Instax is a brand of cameras and special photographic media from Fujifilm for capturing instant photos. There are cassettes for both black and white and color Instax prints. Traditionally, color ones are branded as Fujifilm Instax, while black and white ones are labeled as Fujifilm Instax

Momochrome.

The principle of instant photography was invented by Edwin Herbert Land, founder and owner of Polaroid. He patented the technology in the mid-1940s, and in 1948 the first camera and the cartridges were produced.

Later Polaroid actively cooperated with Kodak, which from 1963 to 1969 produced components for instant photo cassettes and at the same time developed its own, improved technology of instant prints.

Fujifilm began developing its technology in the late 1970s. It relied on the solutions found by Kodak and created a similar technology. As with Kodak, improvements were made to the exposure method and the order in of the dye layers. As a result, the prints produced a more natural color balance and a wider tonal range.

As a result of patent claims from Polaroid, Kodak was forced to cease production of instant cameras and cassettes in 1986. Unlike Kodak, Fuji was able to reach an agreement with Polaroid to share technology and market segments.

Fujifilm Instax instant prints thus inherit the basic principles established by Polaroid, but achieve higher image quality in relatively small print sizes through enhancements that improve the accuracy and natural color reproduction.

Examples of color photos taken with Fijifilm Instax technology.