The Instant Phenomenon - Fujifilm Instax

Did goe to a sales conference on the weekend and was greatly amused. Salesmen selling to salesmen is always a fun spectacle. And I like the fact that most of these conference places have bowls of mints on the table...I always wear a coat with big pockets...

Well, one of the topics that passed briefly was the Fujifilm Instax cameras and film. It would appear from what the retailers were saying that these cameras have become one of the necessities of life in Australia - a little behind air, water, and food, but in front of shelter and medical attention.

I am delighted - the Fujifilm company makes a good product in these modern instant cameras and their film is excellent - far better than that other instant product that we used to get in the 1970s, 80's and 90's. Fujifilm colours pop instead of flop, and they last as well - I know this from personal experience - there is a studio fish bowl full of test shots taken on Fujifilm FP 100C packs over the last 20 years, and the colours at the bottom of the bowl are as good as to ones at the top.

It would appear that the Fujifilm Instax cameras are big in the big retailers - they cycle through billions* of them each Christmas, and everyone else who wants to sell them needs to get their orders in early. So they do, and so we do, and you can snap away happily all bthrough the holidays.

The very success of the devices tells us that there is a reward that people feel from having a real photo in their hand. Seeing your face on a screen is all very well, and with a bit of care that image can be seen all over the known world - but we still treasure a picture of ourselves and our nan in a little frame on the bedside table.

Which accounts for the success as well of the Fujifilm Instax Share. It is a printer that converts a mobile device image to a real Fujifilm Instax Mini print. There are instructions with it that explain using the wireless transfer and help people to make the best use of whatever they have on their phone.

Of course some phones are better than others...my old Nokia does not actually take pictures but if you press the right buttons on it, people will deliver pizza to your door. I have always accounted this an advantage over just taking pictures - I have Fujifilm X-series cameras for this task and they perform it well - but they would be poor instruments to make pizza with...

Mmmm. Pizza...wonder how close we are to lunch hour...?

* It might not have been billions. I was busy eating mints at the time...