. More on this below. But why are we talking about Polaroid in an article title “Why is Instax film so expensive?, because Instax is pretty much the same technology.
Kodak was ousted of the instant game because it got sued by Polaroid. Fujifilm was also on the verge of being successfully sued when an agreement was made between Fuji and Polaroid in 1986. So for all intents and purposes Instax is pretty much the new Polaroid.
So why is Instax film so expensive then?
Fujfilm Instax is expensive then because every single print essentially contains a mini-lab inside of it. When the picture gets taken and imprinted on the film, a roll of chemicals get released (the long print border is a pocket of chemicals) by having a drum roll go trough the exposed part. That is how you have a print.
An Instax print is unlike your printer that only uses the adequate amount of ink, the Instax is an analog, chemical process and these costs money to put in. It is an absolute marvel to have in your hands a print that normally needed to be developed, printed and at least costs you a few hours of time.
That is why my contention is that while there is a cost attached to the prints, once you see the process behind it, it becomes really cheap.
The problem with Instax film
But what if the issue wasn’t really the price of the film but the camera? Here’s what I mean. The Instax cameras being instant cameras, you shoot and out comes a print…
That is normal but there’s a hidden issue: You will get a print no matter what. Shot with the wrong setting? Print. Got the light wrong? Print. Timing was off? Print.
With a phone for example you can shoot 10 images, trash 9 to keep one. There is no such thing with Instax, you shoot 9 crappy images and it will print anyways. And that can get expensive, about 7-10$ worth of mistakes.
Fact of the matter is, only a few images are worth printing, and being forced to print racks up the price.
Does Instax print automatically?
Yes, most Instax cameras print automatically without the possibility to stop it. There is one notable exception as we will see below. The automatic printing is is probably the single most important factor that makes Instax film so expensive. Most of your prints will be wasted on blinking selfies, missed shots and more.
If only there was one Instax that would allow you to only print the images you want it to print. This would be very cost effective because you would only print the absolute best images. Well, this Instax exists: The Fujifilm Instax Liplay.
How to bypass the print cost
One of the most recommended Instax cameras in this website is the Fujifilm Liplay. The main reason is unlike most Instax and other instant cameras you don’t need to print right away. Instead it shoots like a regular digital camera and you can select which pictures to actually print.
So instead of being forced to print every shot you take you can select the absolute best and print only those. You get to keep prints and only spend money for worthwhile pictures.
Conclusion
Why is Instax film so expensive? Because each shot has within it all of the chemicals to make the image, like a pocket minilab. So while the costs are actually justified, one of the ways to make your Instax NOT expensive is to get a hybrid camera like the Fujifilm Liplay that will not automatically print every single shot, you get to print the best ones only. Happy shooting.