Fujifilm Imaging Systems is collaborating with the popular TV anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu you Yaiba to release two models of its instant photo-printing instax cameras based on the main characters Tanjiro and Nezuko. Pre-orders will open in Japan at Fujifilm as well as camera and electronic stores in Japan on November 25 at 10:00am (JST) and be released on December 10. First introduced in 1998, the instax instant camera allows users to take and produce photos on the spot. The new Demon Slayer models are packed in limited-edition boxes in promotion of the recently-released anime film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train which hit theatres in Japan on October 16, 2020.

Tanjiro Model

Nezuko Model

The collaboration uses the instax mini 11 model as its base are adds motifs that reference Tanjiro and Nezuko. Each comes with its own themed accessories too including a shoulder pouch and camera strap. All these items are exclusive to those who purchase the box.   More info as well as a promotional video can be found over on instax's official website here.   ©Koyoharu Gotouge/Shueisha・Aniplex・ufotable

Canon Marketing Japan has announced the release of a special Hello Kitty model of its iNSPiC PV-123 pocket-sized mini printer. The iNSPiC PV-123 is a mini printer designed for the smartphone generation that lets users print photos instantly. Canon's new model is made in collaboration with Sanrio's popular character Hello Kitty. Not only does the printer itself feature a cute Hello Kitty design, it also lets users print special Hello Kitty themed frames and stamps using the Canon Mini Print app. These are available until October 31, 2021 for the Hello Kitty model only. The iNSPiC PV-123 HELLO KITTY is the perfect companion for mobile printing, making it super easy to print your memories wherever you are.

Canon Marketing Japan has announced that a Pikachu model of its new concept camera iNSPiC REC will be released in Japan at the end of October this year.

iNSPiC REC PIKACHU MODEL - Front face design

Camera's back design

The cover is coloured in a bright Pikachu yellow with a print of his adorable and chubby winking face.

Other face design (8 designs)

As well as the standard front face Pikachu design, customers will also get an additional one of the above eight possible designs too as a set. These other face designs are chosen randomly. Cusomers who order the iNSPiC REC PIKACHU MODEL early will also get a Pikachu tail neck strap, key ring, and additional front cover too.

Fujifilm has revealed its new Instax Mini 11 (Mini 11), which is set for release in early April 2020. The camera is the latest addition to the company's "Instax" series of cameras which allow for instant printing of photos.   The Mini 11 is the first Instax model to introduce an "Automatic Exposure" function which enables the camera to automatically detect the level of ambient light in the frame when the shutter button is pressed. As a result, the camera will optimise the shutter speed and flash output accordingly. This allows users to snap pictures optimally exposed to the main subject of the photo as well as the background in all situations, whether it be in the bright outdoors or in a dark restaurant or party.   The new Mini 11 also introduces a new "Selfie Mode," which has perfected the art of close-up selfies. It's activated simply by pulling out the front end edge of the lens you've powered the camera on. The camera's design has also been completely revamped for optimal use. Not only is the Mini 11 thinner and lighter, it has a rounded body that makes it fit perfectly into users' hands. A different material from the main body of the camera is used around the lens to make it more stylish, and the "Instax" brand logo is engraved on the back.   The Mini 11 comes in five pale tone colours ((Blush Pink, Sky Blue, Charcoal Gray, Ice White and Lilac Purple) and two replaceable accessories for the shutter button.

Over at FUJIFILM SQUARE in Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi, a Taylor Swift photo exhibition is being displayed from October 12 to October 25. The internationally popular singer-songwriter and musician entered a global partnership with Instax earlier this year. Since then, she has appeared in one of the company's "Now or never" commercials. The public photo exhibition features selfies taken by Taylor Swift herself using an Instax camera, something she uses habitually. It also includes backstage photos at the singer's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) as well of her cat, exclusive behind-the-scenes snaps taken during the filming of the Instax commercial she appeared in, and more. This is a chance for fans to see photos taken by Taylor Swift herself, of which there exists only one each in the world. Swift will wrap up her Reputation Stadium Tour with two days in Tokyo on November 20 and 21. A hashtag campaign is taking place for a chance for four groups of eight people be invited to one of the concerts. To enter, you must take a photo of yourself at the exhibition and post it on sicla made with the hashtags #TSinstax and #instaxgallery. Winners will be selected randomly.

Welcome to Model Yuri Suganuma’s series where she discovers a new hobby! This is a continuation from her previous article where she first discovers her love for film cameras. Lately, she’s becoming more absorbed in this hobby, and after paying a visit to a second-hand camera shop in Shinjuku, she managed to get her hands on her dream camera! However, unless she gets her photos developed and printed, or gets them transferred into a digital format, she won’t be able to see any of her pictures. Upon this realisation, she travelled to Gakuei-daigaku station because her favourite photo shop “monogram” is located on this street. Presenting her much-loved film camera along with her first film roll full of dear memories to the staff, they took it off her hands to get the photos developed and printed. Monogram is known to take a lot of care in printing their photos perfectly. Did any of Yurippa’s photos really catch her eye? “This photo shop has such a cool image!” exclaimed Yurippa. She brought along with her two films she had taken with a film compact camera that she bought last month. She managed to restrain herself from getting them developed as soon as possible, committing to the decision to get them developed at an opportunity where we could also tag along! After Yurippa handed the undeveloped film to the staff, they asked her a series of questions: would you like prints or digital photos on a CD? What size would you like the prints? What kind of photo paper would you like them to be printed on? And lastly, would you like a white border on your prints? Yurippa couldn’t believe just how much choice she was given! That’s right – monogram can fulfil this many requests! Yurippa wanted a copy of the photos on her phone as well as prints so she asked for both digital photos on CD and prints on matte paper with a white border. Another cool service offered by monogram is that you can choose to have a colour tint on your photos. Monogram is also popular because of their ability to adjust the colours for printed and digitalised negative photos. There aren’t many photo shops around like this that will adjust the colours for you. They will also avoid loading their conversations with technical terms (unless you want them to). Yurippa asked for “California style” vivid photographs. They wrote down her order – take a look at her order sheet! Can you see just how unique monogram is in comparison to other photo shops? Yurippa waited in excitement to witness the outcome. They really proved their ability to produce special photos! First off, they placed the film in the developer. As well as developing solution, there are a range of chemicals in the machine. Afterwards, the film was processed for negative photos. The negative images were scanned and then printed on photo paper. This is the stage at which they were made into California style photographs. Three staff members at monogram overlooked the printing process. As each has their own unique style of printing, they can be designated to certain customers. This truly is the real world of a photography specialists! The staff just say: “leave it to us”, and they adjust the colours to complement the photo! Whilst waiting for the prints to be done, Yurippa spent some time browsing the shop for another film for her camera, which is the Konica Genba Kantoku that uses 35mm film. This is a standard film size that is easy to get your hands on. A staff member at the store explained to her what the numbers written on the film box meant. 100 is well suited for photos taken during the day, whereas 400 is an allrounder, as it is also suitable for taking photos during the day and also photos taken indoors. On the other hand, 800 is suited to photos taken indoors, on cloudy days and during the night. In other words, this number is the measurement of the film’s sensitivity to light in numerical value (ISO), they explained. As Yurippa is always on the go with her camera and taking photos during the day, she chose an ISO 400 film. She decided to purchase the Kodak ULTRAMAX400 for photos with an American vibe. Although this store specialises in developing photos, the shop is filled with camera accessories. A silver hand strap particularly caught Yurippa’s eye. Just by attaching one of these accessories, your camera will look really glamourous! Having said that, they suited her camera to the extent that they appeared to have been specifically made for it! The silver leather hand strap was launched as monogram’s 10-year anniversary edition accessory. It costs ¥ 2,000＋ tax. …The prints are ready! They were all perfect personal photos. Yurippa was constantly hiding the photos and peaking at them. She selected her favourite ones to share with us - the feeling of the matte paper was really nice.   They look so cool! Did I really take these myself? She asked. The locations in the photos are very distinct. Although digital photos are very useful, the feel of prints in your very own hand is just a wonderful feeling. You would want to give these to friends as a present. Having said that, the quality of these photos is so high that you begin to question whether you actually took them yourself! Finally, we asked Yurippa for her thoughts on today. “I used to think that developing photos involved exposing them to lasers. I was surprised to discover that this can be done with developing solution! There is just too much that I don’t know about photos taken with film. It is great fun to learn so much! I initially started this whole photo project because I didn’t have anything in particular that I would call a hobby, but now there’s no doubt that this is becoming one of my new favourite hobbies! ＜Shop information＞ monogram Address：2-19-13, Takaban, Meguro, Tokyo Phone number：03-3760-5852 Opening hours: 12:00〜20:00（Closed on Wednesdays） Access：1-minute walk from East exit of Gakuei-daigaku station  (Tokyu Yokohama line) URL：http://monogram.co.jp