The Instax
Square SQ10 is a digital camera that prints images on Instax Film in
the new square format. The camera specifications are at the end of the
page, taken from the Fuji website.
What's in the box (no film pack furnished): camera, battery and cable for charging and image transfer.
The grip is a Case Logic grip attached to a plate in the style of a Manfrotto 200PL quick release
plate, a special plate made by HorusBennu for their grips. So you can
use the camera, with the grip attached, on a Manfrotto RC2 Rapid
Connect Adapter.
The back: LCD screen and control center, easy to use.
Cheap bag solution, found on a flea-market...
...a small Loewepro, the camera just fits in.
The
handling is very pleasant, it's solid, like the top-of-the-range
digital SLRs, not cheap. Switching the camera on is fine and logical,
you turn the big ring around the lens a little and it lights up. The
menu is well done and easy. With the 6-segment back controls, a 4-way
turn and tilt wheel and the OK button in the middle, everything is
quickly accessible. The screen's fine, nothing to signal. There is the
"auto" mode, the photo is printed directly, and "manual", the captured
photo remains on the screen, it can be printed immediately or
processed, lighten/darken, filter etc. or printed later. The printed
photos are clear and neat, nothing to say. You'll get what we saw on
the screen. The printing speed is fast, it's like the output of a
classic Instax photo, but it's quieter.
I like this camera. No
more spoilt pictures. all handling is quick and logical. Focusing is
fast and reliable. You can get close to objects down to 10cm (!). The
camera keeps the parameters you put in, which is a good thing. It
writes .jpg files not so bad compared to what we could expect given the
size of the sensor. The .jpg is not modified according to the settings,
it makes a small. csv file of the same name in which you find the
settings. If you put an SD card, the files are written on the chip,
otherwise there is an internal memory for 50 photos.
And here are some pictures:
Colour test.
Fishing pond, Calais, Marais.
Macro, quite impressing
On my veranda, full sunlight from above.
Other cameras and formats for comparaison:
Instax wide 210, lighten.
Instax 500AF.
Impossible 600 2nd generation with One600Pro. I will make a photo with the new Polaroid Original film soon.
Old Polaroid 600, from expired 2009 (last film produced by Polaroid, with Polaroid SX670.
Instax Mini Monochrome with Instax Mini 50.
Black and white print with the SQ10. No Monochrome paper necessary.
And a print from a file of an ordinary digital camera, a Canon S120 in this case:
Calais, Marais, fishing pond, slightly zoomed into the photo.
For
files to be imported into the camera for printing on Instax film, the
file must have a name like ABCD1234. JPG (4 letters, 4 digits). With
the Cannon files it works if you rename them that way. The photos are
centered at first, if you zoom in a little, you can choose the part to
print. Since the Canon files are big, that's great. With files from the
Sony A7 it doesn't work, the camera refuses them. I also couldn't
find a way to print a photo processed by Gimp.
A trick that can
work: You take your A7 files or those from Gimp, and open them in
another software and save them to NEW under another compatible name. As
I don't have Photoshop, I tried with Photoscape.
I downloaded
the free 3.7 version of Photoscape (no need to take the paid X version,
even under Win10) and I just opened the pictures in Photoscape and gave them another name, without touching anything. Then the camera accepts them! So you can print any kind of photo.
The camera specifications taken from the Fuji website:
Camera:
Image sensor 1/4-in., CMOS with primary color filter Effective pixels 1920 x 1920 Storage media Built-in memory, microSD/microSDHC memory card Recording capacity Built-in memory: Approx. 50 files microSD/microSDHC memory card: Approx. 1000 files per 1 gigabyte File
system Compliant with Design Rule for Camera File
System (DCF), Exif Ver.2.3, Compliant with JPEG and PIM Focal length Fixed as 28.5 mm (35-mm format equivalent) Aperture F2.4 Auto focus system Single AF (Contrast-detect TTL, equipped with AF illuminator) Focus range 10cm to ∞ Shutter speed 1/29500 sec. to 1/2 sec. (Auto), maximum 10 sec. in Bulb mode Sensitivity ISO 100 to 1600 (Auto) Exposure control Programmed AE Metering 256-segment through the lens (TTL) metering, Multi metering White balance Auto Flash
Auto/Compulsory flash/Suppressed flash/Slow
synchro/Red-eye removal Effective range: Approx. 50 cm to 8 m Shooting mode Standard, Double exposure, Bulb mode Self-timer Approx. 10 sec./Approx. 2 sec. Image effect 10 Filters, Brightness adjustment, Vignette Playback function Trimming, Multi image playback
Printer:
Film FUJIFILM Instant Film “instax SQUARE” (Purchased separately) Photo capacity 10 prints/pack Film size 86 mm x 72 mm Image size 62 mm x 62 mm Supported image size 800 x 800 dots Printing solution 12.5 dots/mm (318 dpi, 80 μm dot pitch) Printing levels 256 levels per color (RGB) Supported
image format JPEG (Some images saved with a photo
editing/processing software may not be displayed or printed.) Printing time Approx. 12 seconds Print timing Printing shortly after shooting/Printing after selecting image Printing function Images on built-in memory/micro SD card Reprint Printable up to the past 50 prints (Up to 50 images stored in print history) Digital zoom Up to 2.4 X in printing (Output pixels: 800 x 800) Film detection Yes (Automatic ejection when inserted)
Others:
LCD monitor 3.0-in. (7.6 cm) TFT color LCD monitor Pixels: Approx. 460k-dots Input/Output terminals Micro USB (For charging only) Battery NP-50 Charging function Built-in Printing capacity Approx. 160 prints (From when the battery is charged fully) * Varies depending on the conditions of use. Charging time Approx. 3 to 4 hours (Using 0.5 A USB port) * Varies depending on air temperature. Dimension 119 mm x 47 mm x 127 mm (W x D x H) Weight 450 g (includes fi lm pack and battery
