The Fujifilm SQ10 Is The First Square Format Digital Instant Camera

Fujifilm's brand-new Instax Square SQ10 merges the digital and instant film worlds in one camera body. 

Basically, the Instax Square SQ10 is a digital camera that has an LCD screen, a digital image sensor and the ability to instantly produce prints. The prints are a new square format (Instax SQUARE film) with a 1:1 aspect ratio and they measure 86x72mm. Images can also be edited/processed in-camera before printing. 

The SQ10 is the first Instax camera to be equipped with a digital CMOS image sensor and image processing technology which means users should be able to capture brighter photos in low-light conditions (e.g. indoor and night scenes) and close-up shots from a distance of up to 10cm, things which were always a bit tricky on film cameras. Other new functions include automatic exposure control, human detection and auto-focus plus, ten built-in filters can be combined with different effects to change the look/feel of an image before or after capture. 

The front of the camera features a 28.5mm equivalent, fixed focal length lens with a f/2.4 aperture and a flash. Underneath there's a standard tripod mount and on the back of the SQ10 are an operation dial and three buttons, which give access to the main functions (ten different filters, vignette control and brightness adjustment), along with the LCD monitor which can be used to view and edit (zoom and crop) images before printing. 

A vignette effect can be applied to adjust the light intensity of an image and there are also filters for adjusting the colours and brightness levels of a print. Double exposure can be used to overlap two images onto one film by pushing the shutter twice, while the bulb exposure function is useful for night scenes and light marks.

As for the camera design, it features a dual shutter system with two shutter buttons - one on the right and one on the left. Either button can be used to capture an image or you can use one as a function button to quickly switch shooting modes. It looks a little chunky but we'll find out how it feels in the hand when we put one to the test. 

Battery life is rated at 160 shots and up to around 50 images can be saved on the camera's internal memory but a microSD card can be used to expand this. 

The Instax Square SQ10 camera will be available from next month, in black, for £249.

Take a look at the video released by Fujifilm all about the new SQ10 and take a look at our instant camera recommendations: Best Instant Cameras 2017

There are also a few deals to be had over on Amazon UK for Instax camera fans.