We just got the Mint Instaflex TL70 a couple weeks ago and were super excited to try it out so here’s a few initial thoughts on the camera. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the TL70 is a twin lens reflex instant camera that takes Instax mini type film. It looks retro but has modern features like an integrated flash even.
First impressions were that the packaging was nice and setup was pretty darn easy. The camera itself feels lighter than other TLRs we’ve used, so it does feel a bit less substantial from that perspective. We loaded it up with the instax though and took it out in the daytime as well as the night to get a feel for the TL70.
One of the challenges is focusing since the viewfinder isn’t super bright. Even during the day you might need to pop down the magnifier to get a better look to make sure you’re getting a crisp shot. Also, since the viewfinder is a square, you have to take that into account when you compose since the film is rectangular in aspect ratio.
Another thing to note is that this is not a good low light camera for candids. It’s hard to focus in the dark and although the snaps it takes turn out well, it’s just too darn hard to focus without using additional lighting (flashlight from your phone can work well) to be able to see what you are shooting and to dial in the focus. Of course you can kind of rangefinder it too as I did on the shot below.
You can also set it to ‘Bulb’ and do exposures up to 10 seconds which is cool when it’s dark. This shot below was of my friends playing pool and shot with about a 3-second exposure:
3-second exposure at Mission Bar
One of the coolest things is doing multiple exposures with the TL70. You can shoot as many as you want, and the guidance in the booklet suggests using the EV slider to -1 for these and the first one I tried out came out well (below).
Double Exposure with the TL70
Overall I’d say the TL70 is best to use in decent light but since the Instax film is 800 speed it can be a bit fast to shoot wide open at 5.6. Not sure what the fastest shutter speed is on it but will be trying it out more in various lighting conditions to see how it does! These last shots were taken outside the studio in the sunny Dogpatch in shade or backlit…
I’d be curious about what you think of the TL70 vs Fuji’s own premium offering, the Neo Classic 90?
I’ve been surprised how few reviews the TL70 has received given the recent interest spike in Instax film. Let us know what you think!
We haven’t had a chance to check out the Neo Classic yet but if you haven’t checked out The Instant Photo Show podcast they speak a little about it and seem to prefer the TL70 over the NC90 for sure! http://www.pdexposures.com/category/instant-photo-show/
Hi there – could to read your review as I have just got an Instantflex Tl70 and just getting to grips with it. As you mentioned the viewfinder is kind of dim, so indoors in dark conditions – its a bit of guesswork as too focussing, so you have to estimate distance.
Im also finding on the first few shots im over exposing them a bit, so as you set, it seems to be best to use a small apeture outside in bright light f16 or f22. Im just using F5.6 for indoors in low light.Found that setting the ev to – helps a lot as well. Im not sure how accurate the light meter, I think it has rather a large latitude that it thinks is correct. It seems you need to practise quite a bit to get exposures correct.
But that said, I think its a great camera and certainly a talking point when you use it. Compared to fuji cameras, the instantflex has a lot more control and I think once Ive mastered it, it will be great. Its certainly a cool camera and everyone loves it!!! That may or may not be a good thing, but I love it