Fujifilm: film sales decline is slowing

Fuji X10
The trend for all things vintage has influenced Fuji's digital division

The rate of decline in analogue film sales is not as bad as expected, according to Fujifilm.

Speaking to TechRadar, Gabriel DeCosta, Product Manager for Fuji's film division, told us that it was "not all doom and gloom" and the division had plenty to celebrate.

"We're still profitable with our film, and while we are still seeing a decline, it is not as aggressive as it was six months ago.

"We're not entirely sure why, it could be to do with Kodak's decline, or it could be thanks to the resurgence in retro cameras, Lomography and that kind of thing," he said.

"The decline is not as bad as we had expected, or forecast for."

Although Kodak announced last week that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, it also maintains that its film division is still turning a profit, despite the increasing prevalence of digital cameras.

Comeback

It's fair to say that in recent months and years, there has been a serious resurgence in the popularity of analogue film, with companies like Lomography cashing on in on the trend with a range of plastic cameras that produce unpredictable results.

Even digital photography has been influenced by older models, with companies such as Olympus producing the PEN series of aesthetically retro cameras, and Fujifilm itself producing a host of very popular X Series cameras which also have a vintage feel.

Looking to the future, DeCosta said, "I give it three to four years, at least, before we start to see problems at Fujifilm, but even that's just a guess, nobody really knows the answer."

Along with the recent rise in popularity among amateurs, film still has a healthy market with various groups of people, including photography students and some professional photographers.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.