Though instant photography has seen a resurgence in popularity lately, it's been hard to recapture the feeling of a true square Polaroid image. Polaroid Originals (neé Impossible Project) makes film that's compatible with older Polaroid cameras, and sells brand-new cameras under the brand[1])—but the original chemical recipe that gave photos their pop was lost to the ages. I think it shows in the flawed-but-characterful square shots you'll get from that film.
With the advent of Fujifilm's Instax Square film, you get something resembling a shrunken Polaroid without the unrefined Polaroid Originals formulation. Unfortunately, this option was until recently hitched to a weird, overpriced digital/analog hybrid camera[2]. Fujifilm was beaten to the punch by Lomography, whose fun and funky Lomo'Instant Automat Square[3] was the first analog Instax Square-compatible camera on the market.
Only now do we get to see Fuji's own analog take on a square-film camera: Enter the Instax Square SQ6. It's not an unattractive camera, and its squircle-shaped body certainly sells you on its raison d'etre. That is, to take tiny, square instant pictures of yourself, your friends, and maybe even your brunch.
A Virtuous Squircle
For around $130, you get the SQ6, three colored flash filters, a strap, and two CR2 batteries. Unlike the similarly-priced Instax Mini 90, Fujifilm has decided to go with alkalines instead. You won't find a spare rechargeable battery while on vacation, but the convenience of being able to top-up with a USB charger is something I expected and didn't get from this Fuji. And that's not the only cut corner on this product. While the Mini 90 has an LCD screen that shows you the number of shots, flash status, and modes, the SQ6 relies instead on...