I was never into Polaroids when I was younger. Now that I'm a college student with a disposable income, I wanted to invest in a camera. I tried using digital cameras, even DSLR photography. I never got completely into it. It wasn't something that you could really share or interact with people, especially in person, unless they were photograph buffs. The new instant line from Fujifilm made it possible to bridge a gap and make photography, once again, a group engagement for people with little or no skill to those endowed with photographical prowess.
First off, I'd like to point on the simplicity of it's design. Appearance wise, it looks beautiful. It really goes off of the minimalist look and only has what is really necessary for the product to really function. Typically, I hate curvy products or artwork (I prefer jagged corners or straight edges) but this camera's aesthetics appeals to all. As for size, I'd compare it to the size of a baseball. It's ergonomics make it easy to handle and rather difficult to drop.
Construction of quality is, overall, great! I really recommend you buy an anti-shock bag or pouch for your Instax Mini 25. I left it once in my messenger bag, but I think a jolt caused it to reset its counter, wasting the next available film to remove what it had just assumed was the exposure guard of a new cartridge of film. It also suffered from a nasty fall, and kept giving me an E error on the lcd screen. I took it apart, and found a part had come loose that wouldn't allow the motorized lens to collapse or expand properly (I was able to fix it however. Nothing actually broke). You could easily avoid this with a neoprene bag or some other padded accessory to protect your device.
It's quite easy to use. There are two shutter buttons which make it comfortable to take pictures in landscape or portrait. It has a tiny (very tiny, think like a 1/4 of a penny) lcd screen which shows the number of shots left in the cartridge currently inside the camera. It also has a interface which shows the shot mode. you can lighten or darken the next shot, shoot in landscape, and turn on flash. It has a view finder, and a self-shot mirror on the front. You can attach a hand strap (or a cellphone charm) to your camera.
Accessories are rare. Branded accessories from Fujifilm are non-existant, aside from specialty film. I found a studio which specialized in accesories, photoalbum, stickers, and the sort for the Instax. It's called 2NUL design. For most part, I've had to order these accessories over the internet, but the niche fans have made specialty cases and even lenses for the camera. They are, however, on the pricier side.
Last, cost effectiveness. You can print a standard photo at a local drugstore now-a-days for a bout five cents a print. In comparison, the film cartridges
Fujifilm INSTAX MINI Twin Pack Instant Film fluctuates around $15.00. 20 shots for around 15 dollars leaves each shot from the Instax $.75. That's pretty steep price difference, however, remember these are instantaneous. I also like to compare these to the picture booths which are becoming popular, especially in small Asian communities. Sometimes, a session at the booth can cost from five to eighteen dollars. I like to bring around a sharpie to draw and date each photo or write some sort of memorabilia.