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Image: Tiffen

Tiffen has announced its new Smartphone 58mm Filter Mount that attaches filters to an iPhone 14 or 15 using Apple's MagSafe attachment system.

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Smartphones have become indispensable tools for many photographers, often supplementing or even replacing a main camera for certain activities. However, one downside to smartphones as cameras is that attaching accessories like filters is more complicated. As a result, those wanting to use something like a polarizing filter for photography or a neutral density filter for video have needed to use add-on accessories to do so.

The Tiffen Smartphone 58mm Filter Mount uses the MagSafe system to quickly attach a 58mm filter to the back of Apple's iPhone 14 and 15 models.

Image: Tiffen

Tiffen's Smartphone Filter Mount doesn't do away with the need for accessories to attach filters, but it does aim to make the process of using them faster and easier. The Tiffen adapter snaps on and off the back of the camera using MagSafe technology instead of relying on clamps or specialized phone cases like many existing products do.

The Tiffen 58mm Smartphone Mount is compatible with all iPhone 14 and 15 models, including the Pro and Pro Max. It retails for $29.99 or bundled with a 58mm circular polarizer for $39.99. It's available for order on Tiffen's website or to pre-order through other retail channels.

Buy now:

$29.99 at Tiffen $29.99 at B&H Tiffen 58mm Filter System Ready for iPhone

Creative Tool for Content Creation, Scouting, iPhone Filmmaking & Photography

For the first time, Tiffen brings award-winning professional motion picture and still lens filters to the iPhone®. With the new Tiffen Smartphone 58mm Filter Mount, any user can benefit from the same trusted tools professionals count on to produce outstanding images.

With seamless integration and user-friendly design, installation is immediate—no tools needed. Thanks to Apple's MagSafe® Technology, the new Tiffen Filter Mount magnetically secures to the back of an iPhone, ready to accept any Tiffen 58mm filter. The filter then simply threads on—to capture images with enhanced creativity, light control, depth, and detail.

By adding the 58mm Filter Mount, the family of Tiffen Emmy and Academy Award® winning filters, (sold separately), offers a multitude of creative choices to enhance the camera-phone in most everyone's pocket. To control light, there's Neutral Density (NDs), UV Protectors, and Polarizers. To smooth complexions and enhance the atmosphere, there's Glimmerglass®, Pro-Mist®, Smoque, and Fog diffusion. For in-camera-phone effects, users can select Star FX, Digital Diffusion FX, and a rainbow of individual Color filters including Sunrise, plus dozens more.

The Tiffen Smartphone 58mm Filter Mount is precision made of black anodized aluminum, built for light weight and long life. It is compatible with iPhone 14/15, 14/15 Pro, 14/15 Plus, and 14/15 Pro Max models. The Tiffen Smartphone 58mm Filter Mount is priced at $29.99 list. Kits are also available. Tiffen Filters are available separately from top dealers worldwide.

There's been a fair amount of chatter, excitement and some cynicism around Fujifilm's announcement that it's making a limited run of X100VI etched with the company's original 1934 logo, but another company making rangefinder-style cameras has a more established history of doing the same.

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Leica, whose commitment to the rangefinder style is so strong that it makes actual rangefinder cameras, has regularly produced defined-number runs of its products.

The latest example is a production run of 200 copies of the M-Summilux 35mm F1.4 with an anodized black coating on its aluminum shell. The lens, whose original design dates back to the 60's, and that the company describes as 'the true king of bokeh,' was re-introduced in 2022. Part of the Leica Classic line, it usually comes in silver chrome with a stainless steel ring around the front.

The black version sees the distance scales on the lens reversed, compared with the standard version, with the metric markers further away from the camera. This change and the black anodized coating means it more closely matches the original version. It also says Leitz Wetzlar on the front, distinguishing it from the reissued version that simply says Leica.

Although unconfirmed by Leica, 200 is around the number of black copies of the original lens thought to have been made. The special edition will sell for $10,945, rather than the $3,895 of the standard silver chrome version.

New: Leica Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 now available as a limited special edition in black.

Teaneck, March 21, 2024. Leica M-Lenses’ legendary reputation precedes them. One of these outstanding lenses is the Leica Summilux-M 35 f/1.4. Still sought after today, it appeared in 1961 as the world’s fastest wide-angle lens at the time and experienced a renaissance with its new 2022 edition. Now, Leica Camera AG presents the classic lens in a strictly numbered, limited edition design variant.

Based on the first edition, the Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 now emerges in a black anodized finish, featuring the iconic silver stainless steel front ring, commonly referred to as the “Steel Rim”. The engraving on the front reads “LEITZ WETZLAR”. Another detail of the lens is the black painted brass focus lock button which acquires a unique patina with frequent use. To come as close as possible to the original, the engravings on the special edition’s focus ring have been adjusted. The arrangement of the feet and meter scale is also modelled on the original in terms of color and has been swapped in comparison to the silver series lens.

Regarding its imaging performance, the special edition corresponds to the series model. Photographing with open aperture creates pictures with an especially soft, almost magical bokeh which is hard to achieve even with digital image processing. Its extraordinary image look earned the Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 the title “True King of Bokeh”. When stopping down to f/2.8, it produces very sharp and particularly distortion-free pictures which also meet modern requirements for image quality.

The special packaging with its vintage look already hints at the origin of this edition. In addition to the lens, it also comprises of a lens container, a clip-on lens hood as well as an additional round lens hood with E46 thread for the use of filters.

The numbered, limited edition black anodized Leica Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 is available at select Leica Stores worldwide starting today. This lens is limited to 200 pieces worldwide and is priced at $10,495.

There are plenty of choices for instant cameras, with different types of film and features. We break down the top six cams for every user's needs.

Instant cameras have dominated camera sales for over a decade. Fujifilm, the 800-pound gorilla in the sector, raked in over $890 million in Instax sales revenue worldwide in 2023, accounting for more than half of the company's overall revenue.

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As DSLR and mirrorless camera sales have declined recently, instant cameras, particularly Instax cameras from Fujifilm, have flourished. Perhaps that is due to appealing to a broad tent of potential users, from nostalgia-chasing Baby Boomers to younger Gen Z and Alpha users seeking a more tactile, physical and social form of photography. They've become more than a camera; they're part of pop culture and it's not uncommon to see special edition instant cameras from the likes of Taylor Swift or BTS.

If you're new to instant cameras or in the market for your next one, we've looked at the landscape and have broken down the six best instant cameras you can buy today.

An instant start

It's best to start with the film stock when considering instant cameras. Fujifilm's Instax film is by far the most popular and widely available and has been adopted by cameras made by Leica, Lomography and the occasional startup. Instax film comes in three types (mini, square and wide) and they're not interchangeable, so deciding which format of Instax you're most interested in before picking out a camera is vital.

Format name

Image size Shots per pack

Average cost of twin pack

Instax Mini 46 × 62 mm

(1.8 × 2.4")

10 ∼$13 / 20 exposures

Instax Square

62 x 62 mm
(2.4 x 2.4")

10 ∼$30 / 20 exposures

Instax Wide

99 x 62 mm

(3.9 x 2.4")

10 ∼$20 / 20 exposures

Buy now:

Instax Mini: $14 at B&H Instax Square: $19 at B&H Instax Wide: $20 at Amazon

There is also Polaroid film, which is presently used only by Polaroid cameras. We liked the color film for its muted colors and staying true to the nostalgic Polaroid look (which we should note is not the same film as the Polaroid of the 70s-90s, but a modern stock made by the Dutch company formerly known as the Impossible Project).

But we also felt that side by side, Instax film had better color, contrast and overall was more pleasing to the eye. Another consideration for budget-conscious shutterbugs, Polaroid's instant film options tend to be more expensive than Instax, running roughly $2 a shot to Instax's roughly $1 per exposure.

Format name

Image size Shots per pack

Average cost

i-Type 79 × 77 mm
(3.1 × 3") 8 ∼$27 / 16 exposures

600

79 × 77 mm
(3.1 × 3")

8 ∼$30 / 16 exposures

SX-7

79 × 77 mm
(3.1 × 3") 8 ∼$20 / 8 exposures

Buy now:

i-Type: $26 at Amazon 600: $30 at Amazon SX-7: $20 at Amazon

A little less popular is the Zink format, which is less of a film stock and more of a printing paper. We've seen this format show up in offerings from Kodak and Canon. Zink prints are the most economical, costing about $0.50 per shot. Unlike Instax and Polaroid film, which expose images on a light-reactive surface, Zink is photo paper with embedded ink dyes. Dyes in the paper are pressure-released and mixed to print photos. These prints tend to produce a wider range of colors than its competitors but struggle with blacks, often lacking contrast, and there's concern over how long prints last, with some from a decade ago showing extensive fading.

Format name

Image size Shots per pack

Average cost

Zink

5 x 7.6 mm
(2 × 3")

50 ∼$25 / 50 exposures

Picking a film stock will come down to taste. However, we recommend Instax Mini: photos are vibrant with great quality, it's a widely used format, which makes it unlikely it'll be hard to find, and it's affordable compared to Polaroid.

Buy now:

$25 at B&H Best entry-level instant camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini 12

Photo: Fujifilm

Buy now:

$75 at Amazon $80 at B&H

For casual and beginners seeking a way into instant photography and having fun with analog photography, the Mini 12 fits the bill. It has one-button operation, includes a tiny selfie mirror and most of all, it's affordable. Instax cameras aren't very complicated to begin with and the Mini 12 is as simple as can be. Everything is automatic, from flash control to exposure, and the emphasis is on picture-making; point it at something from 1-1.5m (4-5ft) away, click and out pops a photo. (As its name implies, it uses the mini format of Instax film which is easy to find.)

Pricing for older models like the Mini 11 isn't much lower than the Mini 12 and we don't recommend them. There are subtle improvements new to this model that might keep users from getting frustrated, such as parallax correction, which aligns the viewfinder with the lens when using Close-Up Mode so users no longer have to guess where the center of the frame is (and waste film).

One limiting factor to consider is the lack of flash control, which means that if you're too close to someone/something you will overexpose them/it. It's only worth mentioning as something to be aware of, most instant cameras don't let users control the flash until you get into more expensive cameras.

Best-looking entry-level instant camera: Fujifilm Instax mini 40 Photo: Dan Bracaglia

Buy now:

$95 at Amazon $100 at B&H

An Instax Mini 11 in a much much nicer suit, the Instax Mini 40 wraps itself in faux leather and silver trim for a retro rangefinder-eque design. The specs are identical to the Mini 11, so you won't gain the Mini 12's parallax correction to align the viewfinder with the lens in Close-Up Mode. Otherwise, you'll still have an easy-to-use, automatic camera that accepts Mini film. It's more 'grownup' than the candy-colored plastic design of the Mini 12, but the cool factor comes at a slightly higher cost.

Read our Instax Mini 40 hands-on

Best wide Instax camera: Instax Wide 300 Photo: Fujifilm

Buy now:

$107 at Amazon $110 at B&H

If the Mini format feels too narrow, and it is if you're seeking large group shots or landscapes, there's the Instax Wide 300 ($120), also Fujifilm's only wide format camera.

Shooting Wide film (about twice the width of Mini format) has to be your priority before you consider this camera. The camera itself has limited exposure compensation control and two motor-driven focus positions; otherwise, it's fully automatic. There is an attachment for close-ups (down to 40cm). It's also pretty bulky due to the wide format film, but the larger size does gain a comfortable hand grip.

As an alternative, we also considered the Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide ($170), like the Wide 300 it's also a simple-to-use camera, but this model adds some manual controls, modes like multiple exposure mode, flash gels, an ultra wide-angle attachment lens and a remote trigger switch (but it's on the lens cap making it prone to accidental presses when you go to remove/replace the cap). There is a bit of a learning curve to using the camera, focusing is difficult and we found the plastic build to be lacking in ergonomics. We didn't think the added cost was worth recommending it over the solid and reliable Wide 300.

Best "overkill" Instax-film camera: NONS SL660 Photo: Gannon Burgett

Buy now:

$600 at Amazon

Built like a tank with anodized aluminum alloy, weighing nearly 900g (2lbs), with an EF-style lens mount, the NONS SL660 brings the SLR experience to instant photography. At $600, it's also only for the most passionate and dedicated photographers seeking a manual SLR-style instant camera that uses Instax Square film. There's also shutter control, bulb, a hot shoe for external flash and the camera supports multiple exposures.

Introducing interchangeable lenses with a TTL viewfinder makes using EF lenses or compatible adapters for other glass possible. A note, there are no electronic contacts on the EF-style mount, so you won't be able to adjust the aperture on genuine EF lenses and it'll default to their widest setting. Using EF adapters, older manual lenses with an aperture ring can be used.

It's pricey, but that price tag gets users solid build quality, a premium feel and new creative possibilities with instant photography.

Read our NONS SL660 review

Best instant hybrid digital camera: Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Photo: Jeremy Gray

Buy now:

$200 at Amazon $200 at B&H

If you're not ready to commit to a fully analog experience, a few instant cameras have combined digital capture with instant film printing. We like Fujifilm's Instax Mini Evo. It's about $120 more than the analog Mini 12 and you gain a digital camera and a collection of lens effects and film effects such as monochrome, vivid and sepia. The digital images are rather small at 2560 x 1920, about 4.9MP, so it won't be mind-blowing.

There is also a tradeoff in giving up the experience of seeing a photo develop and waiting to see if you got the shot that makes instant photography unique, so on a base level, it is a different experience.

It's a bit of having your cake and eating it too; you can capture digital images and then decide which ones you want to print out on instant film. This saves printing costs for only those choice images you genuinely want and makes it easier to transfer digital files to your computer or smartphone for saving and sharing.

Best instant camera if you don't want Instax: Polaroid I-2 Photo: Dan Bracaglia

Buy now:

$630 at Amazon (w/ 1 pkg film) $600 at B&H

Our reservations over its film being more expensive and not as punchy aside, the Polaroid I-2 is truly one of the best-built instant cameras on the market. It's rather pricey, $600, which is due to all the tech jammed inside it and the purpose it was built for: for advanced users who want to revisit Poloroid's i-Type, 600, and SX-70 film.

The camera has full manual controls, aperture and shutter priority modes, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) autofocus and a sharp 38mm f/3.2 equiv. lens. You also get flash on/off control, an uncommon feature for instant cameras.

Polaroid spent four years developing the I-2, tapping retired Olympus engineers for AF and lens design assistance. Every detail feels intentional, from a viewfinder with displays for current shutter speed, aperture, meter reading, remaining shots, battery life and flash status to the simple film-loading mechanism.

We still prefer Instax's color, contrast and price point, but this is the camera to beat if you're drawn to Polaroid films.

Read our Polaroid I-2 review