Analog Revival: Why film photography is back

Across India, film photography is moving from subculture to a serious practice again. Film roll orders have surged by over 120% since 2020, with manufacturers struggling to keep up. After decades of decline, the industry is now on a steady upward curve, with the broader film camera market growing at around 5% annually and projected to continue expanding through the decade. Some estimates place the vintage and analog films-camera segment at nearly $3.54 billion by 2031, reflecting a sustained global appetite

This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a behavioural shift.

What’s changed is intent. Digital made photography effortless, flattening the process. Film brings back friction, limited exposures, thinking, delayed gratification, which is the point. It forces decisions, slows you down, and makes every frame count. For a generation raised on infinite images, constraint has become a creative tool.

The industry is responding accordingly. Kodak has expanded production capacity multiple times to meet rising demand, even upgrading factories to keep pace. Leica continues to invest in analog alongside digital, reinforcing film as a premium practice rather than a relic. And in 2024, Ricoh Imaging released the Pentax 17, its first new film camera in two decades designed specifically for a new generation entering the medium.

A parallel ecosystem is taking shape. Beginners aren’t just picking up point-and-shoots; they’re learning exposure, chemistry, and archival practice. Independent labs, scanning services, and community darkrooms are seeing renewed interest. Even commercially, film is being integrated into professional workflows not as a gimmick, but as a visual language digital still struggles to replicate.
Which is where this next step comes in.

The Revolver Photography Club, launched with the support of The Panchrome Project, aims to catalyse and accelerate the country’s growing interest in film photography. It provides the infrastructure, services, and guidance needed to move from curiosity to practice - towards a deeper and more meaningful engagement with the medium.