instax are well known for producing fun instant cameras and the instax Square SQ 1 certainly delivers on this message. The instax Square SQ 1 recently arrived at the office and I have just spent some time getting to know it and capturing some prints around the home and Cape Town.
The Design:
The instax Square SQ 1 comes in a square design and is very bold looking. The body is made of a hard plastic and feels really well made. While it is big, it is easy to hold, and I actually like its size and how it feels in the hand. The corners are rounded so it doesn’t hurt as you grip it.
On the front of the camera you find the lens, the selfie mirror, a shutter button, a viewfinder, a Flash and an indicator.
At the rear, you get the other side of the viewfinder, a film indicator, and a film compartment.
On the right side you get the battery compartment together with the hook for the lanyard strap, which you get on the right side too, should you want the strap on a specific side.
The SQ 1 comes in Chalk White, Terrecottea Orange and Galcier Blue, with the last being the model which I received to review. I think all the colours look great!
Taking photos and printing:
Taking photos and getting instant prints is very easy on the SQ 1, much like what I experienced on the instax Mini 11. To get started, insert the batteries (two lithium batteries (CR2) batteries) into the battery compartment, then insert a pack of 62 mm × 62 mm instant film into the film compartment.
To turn on the camera, rotate the lens to the “on” position. You can see that it is on when the “on” is in line with the instax logo. Once the camera is on, you will see the light next to the viewfinder turn on.
Then to take a photo, simply look through the viewfinder and snap away by pressing the shutter button. Once the print stops moving, remove it, but don’t shake it. It will take a few minutes for it to develop and then you have an instant print to show your friends or give it to them, which many want after we snap photos together!
To take selfies, you can turn the lens one more time until “selfie” is under the logo/dot. In selfie mode, the lens zooms in a bit to put the focus more on you.
If you are going to take a selfie with a bunch of friends, I would suggest using the normal mode so you can get more in the frame. Selfie mode can also be used for macro photography.
The Square SQ 1 has Auto exposure, so you can capture photos when you land up in a dark environment as the exposure will adjust to make the images brighter. There is also a flash to help brighten up the images.
Really bright scenes will look a bit overexposed because of the fixed aperture and the auto flash but scenes that aren’t so bright will come out looking much better. At night, you can capture brighter scenes if the subject is close to the lens. Overall the Square SQ 1 prints decent prints without fuss.
Battery Life:
Powered by two lithium CR2 batteries, you can print 300 prints before the batteries need a change. After 5 minutes of no use, the camera will auto power off to save battery.
What is in the box:
In the box, you will find the Square SQ 1 camera, the lanyard strap, instruction booklet, the batteries, and a sticky pad for more thumb grip.
Pricing:
The instax Square SQ 1 retails at R1999 but you can get it on sale @ Superbalist for R1799. The Square SQ 1 is slightly more expensive than the Mini 11, which it is similar to, and about the same price as the instax SQ 6, which has some more modes. I would go for the Square SQ 1 if you want something simple. A pack of 10 sheets of the instax square film will set you back R215 or you can get 20 sheets for R395. You are looking at roughly R20 a print or so.
Verdict:
The instax Square SQ 1 is a great point, shoot and print instant camera. There are no modes to set up or switches to turn on but you need to remember to get the right shot, so you don’t waste prints. Overall I was happy with the prints but I did find lighter scenes seemed to be a bit overexposed. I would recommend the Square SQ 1 to someone who wants an easy-to-use instant camera!
