Fujifilm Instax Pal Link 2 Bundle Review: Tiny Printed Photo Nostalgia For A Price

In the era before the selfie became a ubiquitous means of self-expression and capturing the most candid moments of our lives in an instant, technology limited our ability to do such things with instant results. However, people did have access to cameras capable of delivering instant gratification, the Polaroid. Originally introduced around 1948, the Polaroid used special film that contained photo paper and developing chemicals in one convenient package, allowing for pictures to be shot and developed within a minute. While digital cameras have essentially replaced the Polaroid altogether, the format persists.

Today we are looking at a successor to the Polaroid provided to SlashGear for evaluation by Fujifilm: the Fujifilm Instax Pal. It is a compact digital format camera geared toward taking candid pictures with the ability to use them in digital format or develop them on a small format instant film. In a world where almost everything is online and all our memories are but lines of code, sometimes it can be nice to have a physical photo to memorialize fond memories, especially for the youth whose life experience is engulfed by digital media. Whether the latest Fujifilm product is the appropriate product to do that for you remains to be seen, but with this in-depth look at what it has to offer, perhaps you can decide whether the Instax Pal could be your new electronic best friend.

Packed in the box when you get the Instax Pal are two components, the camera and the printer. Everything about this is very basic. The camera is a little bit bigger than a golf ball while the printer is a bit larger than a well-stuffed wallet, making it easy to carry with you anywhere. The portability seems to be the point — this is a camera setup geared for creating and capturing moments to be shared on the spot with friends and family.

Justin Owen/SlashGear

Inside the box, you will not find a lot. Besides the camera and printer, there are power cords, but no charger, and a small ring to be attached to the camera for safe carrying. That's it, just the most essential gear to make it all work. Within the owner's manual and instruction booklet is a QR code linking to an app available on either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. This is a Fujifilm app developed specifically to work with the Pal and provides extended functionality for the camera as well as a way to save photos digitally.

The tiny Pal camera has a 1/5-inch CMOS with a primary color filter sensor and an F2.2 aperture. Recording images in JPEG format, Pal saves images at a size of 2560 x 1920 pixels. Everything is automatic, including exposure control and focus. It operates like the old point-and-shoot film cameras of a previous era when 110 film and cheap 35mm cameras dominated the market. It also has a flash, automatically operated, and a small speaker only for system sounds, such as a simulated shutter click. It is charged via a provided USB-C cable and can hold up to 50 photos in internal memory, which can be expanded with a micro SD card, sold separately.

The Instax mini Link 2 printer can be purchased separately but comes with the Pal as a package deal. It connects via Bluetooth to the Pal camera or the app via smartphone or tablet. It prints on Instax 2.4 x 1.8-inch instant photo paper, much like that of the Fujifilm Instax Square Link with a resolution of 12.5 dots/mm can be configured through the app to add additional graphical elements to the developed photos. Power is provided by an internal rechargeable battery, which is charged using an included micro USB cable. According to the manufacturer, a full charge should take from 80 to 120 minutes and be capable of printing about 100 photos before recharging is needed.

While the Pal is basic in form and function, it does provide some unique features that add to the experience of using it. The power button is located on top and is surrounded by an LED to indicate its power or charge status. On the rear is the shutter button used for taking photos. The Pal can be used in two modes, Fun or Link. Fun mode is for use when connected through the app and can be operated using the camera or remotely through the app.

Justin Owen/SlashGear

Using Fun mode with the app offers robust controls over the shooting of pictures with this camera. The phone provides a viewfinder, allowing you to frame pictures exactly before taking a shot. Once you have taken the picture you want, it can be edited and customized before being saved and shared or printed immediately using the mini Link 2 printer. 

When switching to Link mode, the camera pairs itself automatically with the printer, verified via LED on both devices, and photos will print immediately after shooting them. In this mode, there is no viewfinder and users will have to estimate the framing of any picture. However, the ring provided for carrying the camera is meant to be affixed to the top of the Pal camera and used as a crude viewfinder, giving you a rough estimate of what will be captured on film. Furthermore, the printer can also be used to print photos directly from the Nintendo Switch through the smartphone app.

The picture quality of this device is not great, and the lack of a viewfinder makes using it so much different from what we have become accustomed to in the modern age with everyone having a high-quality camera in their pocket at all times. However, while most folks can snap a photo and message it or share it on social media in an instant, there is something attractive about having a simple snapshot you can print and share with friends and family on the spot. A physical reminder of an experience can feel more enduring than pixels uploaded to the cloud every nanosecond of the day. This makes the technical details of this device less pertinent than what it offers in the moment.

Justin Owen/SlashGear

Snapping photos in Link mode is seamless and works rather well. Even when you are unsure how a subject is framed, you will find that the fixed focus lens is adept and captures mostly whatever you try for, so long as you are not overthinking the process and trying for perfection. Again, this is about memories more than perfect pictures. 

Within a minute of taking a picture, you will have a rapidly developing photo the same size as any credit card — a ready-made memory to take everywhere. In Fun mode, you can group friends or family for a picture and inscribe something or add an emoji or two and print multiple copies for all to take home from the gathering right away. They can also be saved or shared directly from the app, perhaps sharing with someone who missed out on an event.

Throughout the graphics on the box and in accompanying literature, it is apparent that this product is geared for teen and pre-teen use, based in particular on the age of the models used. There is no practical professional application for this device, but that is okay. It is just for fun and capturing memories, which it does.

That the Pal can be used with or without another device gives it some versatility. Especially for kids away at summer camp, where phones are often not allowed, this can be used to commemorate the events of the week and shared with one another immediately. Furthermore, on vacation, the same can be done on the fly without the need to have a potentially expensive smartphone out at every attraction along the way. Having a simple little camera in your pocket, memories can be captured quickly throughout the travels, perhaps capturing the most candid and spontaneous moments that might be missed messing around with other cameras.

Justin Owen/SlashGear

Even though the Instax Pal appears perfectly suited to young people, it needn't be limited as such. Anyone simply wanting to capture moments to cherish with minimal fuss would benefit from having this camera. And with the printer handy, it would also be ideal when experiencing something with others. For example, a family reunion of people who may not be in touch outside of the reunion could all take home something for the picture collection, at least, to the extent those still exist.

Overall, this is what you can only say is a neat product. It is clever and pretty well thought out, making it easy to use even for people with little technical acumen. Although it is lacking in technical specifications, when considering its intended users and application, being technologically advanced seems less relevant. That it offers the opportunity to make lasting memories is likely sufficient for most buyers.

While the Pal can offer fun photography for all, the price may be a bit high for many people. This bundle can be found for sale at Best Buy for $199.99. In the box comes one cartridge of Instax film, providing an initial 10 photos. The price of a two-pack of film, which is 20 photos in total, is currently about $20, meaning every photo you take with the Pal will cost you $1. This might make you think twice before taking frivolous photos, but in the time of digital picture overload, that might not be so bad. As long as its technical limitations are known and have some good ideas of how to use it, this product could be a good buy for anyone.