What I've realized is that even though I now take more photos in a week than I did in a year in 2010, I now don't have as many photos physically printed. The high price of photo prints and the increasing number of photo shops going out of business means that many memories only exist in digital form. Today Fujifilm launched the Instax Mini Link 3 camera which is specifically designed to print photos directly from a smartphone.
The Instax Mini Link 3 prints mini-sized photos using the Instax Mini Instant Film format that is also used on other Instax cameras on the market. It can be seen as an alternative to Polaroid film. This printer can print an image in 15 seconds before the image slowly appears on the film within 90 seconds of exposure to air.
An improvement on the latest model is USB-C charging support to charge the battery and there are three LED lights on the front that show battery status and print status. With a full battery, Fujifilm says 100 photo prints are possible with a battery recharge time of up to 2 hours.
Another interesting feature of the Instax Mini Link 3 is that it can be used as an instax UP camera app controller! in a smartphone. Press the power button on the side of the printer and the photo will be taken by the application. The same application has an augmented reality (AR) feature that allows special effects such as 3D objects to be placed in pictures virtually. Next, the application also comes with a collage print mode, decorating pictures with frames and arranging pictures automatically before printing.
In Malaysia Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 3 is sold as a complete kit with two packs of film at a price of RM628 each starting today in Clay White, Sage Green and Rose Pink colors. There is also an Instax Blind Box Pattern Film offering that gives buyers two packs of film at a price of RM86.