Weak battery in the film pack or camera

Please note that the flash and the ejection of the photo are triggered by the battery of
either the camera (for newer i-Type cameras) or the film pack (for vintage cameras). If you
leave your camera open for a long time, the battery will be gradually drained. Make sure to
close or turn off your camera whenever you aren’t using it, to prevent the flash from
constantly charging and draining your camera’s or film pack’s battery. Make sure your
camera is fully charged.

The camera itself may be defective

If you put a pack of film in your camera and you hear the camera respond with a motor
noise but nothing comes out, try to re-insert the pack of film. If that still doesn’t work, try
inserting a different pack of film. If the camera won’t eject the darkslide (protective black
card on top of a new film pack) or photos for either pack, then your camera is defective and
will need to be repaired. Basically, the part inside the camera that pushes each photo
forward isn’t working.

Corroded battery contacts on the film pack or camera

Older Polaroid cameras may have corroded or soiled battery contacts, preventing them
from connecting with the battery properly. The contacts in the camera are two copper
springs that extend from the bottom of the film compartment. You can either try to clean
them with a flat, slim object (such as a flathead screwdriver) or you simply remove and
reinsert the film cassette several times, to scratch possible oxidation and corrosion off of the
contacts.

Weak or corroded batteries causing power issues with your Instax Mini 9

There’s a blockage on your camera’s film ejection slot

The film you’re using is damaged or bent and can get stuck in the camera

You’ve loaded an expired film pack into your camera

The film cartridge is not properly loaded on the camera

There’s a mechanical malfunction with your camera, particularly the film roller
The most common reason the Instax Mini 9 film won’t come out is drained batteries.

The camera requires two AA alkaline batteries to power the shutter, flash, and film ejection mechanism.
If your camera is low on batteries, it may not function properly.

Here’s what you need to do to replace them.

Switch off your camera and remove the film pack.

Slide down the battery compartment cover to open it.

Remove the old batteries and insert new ones.

Align the polarity correctly.

Close the battery compartment cover and turn on the camera.

Note: You need a new set of batteries when you see a flashing or solid red light to the left of the
viewfinder or if all the brightness indicator lights on the front of the camera flash.

If your Instax Mini 9 film is not ejecting, it could be due to a damaged or expired film pack. The pack
contains 10 sheets of film and a dark slide that protects them from light.

If the pack has cracks, tears, or leaks, the film may not be properly exposed or ejected. If the film has
exceeded its expiration date, there is a chance that it will develop incorrectly.

So, check the film pack before taking photos and use a new one if necessary.

Turn off your camera and open the back cover of your camera.

Remove the film pack and inspect it for signs of damage.

Check the film’s expiration date and make sure it’s not yet expired.

Get a new one if the film pack you loaded is damaged or expired.

Load the film pack the correct way.

Pro Tip: You know you properly loaded the film into your Instax Mini 9 when you see a large yellow mark
in the film window.
If there are no issues with the battery and the film pack, check the film ejection slot on your camera for
dirt and blockages.

The film ejection slot is where the film comes out after you take a picture. Any dust, dirt, or debris in the
slot may prevent the film from coming out smoothly or at all.

Keeping the film ejection slot clean is a good idea. Here’s how you should do it:

Turn off the camera and remove the film pack.

Open the back cover and locate the film ejection slot.

Gently wipe off dust, dirt, or debris with a soft cloth or cotton swab.

Do not use water or solvents to clean the slot, as they may damage your camera.

Pro Tip: Invest in a simple lens cleaning kit with a blower brush and lens cleaning cloth.

If the film counter does not match the remaining shots in the film pack, it may cause confusion or
malfunction when ejecting the film.

The film counter is that small window on the back of your camera that shows the number of shots left.
The film counter may get stuck or misaligned and show an incorrect number.

In this case, you must manually match it to the remaining shots left.

Turn off the camera and open the back cover.

Remove the film pack and count how many shots are left.

Reinsert the film pack and close the back cover.

Turn on the camera again.

Press the shutter button repeatedly until the film counter matches.

Note: The film counter will reset if you open the back of the camera while a film is loaded.
If the exposure mode of your Instax Mini 9 is not set correctly, your camera film may not come out and
eject as well.

The exposure mode determines the amount of light that enters the camera and affects the brightness of
your photos.

You need to choose an exposure mode that matches the lighting conditions of your environment to
avoid underexposing or overexposing your pictures.

Here’s how to change the exposure mode of your Instax Mini 9:

Turn on your Instax Mini 9 camera

Check the brightness indicator around the lens barrel.

Adjust the brightness to match the mode lit up by the indicator.

If none of the modes are lit up, turn the camera on and off again.

Note: Each mode corresponds to an aperture value. The higher the value, the smaller the aperture,
which means less light hits the film.

If none of the above solutions work, reset your Instax Mini 9 camera to resolve software and mechanical
glitches. Performing a reset will b and help fix temporary issues.

Here’s how to do it:

Turn off your camera and remove the film pack.

Open the battery compartment and remove the batteries.

Leave the camera with no batteries for a few minutes.

Insert new batteries and film pack.

Test if the film ejects.

Note: The bugs and errors that affect your Instax Mini 9 camera’s film ejection can be due to low
battery, faulty film pack, or improper use.
In the photo below:

red arrow points to the “door shut” detection button

yellow arrow points to the film detection mecanism

Basically, if you apply some upwards force to the film detection mechanism and turn on the camera, the
mechanism will activate, even without film. It will start moving upwards, then it will drop back and the
frame count will read “10”.

Learn how to activate the film detection mechanism using some pointed metal object (e.g. a small
knife).

If you close and reopen the camera door, the camera will go back to “no film status”, so you can retry to
improve your technique. If the camera gets stuck in some funny state, pressing the “door shut”
detection button should get it unstuck.

Inserting a new film

When you are comfortable with activating the film detection mechanism:

turn off the camera

use your pointed object to apply upwards force to the film detection mechanism

place the film in the camera, aligning the yellow line of the camera (not shown in photo) with the yellow
line at the top side of the film

the film will not fall into place because you still have the pointed object pressing the film detection
mechanism

turn on the camera

as soon as you hear the film detection mechanism moving, remove the pointed object and quickly close
the camera door

If you perform the ritual correctly, the film protection sheet will be ejected, and the frame counter will
read “10”.

I understand it is annoying to have to go through this for every film change. On the other hand, since
this is a low-cost camera, the alternative would be to throw it away and get a new one.
It’s possible that the batteries that you have in the camera are not powerful enough (if you’re using low
voltage ones for example) or they simply need replacing.

if you change/check the batteries and it still happens check the inside of the camera and make sure
nothing is obstructing the opening where the film comes out from.

also when you loaded the film was it placed correctly in the camera? There is a yellow square that
should match the yellow marker inside the camera and make sure you don’t press on the film by mistake
when placing it in the camera.

First off, should you EVER encounter ANY pack of film where the tabs are stuck: DO NOT rip the tab. A
ripped tab is a guaranteed lost shot, you won’t get it back and could possibly ruin the next photo in
sequence as well. STOP at the first sign of trouble and attempt one of the solutions below.

The problem.

Why does this happen at all? Well, because Fuji and Polaroid are two different companies. While both
make films compatible with packfilm cameras

they had different approaches to what materials make up the actual physical film pack container itself.

Each pack consists of 3 pieces of hardware: front masking frame, a middle plate and back plate. The
difference between the companies is obvious when you compare the film packs side by side. The back
plate from Polaroid is metal while the Fuji is plastic. And herein lies a problem…

If you look inside your camera’s back door in the middle you’ll notice 2 flat metal springs. These are
meant to keep a film pack pressed tightly against the film plane. The plastic back of the Fuji can flex and
give way a lot more than the metal of the Polaroid. Too much pressure on the back side of a film pack
will make it hard, if not impossible, to actually pull your film out of the camera to develop. And it can
cause ripped tabs, lost shots and heartache.

Open the Back Door

100% chance of success if performed properly.

Since the basic issue at hand is the springs inside the back door of the camera are pushing TOO HARD
onto your film pack inside, the simplest solution is to just relieve that pressure. If this the first time
you’ve had the jamming problem with your camera, this solution is going to be the only one you can try
without ruining some of your film. More than likely you are either having trouble getting the darkslide
out of the camera, or you’ve taken your first shot and the white tab just won’t pull out.

If you did happen to rip your white tab completely off and there isn’t a remnant left to even grab with
pliers…you’ve lost this shot. You will need to pull the next tab in sequence to get that ruined shot out of
the camera, but in the process this next shot is also going to be wasted, but you should have a fresh tab
ready to go next. Though, if the next tab is also stuck, keep reading.

If there is even a little bit of the tab left you can save it by trying the following solution.

Open the backdoor of your camera ever so slightly. To do so, unlock the switch on the bottom but do
NOT open the door. You only want to unlock it. Should you open the backdoor, you risk exposing the
film to light leaks. With the backdoor unlocked, the pressure from those pesky springs should be
relieved and as such the darkslide or tab(s) should now pull freely. Open the door a little more if its still
stuck, but not too much because as you pull the white tab the 2nd larger tab should slowly appear thru
the rollers. If the door is open too far, the 2nd tab will miss the rollers.

When you begin to see even a tiny bit of the 2nd larger tab appear thru the rollers, close and lock the
back door. The tab, if not already removed, should come out and off the camera. The 2nd tab should be
fully sticking out the rollers as seen here.

With the 2nd tab ready to go, you can now pull your film and develop normally. The springs do not push
on 2nd tabs at all, so there’s no chance to rip it. Just pull straight out the camera as you would any other
time to begin developing your photo.

This should only need to be done for the first 1 – 4 photos. And when you finish off your pack of film,
you can they attempt some of the below solutions for something more permanent. But you can always
try the above technique and know you can save a stuck tab.

Swap the Film Back Plate

90% chance of success if performed properly.

Does not alter your camera.

Must be performed BEFORE loading film into camera.

So you know your camera has problems with Fuji film packs. You’ve either wasted a couple of shots, or
followed the instructions above on how to save your pack and tabs from wanton destruction. Great. But
now you want to keep it from happening again. So lets try something you can do before loading every
pack of Fuji film.

As long as you have not removed the darkslide from the pack, you can do this without fear of exposing
the film to light.

You will need an empty Polaroid film pack from which you remove the metal back plate.

Either pull it or slide it off the pack and do the same to the plastic one on the Fuji film pack.

Now, reverse it and put the metal back on the Fuji pack.

Hopefully you noticed how it slides/clicks onto the frame and this should go smoothly.
If not, remove the back and start from scratch. Don’t bend or break any part of the metal back plate.

With the flimsy plastic back plate gone, the springs should have little effect on your Fuji film.

Load the film into your camera and see if that solves your problem. And you can remember to do this
with every Fuji film pack from now on. You can keep the same metal back plate until, somehow, it
breaks.

If you still have stuck tabs, use the first solution to save your photos. And continue reading for the next,
more permanent, solution.

Remove the Springs

75% chance of success if performed properly.

Permanently alters your camera.

Those darn springs just won’t stop causing problems for your Fuji films.

It’s time they go.

You can drill out the rivets if you choose.

But a simpler choice is to just bend them back and forth until they snap off.

Try to do it as clean as possible, you don’t want some sharp, ragged edge cutting your finger one day.

With the springs gone for good, the pressure problem should be solved.

Without springs you don’t need to continue to try the back swap solution anymore.

This should solve the problem once and for all.

However, if your camera is a model with a built in development timer (mechanical or electric) in the
back door, there is one last solution to try.
Remove the Timer

Obviously this is only for models with timers built-in.

Permanently alters your camera.

Development timers come in two flavors.

Mechanical or electronic.

Both take up precious space inside the back door of the camera.

Both can cause the same pressure issue as the springs did.

Regardless of which timer you have; just get it out of there.

Drill the rivets, or just pry with a big flat screwdriver.

Depending on how you remove the timer, you could be left with a big gaping hole in the back of your
camera.

I find the electronic one’s inner parts can be removed while leaving the dial on the back of the camera.
Doesn’t do anything but spin, but there’s no hole to cover up.

Creatively cover the hole with something opaqaue. Opaque tape, paper, plastic, anything will work. Just
use common sense.

Hopefully this, once and for all, solves your Fuji jam problem.

If you’ve tried all the solutions here and still have the issue…then solution number one is your only
guaranteed work around.

Good luck and happy shooting.