The Mini 40 & and the SQ1 are really similar both in function and quality but there is definitely a slight edge with the SQ1.

There's a few minor differences in how they work (the SQ1 is marginally simpler to use and harder to get wrong when you've had a few) but they're basically the same camera and you won't regret either choice.

The SQ1 is a little smarter at working out how bright or dark a photo should be, and the image is a little sharper (though not by much). Function wise, both have selfie modes for close-up focussing (which is the bit that most people get wrong - by not realising it exists) but the SQ1's selfie mode is a little more obvious and easy to enable.

The other thing is that the sensors for the Mini are more likely to be accidentally covered by stray fingers if you're not paying attention whereas on the SQ1 they're further away from the shutter button so you'd have to be holding the camera pretty weirdly to cover them.

Overall though, they're not so different that you'd regret getting one over the other and they're not lightyears apart in terms of quality. There's just a few minor advantages which become more apparent when they're being used by tipsy wedding guests in the dark.

Our suggestion is get whichever one suits your bank balance and makes the shape of print you want. If you don't mind either way and you've got the budget, go for the SQ1.

It can be a little tricky to guess precisely because some guests will be more 'trigger happy' than others but we'd probably suggest a rough guess of about one photo per guest. So if you've got 100 guests, 10 packs totalling 100 exposures should be enough.

Remember, we'll buy back any unopened packs you don't use though so it's better to over-order and get some money back afterwards than under-order and run out half way through the night!

If you click a package tab, you can see the exact contents listed.

The basic gist however, is one or two cameras with spare batteries (just in case), a framed quick reference guide, one or two sharpies in case you want to write on the prints, and however many packs of film you've ordered.

Yea, so we did charge one when we first started but we realised we never actually kept it and we wanted things to be as straightforward as possible for you so we decided to just trust people in the hope that people would respect that trust and we wouldn't have to chase people for money.

So not everyone (younger than 30) realises that Polaroid is actually a brand name which has come to be used for a whole category of camera much like Hoover does for vacuum cleaners.

We did look into Polaroids when we were setting up but found that the quality wasn't really any better than the Fujifilm Instax series and the film however was WAY more expensive.

On top of that, modern polaroid cameras don't have removable batteries and they won't last a whole night of use on one charge so for things like wedding guest books, not only would they be REALLY expensive, but you wouldn't get as much use before you'd have to stop and charge it back up again. 

We wanted to keep things affordable and practical for you, so we went with the two cameras which we felt were the best combination of being the simplest to use, the best looking and the most cost effective to run.

"Shake it like a Polaroid picture" - nope. Compete myth, thanks Outkast.

They develop over the course of about 15 minutes and you'll start seeing the initial results in just a few seconds. It's a chemical process though which happens exactly the same whether you flap it around or not, but it is kinda satisfying to do...

Officially, the Instax Mini 40's will last around 100 shots before the batteries need changing and the SQ1's last a rather incredible 300 exposures.

Naturally though much like the MPG on your car, this isn't a perfect science but most of our customers never need to change the batteries during their hire.

We include spares in the box anyway though, just in case because we know you might not have some lying around at a wedding.