With the advent of SLR cameras and smartphones, the world of analog photography has crumbled. Starting in 2000, these new devices began to gain ground and the digitization process in this sector seemed unstoppable. This has not changed so far, but there is a category – that of instant cameras – that seems to have come out of the ashes.
At the turn of the century, Fujifilm opted to maintain its Instax range of instant cameras, whose most important selling point was its ability to take photos and print them on the spot. It didn’t work in those years. With a digital camera, the user could see the result immediately on the LCD screen and the same happened with mobile phones, which also offers the possibility to send photos to friends.
However, after a huge drop in sales in 2009, the company saw a certain resurgence of Instax use among young people in major cities in Japan. This new trend led Fujifilm to sell over 5 million instant cameras in 2015. In Spain, this category has also been a success for the Japanese company, growing to double digits in the last decade and selling 200,000 cameras and up to one million loads (rolls and paper) in 2019.
This is detailed in an interview with Europa Press, Daniel Pérez, head of the Instax segment in Spain, who hopes to recover from the pandemic (which left a 23% drop in business due to the closure) levels from previous years. “Fujifilm has relaunched the camera with a radically new concept, and sales have grown in a way that could almost be described as miraculous,” said the company, which now has an 83% market share in this category. products.
The Spanish manager is optimistic about the future and believes that this type of device still has a place. Events or travel sectors, where experience prevails and the ability to make (or provide) a printed image, are good examples of use that users give to instant cameras and could lead to this recovery. In addition, the pandemic has pushed Instax’s online sales to 60 percent of its total in recent months.
THE NEW INSTAX MINI 40
In this context, the company announced the launch of the new Instax mini 40, with a “vintage” design that tries to conquer a more heterogeneous audience (so far the majority audience for these cameras is young and female). Along with this camera, Fujifilm also introduces a new variety of instax mini-films, “Contact Sheet”, which mimics the look of a classic contact sheet of the film.
“With its classic and elegant style, the new Instax mini 40 is for anyone who likes to take and share photos,” said Toshi Lida, president of Fujifilm Europe. “Designed to be easily transportable, the camera is designed with a high quality texture and fits comfortably in one hand. The body of the glossy black room is accentuated with silver details, resulting in a sophisticated and timeless look. Synonymous with the iconic approach of the Fujifilm design camera, “he added.
The new Instax has an auto-exposure feature that automatically detects the ambient light level when you press the shutter button and optimizes the shutter speed and flash power depending on the scene. It allows even novice users to take photos that are properly exposed automatically, regardless of indoor or outdoor conditions, obtaining high quality photos instantly.
Users can also activate the Selfie mode to take selfies and close-ups. To do this, just shoot the front edge of the lens after they turn on the camera. “This makes it easier than ever to take a selfie and take close-up photos,” the company explains.
Instax mini 40 joins a versatile line of instant cameras and Instax printers for smartphones. This new Fujjifilm instant camera will be available at a suggested retail price of 99.99 euros and will be available starting April 21, 2021.