Fujifilm’s Instax instant film is blowing up across the globe, more growth still to come

by Gannon Burgett

posted Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 11:13 AM EDT

Here at Imaging Resource, we tend to look at the digital side of things when it comes to Fujifilm, particularly their growing line of X-series cameras. But, it’s not just pixels that are selling for the Japanese-based camera company whose roots are firmly planted in the analogue world.

According to a PDF document from Fujifilm Holdings, the sales of Fujifilm’s Instax instant film – and accompanying cameras – has grown exponentially year over year, with projected numbers for this year and next set to keep that trend going strong.

With Polaroid out of the picture and Impossible Film costing more than your average consumer is willing to pay for the experience1, Fujifilm’s Instax lineup seems to have successfully carved its niche in the world of film.

In addition to numbers, the PDF points out that Fujifilm’s main target market for Instax cameras are young women and teens. Of course, it’s not limited to these demographics, as the data also notes certain segments of Fujifilm’s Instax business are marketed towards young adults and families.

Chris Gampat of The Phoblographer points out it shouldn’t be too surprising to see these impressive numbers from Fujifilm, as Amazon’s Best Selling film item is a 10-pack of 5-shot Fuji Instax film cartridges, with nine of the top ten also being Instax products. It would be 10/10, but for some reason GoPro’s HERO4 Black is listed at number 10, despite not being analogue by any means.

 
 

 

For film enthusiasts, it’s an encouraging reminder that not all analogue imagery is dead. Sure, Fujifilm’s Instax lineup isn’t geared much towards the professional market on many levels, but if anecdata (anecdotal data) is anything to account for, I’ve noticed a trend of many professional photographers using Instax cameras and films to supplement their other work as a means of quick and easy feedback and tangibles for clients.

(via r/Polaroid via The Phoblographer)


  1. Impossible Film costs approximately US$3.00 per shot, whereas Instax averages between US$.75-US$1.00 per shot, pending how much you purchase at a given time.