I’ve been testing the Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 and it’s a fun palm-sized camera for the social media age — but is it worth $170?

Compact and keychain cameras, in particular, continue to grow in popularity, especially with Gen Z. The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is one of the latest entries in this crowded market, and one that (almost) makes its mark. This palm-sized camera is highly portable, and it’s extremely fun to use. It massively improves on its predecessor by introducing a bigger sensor, better image quality, an actual viewfinder, and a built-in USB-C terminal for quick phone transfer.

There are more creative possibilities now, too, as the Instax Pal 2 features 30 filters and a flipbook-style animation mode. Though it’s fun and cute, the Instax Pal 2 costs a lot more than the competition. Its short battery life and low-light performance aren’t anything special either.

So, how does it perform against the best cheap cameras? Read my full Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review to find out.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Specs

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Price & availability

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2, as its name suggests, succeeds the three-year-old Instax Pal which first came out in 2023. The Instax Pal 2, at the time of writing, is one of only two compact fully digital cameras under the Instax banner, as the brand is better known for making the best instant cameras. The second iteration has received a price hike as the Instax Pal 2 costs $169 at Adorama U.S. / £144 at Amazon U.K., as opposed to the OG costing $99 / £89.

Given the design overhaul (more on that shortly), you can see the Instax Pal 2 is taking the fight to trendy, viral compact cameras, like the Kodak Charmera ($29) and the Camp Snap 2 ($69), and novelty snappers like the Lola Miffy ($109). The compact cams market is overcrowded, with heavy-hitters like Kodak PIXPRO C1 ($99) and the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 ($179), so does the Instax Pal 2 do enough to justify its price? Yes and no.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Design

As I mentioned earlier, Fujifilm has taken a brand new approach to the Instax Pal 2, replacing the OG Instax Pal’s circular body with a rectangular one. At first glance, the Instax Pal 2 looks like the bigger version of the Kodak Charmera — maybe Fuji’s trying to cash in on the Charmera’s popularity here. Either way, I think it looks fantastic. Available in black (where the camera dons Fujifilm’s classic combination of black and silver) or white, it strikes a great balance between cute and premium looks.

Though Fujifilm has overhauled the design, the Instax Pal 2 is still very portable, measuring just 1.46 x 1.65 x 3.63 inches and weighing 3.07oz. It’s heavier than the OG Instax Pal and the Kodak Charmera but I haven’t had any issues carrying the Instax Pal 2 in my pocket or day bag. One thing to note, though, is that the Instax Pal 2 feels a little flimsy and like a toy camera — you wouldn’t really think that it costs nearly $130 more than the Kodak Charmera.

Similar to the Instax Wide 400 ($149) and the Instax mini 13 ($93), the Instax Pal 2 comes with an angle adjustment accessory. You can place this around the lens barrel to essentially give the camera some height, which is useful for taking group selfies. You can trigger the shutter via the app (more on that shortly).

Viewfinder

When I reviewed the OG Instax Pal, I couldn’t help but laugh at the “viewfinder.” It came with a “multi-use detachable ring” which you could attach to the top of the camera and look through to frame your shot. Basically, it wasn’t a proper viewfinder and it felt redundant — thankfully, Fuji has introduced an actual optical viewfinder on the Instax Pal 2.

The Instax Pal 2’s viewfinder is located on the left side of the rear panel. It helps you frame and compose your shots clearly. Though it’s small, I found it easier to look through than the small viewfinder on the Charmera (which felt more like a hole in the Charmera’s body rather than a proper viewfinder). I found the Instax Pal 2’s viewfinder comfortable to look through, even as someone who wears prescription glasses.

Monitor

The original Instax Pal was a screen-free camera, similar to the Camp Snap 2. You’d look through the viewfinder, snap a photo, and then view it via the app (or by plugging the camera into your PC). However, the Instax Pal 2 now features a 1.3-inch TFT Color LCD monitor, located on the top plate.

Because of its location, you can look down at it and shoot when not using the viewfinder, like a waist-level finder. It can help you shoot at awkward, low-to-the-ground angles, or if you want to take candid street shots.

Unlike its rivals, like the Kodak Charmera, the Kodak PIXPRO C1 and the Lola Miffy, the Instax Pal 2’s screen has a stated resolution of 170,000 dots. I found the monitor easy to read in most lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.

Ports

Unlike other cameras I’ve tested which feature USB-C (or mini USB) ports for charging and data transfer, the Instax Pal 2 features a built-in USB-C terminal. This is concealed and can be ejected via a push button on the bottom plate. You can then plug the camera directly into a USB-C adapter for charging, or plug it into your PC or smartphone for image transfer.

The Instax Pal 2 can save up to 100 photos in its internal memory and if you want more space, there’s a slot for a microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC card. Because you can quickly transfer photos to your phone when you’re on the go, the internal storage should suffice for most people.

Weather-sealing

Similar to the Kodak Charmera, the Kodak PIXPRO C1 and the Lola Miffy, the Instax Pal 2 isn’t weather-sealed. It isn’t protected against dust or water, so be mindful if you’re using it outdoors. If you want a waterproof camera, I’d recommend the Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 which can withstand tumbles and drops, too.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Controls

What I love about Fujifilm is that it always figures out a way to innovate, and introduce new things that aren’t necessarily found on other compact cameras. The Instax Pal 2 is very fun to use, and part of that is down to its controls. Located on the top plate, you’ll find a dial (under the navigation joystick) that lets you swap between a few different color profiles, like Pure, Cool, Muted and Soft (customizable via the companion app). These are clearly inspired by Fuji’s film simulation recipes that you find on the likes of the X half ($849) and the X-T30 III ($999).

On the right side of the top plate, there’s a lever that lets you shoot photos with frames — there’s Mini, Square and Wide, which all correspond with Fuji’s instant cameras. I personally didn’t use these much, but they’re handy to have if you want to print them out using an Instax printer, like the Instax mini Link 3 ($116).

If you push the lever, you can also toggle Instax Animation mode. Holding down the shutter button in this mode takes 10 consecutive photos that can then be stitched into a flipbook-style animation via the app (more on that shortly). I think this is a really fun feature as it enables you to get creative and tell a story.

I found the buttons and dials responsive in my testing. They all give good tactile feedback when pressed or turned. All my commands were instantly registered and I didn’t notice any substantial lag. The Instax Pal 2’s menu system is stripped-back and simple to navigate, too.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Lens

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is fitted with a 1/3.06-inch CMOS sensor that captures either 1MP or 10MP images, depending on the kind of style you’re going for. It’s got an effective focal length of 28mm with focus range of 8cm to ∞, making it wide enough for landscape shots, arm-length selfies, group photos, and casual travel photography.

Its lens has a fixed f/2.2 aperture which, in theory, is wide enough to let a lot of light into the sensor, and capture decent images in low-light conditions. But because the size of the sensor is so small, images taken in dimly lit environments come out noisy. This isn’t uncommon for compact cameras, as the Kodak PIXPRO C1, the Kodak Charmera and the Lola Miffy all struggle when lighting is far from ideal.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Image quality

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 introduces some substantial upgrades to its sensor and overall imaging prowess. It features a bigger 1/3.06-inch CMOS sensor (versus the Instax Pal’s 1/5-inch one) and it’s capable of capturing 10MP images (versus the Instax Pal’s 4.9MP shots). The Instax Pal 2 packs more megapixels than the Charmera (1.6MP only) and its sensor is bigger, too. The Instax Pal 2 also gives you the option to shoot very lo-fi 1MP images.

Similar to the Charmera and the OG Instax Pal, all the shooting settings, like shutter speed and ISO (100-1600), are adjusted automatically, so all you need to do is point and shoot.

Image 1 of 10

The photos in the gallery above demonstrate the Instax Pal 2’s retro image quality. These were captured using the different filters. I love the color reproduction as greens appear vivid, while blues look deep and rich. The camera’s done a good job of capturing plenty of detail, too, and the edges of the various subjects appear sharp and defined. I especially like the shot of the seagull sitting atop the statue!

It’s important to note that the Instax Pal 2 can’t zoom in, so if you want to get close-up shots, you’ll need to get either the Lola Miffy or the Kodak PIXPRO C1.

Image 1 of 3

The Instax Pal 2 features Single and Face Recognition autofocus, and I found it quick and reliable in my testing. The camera was quick to detect my partner’s face in the first shot above, and even when her face was obscured or she was looking away, the Instax Pal 2 still managed to lock on to her head.

As I mentioned earlier, the Instax Pal 2 has an Instax Animation mode for creating flipbook-style compilations. Using the app, the 10 photos are stitched together and saved as an MP4 file which you can then share online — or do whatever you like with it.

I can think of multiple use cases for this feature, like capturing a dance sequence at a club, or your dog running around the yard (which is what I would do if I had a dog!).

Image 1 of 2

Similar to the Kodak Charmera and Lola Miffy, the Instax Pal 2’s low-light performance is nothing to write home about. In theory, the Instax Pal 2’s f/2.2 aperture is plenty wide to allow a lot of light into the sensor, but because the sensor is so small, images turn out noisy. The guitar in the photo above was placed next to a window (which was bringing in bright sunlight), and as you can see, there’s a lot of grain in the shot. To help with low-light shooting, the Instax Pal 2 features a powerful flash — although images are still fairly noisy (second shot above).

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Video quality

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 doesn’t shoot video. If you want a portable compact camera that can shoot lo-fi videos, I’d recommend the Kodak Charmera, the Kodak PIXPRO C1, or the Lola Miffy Digital Camera.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: App

Image 1 of 2

The Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is accompanied by the Instax Pal app, available for free on iOS and Android. The app sports a clean design with no intrusive pop-ups, resulting in a sublime user experience. Via the app, you can load six of your favorite filters to the camera, and there are 30 to choose from, like Y2K, digi-cam, fantasy, and more.

In addition to that and adjusting the camera’s settings, the Instax Pal app lets you create flipbook-style animations, edit the shots and add backgrounds to them, and more. You can also quickly transfer images to your phone for sharing on social media, either via Bluetooth (low-res) or via USB-C (high-res). Bluetooth transfer is slower, so I’d recommend plugging the camera into your phone.

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Battery life

Fujifilm says that on a single charge, the Instax Pal 2 can capture up to 100 images — which is exactly how many it can store in its internal memory. In my testing, I was able to take just over 90 photos before the camera needed to be charged.

Fujifilm seems to love limiting the battery life of many of its instant cameras to just 100 shots, as we’ve seen so with the Instax mini 13 and the Instax mini Evo Cinema ($409). But it’s disappointing given that the OG Instax Pal was rated for 350 shots.

Now, I know why that is. The previous iteration of the Instax Pal didn’t have a screen or an optical viewfinder, so it didn’t have to spend a lot of energy powering the various mechanics. That’s changed with the Instax Pal 2, and the camera is more power hungry. It still pales in comparison to other compact cameras, though, as the Lola Miffy can last you up to three days, and the Kodak PIXPRO C1 is rated for 200 shots. Even the tiny Kodak Charmera can manage over 120 photos before needing to be plugged in! What gives, Fujifilm?

Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 review: Verdict

There’s no denying that the Fujifilm Instax Pal 2 is a lovely little camera. Featuring an ultra portable design, you can take it anywhere, and it’s extremely fun to use. It features 30 filters and an Instax Animation mode for creating flipbook-style sequences. The photos it captures have a retro tinge to them, and the camera’s built-in USB-C terminal means you can quickly transfer photos to your phone.

But the Instax Pal 2 isn’t perfect. Its battery life isn’t the longest, and the (much, much cheaper) Kodak Charmera has it beat in that department. Low-light performance is nothing to write home about either. The Instax Pal 2’s high asking price (for what’s essentially a toy camera) makes these flaws hard to ignore.

If you don’t mind those shortcomings (and you’ve got the big bucks), the Instax Pal 2 could be the perfect palm-sized everyday companion for you.