subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 7 September 2019 49
AndyWestlakeexperiments
withanunusualinstantcamera
that features full manual control
Mint
InstantKon RF70
Testbench
At a glance
£719
●Instantfilmcamera
●UsesFujifilmInstaxWidefilm
●Foldingbellowsdesign
●Rangefinderfocusing
●Full manual control
RF70,a foldingcamerawith
rangefinder-basedfocusingand
fullymanualexposurecontrolthat
usesFujifilmInstaxWidefilm.The
tinyHongKong-basedcompany
previouslymadea twin-lensreflex
camerabasedaroundthesmaller
InstaxMiniformat.WhenI heard
abouttheRF70I wasintrigued,
andwhenAPreaderAdrian
Johnsontoldushe’dboughtthe
cameraandofferedtolendit tous
fortesting,I jumpedat the chance.
Designandbuild
WiththeRF70,Minthasuseda
classicfoldingdesignreminiscent
of oldroll-filmcameras.The
shutteris builtintothelens,while
themainbodyholdsthefilm,two
AAbatteriesandtherangefinder
mechanism.Thetwoparts
arelinkedbyflexiblelight-tight
bellows,whichallowthecamera
tofoldupconsiderablysmaller
thana rigid-bodyequivalentcould
possiblybe.TheRF70is stilla
sizeablebeast,butit’slessbulky
thanFujifilm’sownpoint-and-
shootInstax 300 Wide,whichis
muchdeeperfront-to-backowing
toitsretracting-lensdesign.
The front cover is opened by
W
hilewenaturally
focusmostof
ourattention
onmainstream
camerasaimedat theenthusiast
audience,wealsokeepa closeeye
onmoreleft-fielddevelopments.
Forexample,aspartof the
analoguerevival,there’sa clear
resurgenceof interestin instant
film.Theone-off,unpredictable
natureof instanthasalwaysheld
a certainappeal;manymedium-
formatfilmcamerascouldbefitted
withinstantbacks,andwhilethey
weremainlyusedto checklighting
set-ups,somephotographerssaw
theresultantPolaroidsasartin
theirownright.Butit’snowalmost
impossibleto finda cameracapable
of shootingmoderninstantfilmthat
offersanythingmorethana basic
point-and-shootoperation.
Whichis alla roundaboutway
Despite its folding design, the InstantKon RF70 is a sizeable beast of introducing the Mint InstantKon
TheMintRF70is a
foldingrangefinder
camerathatuses
Instax Wide film