Why are analogue cameras experiencing a comeback?

Summary

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Business Daily (BBC World Service): Why are analogue cameras experiencing a comeback?

Air Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Sean Allsop

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Episode Overview

This episode of Business Daily explores the unexpected resurgence of analogue (film) cameras in an age of ubiquitous smartphone photography. Host Sean Allsop investigates why film photography is making a strong comeback, who is driving this revival, how much it costs today, and the broader implications for businesses and culture. The story unfolds through visits to Berlin’s analogue camera scene, conversations with shop owners and workshop leaders, and insights from a senior Fujifilm executive.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Allure of Analogue in a Digital Age

(Starts at 01:10)

• The episode opens with nostalgic sounds of flashes winding and snaps—reminders of a photographic era thought to be eclipsed by digital technology.
• Sean Allsop observes, "I thought it was just a niche nowadays, but actually it's turning into a real money maker." (01:35)
• The appeal of film: tangible, intentional, and associated with a sense of occasion and presence.

2. The Berlin Camera Scene – Safelight Shop

(03:10–07:02)

• Sean visits Safelight, a Berlin camera shop run by Chris Morgan, exclusively focused on analogue.
• Chris recounts starting at flea markets in 2019, only to discover a widespread demand for film cameras across Germany.
  • "We realized after a few times of doing this that there's a huge, huge demand...across the whole country, basically there's a million people shooting film that we didn't realize." (03:39)
• Best-sellers: Film development is the biggest business, with weekly sales of hundreds of films and a strong market for point-and-shoot cameras—once "for your grandma," now the hottest items for young people.
• Celebrity Influence: Cameras like the Contax T2 skyrocketed in popularity and price after being pictured with celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Timothée Chalamet.
  • "Just from these celebrities using the cameras, like a few years ago, the prices doubled, tripled within a few weeks." (05:49)
• Prices: Entry-level cameras start around €60–€70, but collectible models fetch up to €2000.

3. The Real Cost – Film Development & Scarcity

(07:02–09:12)

• Inside Safelight’s development lab: Old Noritsu film machines run full tilt with a six-person team, developing up to 250 films daily.
  • "Standing here surrounded by machinery that's older than myself is pretty cool. But it's also a reminder of why costs are quite high." (08:04)
• Equipment is scarce and expensive; average development cost per roll is now $10, up from $4 in 2005—well above inflation.

4. Big Industry Perspective – Fujifilm’s Shifting Focus

(09:33–12:10)

• Guest: Yuji Igarashi, General Manager, Professional Imaging Group, Fujifilm Corporation
• Fujifilm, once worried as analogue collapsed, is increasing film production and seeing surging global demand—especially among youth.
  • "The resurgence of film and quick snaps or single-use film camera is what we did not foresee, especially among a young audience." (10:54)
  • “The younger generation intentionally choose to slow down, which I believe is some kind of counter movement to the ever accelerating digital society.” (11:14)
• To meet demand, Fujifilm is expanding production capacity for Instax and film products by 20% by the end of 2025.

5. The Human Side – Community, Process, and Experience

(13:19–16:44)

• Sean attends a photo workshop in Berlin run by Italian photographer Emilio Vittoriosi.
  • Workshops quickly sold out, even on weeknights: “Suppose that no one was coming...but was sold out always. No, stop. So then we started to do like also twice or three times a week.” (13:37)
  • Format: Cameras and film supplied, group photowalk, then hands-on development session in the darkroom.
• Participant Reflection: “The result is unexpected and...the sense of community is really nice, like doing this together.” (14:51)

6. The Price of Nostalgia

(16:44–17:35)

• Emilio recalls when a roll of film cost 80 cents; now, it's €9–12, some selling for as much as €20. The fair price for film, development, and scanning is "under 20 bucks."
• Cost drivers:
  • Factory closures
  • New environmentally friendly chemicals (expensive to produce)
  • Lagging supply vs. fast-growing demand

7. Why Do People Love Film?

(17:35–19:02)

• Chris Morgan: “Everything is pushing you towards digitalization...I think that this, you know, you have to wait for your photos, you have to take time, you have to compose...this is really though, you know, the thing that people really like. There's not this instant, instant gratification.” (17:59)
• Emilio: The physicality of film and the unrepeatable nature of each shot is central: "When you have a camera, you are never bothered. Basically you can be everywhere." (18:50)
• For Sean, the process feels grounding: “It made me focus on what's in front of me. From the greens of summers to those nice bright colors. You really learn to see a sunny day with a camera in your hands.” (19:02)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We realized after a few times of doing this that there's a huge, huge demand. And we realized how big the analog scene was.”
  — Chris Morgan, Safelight (03:39)

• “Just from these celebrities using the cameras, like a few years ago, the prices doubled, tripled within a few weeks...now they've kind of held steady. I don't know if it's a bubble or not.”
  — Chris Morgan (05:49)

• “The resurgence of film and quick snaps or single use film camera is what we did not foresee, especially among a young audience.”
  — Yuji Igarashi, Fujifilm (10:54)

• “The younger generation intentionally choose to slow down, which I believe is some kind of counter movement to the ever accelerating digital society.”
  — Yuji Igarashi (11:14)

• “Everything is pushing you towards...digitalization. Everything is so fast and so this instant gratification...This is really...the thing that people really like. There's not this instant, instant gratification.”
  — Chris Morgan (17:59)

• "Photography is really everything. It's collecting every part of the life. It's something that you can bring everywhere with you. And I think when you have a camera, you are never bothered."
  — Emilio Vittoriosi (18:50)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:10 – Sean introduces the comeback of analogue cameras.
• 03:10 – Safelight Berlin: Starting from flea markets to full-scale business.
• 04:15 – Best-selling products and celebrity impact.
• 05:49 – Camera price hikes and market speculation.
• 07:02 – Inside the film development lab; high costs, old equipment.
• 09:33 – Interview with Fujifilm’s Yuji Igarashi; company’s adaptation to renewed demand.
• 13:19 – Photo workshop immersion; appeal for new generations and community aspect.
• 16:52 – Rising costs of film: Emilio’s personal experience.
• 17:59 – The emotional and experiential appeal of film; why people cherish it today.
• 19:02 – Sean’s closing reflections on the present-moment awareness provided by film photography.

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Conclusion

The episode presents analogue photography’s revival as a counter-response to digital saturation: driven by nostalgia, tactile experiences, creative limitations, price challenges, and a longing for presence and community. The comeback creates thriving opportunities for independent businesses, renewed growth for industry giants, and a new appreciation for photographic craft among digital natives.

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Transcript

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Do you remember this noise? This was one of my favorite sounds growing up. Flashes winding up and snaps. The traditional camera. As the digital world grew, that sound disappeared. Until recently when I started hearing those sounds again as people are now stopping to capture a moment the old fashioned way. I thought it was just a niche nowadays, but actually it's turning into a real money maker.

[F]

But was sold out always. No stop.

[G]

We're meeting the rising demand of these cameras. They've had a real comeback.

[A]

I'm Sean Allsop and on this episode of Business Daily from the BBC World Service, I'm exploring if analog photography is having a resurgence. Who can benefit and what's the price of taking a good picture? The camera, one of mankind's greatest inventions. The act of capturing an image has transformed how we see and interact with the world. First invented in 1826 in France and made commercially available by 1839, the camera has evolved over nearly two centuries. Today there are two main analog and digital. Analog cameras use film rolls to capture images, offering a limited number of shots, while digital cameras store thousands of photos on memory cards. The rise of smartphones with built in cameras led to a major shift in how we take and share photos, pushing traditional cameras out of the mainstream. Digital remains dominant, but analog, like many older formats, never completely disappeared. In fact, analog photography is experiencing a quiet comeback. So who are the people behind this revival? And is this return to film just a passing trend or something more lasting? Hey there. Is that Chris?

[G]

Yes, Sean.

[A]

Right. I've come to the heart of street photography in Berlin, Germany. I'm visiting a camera shop called Safelight. It's a pink room with vintage cameras and film rolls. The shop sells analog cameras and accessories exclusively. It's run by Chris Morgan, who was raised in the United States, who started the business in 2019 and has seen it grown as orders are flying through the door.

[F]

Amazing. Thank you.

[D]

So this is from all over the country, like people sending us the film to develop. We slowly started as in like the flea markets and kind of in these. In these little markets just with a stand. And then we realized after a few times of doing this that there's a huge, huge demand. And we realized how big the analog scene was. We thought it was just in Berlin because it's a cool city like in Germany, but we realized then across the whole country, basically there's a million people shooting film that we didn't realize in small towns and villages. They all discovered their cameras from their grandpa or their. Their parents.

[A]

And. Do you mind just giving me a tour, like some of the best sellers stuff here?

[D]

Okay. I mean, the biggest thing that we do sell for us is the film development itself. Selling. Yeah. I don't know, per week, 100, 200, 300 films. Then the biggest seller that we have is the cameras on the other side of the shop there. All these point and shoots. This is the. What all the kids want to shoot these days. They are super simple. You literally just turn them on and you can shoot. Yeah, my eyes.

[A]

My eyes.

[D]

I will turn the flash off. Yeah, it's like very mechanical sounding and it's point and shoot. It has auto focus, it has flash, also has the zoom. Can zoom in and out. And basically it was made for. Yeah, your grandma to be able to shoot photos back in the 90s and 2000s. So now this is what most of the kids buy. It's tiny. It's maybe the size of a phone, basically.

[G]

In the.

[D]

In the end, we have price ranges from I think it starts around 60, 70 up till just on this shelf is around €300. And then we have our fancy stuff that's back behind the counter and the prices go up to about 1500, €2000 for one little small camera. It's crazy. It's a lot of. I mean, the Internet is obviously the big factor. Yeah, collectors. And now the hype. There's a bunch of celebrities shooting film. I mean, I think it's been talked about a lot, but there's like this Kendall Jenner, I think the Tim Fish Chalamet was soon. Exactly. They're all shooting the really expensive camera which we have the, we have the gold version here.

[A]

Oh, it's so expensive. It's behind the counter.

[D]

So this is the Contax T2, which is like the most hyped camera since the new wave of all this stuff happened. This is a gold version and it jumped from. We were selling them around €400 I think when we started. And then it jumped to over a thousand. This is right now 1800 because it's special, special edition gold and everything. But just from these celebrities using the cameras, like a few years ago it, the prices doubled, tripled within a few weeks and now they've kind of held steady. I don't know if it's a bubble or not, but we're kind of. Yeah, I think at the top of the bubble. I don't know how much longer it's going to last, but it's already been eight years. So let's see.

[A]

Chris's top price camera at €1800 or just over $2000 might be out of most people's price range, but that's not stopping people wanting to get these cameras in their hands. The Cognitive market research firm and estimates the global market for film photography is almost $440 million in 2025, a rise from $360 million in 2021. However, purchasing a camera and film is one thing. The other element is paying to get them developed. As Chris takes me across the street to their development lab.

[H]

Hello.

[D]

Yeah, we got the full team here today. I think we're six people, so it's pretty full. We're a little behind in our scheduling.

[A]

Around me is a busy room filled with people cutting film strips and placing them into machines to be scanned and developed. Honestly, it feels like I've stepped back in time.

[D]

So these big machines right here, these are the film developing machines. They're from a brand called Noritsu. They're from, I guess the late 90s, early 2000s, maybe even older. Actually, this is what most labs start with. It's, it's, I know cost around 15,000 I think right now for one of these scanners. So yeah, Mick here, he's doing. Usually we have one person handling three scanners is that is our goal. So he can set up one scanner. These two scanners are scanning, he's setting up the third. By the time he's done. Usually he comes back and here would be then ready to put the next film in. So that's how we can keep up and try to get to close to around 200 and or 250 films scanned a day. On average it's about five minutes per film.

[A]

Standing here surrounded by machinery that's older than myself is pretty cool. But it's also a reminder of why costs are quite high. There isn't much of this equipment left in circulation. And what does exist struggles to keep up with demand.

[D]

It's quickly going through all of the photos. It's going to now be pulled up on the screen. And then Mick here, he's going to go through and edit them slightly. We've already set up all the scanners to our liking, but you can change everything from the colors to the density. And yeah, he goes through very quickly. As you see, within about a minute or 30 seconds, he's gone through quickly. Our average is about 200 to 250 a day. Last year we were around 55,000 was the amount of films that we had to develop. And yeah, here in Berlin, it's a very, very photography friendly city. There's about 10 labs I know of, I think in the city between five and 10 labs and they're all, I think have at least 50 rolls a day that they're developing. So yeah, I don't know if it's just us, but I think it's a trend in the whole world that people are shooting film.

[A]

The average cost to develop a roll of film is now $10, roughly tripled what it was 15 years ago, outpacing inflation at $4 in 2005. While seeing how the renewed interest in analog photography has benefited independent businesses like Chris's in Berlin, I wanted to know how it's affecting the bigger players in the photography market.

[G]

Hi, I'm Yuji Igarashi, General Manager of Professional Imaging Group of Imaging Solutions Division, Fujifilm Corporation.

[A]

Fujifilm in Japan has been developing cameras for almost a century and is one of the world's leading suppliers. They slowed down on producing analog products, but recently boosted its manufacturing in this area. Like with their disposable single use cameras, Quick Snap Instax, analog camera and photography film. As Yuji recalls, the company has had a front row seat as consumers switched from analog to digital cameras.

[G]

Even before the demand of photographic film began to decline, we were anticipating the digitalization in photography. In the 2000s we faced the threat of losing its core imaging business with a rapid digitalization demand for photographic film. Which had been the company's main business, peaked in 2000 and began to decline, falling to less than 1/10 of its peak level by 2010. With smartphones, taking photos has become more accessible than ever. Anyone can capture an image instantly, but what we're seeing now is that more people want something beyond that. The resurgence of film and quick snaps or single use film camera is what we did not foresee, especially among a young audience.

[A]

So what's been your reaction to a newer audience being attracted to this type of photography?

[G]

Many young users are becoming interested in photography as a hobby. This is great news for us since this means there are more people interested in photography. We're thrilled to see young generation embracing the way we used to experience photography in the past. The younger generation intentionally choose to slow down, which I believe is some kind of counter movement to the ever accelerating digital society. We're meeting the rising demand by making sure more people can get their hands on these fun, easy to use cameras. They've had a real comeback with the rising popularity of Instax cameras. Demand for Instax film has been increasing globally for a while now, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. To keep up, Fujifilm is actively expanding its production facilities, with the latest expansion set to boost film production capacity by 20% by the end of fiscal year 2025. The key to keeping this market growing is to continue to look forward into the future, plan ahead and continue to invest in relevant technologies as a photographic company.

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[A]

I wanted to find out for myself why people are engaging in analog cameras. So still in Berlin, I joined a popular workshop called Photo Studios and it's run by its owner, Emilio from Italy.

[F]

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[H]

Yeah, I think so.

[G]

It's been a while.

[F]

I'm Emiliano Vittoriosi and we are at Berlin Photo Studio. The last year I started this workshop. Then you pull a bit here and then close. Yeah. And then in beginning I started to do that and was sold out. Every Monday I was doing in the Monday evening. Suppose that no one was coming in the Monday evening, because, I mean, people work the day after, but was sold out always. No, stop. So then we started to do like also twice or three times a week. It's really easy, the concept. We give to them the cameras, we give to them the rolls and then we go out, we shoot pictures together and then we come back and we develop the pictures. Rolling.

[G]

Cool.

[F]

Yeah, just close, do another roll and it's good to go.

[A]

I'm joining the analogue workshop with about 10 other people as we explore the city taking photos. It's a chance for me to find out what's the appeal to all this.

[F]

If you like, we can sit together or you can just split, maybe meet here in one hour.

[E]

What you.

[A]

What do you enjoy about this, what we're doing?

[H]

I think like the result is unexpected and. And just like walking around and like the sense of community is really nice, like doing this together. In fact, this is something that I used to do when I was very young. Yeah. I would like to come back to it. That's why I'm doing this course, to basically figure out the techniques, thinking more on the present.

[A]

And also, look, I just saw Vespa. You got. Apologies. I got to take a photo of this bed. I will snap.

[H]

Are you on focus?

[A]

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[G]

Let's see.

[H]

So now we are going to the dark room. First we need to go downstairs. Take these stairs.

[A]

It's a cellar. It's quite sticky downstairs with everyone in the dark room. We're developing our photos the retro way. And just like you'd seen in the films and tv, the room glows under red light to keep the film reels safe. And then comes the next step with Emilio cutting our film reel. And a first for me, recording in pitch black.

[F]

In the dark. Don't turn any light. So don't take your phone. You know, if you have a watch or what else Apple watch, turn on. Okay. Because light sensitive. So we will burn the film what we do is like taking the roll out. I mean, until now I did over 2000 rolls without seeing anything. I think is enough.

[A]

Wait, can I just double check this? So you're working just with, you know, what you're doing just by sound alone. It's this darkness.

[H]

Yeah, I cannot believe it, really.

[A]

Okay.

[F]

So lights are on.

[A]

While this entire workshop experience has been fun, it certainly isn't as cheap as it used to be. As Emilio explains, I'm from the 90s.

[F]

So you know, I mean, I have seen a bit like the evolution of the deconstruction and the construction of the things. So the roles, a film role back 12, 13, 14 years ago was costing to me 80 cents. Nowadays it cost 9, 45, 10, 12. I mean that different buys. I've seen people also sell for 20, but still, like it's a lot of money. A fair price for me is like a roll plus dev develop and plus scan. If can stay under the 20 bucks is nice.

[A]

The prices of film continues to rise for several reasons. Many factories have closed down. New environmentally friendly chemicals, which require more advanced and costly production methods are being developed for processing. And production has slowed, unable to keep up with the growing demand. But for camera shop owner Chris Morgan and workshop leader Emilio, it's about more than just the kit you're using.

[D]

It's kind of this like everything is pushing you towards, you know, digitalization. Everything is so fast and so this instant gratification. And I think that this, you know, you have to wait for your photos, you have to take time, you have to compose, you have to do all this stuff and you have to think about the money aspect. This is really though, you know, the thing that people really like. You know, there's not this instant, instant gratification. And I don't know, this has some, I don't know, has something there. There's something tangible about taking the photos.

[F]

On film as a feeling, you know, when you touch something is completely different. And you know that. I mean, when you shoot the picture, you just shoot the picture. You are not there watching, re watching, you know, and deleting or what else. It's just you're shooting the picture. I don't know. I mean, photography is really everything. It's really everything is collecting every part of the life. It's something that you can bring everywhere with you. And I think when you have a camera, you are never bothered. Basically you can be everywhere.

[A]

Whether or not analog photography keeps selling. For me, the act of taking these photos felt like stepping back in time knowing that every shot came at a cost. Made me more present. Choosing moments that truly stood out with my friends or a beautiful scene. It made me focus on what's in front of me. From the greens of summers to those nice bright colors. You really learn to see a sunny day with a camera in your hands. This has been Business Daily from the BBC World Service, produced and presented by me.

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