To rectify this you will need to train yourself to place your subject in the center of the viewfinder like you would always do and then move it slightly to the right and up just a smidge so that the lens is lined up with your subject….and now you know why you may want a few film packs just for practice!
This is much more noticeable in close up shots. Basically what you see through the viewfinder doesn’t line up with the camera lens so your pictures will always be a bit off center to the left. Since Instax cameras have a separate viewing lens from the actual lens you get what’s known as Parallax Error.
If you buy them at Michaels you can even use a 40 or 50% off coupon which makes them a great deal. As a side note, I will say that if you are a new Instax user, you may want to buy a few boxes of film knowing that you will use them just for practice. I spent one day documenting my life with the Instax and it was a whole heck of a lot of fun. I found these super cute accordion photo journals at Michaels (Pssst! They have a whole section devoted to the Instax now!) along with some pretty Dear Lizzy Scrapbook paper and went to town designing. But first I thought I would take it for a spin and make a “Day in My Life” type photo journal where I could take pictures throughout my day so my littles could see what a typical day for me tends to look like and then let them practice with it making their own “My Weekend” type of journal. Well, a couple months back I saw that FujiFilm had a new camera out, the Instax Mini 8, and it came in lots of cute pastel colors! I loved the yellow color and thought that it would be fun to buy one that my kids could learn to use and document their summer days. I still love waiting for the picture to appear and wonder…if I shake it will it develop any faster? It works just like the old school polaroids we all remember but the pictures that come out are about half the size. A few years back I received a Fuji Film Instax Mini 25 as a gift and I have love, love, loved it ever since.