The Moment-Catcher: NONS Instax Square Instant Back Review

So, yeah, it's been four years since I posted here. Par for the course really, though I guess.

If you've been following me along on my photography journey, you'll know that I've been deep, deep down an instant film rabbit hole for several years. I built LomoRB, my first practical instant film conversion for the Mamiya RB67, in the summer of 2022. It was a fine back that used Instax Mini film and I got a lot of use out of it. However, it was never very rugged (it was constructed almost entirely out of thin plastic), missed out on a lot of available image area, and was always a bit...quirky (film counter didn't always work, electronics died at random one time, etc).

Current RB67 Build with

NONS Instant Back

Fast forward to earlier this year, and I decided that it was time to retire LomoRB in favor of one of the available commercial options that had come on the market in the intervening years. I considered backs using both Instax Square and Polaroid i-Type film, but I settled on Instax because Polaroid isn't suited for some of the abstract work that I do. After a bit of research, I settled on the NONS Instant Back for the RB67 (a.k.a. the NIBRB67) by NONS Camera because it seemed like it would improve upon all of the limitations of LomoRB; it has a solid metal frame, it uses Instax Square to better capitalize on the available image area, and it seems very straightforward to use.

The NONS back conforms

nicely to the RB67

After six months, and more packs of film than I care to admit, I am quite pleased with the NIBRB67. It is roughly the same size & shape as a late model Mamiya 6x8 film back & rotating adapter, albeit marginally lighter and slightly off-center, so it conforms nicely to the camera body. If you're used to shooting an RB67 with a roll film back, the NONS back will feel very familiar. The only controls are an on/off switch and an eject button. The eject button is absolutely fantastic because you have to press and hold it for a moment to eject film; no more accidental ejections from bumping your film back! It has an internal battery that charges from a USB-C port, and the battery lasts longer than I ever have while shooting. The film door latches securely and has a small cutout for viewing the yellow "film loaded" tab on every pack of Instax film. On the top, right next to the ejection port, is a small display that indicates the battery level and the number of shots remaining in the pack. It also has a dark slide and a slot in the door for storing it, both of which are handy to have.

The layout of a NONS Instant Back for the RB67

The only criticism I have, and it is an incredibly minor one, is that NONS does not include a mask for the viewfinder. The film area of Instax square is ever so slightly smaller than native image on the waist level ground glass, roughly 1.5 mm on each side. It doesn't matter in 95% of shots; I only noticed it because I am a huge optics nerd and test everything. It's also a very minor fix; I whipped one up in CAD and 3D printed one.

Combining all of this, NONS has crafted an Instax film back that is intuitive to use and gives you everything you need at a very reasonable price. It's simple and to the point, just charge it and go. If you're interested in pairing Instax film with good medium format film cameras, I would highly recommend you give NONS a look. I've included scans of some photos I've taken with mine below. They also makes Instax Square backs for the Hasselblad and the Mamiya RZ67, so there are options available for a variety of camera users.

Cheers! And happy shooting.