Fujifilm and the photo you can still hold in your hands

In a world where the most influential hardware builds robots and artificial intelligence, an instant camera put Fujifilm among the 10 most important companies on the planet.

Every year, TIME magazine publishes a list of the 100 companies most changing the world. In 2026, among companies making artificial intelligence chips, drones controlling 70% of the global market, and robots already working on car factory floors, Fujifilm showed up. A company that, among other things, makes a little camera that prints a small, slightly blurry photo that smells like chemistry. That camera is called Instax.

The surprising part isn't just that Fujifilm made the top 100. It's that they also landed in the top 10 specifically for hardware, sharing the list with Nvidia, DJI, and Boston Dynamics. To understand how unusual that is: it's like someone on a bicycle winning a Formula 1 race.

"Instax cameras look quaint by comparison — and that's exactly the point."

That's how TIME contributor Rachel Brodsky put it. In a year when the planet's most important hardware processes millions of data points per second, Fujifilm stands out for making something that processes nothing at all: a photo that actually exists, that you can touch, stick on your wall, or hand to someone at a concert.

The numbers back it up. Since the Instax line launched in 1998, Fujifilm has sold over 100 million cameras and printers worldwide. And the engine driving that growth isn't adults — it's people under 30. The same generation with the best smartphone in their pocket chooses to shoot analog at weddings, shows, and get-togethers. Not because they don't know how to use technology, but precisely because they do — and they're choosing something different.

To keep up with that demand, Fujifilm announced its third production expansion for Instax film in four years. This isn't a side project: the company has been setting records in its imaging division and treats the TIME recognition not as a trophy, but as confirmation that the strategy is working.

That has real implications for people interested in serious photography and video. A company with a well-funded imaging division is one that can keep developing cameras like the GFX100RF and X-E5, push firmware updates, and launch new lenses. Instax's success, in a way, funds the ambitions of the most demanding photographers.

Fujifilm has been in the imaging world for over 90 years. Today it makes everything from semiconductor materials to medical diagnostic equipment, but its imaging division president was clear: photography is still the cultural heart of the company. The technology has changed, but the core idea has been the same from the beginning — connecting people through images.

In a year where everything competes to be faster, smarter, and more connected, sometimes the most powerful thing is something you can simply hold in your hand.