I bit the bullet and got myself my first wide camera! The Instax Wide 300 in toffee came out, I think, middle of this month. I initially wanted to get the Instax Mini 11 but I already have the LiPlay and the Automat so I figured, another mini camera would be redundant given that the other two can easily out-do the Mini 11 in terms of specs.
I fell in love with the color of the Instax Wide 300 being white with toffee-colored accents. Early buyers also get a bunch of free stuff but I’m not sure if this is an until-supplies-last thing of they have enough of these for all the units. I ordered mine from Henry’s Camera through their app. The SRP is Php6,999 but Henry’s has it on sale for Php6,649 (plus shipping fee).
First impression: it’s big. Bigger than the Diana Instant Square. Chunky too. And it’s pretty evident in the box:
Upon opening, you’ll be greeted by the manual and a leaflet explaining how to use the viewfinder — like the parallax effect or something. 4 AA batteries are included (the camera uses all 4) as well as a white strap and the close up lens.
I was initially surprised by how long the lens was when I first turned it on. It’s quite heavy too, especially since the heaviest instant camera I own is the SQ6. The Instax Wide really feels solid in my hands and thankfully there’s a strap because it’s tiring just carrying it around.
Then there’s the free stuff. I’m quite happy with the items that they’ve included with the camera purchase: a faux leather padded bag, 2 sheets of vinyl stickers to stick on the bag, an A3 map of the Philippines and an extra ethnic-print strap. They also include a 10-film pack.
So the bag in itself is lovely. It is a nice brown color and quite spacey inside. There’s padding all around the interior and the bag features a removable partition as well. The bag tag does seem like it’s made from scrap faux leather and the stitches are uneven, so if things like these tick you off, then you’re better off removing it or replacing it with a different bag tag. And if you can see that thin line right at the center of the bag, it’s some sort of cut. It doesn’t run too deep but it’s really visible and that’s my biggest gripe. I tried to see if I can rub it off at first, but that was a meaningless effort. It was a cut and that’s that.
These are the other free items that were included (and thankfully placed inside the bag to lessen that wrappings!). I don’t know what to do with the A3 Philippine map poster so that’s going to go to storage but I already used some of the stickers and stuck them on the bag. I have a few vinyl stickers that I think I would like to stick on the bag too. The brown strap is for the bag itself and it can be attached to the bag by a couple of metal hooks. As for that lovely ethnic print strap, I decided that I will use it on the Automat since the connectors are those strings that you loop around stuff, not the actual strap that you buckle on so I’m a bit wary about the weight support. (I used the white strap included with the Wide 300 because aesthetics.)
And of course I did a test shot! The viewfinder was tricky at first since it seemed so small compared to the body of the camera, but it was okay after the first few times I tried it out. Surprisingly, the films for the wide is a lot cheaper than the square too!! That’s gonna be fun (and ultimately expensive!).
Fell Down a Sinkhole 