Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review

I love instant cameras. Holding one and using it brings me lots of joy — digital photos don’t have the same level of charm as physical prints. As a Staff Writer Reviews at Tom’s Guide, I’m so lucky that I get to test some of the best instant cameras, and I believe I’ve spent over 500 hours with these nifty products — the Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass being the latest addition.

The Lomo’Instant Square Glass is a fully analog instant camera that uses Instax mini or square film to deliver stunning prints in bright conditions. With support for multiple and long exposures, an included wireless remote, and a retro folding design that makes it easy to travel with, this camera sounds like a winner. But it’s let down by subpar build quality, expensive batteries, a tiny viewfinder and no app for Android devices. For $149, there are better alternatives out there.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Specs

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A purely analog instant camera with a folding design
• Who is it for? For instant photography enthusiasts craving an analog shooting experience
• How much does it cost? The Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass is available for $149 / £139
• What do we like? Its folding retro design, compatibility with Instax mini and Instax square film, multiple and long exposures, and the stunning images in bright conditions and print quality
• What don’t we like? The subpar build quality, expensive batteries, tiny viewfinder and iOS-only companion app

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Price & availability

The Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass is available for $149 at Amazon U.S. / £139 at Lomography U.K. and it’s available in two colorways: black and an exclusive Pigalle edition, which is red. The camera comes with a bunch of accessories, including a glass portrait lens attachment, colored gel filters, magnet stickers, photo stands and clips, and more.

The Lomo’Instant Square Glass finds itself competing against the Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro ($159), the Fujifilm Instax mini LiPlay ($169) and the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 ($149). Given the features, design and image quality, the Instax Wide 400 feels better value for money as does the Instax mini LiPlay.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Design & build quality

If you’re looking for a retro camera, it doesn’t get more retro than the Lomo’Instant Square Glass which bears a resemblance to vintage cameras of old. I tested the Pigalle edition which is red and gray, and it looks lovely.

It’s got a folding design that not only looks good but is practical too. When folded out, the camera measures 6 x 4.8 x 1.7 inches. You can fold it for easy transport and I found this really handy as I could slip it into my winter coat’s pocket.

Bear in mind though, that the camera weighs 17.6 ounces so it’s a little heavy but still lighter than the Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 which weighs 21.6 ounces. I had no issues carrying it around or holding it in one or both hands.

While its design is fantastic, it's the build quality that lets the camera down. The fake leather-like finish feels a little cheap and after five days of testing, I noticed the area where I put my left thumb had lost color. The gray parts are a big concern too. The bit above the lens on the front which bears the branding and the part that hosts the controls on the back are major fingerprint magnets.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Lens & viewfinder

The Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass has a retractable lens with three different focus zones: infinity, 0.8m and 1-2.5m. This means that you should be able to use the camera for any type of shot you want — be it landscape or portrait.

This instant camera is fitted with a 95mm lens with an aperture that ranges from f/10 to f/22, making the Instant Square Glass great for shooting in bright and dimly lit environments both.

The optical viewfinder (OVF), offset from the lens, is my biggest issue with the Lomo’Instant Square Glass’ design. It is very small and as someone who wears glasses all the time, I was uncomfortable using it. I noted in my Fujifilm Instax Wide 400 review that its OVF was small but comfortable to use — its size was like a happy medium.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Controls

Next to the foldable lens, there’s a shutter button with Lomo branding, and it makes a satisfying click sound when pressed. I found it easy to reach with my index finger and could even use my middle finger while my index helped me grip the camera better.

On the back, there are five buttons to control the following: flash, multiple exposure, EV compensation, automatic or bulb mode, and the 10-second timer. All of these are fairly straightforward to use.

There’s no physical button to power up the Instant Square Glass. You just need to unfold it until you hear a loud click. To turn it off, push the metal rail that sits below the lens. When I first started using the camera, I was a little worried that I would damage the rail or the bellows that extend from the lens to the body but with time, I became more confident, so don’t worry too much if you don’t get it right the first time.

The lens houses the zone focus switch too, so you can easily choose from 0.8m, 1-2.5m and infinity. Depending on the zone, the lens will move either forward or backward. I found the camera simple to use.

The camera also comes with a wireless remote stashed into the bottom of the Lomo’Instant Square Glass. You can use this to remotely trigger the shutter to take a photo, and this is perfect for social gatherings.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Image & print quality

Given that the Lomography Lomo'Instant Square Glass uses Instax film, I knew going in that the print quality would be excellent, and I wasn’t wrong. The film quality is great and each print takes just under 90 seconds to develop.

Images taken in bright conditions turn out lovely and colors are faithfully reproduced, as you can see in the photos above. I love the first one as the camera has done an excellent job of bringing the autumnal colors to life. You can easily distinguish between the two trees, as the orange leaves are more in focus. The second photo of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, U.K., is great too, albeit slightly dark as the sun was very bright. The third photo of my partner is great too, as the Instax square film has captured enough of the scene to provide context.

A selfie mirror is located right next to the flash, but it’s very small and makes it difficult to gauge whether you’re in the frame or not. As you can see in the photo above, my partner and I don’t look our finest. The camera is bulky to hold up for selfies as you need to use both hands. The selfie has turned out very blurry, and I’ve had better results when using the cheaper Fujifilm Instax mini 12 ($79).

In low-light conditions, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass struggles, as do most instant cameras I’ve tested. It has an automatic aperture range of f/10-f/22 which isn’t ideal for dimly lit environments, which is why many instant cameras have built-in flashes. Both photos above were shot just after sunset. I really like the first photo as the building looks detailed, but the second shot leaves much to be desired. It’s blurry and all you can really make out are the building rooftops. If you want a fantastic instant camera for low-light, I’d recommend the Fujifilm Instax mini Evo ($199).

If you want to have fun with exposures, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass features long exposures (up to 30 seconds in Bulb mode) and multiple exposures — the Polaroid Go Gen 2 ($79) supports only double exposures. It’s easy too. Just press the MX button, take as many shots as you want, and press MX again to print the photo. The photo above consists of three layered exposures and I love it. Your first exposure will always be the brightest and most detailed, so remember to craft your shots accordingly if you’re short on film.

Overall, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass is capable of producing great prints in the right conditions, and multiple exposures let you get really creative.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: App

When I review instant cameras, testing the app is very important. Most apps, like Instax UP! or Polaroid, let you scan your prints for easy sharing — it’s nice to have digital copies, isn’t it? All the instant camera apps I’ve tested so far have been compatible with both iOS and Android — and the Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass has just changed that. The Lomo’Instant app, unfortunately, is available on iOS devices only.

As a Google Pixel 7 Pro user, this saddens me. I borrowed a coworker’s iPhone 11 to test the app. You can use it to scan prints, and create a Lomography account to participate in photo competitions. However, it doesn’t have cropping features like the Instax UP! app does, so it’s quite limiting.

If you’re an Android owner like me, I’d recommend the Instax UP! app instead. The app makes it incredibly easy to scan prints of any size, and you can even adjust the brightness, saturation, etc.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Film cost & yield

Interestingly, the Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass uses Fujifilm Instax film. The camera is compatible with both Instax mini and square film, so you can decide what’s best for you. If you go down the mini route, you’ll pay $14 at Amazon U.S. / £14 at Amazon U.K. per double film pack (20 pieces of film) — each print will cost 75¢. If you choose square film, a twin pack will cost $28 at Amazon U.S. / £16 at Amazon U.K. This means that each square print will cost $1.4.

Square film is generally pricier when compared to other formats. For context, Polaroid Go film used by the Polaroid Go Gen 2 ($79) costs $19 / £18 for 16 pieces of film. Meanwhile, Instax wide film used by the Instax Wide 400 costs $18 / £16 per double film pack.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Battery life

Unlike other instant cameras which use AA batteries, like the Fujifilm Instax mini 12 ($79), the Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass utilizes CR2 batteries. These aren’t readily available in the U.K., so I had to order them online. You can get a pack of two for $17 at Amazon U.S. / £10 at Amazon U.K.

Lomography claims that two batteries should be enough for 100 shots, depending on the usage conditions. In my testing, I couldn’t drain the battery entirely as our review unit came with only 10 pieces of film.

Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass review: Verdict

Offering a unique blend of retro charm and analog appeal, the Lomography Lomo’Instant Square Glass is a great choice for instant photography enthusiasts. Its folding design makes it easy to travel with, while compatibility with Instax mini and square film and multiple exposures make photography a lot of fun.

However, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass’ drawbacks hold it back from being one of the best instant cameras. The build quality is underwhelming and parts of the camera are fingerprint magnets. The batteries are expensive too, while the viewfinder is really small. There’s also no Android app. All these flaws detract from its overall appeal, especially given the $149 price point.

In the end, the Lomo’Instant Square Glass is attractive but it struggles to keep up with the modern times.