In 2008, the instant film community began its emotional rollercoaster ride, as we were on the brink of losing our magical medium. While some instant film formats were lost along the way, in present times, there is still a range of instant films available, and we are in a new era of cameras offering modern features with additional creative possibilities!
Unlatch the film door to insert a new pack of mini instant film.
In late 2023, Leica introduced the Sofort 2, a compact hybrid instant film camera that brings together digital photography and analog instant film transfer printing. The Sofort 2 uses the same mini instant film you can use for your analog mini instant camera!
In an effort to get to know the Sofort 2, I decided to conduct a few tests to learn how it sees the world with its Film Effects and Optical Effects. These are the two main creative controls for the camera. Film Effects are controlled through the knob on the side of the camera and the Optical Effects are changed by rotating the ring around the lens.
Film Effect knob toggles through different options.
Optical Ring rotates to select different optical effects.
It is extremely satisfying to hear and feel the clicks as you rotate the knobs and pull the lever to print!
There are also additional features to control exposure compensation, self timer, flash, macro, and white balance.
This slide displays the ten different Film Effects created by rotating the knob on the side of the camera.
For my first test, I went to Dolores Park to photograph the same scene with each of the ten Film Effects:
(1) Normal, (2) Vivid, (3) Pale, (4) Canvas, (5) Monochrome,
(6)Sepia, (7) Yellow, (8) Red, (9) Blue, (10) Retro
For consistency in these images, I kept the Optical Effect setting at Normal.
Ten different Optical Effects taken with the Sofort 2.
Next, I wanted to see what the Optical Effects can do. For this test, I allowed myself more freedom to photograph different subjects. The ten Optical Effects range from:
(1) Normal, (2) Vignette, (3) Soft Focus, (4) Blur, (5) Fisheye,
(6) Color Shift, (7) Light Leak, (8) Mirror, (9) Double Exposure, (10) Half Frame
To select your optical effects, rotate the ring around the lens.
Labels on the tests show the “creative equation” I used to create those images:
Optical Effect (OFX) + Film Effect (FilmFx) = image
Art Experiments
Thinking about how the Sofort 2 uses the mini instant film, my thought was to assemble singular images together to make the larger composition. Similar to what David Hockney did in his Joiners and Maurizio Galimberti in his Photographic Mosiacs.
Danny Sanchez, Bay Bridge, 2025, Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film, 6.50 x 9.50 inches.
For my first art experiment with the Sofort 2, I went out to the Embarcadero to photograph the Bay Bridge. For the Film Effect, I set it to (3) Pale and for the Optical Effect, was kept at (1) Normal. Thinking back on how I would normally photograph a scene like this, I chose to photograph the top, middle, and bottom images separately. For the final composition, I wanted to mimic the movement of the bridge by having it be an irregular shape. In my mind, I could see the tallest section being at three images; the middle section at two images; and the final section at one. When I printed out the images, I was very happy with the overall softness of the Pale Film Effect. I also felt that this optical effect lent itself nicely to the overcast weather in the later part of the day.
Danny Sanchez, Architectural Glitch, 2025, Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film, 6.50 x 10 inches.
In the next art experiment, I headed over to the MIRA building, at the corner of Spear and Folsom street. I have walked past this building many times in the past and had always been fascinated by its construction.
For this one, I set the Film Effect to (2) Vivid and the Optical Effect to (6) Color Shift. I felt that the Color Shift Optical Effect helped to enhance the “glitchy” look of the building and also allowed me freedom to not have things line up evenly in the composition. Similar to the Bay Bridge image, I photographed in segments from top to bottom. If you look at the bottom three images, you’ll notice the bus making its way through the scene!
Danny Sanchez, Dragon Gate, 2025, Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film, size 6.5 x 9.25 inches.
The bottom image is the singular image that allowed me to print out the mosaic above.
For the third art experiment, I changed up my process by revisiting a singular image I took of the Dragon Gate a couple days earlier. Instead of going back to rephotograph in segments, I was curious if I could zoom in to the singular image and print out in segments… it turned out I could! What surprised me most about this experiment is that the segments didn’t lose detail. They held up nicely after zooming in and printing. In the example, you’ll see the singular image at bottom, and the segmented pieces above it. Creative equation for this piece is Film Effects and Optical Effects kept at (1) Normal.
Danny Sanchez, Salesforce Sandwich, 2025, Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film, 6.50 x 9 inches.
Salesforce Sandwich was created with nine different Film Effects and (7) Light Leak as the Optical Effects.
By this point in my experiments, I became a mad scientist! I wanted to create a composition that consisted of each of the different Film Effects. For this image, I walked over the Financial District and found this moment where Salesforce tower looked diminutive to its neighboring buildings.
At this time of the day, the sun was reflecting off the Salesforce tower, and I thought it would be fun to enhance it by taping a starburst filter over the lens. Remembering how I tackled the composition for the Dragon’s Gate, I photographed this scene as a singular image with each of the ten Film Effects. The consistent Optical Effect was (7) Light Leak. Afterwards, I zoomed in to each of the single images to print out their respective segments of the larger composition.
Singular image with Normal Film FX and Optical FX.
Last image check before tackling the other Film Effects for the final composition.
Using gafer’s tape, I attached a starburst filter to the camera.
Danny Sanchez, Cable Car, 2025, Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film, 5.50 x 7.70 inches.
In this art experiment, I wanted to play around with layering the instant film on top of itself to build depth. While you cannot tell in this head on shot, the cable car image is on a spacer and floats above the background images. This piece consisted of two source images; one of the cable car and the second image of the empty street behind it. For the printing process, I first printed out the cable car. For the street in the background, I zoomed in to print out the segments.The creative equation for this piece is Film Effects (9) Blue + Optical Effects (4) Blur.
Final Experiment
Having shot with many instant film cameras and formats, I noticed that whenever I photographed a bright subject with Fujifilm Instax, the bright subjects tend to have a black dot known as a sunburn.
This image was taken towards the end of the day facing the sun.
When I took the same image using the Sofort 2, I was curious if I would have the “sunburn” effect…It turns out the Sofort 2 image does not “sunburn”!
Thanks and Final Thoughts
Before wrapping up, I’d like to extend my thanks to the team at Leica Store San Francisco for the opportunity to experiment with the Sofort 2 and to collaborate with them during their Mix & Mingle event and Sofort 2 Demo, held as part of PolaCon Bay Area 2025. Click HERE for that recap.
At the beginning of this journey, I was a bit concerned that the hybrid instant camera format might make me lazy, in the sense that I would end up postponing the creative process until I was ready to “print” the image. But that was not the case at all! Much like shooting with vintage instant film cameras, the Sofort 2 still demands that you stay present in the moment and make real-time decisions about Film and Optical Effects. These choices CANNOT be added later during playback or in Leica’s Fotos app. I also found that working with the Sofort 2, it helped to speed up my previsualization process when thinking about how I wanted to assemble my compositions.
When photographing people, the biggest challenge was often deciding on my “creative equation.” To make the experience more spontaneous, I would sometimes ask my subjects to give me two numbers between one and ten: the first would determine the Film Effect, and the second, the Optical Effect. This quickly became a fun icebreaker and brought an element of chance back into the process.
In this experience, I just scratched the surface on what the Sofort 2 is capable of doing, but I do feel it continues the spirit of fun that comes with shooting instant film and can be a great creative companion alongside your favorite gear! I hope my tests and art experiments piqued your curiosity to think about what you could do with this camera!
About Danny Sanchez
I am a Bay Area native with a penchant for instant film photography! My obsession with this medium began in summer in 2009 and it’s hard to believe that summer 2025 marks my “sweet 16” of working with this fantastic format!
Thematically, my interest for image making focuses around peculiar moments, nature, and toys and miniatures. In past years you may have seen my work at Rayko Photo Center, A Smith Gallery, or featured in newsletters from The Impossible Project. More recently, my images have been included in Photodarium’s tear-off calendar. Here in the Bay Area, I’m an active participant of the SF Instant Photowalk, which meets on the last Sunday of each month. If you’d like to see more of my instant film imagery, feel free to follow along on Instagram @mrdannysanchez!
Discover the new Leica SOFORT 2 in 3 stylish colors. With dual shutter releases for selfies, landscapes, and portraits, 10 lens effects, 10 film styles, and macro mode, unleash your creativity. The Leica UX menu design features a familiar button layout, while Leica FOTOS integration allows you to save Sofort images to the app and print from the FOTOS gallery. Plus, a manual print lever lets you choose only your top images.
