Fujifilm brags that it has "found a new gold mine" – but what IS it?

Fujifilm is doing well. Real well. So well, in fact, that its president and CEO is bragging that he has "found a new gold mine".

It's well known that the camera industry has been in decline for years, but Fujifilm has been bucking the trend by finding great success where others have seen struggle. Indeed, not just success but growth. 

• The best Fujifilm cameras certainly set a gold standard for imaging

"The photography business was a stagnant business, but I found a new 'gold mine'," Teiichi Goto, Fujifilm's head honcho, told Japanese business daily Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. 

So then, what is this gold mine that the manufacturer has discovered?

According to the newspaper, Fujiflilm "shows signs of success. The operating income of the Imaging segment in fiscal 2022 is expected to double to ¥72.9 billion [approximately $521.3 million / £421.8 million / AU$804.5 million] compared to the previous fiscal year.

"The company's Imaging segment includes the instant camera 'Cheki' and the digital camera 'X series'. In particular, it seems that the promotion of digitization, starting with the smartphone printer 'Link Series', contributed to the increase in earnings."

Cheki is the name of the Instax brand in Japan – and it is this segment in specific that has bucked the collapse of the camera market over the last however many years. 

However, while it was well known the best instant cameras have been a huge success for Fujifilm, this confirms that the best portable printers are also doing gangbusters business. 

The Instax Mini Link 2, Instax Square Link and Instax Link Wide have been big hits with consumers – and they're some of our personal favorite photographic devices too. 

So, the question is… given that Instax cameras and printers are such a gold mine for Fujifilm, when are we finally going to see a successor to the Instax Wide 300?

If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in our reviews of the Instax Mini 12, Instax Mini Evo and Instax Square SQ1. And don't forget to ask, what kind of instant film do I need!