I test instant cameras for a living — here are the best Prime Day deals I recommend

The Fujifilm Instax mini 41 is a fantastic instant camera for beginners. In my Instax mini 41 review, I praised it for its straightforward control scheme, sleek and premium design, long battery life and its ability to capture (and print) stunning images with plenty of detail. If you're looking to step into the world of instant photography, I'd snap this deal up right now.

The Polaroid Now Gen 2 is a lovely instant camera, especially if you're fan of the retro aesthetic. It looks great and captures equally amazing photos. This camera features autofocus, a self timer and a mode for double exposures.

The Polaroid Now+ has been succeeded by two other cameras, but if you don't want to pay full price for the newer models, I'd highly recommend this deal. It comes with a filter set for you to add a tinge of color, and you can even control the exposure manually (which many other instant cameras lack).

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo is unlike the others on this list as it's a hybrid instant camera, so you can click and print photos instantly but you can also print photos directly from your smartphone, increasing its versatility. In my Instax Wide Evo review, I loved the bright and detailed photos this camera took, and the wide format helps you capture more of the scene. The bundle includes a 32GB microSD card, 10 pieces of Brushed Metallics film, a cleaning kit and more.

The Polaroid Go Gen 2 is a cutest little camera. In my Go Gen 2 review, I said that this camera was highly portable and that it can slip into your pocket. It's also extremely easy to use and captures images with a retro aesthetic. If you want to get creative, you can capture double exposures too, and there's a self-timer for group shots so you never have to feel excluded.

The Instax mini 12 is, in my opinion, the ideal instant camera for beginners thanks to its ease of use, fantastic print quality, great value for money, plus its helpful features like a selfie mirror. This bundle includes the camera in green, 10 pieces of film, and an ideas booklet — everything you need to get started.

In my Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro review, I praised the camera for its ability to produce retro shots. It renders colors faithfully too, and boasts very good low-light performance. This 2-in-1 instant camera and printer enables you to print photos from your smartphone in under a minute too.

The larger sibling of the Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro just got a sweet price cut on Prime Day too, so if you want bigger prints but the same faithful color reproduction and retro looks, check out the Mini Shot 3 Retro. Available as a bundle, you'll get eight papers and cartridges to start off.