Photography news, before it happens

Nikon second quarter financial results released – “Growth trends in the market for digital camera-interchangeable lens type are greater than expected in the previous forecast”:

• Revenue : ¥331.2B (Up ￥42.9B YoY)
• Operating profit : ¥ 13.6B (Down ￥10.8B YoY)
• Revenues grew on strong sales in the Imaging Products Business, increased sales volumes of ArF lithography systems, and consolidation of SLM in the Digital Manufacturing Business.
• Operating profit down on lower sales volumes of FPD lithography systems, the effects of reduced revenue in the Components Business, and increased expenses resulting from the SLM acquisition, etc.

Ricoh released its second-quarter financial results. Here is a recap on the camera business (reported under the “Other” category):

• “Other” sales increased by 20.5% compared to the previous Q2 to 12.3 billion yen
• Steady performance in the camera business reported
• Ricoh’s camera business has continued to be profitable in FY2022: “continued to perform well” in Q1 of FY2023 and in Q2 of FY2023.

Fujifilm announced its financial results for the first half of the year ending September 30, 2023 – here are the imaging highlights:

• Strong sales of instant photo systems and digital cameras boosted revenue by 19.5% year-over-year to JPY219.2 billion and operating income by 85.5% year-over-year to JPY49.4 billion.
• In the consumer imaging field, steady sales of the INSTAX instant photo systems drove revenue higher. The expansion of INSTAX film production was announced in September 2023, in response to increasing global demand for the INSTAX series. INSTAX Pal™, a palm-top size camera that allows users to take photos anytime and anywhere, was launched in October 2023. The camera is highly regarded in the marketplace for its features that make shooting experiences easier, and can be connected to the INSTAX Link™ smartphone printer series via Bluetooth to produce INSTAX prints out of images taken with it.
• In the Professional Imaging business, revenue increased significantly with the launch of the X-S20 in June 2023 in addition to the X-H2, X-H2S and X-T5, which were launched in the previous fiscal year. The latest addition to the GFX Series, the flagship GFX100 II, was launched in September and offers the highest levels of continuous shooting, AF and video performance.

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