Snapping pictures on your smartphone may be the easiest way to capture your special moments, but they lack the special touch that tangible photographs can provide.

On the other hand, developing photos and taking your film to a print shop can also be time-consuming. That's where instant cameras come in they can snap your sacred, special moments and immortalize them in print.

We spoke with photography experts about the best instant camera options on the market and what to look for when shopping for one. Plus, we asked Select staffers for their top picks; I also tried several options, three of which made the final list.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

The Instax Mini 9 is a slightly older version of the Instax Mini 12. It is a favorite of Stroud's, for its travel-sized build and picture quality. "The size of the film is about the same as a credit card and the colors of the photos are more of a cooler tone, compared to Polaroid cameras. Like other Fujifilm cameras on our list, this one also has a selfie mirror, flash, and exposure settings. That said, while the Mini 9 will suggest an exposure setting, you'll have to manually adjust the dial the Instax 12 does this automatically. The 12 also has a built-in lens for close-up and selfie pictures, while the Mini 9 needs an additional lens attachment for the same. That said, it weighs less than a pound and only needs two AA batteries to get started.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 12

The Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 is the easiest, most affordable way to try out instant photography. The all-plastic camera offers easy one-button operation, bettering older models that require you to adjust the lens for different types of light. Instax Mini film is conveniently available online and in brick-and-mortar stores, while color and black-and-white options open up lots of artistic possibilities. The Instax Mini 12 is the camera to get if you want an instant camera just to have one. Teens and college-age kids should enjoy it to capture memories without the risk of leaving a digital trail. And it's sure to be a hit for family photographers who want to fill up a physical photo album or decorate their fridge.

Lomography Lomo'Instant Automat Glass

You Wil love the sharp wide-angle lens of the Lomo'Instant Glass, which takes the same film as cameras like the Fuji Instax Mini 12 but captures a broader view with sharper details. It's a good pick for shutterbugs who like to take photos of larger groups or who want to try out the artsy multi-exposure technique. The Lomo'Instant Glass costs more than double the more than the basic Instax Mini 12, so it's not as much of an impulse purchase. It's worth spending more if you like the look of a wide-angle lens (its view is similar to a 21mm full-frame lens) and crave sharper prints than you can get with plastic-lens alternatives.

Lomography Lomo'Instant Wide

Out of Fuji's three instant film formats, Instax Wide makes the biggest prints. The Lomo'Instant Wide is the camera to get if you're interested in taking instant and impactful snaps with that format. It offers more artist-friendly features than you get with the Fuji Instax Wide 300, including multiple exposures and a split-image attachment for the lens.

Photographers with an artistic eye are the typical target market for Lomography cameras. The Lomo'Instnat Wide requires some know-how to use, so you feel comfortable setting manual focus by distance and experimenting with the creative attachments before you purchase it. The big prints you get in the end are worth the effort.

Polaroid Now+

Although most of the instant cameras we recommend use Fuji Instax materials, Polaroid remains an option if you can make peace with the $2-per-picture pricing. For the money, you get prints that match up with the square format of SX70 and 600 series film from yesteryear. The Polaroid Now+ is the best camera you can get that works with the company's modern I-Type film. As for features, this model supports long and multiple exposures, as well as remote control over Bluetooth. The package also includes a set of lens filters; you can use those to add a color gel or get more dramatic skies from black-and-white film, for instance.

Photographers with an artistic eye or serious nostalgia for classic square-format Polaroid should enjoy the Now+ most. Today's Polaroid film is a little trickier to handle and use than Fuji Instax materials, but the 3.1-inch square format is roomier than Instax Square (2.4 inches) and offers a healthy dose of artistic options, including short-run materials like Black and Green. The Now+ has some features you don't get with the basic Now camera, but it's still a point-and-shoot with a plastic lens. Photographers who want to relive their Polaroid days with a semi-pro camera should look into a restored SX-70 from Retrospect instead.

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40

From a picture-taking standpoint, the Instax Square SQ40 is the same as the cheaper SQ1: It uses Instax Square film and supports one-button operation, without any bells or whistles. Whereas the plastic SQ1's brutalist aesthetics don't make for a pretty camera, the SQ40 goes retro and sports a more comfortable leatherette wrap.

If you want a basic Instax Square camera that simply looks good, the SQ40 is the one for you. It's just as much a fashion accessory as a tool for photography and should be fun to take to parties and trips around town.