We aim to capture 20% market share in Indian mirrorless camera market: Fujifilm MD

Riding high on the X and GFX series that continues to evolve with the outstanding image quality, fast speed and mobility, Fujifilm aims to capture 20 per cent market share in Indian mirrorless camera market, a top executive from the Japanese imaging giant has said.

Over the past few years, there has been a radical revolution in the digital camera market worldwide. The trend of using large, complicated DSLR with a bag of heavy lenses is moving towards a light-weight and compact range of mirrorless cameras.

Mirrorless cameras are primarily preferred due to their ease of use and compact body. Mirrorless cameras offer fast performance and are 50 per cent lighter than a DSLR camera which makes it a popular choice among users. Users are gradually shifting from DSLR to mirrorless camera which currently stands at 20 per cent share in value which is further expected to increase to 49 per cent share in value by 2020.

‘This certainly makes India a potential market for players in the mirrorless category and Fujifilm being the pioneer in this segment certainly has very aggressive plans to strengthen their position in the Indian mirrorless market. Our plan is to capture 20 per cent market share in the Indian mirrorless camera market in the next four years of time frame by heavily promoting the X and GFX series,’ Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India, told PCQuest.

And with the rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, photography has become affordable and has evolved both as a passion and hobby, which is further expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. With the changing lifestyle and usage patterns, camera enthusiasts have started experimenting with various cameras available in the market based on their evolving requirements. Millennials today are willing to take up photography as their career option.

Fujifilm as a company understands these needs of consumers and brings a camera that not only cater to the professionals but also to enthusiasts. One prime example is Fujifilm X series that offers great quality photos with excellent colours in a compact and lightweight body.

‘It will be our continuous endeavour to provide products that cater to the ever-changing needs of consumers. We will continue to evolve and offer products that best suit the consumer requirement. You can expect many new product introductions from Fujifilm this year,’ added Iwata.

Also, now smartphones becoming centre nucleus of our lives, offering innovative design and great camera capabilities, it will not be wrong to say that they are affecting the overall camera sales too. The evidence of this change is felt in the digital camera market, which has been rapidly declining during the past few years.

Smartphones cameras however great they might be, aren’t capable of competing against professional large sensor cameras, Iwata said, adding that for an average smartphone user, it does not matter how the size of the physical sensor would correlate to pixel pitch, resolution, dynamic range and high ISO performance, or how the physical size and optical construction of a camera lens could influence the look of their images, or the capacity to shoot high-quality 4K videos.

But, a camera enthusiast constantly looks for such impeccable features and smartphone brands are very far from delivering them.

In 2018, Fujifilm witnessed three times growth in the mirrorless camera segment and plans to grow at the same momentum in 2019. Most of the growth can be attributed to the booming wedding market in India which has in turn led a drastic rise in wedding photography as well.

Established in 1934, Fujifilm has diversified itself into newer markets and have built a strong presence around the globe. Apart from providing solutions in digital camera and photo imaging space, the company is also actively working towards manufacturing medical products, graphic arts, life science systems, motion picture films, recording media, and industrial products.

The medical division has been the key contributor to the company’s growth in India. The Amulet Innovality by Fujifilm is the latest mammogram technology that is available for screening cancer. Additionally, Graphic Arts have made significant growth since its inception in India, and Fujifilm is further aiming to grow through a strategic wide format printing business.

‘What sets us apart from our competitors is our desire to be a company that is able to provide effective solutions that meet the ever-changing needs of our customers. Through our innovative products using imaging technologies, we don’t believe in waiting for a Market to open we create a market for ourselves. This is the only way to survive competition,’ Iwata emphasised.