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Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022: A Simple Guide [Video]

If you have a kid who loves photography, you need to learn the top 7 best instant cameras for kids in 2022. This will provide you with adequate knowledge to select the best for your child.

Whether an instant film or instant digital camera, these tools eliminate the unnecessary need for settings and allow your kid to focus on capturing and creating magic and are popularly divided between Instax and Polaroid.

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Today, well-known makers like Canon, Fujifilm, and Kodak have ventured into this line of photography that can allow images to be developed right in front of your eyes.

This style of creating images was invented in the 1940s and has witnessed sustained popularity that seems to last until this very day, with everyone from adults to kids using it make one of the purest forms of photography.

We call it one of the purest forms of photography because these cameras offer a particular way of capturing images that is simply hard to find in other types of cameras.

So rare is the photography type that even the Instagram filter created to emulate it doesn’t quite produce the same result.

Therefore, there is no doubt that your child will love this at first peep, but before you go ahead to order for one, learn the top 7 best instant cameras for kids to help you choose the best.

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Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids 1n 2022

Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022
Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022

Instant cameras, by design, allow you to print out physical images quickly and almost instantly, and while the quality of images produced may be nowhere near the best digital camera such as DSLRs, the convenience and magic of instant cameras are unprecedented.

Below is our list of the top 7 best instant cameras for kids for your reading pleasure:

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

Everything about this instant camera screams simplicity, from how to use it to how the film is loaded.

The camera is also cute and portable in size, making it even more appealing for your kids. It also has a macro lens that allows it to take great pictures from a distance of 35 to 50cm.

The Instax Mini 9 also allows for easy brightness adjustment and can be used indoors or under the sun.

However, there is one downside to this instant camera: how expensive the cartridges can be. Yet, the joy of watching your kids create magic with this lightweight camera makes that almost insignificant.

Canon IVY CLIQ+ Instant Camera Printer

This instant camera is both lightweight and compact and can be carried around easily by your ward. It is also cute and easy to use, making it an ideal choice for kids.

However, it brings some technological features to the mix. For instance, this camera can be linked to an app you can download on Play Store. This will allow you to view pictures your kids take even before printing them.

The significance of this is that you can visualize what has been captured before printing, which most instant cameras do not offer.

Additionally, you can edit the captured images however you like. Once your child is satisfied with the editing, you can print to get your pictures instantly using a camera printer that comes with it.

This single uniqueness makes using this camera an absolute delight and glosses over its one downside: it takes only modest pictures.

Other features include the selfie mirror that allows the child to capture a broad background. The camera also comes with a ring light to brighten the pictures taken with the selfie mirror.

Fujifilm Instax Minion

The Instax Minion is also very easy to use, and your kids can start taking great pictures just after holding this camera for a few hours as it offers a point-and-shoot feature that makes photography look like second nature.

It is also portable and beautiful to carry about and will not trouble to become a favorite gadget for your wards.

Once you insert batteries into this camera, your kid can go ahead and create magic even without knowing what image exposure is, as the camera features an automatic exposure measurement that does most of the heavy lifting.

This camera features two specific advantages that may be hard to find in other instant cameras. First, it is one of the cheapest instant cameras for kids, with both the camera and new films for replacement being easily affordable.

Secondly, it allows images to both snapped in both vertical and horizontal positions so that your kids can take perfect landscape and portrait pictures with them.

However, it does have a little disadvantage as it doesn’t do well with black and white backgrounds. For instance, the pictures will not be as perfect if a subject wears black or white colors.

INKPOT Instant Print Camera

Do your kids love to color just as they love to take pictures; then this instant camera would be the right fit for them?

Aside from being lightweight like most instant cameras for kids, it is also highly durable, making it tougher to break if your kid accidentally drops it against a hard surface.

The batteries are rechargeable and can last very long so that your kids can capture as many pictures with the camera once the batteries have been fully charged.

The images captured are usually in black and white, and your kids can draw on them or color over them with the markers that come with them.

Aside from the above, another major advantage of this camera over its competition is the large storage capacity. It comes with a massive 32GB memory card for saving photos.

The camera comes with a limited instruction manual, and while many may want to look at this as a demerit, we believe that the ease with which your kids can learn and use this camera makes this insignificant.

Zink Polaroid Snap Instant Digital Camera

This would not have made it to our list of top 7 best instant cameras for kids in 2022 since we also see adults use it as wedding cameras, but it comes with such a comfortable feel that we feel any kid would love to own one.

It is easy to use and can be used to capture amazing memories in both sepia and black and white images.

Amongst the many things the camera comes with are a photo booth option that allows the user to print four images in one printout, a micro SD card for storing captured pictures, a 10-second timer feature that allows for more convenience, and an internal rechargeable battery.

One of the things this camera doesn’t have is an LCD screen to preview images before taking them. However, it does come with an optical viewfinder that can pop up when needed and easily retract when not in use.

A downside you should note here is the price of this instant camera, as it can be a little pricey to purchase.

Dragon Touch Instant Camera

This is another sturdy instant camera that your kids can rarely damage, which makes it a worthwhile investment.

But more importantly, it is as easy as other instant cameras and allows your kids to draw or color overprinted images.

As expected for this instant camera, the images are usually printed in black and white, making them ideal for coloring.

Aside from taking quality photos, your kids can also record videos with this instant camera with extra features, including selfies, photo timers, and auto power off.

The pictures, as we said, come out in black and white, which should easily be a disadvantage, but this is not so as the black and white pictures are easier to paint over. A more appropriate burden for this camera would be the missing micro SD card, making it only suitable for printing only 750 photos.

Polaroid Originals Now I-Type

This instant camera offers the most beautiful vintage appearance amongst the top 7 best instant cameras for kids in 2022.

It is an absolute vintage to behold, and this doesn’t make it difficult or more complicated to use. On the contrary, the Polaroid Originals Now I-Type is easy to use as any other camera on this list.

The instruction manual also contains a ton of information should anything confuse you or your kid while starting with this camera.

It features a double exposure that helps the user take some professional-looking shots and a self-timer that allows for more convenience.

The camera also features an auto-focus, but some users have reported that this doesn’t quite do the job for them.

Are Instant Cameras Safe?

Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022
Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022

While looking for the top 7 best instant cameras for kids in 2022, we have also seen parents worry whether these cameras are safe for use by kids.

This worry is valid considering that some of these cameras use “Polaroid ink,” and we all know that inks generally contain some level of toxicity.

Luckily, these instant cameras for kids are safe as they do not use inks to create images. Instead, they use chemicals known as reagents to react with certain film parts to make images.

The chemicals include a mixture of Alkali, Opacifiers, and White pigment, and the mechanism by which they work is as simple as this; the reagent often sits at the edge of the film slide near the border of the picture frame, and once a click is made, the slide passes between a pair of rollers with the reagent spreading over the film sheet.

Each reagent component reacts with a separate part of s chemical layer, resulting in color or black and white images (depending on the instant camera being used).

How To Use Instant Camera

Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022
Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022

We thought that aside from listing the top 7 best instant cameras for kids, we should provide a brief description of how to use these cameras.

This knowledge will provide you with all the preliminary things you need to do even without opening the instruction manual and is especially useful if you get a camera with no manual or only limited instructions in the manual.

Step 1: Load and prepare the camera

Open the bottom flap of the camera and insert the cartridge in the slot with the dark side facing up and the metal contacts facing down. Then close the flap and wait for a dark slide to emerge from the camera – this tells you that the camera is ready for use.

You can also put in the batteries if you got a camera with removable batteries before moving to the next step.

Step 2: Turn on the camera.

Turning on the camera should be as easy as flipping a switch or pressing a button. Either way, the controller or button is usually found near the camera’s top.

There is always some form of indication to allow you to know that your camera has been turned on in most cases.

Once your camera is on, you can play around with the exposure to test for brightness before getting to work.

Step 3: Find the right distance and frame.

This 2-in-1 step will help you or your kid take the best pictures. Start by moving away gradually from the subject to find the right distance, and once you have gotten the perfect one, test it to find the best frame.

The best frame is often the one that captures just the right amount of background with the subject. It is important to find the most suitable one because doing otherwise would result in unappealing pictures.

Step 4: Take the shot and wait

Once you are satisfied with the distance and frame quality, the next step is to take great shots and create unforgettable memories.

Push the button to take a shot, then protect the camera and film from light exposure while waiting for the image to develop.

Image development often takes about 10 to 60 minutes, depending on the instant camera you are using, and this is often how long you will need to protect the film.

How Does Instant Camera Work?

Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022
Top 7 Best Instant Cameras For Kids In 2022

And to give you a well-rounded knowledge, let us consider the working principle of instant cameras in a more detailed way.

Most instant cameras work by employing an internal development mechanism that allows for films to be developed inside without any interference.

On the inside are both the chemicals that form the reagent with the files that contain the images that have been captured.

Once you shoot, the film rolls over a specialized roller, and the pod containing the chemicals breaks open to spread the reagent over the rolling film.

An image appears on the sheet at the camera’s opening about some minutes. And it is this immediacy that makes these cameras popular.

Conclusion

Any of the top 7 best instant cameras for kids described above will enable your child to take very iconic images while exploring and growing their creativity.

Some are more expensive than others, but they are all exquisite devices to buy for that one child that enjoys capturing fleeting moments.

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