Confused by all the instant camera film sizes? Here's how all the different Instax and Polaroid film types compare
(Image credit: Taryn Elliott)
If you're anything like me, all the different instant camera film sizes are very confusing. Are Instax Wide photos really the biggest? What are the dimensions of an actual Polaroid photo, not the whole frame?
Finding this info can be tricky and time consuming. And there are so many kinds of Instax and Polaroid film stocks that it's easy to get lost. So I've put together this guide to instant camera film sizes to keep all the useful info in the same place.
If you don't already own one, this might help you work out which is the best instant camera for you. And if you're already a film-shooting fiend, this could be useful for working out your next scrapbooking project or what kind of photo album you need.
Instant camera film sizes: a visual comparison
(Image credit: James Artaius)
The above image is probably the easiest way to illustrate the difference in size between the various film types.
It's pretty easy to figure out which are the biggest and smallest between the individual Instax (Mini, Square, Wide) and Polaroid (Polaroid, Go) formats, but even giving them the eyeball test doesn't necessarily reveal how the two brands compare.
When it comes to the square prints, it's obvious that full-size Polaroids are bigger than Instax Square. But comparing Polaroids to Instax Wide, and Polaroid Go to Instax Mini is a bit tickier.
This is where it's useful not just to see the dimensions of the whole frame or even the image, but also the image area of each format – which I've broken down in the table below:
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Film
Overall size
Image size
Image area
Instax Mini
54 x 85mm
46 x 62mm
2,852mm²
Instax Square
86 x 72mm
62 x 62mm
3,844mm²
Instax Wide
108 x 85mm
99 x 62mm
6,138mm²
Polaroid Go
53.9 x 66.6mm
46 x 47mm
2,162mm²
Polaroid
88 x 107mm
79 x 79mm
6,241mm²
If we look at image area of each format, it's clear that Polaroid Go produces smaller photos than Instax Mini (with an area of 2,162mm² compared to 2,852mm²).
And while regular Polaroids may not be as wide, they have a larger image area than Instax Wide shots (coming in at 6,241mm² versus 6,138mm²).
So there you have it – instant camera film sizes made easy. If only we could make instant camera film cheaper…
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
