The Best Instant Cameras For Kids

Kodak Printomatic Digital Instant Print Camera

Colorfully creative

This compact option is perfect for capturing vibrant pics in a snap.

Best Overall

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Kodak’s name is synonymous with superior and enduring quality. With a combination of digital technologies and printing flexibility, the Printomatic is a compact instant camera that offers all-in-one photography in a point-and-shoot design. So, although it’s an instant camera, it accommodates a microSD card, allowing you to save the pics you take. When you do print, each photo will appear on Kodak’s 2″ x 3″ Zink photo paper for borderless, brilliant, and colorful images. All of these features, and the fact that the Printomatic comes in a variety of colors, make this an instant camera you and your kid are sure to love.

Pros:

• Pocket-sized
• Point-and-shoot design
• 5MP sensor and wide-angle f/2 lens
• Smart light sensor
• MicroSD card slot

Cons:

• Doesn’t include a microSD card or USB cable

Fujifilm Instax Mini 11

Photographic fun

This playful camera boasts top-notch features for personal expression.

Highest Quality

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Fujifilm designed the Instax Mini 11 to make photography fun. The slim body size will be familiar to owners and users of Fujifilm’s previous Instax Minis. It’s convenient for one-handed use, and its dedicated Selfie Mode enables the perfect pic through built-in macroing and mirroring, all without a close-up lens attachment. This instant camera also offers automatic exposure and printing, so you can spend less time adjusting and more time shooting. With all of these features, five color options, and two customizable shutter buttons, the Instax Mini 11 will empower your kid’s personal expression in more ways than one.

Pros:

• Sized for single-hand use
• Convenient Selfie Mode
• Automatic exposure
• Customizable

Cons:

• Doesn’t accommodate on-board storage for photos

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Bundle

Accessibly accessorized

Give your budding photographer everything they need to get started with this convenient kit.

Best Bundle

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Fujifilm now offers the Instax Mini 9 in an accessorized package to make photography more accessible and fun. One of their most popular instant cameras, the Mini 9 comes in six color options with a Fujinon 60mm f/12.7 lens. The camera also features automatic exposure with manual switching and a built-in flash, so your kid will be able to point and shoot without issue. Additional accessories include a fitted camera case with a removable strap, a 64-page photo album, a variety of display frames, and 60 sheets of colorful film stickers. This starter bundle has everything for the young photographer in your life.

Pros:

• Includes selfie mirror attachment
• Close-up and color filter lenses
• Camera case
• Photo album

Cons:

• Only includes a single L-shaped photo frame

Maidream Instant Camera for Kids

A lot for the little ones

This instant camera for kids can capture pics and record videos with ease.

Best For Young Kids

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Not every kid is ready for an industry-standard instant camera, but that doesn’t mean they should go without one. Maidream has designed an instant camera for kids between the ages of three and twelve. While it’s very much made for kids, this digital instant camera still offers incredible features. It utilizes thermal print technology for instant black and white printing while ensuring detailed pics via its 12MP sensors. In addition to functioning as an instant camera, it can also record HD videos at 1080p. The instant camera is also rechargeable and includes a 32GB memory card.

Pros:

• Fun and attractive design
• Two 12MP cameras (one front and one rear)
• 2.4″ IPS HD screen
• On-board storage for photos and videos
• Rechargeable

Cons:

• Only prints in black and white

Instax Square SQ6 Instant Camera

Hip to be square

This analog instant camera is a perfect choice for capturing the moment in style.

Best For Older Kids

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Instax has designed the Square SQ6 Instant Camera for those who want to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. It’s the first analog camera to accept Instax Square film and produce 2.4″ x 2.4″ square prints. The camera’s 65.75mm f/12.6 lens features a three-zone focus design, while a small selfie mirror has been built onto the front of the lens for the camera’s Selfie Mode. With a built-in flash and automatic exposure control, this camera enables you to capture your ideal scenes in low-light and other ambient lighting conditions.

Pros:

• Analog camera
• Prints stylish square photos
• Selfie and Double Exposure Modes
• Simple exposure compensation to lighten or darken images
• Offered in six color options

Cons:

• Non-rechargeable

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of instant camera should I purchase for a kid?

When purchasing an instant camera for a child, it’s important to consider who they are and what they’re going to do (or not do) with it. Most pre-teen kids would benefit from a child-oriented instant camera, at least to start. That would allow them to learn the basics of using a camera before upgrading to something with more options and capabilities. Many teens use instant cameras for selfies, and so cameras that have this feature as a Selfie Mode are better than those without it.

How important is on-board storage in an instant camera?

On-board storage is an issue for digital cameras, not analog ones. If an instant camera is digital, it is better if it accommodates on-board storage in the form of a microSD card or other memory card. That way, kids can save pictures, not just print them. If you want to access and edit the photos you take with a digital instant camera, then on-board storage is a must.