Fujifilm Instax Evo cinema review: Retro video fun

The front of the handle has a cover that hides the USB-C charging port and microSD card slot. There is built-in memory, but I highly suggest using a microSD card, because it’s difficult to extract your entire photos from the built-in memory. You have to use the app to download the image first, but then it’s difficult to save it to your phone outside of the app. Just a small throw Micro SD card There you will avoid all these hassles.

The pictures are small. The 5-megapixel, 1/5-inch sensor records photos at 1920 x 2560 pixels and videos at 600 x 800 pixels (although there is an option to record higher resolutions using the 2020 High Quality mode, which upscales video to 1080 x 1440 pixels). The sensor shares the same specifications with the Mini Evo Plus, and it seems safe to assume it’s the same. This means it’s good enough for Instax prints and social media, but it won’t look great even on… 4 x 6 inches.

The shutter button, which looks a bit like a trigger in this design, will record for up to 15 seconds. You can use it in two ways, either like a trigger, where it fires as long as you hold it down (up to 15 seconds anyway), or press it once to start and once to stop. Yes, it’s a bit difficult trying to take a selfie video with this design, but you can connect to the app and create and shoot with this.

28mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.0 lens with autofocus and face recognition. Focus is fully automatic and center-weighted, although facial recognition will override this when it detects a face.

Around the lens is a focus ring that doesn’t focus, but adjusts how strong the effect you apply. Above the lens is a light that can be a flash for photos or a steady for video. Next to that is a selfie mirror, which honestly doesn’t help much. It is best to use the app to take selfies.

The back of the camera has a small, low-resolution screen that you can use either with the optional lens or as a monitor mounted at arm’s length. I preferred using the lens because I have older eyes, but it also works well either way.

The side of the camera has a power button and two switches, one for toggling between still and video modes, and one for turning off framerates and extras available as overlays (which vary depending on which ‘squeezing’ effect you’re using). There is also a small dial that acts as a print key and toggle to control digital zoom.

Time travel

Photo: Scott Gilbertson

Then there’s the Eras dial, which allows you to select several decade-themed effect presets covering every era of film from 1930 to 2020. This is where the Evo Cinema gets in on the fun. The effects let you shoot jerky black-and-white video from the 1930s or Handycam-style footage from the 90s, plus much more. I was fond of the 1940s-era effect, which adds the strangely dull color saturation that characterized film footage from that decade.