Fujifilm aims to stregthen foothold in digital market

Fujifilm, a major Japanese photographic film and camera manufacturer, is set to foray into the high-end portable digital camera market while enriching its product portfolio, which is hoped will result in a larger market share in China, a company official said Friday.
Fujifilm showcased the FinePix X100, its latest model capable of producing photos equivalent to digital single lens reflex quality, at the company's new product announcement conference in Beijing Friday, which Fujifilm is banking on to set foot in the high-end market for portable cameras.
The FinePix X100 is expected to hit the Chinesemarket in March, retailing for around 10,000 yuan ($1,521.12), according to Hiroshi Kawahara, operations manager at Fujifilm's electronic imaging products division.
The move into the high-end market could help the company gain a larger market share in China, Kunio Aoyama, manager for digital camera division at Fujifilm (China) Investment Co, told reporters at the conference.
In addition to the FinePix X100, another 14 new models targeting entry-level to mid-level users were also announced at the conference for the Chinese market.
Fujifilm's digital camera shipments to the Chinese market account for 11.2 percent of total shipment of member companies of Japan's Camera &Imaging Products Association to China, according to figures from the association, which tracks data for 14 major camera makers. This compares to less than 9 percent in 2009.
The growing Chinese market for digital cameras increasingly offers big opportunities for manufacturers, analysts believe.
The market for digital cameras in the country is estimated to grow steadily around 10-20 percent annually, said Liu Xueyan, an industry analyst at market research firm iSuppli in Shenzhen.
While the launch of the FinePix X100 may help Fujifilm get noticed, it may be difficult for the company to depend on the device to enter the high-end digital camera market mainly targeting professionals and photography lovers, given the established rivals such as Canon and Nikon, Liu said.