Where to buy an instant camera

Instant cameras are an odd retail category. They are a mass-market gift, so the big chains carry them — but only a handful of models, mostly instax minis, mostly in the run-up to Christmas and graduation. Everything else is an order. And the camera is the easy part: the film has to come from somewhere every few weeks after that.

This page is what we could verify ourselves on 27 October 2026, named store by named store, with what we could not verify labeled as exactly that. We would rather tell you that a retailer blocked our check than guess at what is on its shelf.

#	Product	Best for	Cost per shot	Price
1	Fujifilm instax mini 12The most widely stocked instant camera in the US, and the one whose film is easiest to re-buy.	The one you will find in the most places	$0.85	Check price
2	Fujifilm instax mini 13The mini 12 with a self-timer added — the one feature that changes what the camera can do at a party.	The current model, if the shelf has it	$0.85	Check price
3	Fujifilm instax WIDE 400The widest instax print on a camera that is genuinely stocked, which is rarer than it sounds.	The one worth driving for	$1.10	Check price
4	Polaroid Now Generation 3The classic square print, and the brand that publishes an actual US retailer locator.	The one to buy from Polaroid's own list	$2.37	Check price

What we verified, and how

Big-box stores: Target and Best Buy

These are the two chains we could confirm directly, and between them they cover most of what a gift buyer needs. Target's instax listing on the day we checked ran from the entry-level mini 13 and mini 12 through the mini 41 and mini 99 to the hybrid mini Evo and the big WIDE 400, in both plain and bundled form. Best Buy returned several hundred results for the same search with the mini Evo, mini 13, mini 12 and WIDE 400 among them.

Two caveats apply to both. A website listing is not the same as a shelf — use the retailer's own store-stock or pickup filter for your zip code before driving anywhere. And the seasonal range is wider than the year-round one: the choice in a physical store in November is not the choice in February.

Walmart, drugstores, and the ones we could not check

Walmart is the most searched retailer for this category and the one we have the least to say about: its site returned a human-verification page to our check, so we have no verified observation to report. The same happened at Walgreens. That does not mean they do not stock instant cameras — it means we did not see it ourselves, and this site does not publish claims it has not seen.

Practically, treat any large general retailer the same way: look up the specific model on that retailer's own site with your zip code set, and check film availability in the same search. If the film is not listed, the camera is a one-pack gift.

Camera shops, and when they are the right answer

Polaroid's own US locator names B&H Photo, Freestyle Photo, Glazer's Camera, Brooklyn Film Camera and three Samy's Camera locations alongside the big chains. Specialist shops matter for three things the chains are bad at: the less common formats, film that has not been sitting in a warm stockroom, and someone who can tell you which film a camera takes before you buy the wrong pack.

They are also where the research prices on this site come from. The per-shot film costs we publish were checked against live listings at specialist retailers, because those listings are stable enough to quote and date.

Buying direct from the manufacturer

• •Fujifilm / instax. Fujifilm's US product pages do not name a single retailer. The only purchase path they give is a link to Fujifilm's own US store, instaxus.com, which carries a warning that some sites impersonate FUJIFILM and instax and advises buying only from authorized sellers.
• •Polaroid. Sells cameras, film and accessories direct at polaroid.com and publishes the US store locator this page leans on. Direct is usually the most reliable route for Polaroid film specifically, because general retail carries it thinly.
• •Kodak. The Mini, Mini Shot and Dock ranges are sold direct at kodakphotoprinter.com, generally bundled with media — which is also where the 4PASS cartridge prices behind our per-print figures come from.

Buying on Amazon

Amazon is named on Polaroid's own US retailer list, and it is where the buy links on this site point, because it carries every brand we cover and because film and albums can go in the same order as the camera. It is the practical choice for the formats general retail skips — instax SQUARE and WIDE film, Polaroid multipacks, and anything from the Kodak or Canon ranges.

Two rules. Check who the seller is on any listing, not just the price. And buy film with the camera rather than after it, because the second order is the one that does not get placed.

The models we found listed, and which to buy

These are the four we would buy out of what we could actually verify as listed on 27 October 2026. A listing is not a shelf, so check your own store before travelling — but these are the models the chains stock, not the ones that need a specialist order.

1. The one you will find in the most places

Fujifilm instax mini 12

The most widely stocked instant camera in the US, and the one whose film is easiest to re-buy.

Buy it for

Anyone who wants to walk into a store today and walk out with a working camera.

Skip it if

Someone who wants a screen, manual control or a print bigger than a business card.

• •Listed at **Target and Best Buy** when we checked on 27 October 2026, as a bare camera and in bundles.
• •**instax mini film** is the most widely distributed instant film there is, which is the part that matters after the first pack.
• •Runs on **two AA batteries** — the store does not need to have the right charger in stock.
• •About **85 cents a shot**, the cheapest real instant film in production.
• •**Fixed everything**: no settings to understand, which is why it is the standard gift.

Running cost: instax mini works out at $0.85 a shot. See every format’s cost.

Engadget, which publishes hands-on reviews, calls it “a basic instant camera ideal for newbies that lets you get started shooting”.

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2. The current model, if the shelf has it

Fujifilm instax mini 13

The mini 12 with a self-timer added — the one feature that changes what the camera can do at a party.

Buy it for

Anyone choosing between the two on a shelf, and anyone who wants group shots without handing the camera to a stranger.

Skip it if

A buyer who finds the mini 12 cheaper on the day. The photograph is identical.

• •Listed at **Target and Best Buy** on 27 October 2026, in several colorways and bundles.
• •**A 2 or 10 second self-timer**, which the mini 12 does not have.
• •Same **60 mm f/12.7 lens** and same **0.3-2.2 m flash range** as the mini 12.
• •Same **instax mini film** at about 85 cents a shot.
• •Two AA batteries, about **100 shots** per set.

Running cost: instax mini works out at $0.85 a shot. See every format’s cost.

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3. The one worth driving for

Fujifilm instax WIDE 400

The widest instax print on a camera that is genuinely stocked, which is rarer than it sounds.

Buy it for

Group photographs, guest books, anyone who has found a mini print too small.

Skip it if

Anyone who wants a camera that fits in a coat pocket.

• •Listed at **Target and Best Buy** on 27 October 2026, so it is a shelf product and not a specialist order.
• •The print is **3.9 x 2.4 inches**, about twice the area of an instax mini.
• •**instax WIDE film** is about $1.10 a shot — more than mini, less per square inch.
• •Runs on **four AA batteries**.
• •WIDE film is **harder to find in general retail** than mini, so buy spares when you see them.

Running cost: instax WIDE works out at $1.10 a shot. See every format’s cost.

Engadget, which publishes hands-on reviews, calls it “simple operation”.

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4. The one to buy from Polaroid's own list

Polaroid Now Generation 3

The classic square print, and the brand that publishes an actual US retailer locator.

Buy it for

Someone who asked for a Polaroid, and wants to see one before buying.

Skip it if

A budget. The film is about $2.37 a shot and a pack holds eight.

• •Polaroid's **own US store locator** names Target, Best Buy, Meijer and Amazon, plus B&H, Freestyle, Glazer's, Brooklyn Film Camera and three Samy's locations.
• •Polaroid also **sells direct** at polaroid.com, which is the most reliable route for film.
• •The **4.2 x 3.5 inch print** is the one most people picture.
• •Takes **i-Type or 600 film** — i-Type is the cheaper of the two and the one to buy.
• •**Eight exposures a pack**: plan the film budget before the camera budget.

Running cost: Polaroid i-Type works out at $2.37 a shot, so a hundred photographs in the first year puts the real total at about $366.86 including the camera. See every format’s cost.

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Three checks before you buy in person

1. 1.Confirm the film format and buy it in the same trip. Every camera takes exactly one film and nothing else fits — instant cameras and film is the camera-by-camera lookup.
2. 2.Check what powers it. AA batteries can be bought anywhere; a built-in rechargeable means a cable and a wait before the camera can be used at all, which matters if it is being opened today.
3. 3.Compare the bundle against the bare camera. Bundles are convenient and sometimes good value, but price the film in them as separate packs before assuming the premium is worth it.

Buying used or vintage

Secondhand instant cameras are tempting and the film is the catch. A vintage Polaroid 600-series body draws power from the film pack, so it needs 600 film rather than the cheaper i-Type, and an SX-70 needs SX-70 film, which is the most expensive film in production and about two stops slower than everything else. Before buying any used body, confirm which film it takes and that the film is still made — the rundown is in instant film types explained.

If you need one today

Buy an instax mini. It is the model the chains are most likely to have, its film is the most widely stocked, it runs on AA batteries you can buy at the same till, and it is the hardest camera in the category to get wrong as a gift. If you want to check it against the rest of the field first, the best instant cameras ranks them, and the best instant cameras under $100 is the shortlist most gift buyers actually need.