Digital cameras are staging a surprising sales comeback for the first time since the iPhone era, as Generation Z rejects the over-processed look of smartphone photos. Data from the Camera and Imaging Products Association show camera-only orders more than doubled in five years to $5.5 billion in 2025, helped by young consumers who are willing to buy devices that in some cases cost more than smartphones.
The rebound has given camera makers some relief after a difficult decade. Global sales peaked at 121 million units in 2010, then fell to 7.7 million in 2023 before rising to 9.4 million last year. But the recovery is now threatened by rising prices, and it is still unclear whether the trend reflects a temporary fad or a deeper backlash against both smartphones and the flood of AI-generated content.
Fujifilm executive Yujiro Igarashi, who oversees the popular X series, said 70% of his customers are in their 30s or younger and want to slow down in an era of constant digital overload. He said smartphone photos often look “artificial,” adding, “People are overwhelmed by all this technology and the things they feel they need to do all the time, like checking the phone, seeing what is happening, responding. There is a tendency to try to fight that, and digital cameras are a big part of that.” Fujifilm has tripled production of its $1,800 X100VI, but Igarashi said demand still outstrips supply.
The retro trend also extends to instant film and secondhand cameras. Fujifilm said Instax instant-print cameras, once mostly used at weddings and major events, are now part of everyday life for teenagers. The company launched the Instax Mini Evo Cinema earlier this year for TikTok users, with a camera, recorder and printer that creates 15-second retro-style clips. Fujifilm’s imaging division revenue rose 15.7% last year to 627 billion yen, or $3.9 billion, more than doubling over five years, while Canon posted similar gains.
Used-camera prices have also soared. At Tokyo’s GT camera shop, manager Masaki Madela said a black Contax T2, first released in 1990, once failed to sell even for 9,800 yen, about $60, but is now listed for 275,000 yen, or $1,655. That surge has sparked accusations of price gouging, but manufacturers say they had to move upmarket to survive after smartphones shrank the market. Analyst Ichiro Mitsukoshi of BCN said the average digital camera now costs $600 versus $455 for a smartphone, calling the prices “absurd” for ordinary buyers and warning the boom may not last. He said the biggest long-term threat could be Chinese rivals such as Huawei and DJI. Igarashi added that Fujifilm must figure out how to serve Generation Alpha, the first AI-native cohort, saying, “They treat AI as a friend, as a teacher, so we need to think about how to incorporate AI into our products.”
