Canon SELPHY Square QX10 photo printer review vs INSTAX SP-3 

Hey Gordon! Thank you for the nice review! I have a minor request, can you please publish the actual digital files on your written review/website? The color, contrast and detail differences between the devices are quite prominent. It would be really helpful to see original file and the prints, to compare and see what to expect from each printer with the ground truth. Many thanks 😊

@@Gobekadam that's a good idea, I already have made some of the images available as part of some other tests, but I could include some in the CP-1300 review. I'll look into it.

@@cameralabs Thank you Gordon! It is much appreciated!

Nice good review on canon QX10 Vs INSTAX SP-3 To me I'll say and choose canon QX10 over the INSTAX SP-3 because if you put water onto the canon QX10 paper the image does not come out it stay the same As I have the Canon SELPHY CP1300 Compact Photo Printer as it print out its instantly dry and also water resistant so they will also look great for many years But one thing I wish or hop canon or any other portable printer camera should have in them is a Bluetooth not WiFi... reason that is you still can use your phone internet and can also print things out of your phone internet And also any other cameras can connect to the portable printer each other by Bluetooth just like how FUJIFILM camera connect ed to there cameras to print out Oh keep up the great work on your RU-vid channel 😉👍

instablaster.

Thanks and you're very welcome!

I have a zinc photo printer, canon qx10 and instax printers. My zinc print outs turned yellow after 5 yrs. I dont have print outs for the other two that are 5 yrs or more so i cant tell yet. But i love my canon qx10 a bit more bcos print outs are true to colour. And im also hoping they last a long time, as canon claimed. I dont like the glossy paper on instax film and the colours are cooler compared to the canon.

Why not just use a bit of tape runner on the back?

That's true to some extent, but even with additional contrast applied, the INSTAX process has a punchier look just as part of the process. But if you want to avoid clipping at either end, the Canon is definitely more accurate, plus the colours on the dog and the coffee images were much more authentic on the Canon.

all selphies pictures i know come out to dark and with a yellow/green shift. and its not just about mine, a lot of friends own one as its pretty cheap an paper os cheap

Both are just too dang expensive

I would still go for Canon. It has the capability to print slightly larger photos, and most importantly Fuji Instax photos last "several years" whatever that means, while Canon Selphy guarantees at least 100 years longevity. I wouldn't pay so much per photo to have it yellow and fade after few years. Plus each Canon photo is coated so you can spill water or even coffee on it and wipe it off like nothing happened.

If you bought it and used it How is it and does it still work??

@@intoxinator It's been a year and I still use this gadget a lot :) ink cartridge jammed once and ruined a print, I claimed my guarantee card and now the print works fine again. As far as I'm concerned, the color doesn't fade. Hope this helps!

@@93feilicia70 thank you a lot! Especially for your fast answer :) And yes, it helped me, I'm thinking about to buy it with the next money I have so again, thank you a lot!!!

Aren't we all!

@@cameralabs agreed 👍🏻👍🏻

Yes indeed!

Fuji gods, please listen to your people!! 😂

It’s here now!

01:50

Canon is better, more detailed

I thought that too, one is green the other blue, I'd like to know what the original photo was.

didnt he apply a filter to the canon one? Just guessing..

I'd like to ask, how has the Instax SP-3 been since you got it? Does it still function as it should? I've been very reluctant to buying one due to the immense amount of complaints and reviews pointing out that the app is terribly managed and cannot connect most phones to the printer. This makes the printer completely redundant for a lot of people.

@@KITRONIX111 hey! I received mine in November. I've used it a few times and it still works perfectly. The package recommends that if you go a long time with out using the printer you can take the batery out and store it in a safe place till you need it again. I haven't needed to charge it again after the first time I charged it. I use a Samsung phone and haven't had any issues with the app. Of course it's not the fanciest app out there but it gets the job done. It connects over Wi-Fi and it usually just takes a second for it to find my printer. Honestly no complaints in that regard. I got ths black one with little rose gold details on it. You can always fully edit your photo on lightroom or snapseed to get the best contrast and saturation on your image prior to printing. The Square film is a little tougher to find in store as it's not as common as the mini but you can always find it through Amazon.

@@MA-gk7pg Oh that's good to hear! I was planning on getting it as a gift for someone but was unsure since I don't know what phone they use. Luckily, we have stores in Ireland that sell the square film easily which is super convenient. Fingers crossed the printer won't give any trouble for them. Thank you for the helpful reply 😊!

@@KITRONIX111 best of luck! I'm happy with mine so far.

You've just described all the things that INSTAX fans like about INSTAX! So if you don't like that style, then yes, the Canon could work out for you better

Gordon Laing funny 😄

Yes, the sticky back prints are a big plus!

You're welcome, also check out my Cp1500 review!

You're welcome! yes, in a more ad-hoc environment, the SP-3 is definitely more convenient.

Hi, just wondering if your SP-3 still works properly in relation to connecting via the share app? Hesitant to get the printer since I've seen a lot of people having problems connecting to the printer lately.

@@KITRONIX111 It's always worked perfectly, yes. Maybe I haven't used it enough for it to fail? I have printed many tens (over a hundred but I'm not sure how much more) but maybe that's not a lot? And I obviously can't use it much these days... Hopefully I'll start shooting live gigs again later this year.

@@ThomasParis that's reassuring to hear! Could I also ask, do you take the photos on a camera or are you using a smartphone? If it's a smartphone, what model?

@@KITRONIX111 I make lots of photos with my smartphone, including some I send as high quality prints to my fans. But the ones I print with the sp3, I usually make with a "real" camera, then send to my phone via wifi, then to the printer with the app. Not as easy as I wish it was but not a big deal either. Funny I would use better files with the sp3 than I do with the high quality prints 😜 But I use the printer mostly at live gigs and for those I want a better camera then I have in my phone.

I agree, I do that all the time, although it's annoying they removed the feature from the latest Bluetooth model.

Gordon Laing I can’t figure out why they won’t include this function. As all the current Fujifilm camera models have Bluetooth now so the Mini Link, a Bluetooth only printer, should be able to print off the camera, just like how WiFi equipped Fujifilm cameras have been doing for years.

@@IvanLai I've suggested that to them previously, but it may not be that simple. Maybe the cameras lack the required profile? i hope they can work it out.

@@cameralabs What feature was removed? You cannot print directly from recent Fujifilm cameras any more?

I have the Canon SELPHY 1200 and I was able to print directly from my EOS R, when I had it. Canon has quite decent direct printing feature? Doesn't it work any more with this QX10? That would be a shame on Canon.

Yes for events, go for the SP-3

You're welcome!

Yes, if you're a Fujifilm camera owner, it's hard to not go for the INSTAX!

@mipmipmipmipmip if that were the case, it wouldn't be made this small and battery-powered. It's clearly designed for printing photographs on the scene - even if it can be used at home as a replacement for a drugstore print.

I think it's fine for personal use, but obviously very limited for events.,

Gordon Laing you could be right. But, with 3 daughters who all like taking selfies with friends and printing them out To put on their cork boards, This wouldn’t last 5 minutes 😂

@@Shot_Geek I'd call that an event! But equally a battery limit could be seen as a feature to stop them wasting too many prints!

Thanks!

That's a good question and unfortunately I didn't test that aspect - I only had a few spare prints, so I generally used them slowly!

I like the square too...

You're welcome!

They've faded more than instax

Depends what you need. CP1300 can print anything from small stickers to full size photos (10×15cm). It has three finishes for the final coat. It has its own screen can print directly from a USB stick or camera,... But it is also somewhat larger and heavier (although still in the mobile printers range), and requires either you plug it into a power socket or purchase an external battery. It requires you to plug in a cassette with paper in the front, and clear some space in the back as it pushes the paper out that way while it's printing. I love the print quality of CP1300, it's amazing. QX10 is lighter, more portable, only has a battery, no option to plug it into a wall socket, and prints much smaller photos - 6.8×6.8cm or smaller and only on sticker paper. It doesn't have an option for photo paper. In short, will you ever need full-size photos with additional options? Get CP1300. Are small stickers enough for you? Get QX10.

That's a good question, I will try and find out.

@@cameralabs Did you ever find out the answer to this question as also interested to know?

@@amandahassall6259 sorry, it's hard to find answers to anything right now!

Thats why Fujifilm dominates the instant film/camera market imho. As you say.... Its one of their core businesses, and they focus on it a lot. Seems like more of an afterthought to Canon.

My friend has this canon one and the photos look much better than my fuji one.

@@xxviciousbeautyxx -Hi, very interesting. Canon colours are great. 😎😎😎

The CP-1300 is certainly good value. Are you finding any quality issues over time with it, like dust? I hear complaints from some people.

I have one (cp1300) and am very happy with it. No issues with dust, but I put it away when I'm not using it.

I am a CP1200 owner and happy user, too. I have Polaroid ZINK sticker and Instax Mini. I love mobile printers. In my opinion the image quality of the CP1200 is (far) the best. This is the reason I am interested in the QX10, but only when it can be used directly from my Canon cameras. I am planning to buy a Canon camera just for the QX10 for direct printing if it's supported by Canon. If it is not supported, I'll go for a Fujifilm camera to print directly from the camera.

@@cameralabs Just curious, is there any quality difference between the QX10 and CP1300?? Thank you.

@@yachenwu6907 Yes, completely different print technology. CP is much better

You're welcome!

Yes, i agree, sorry about that. I film under natural light and the Sun was in and out the whole time.

Yes, I was surprised by that difference - the Canon was much more accurate on that one and the coffee cup. The originals are on my Instagram account @cameralabs

Thanks!

Don't I quote the cost per print at the start and say how many sheets are in each pack?!

With both the Canon and Fujifilm systems, you get everything with the package. So you just divide the cost of the package by the number of sheets. It's not like an inkjet printer where it's an estimate. But both work out to roughly 75 cents per print.

You're welcome!

It's brand new

It's a different technology and different volumes.

Ha ha, really?! It certainly is a poser!

@@cameralabs Ha Yeah. Soon as I saw it I knew as I have nearly the same photo.

Hope you get one! Look out for discounts over the next 2 weeks

It connects straight to your phone, no internet or home / office wifi required.

I don't know either and mentioned that towards the end of the video.

The INSTAX will last longer than the QX10 prints in my experience. Were yours in sunlight?

Canon CP1500

Crumbs, neither could be described as accurate.

Have you tried Amazon UK?

You can certainly laminate them, but I don't know how it would affect fading, whether that's a UV issue, or simply ageing. If you have access to a store which sells the machine, see if you can get a print sample to take home to experiment with.

You're welcome!

That's what happens with colour reproduction - some devices or processes do it differently and aren't always accurate.

​@cameralabs which means instax printer turned green to black. It's a colorblind printer 😂

Target

Yes, the wifi is only used between the phone and the printer - it's not actually on the internet at the time.

There should be a hard reset on the printer - check the manual.

You're welcome!

No, it is not an inkjet printer, so there's nothing to dry up. The packs include paper and enough ink ribbon to print on them - there's no spare.

Gordon Laing cheers mate

Contemplating on getting this but think I'll stick to my mini link for now. I still like the glossy finish of the fujifilm prints. Thanks for your reviews. Hope it's not too late over there for that cuppa :)

@@ttdn8095 never too late!

Just look up the Canon media for it

I'd like to review more peripherals, but the sheer number of cameras occupies most of my time, and after that I generally cover a few lenses. That said, my handful of printer reviews have been some of my more popular videos, so I should try and do more in the future. Sorry, I don't personally know anyone doing printer tests.

did you try the Canon Pixma Pro-100? it's similar to the Epson, but I think it's superior. and it never clogs even if you rarely print. I've had expensive Epson printers get ruined because I didn't print often enough.

@@onlysublime None of the comparisons I see compare critical stuff like ease/cost of replacing heads, the consequences of not using the printer, or even whether the printer can be calibrated. I have discovered the Selphies cannot be calibrated, but the cost of running is determined by the cost of a pack of paper, and they're cheap enough to not worry much about replacing heads. The small pint size isn't a problem for some things I want to do, but I do care about the colours, and blacks not blocking up compared with what I see on screen. There's a used 100S for a budget price from a local dealer, I might go for that.

Sadly not, it has to go via your phone.

@@cameralabs thank you for letting me know, a shame but probably still worth it 👍🏻

@@neildaintree you might be able to print wirelessly to the older SELPHY CP-1300 for 6x4in photos, but otherwise you'll need to copy your photos to your phone and print from that if you're using the two models reviewed here.

I mean the canon one.

that's how each app interpreted the files that I fed them.

Nope, it's definitely Micro USB