写ルンです Gets New Variants After Nearly 20 Years — Active and Black and White Announced
The announcement was brief. But it was enough to make people stop.
On July 1, 2026, Fujifilm announced two new 写ルンです products: 写ルンです Active™ and 写ルンです Black and White™. Both are single-use film cameras in the same tradition as the current lineup — but they represent the first genuinely new variants in nearly two decades.
Before We Start
I have not used either camera. As of July 2026, neither has gone on sale. The Active is scheduled for early August; Black and White for September or later. Pricing for both is open and unannounced.
The following is based on Fujifilm's official 写ルンです website, the individual product pages, the official history page, and an ITmedia PC USER report covering the announcement.
New Variants at the 40th Anniversary
写ルンです was first released in 1986. This year marks 40 years.
Looking through the official history, the brand ran a wide range of variants through the 1990s and early 2000s — waterproof, panoramic, high-speed, telephoto, and slim models among them. The last new type, the 写ルンです NEW Waterproof 27, was released in 2007. After that, only the standard model was updated — redesigns in 2018 and 2025 — but no new variants appeared.
This announcement is the first addition of a genuinely new type since 2007, roughly 19 years ago. Fujifilm hasn't said why now, or why these two directions. But both models address specific situations the standard 写ルンです doesn't cover.
写ルンです Active — For Water and Gloves
The core feature is waterproofing rated to 10 meters.
The body is sealed in plastic for use in rain, snow, camping, and underwater photography. A large winding knob and lever shutter are designed to work while wearing gloves or in the water. A strap is included.
For reference: the original waterproof 写ルンです in 1991 was rated to 3 meters; the 2000 and 2007 models were similar. The 10-meter rating here covers shallow recreational diving and is a meaningful step up.
That said, without a camera to test, important questions stay open: film speed, real-world waterproofing reliability, and actual image quality underwater will need to wait.
Shooting Tips for the Active
These are based on general waterproof camera knowledge and the official specs — not firsthand use.
Get close to your subject underwater. Water absorbs light quickly. The flash range on 写ルンです cameras is around 3 meters; in water, effective reach is shorter. Getting within 1–2 meters gives the flash its best chance. Color also shifts with depth — red disappears first, leaving a blue cast — so staying close helps both sharpness and color accuracy.
Rainy days are where this camera earns its keep. Wet pavement reflections, rain drops on glass, the soft diffuse light of drizzle — conditions that make you protect a regular camera become the point here. A camera you don't have to protect is one you can actually use.
Inspect the seals before your first use. Waterproof performance depends on the condition of the seal. A new camera shouldn't have problems, but a quick look before getting it wet is a good habit.
The large knob and lever are useful in cold weather too. Ski trips, winter street shooting, anywhere you want to avoid taking off your gloves — the oversized controls work beyond water.
写ルンです Black and White — Any Color Lab Can Process It
The practically useful detail here: the film is C-41 compatible. No dedicated black-and-white chemistry needed.
Standard black-and-white films — Kodak TRI-X, Ilford HP5+, and similar emulsions — require traditional black-and-white processing (developers like D-76). Many labs don't offer this, and finding one that does adds real friction, especially for beginners. Chromogenic films — which form images with dye clouds rather than silver grain and process in C-41 — avoid this entirely. Ilford XP2 Super is the most widely available current example. If 写ルンです Black and White uses a chromogenic emulsion, you can hand it to most color labs to develop.
Fujifilm hasn't specified which film is loaded. "Sharp rendering and smooth grain" is the description on the product page. What the actual images look like will depend on the specific emulsion and won't be clear until real-world results appear.
On Black-and-White Photography
Shooting in black and white is not simply removing color.
In a color photograph, warm tones naturally pull the eye. A red object, a bright flower, a yellow jacket — they create a reading order automatically. Remove color and that guidance disappears. What's left is form, texture, and the relationship between light and shadow.
Another way to put it: black-and-white photographs are made from light and shadow. The same subject, same framing — but if the light direction or quality changes, the image changes. Color compensates for a lot; black and white has no such buffer. The direction, hardness, and intensity of light show up directly in the result.
This may mean more failures. It also means this: overcast light records skin and texture slowly and carefully; a shadow on a sunlit alley functions as a shape; a single beam through a window organizes space. Things that look ordinary in color can read differently without it.
Chromogenic films behave differently from conventional black-and-white emulsions. Because they form images with dye clouds rather than silver halide grain, they tend toward finer, smoother grain and gradual tonal transitions. Films like Ilford XP2 Super show almost no visible grain in good light, with grain appearing only at higher exposures. Whether 写ルンです Black and White follows this pattern depends on which film is loaded — but "sharp and smooth" is consistent with it.
Shooting Tips for Black and White
Squint before you shoot. Narrowing your eyes reduces color information and leaves mostly tonal contrast. If a scene still looks interesting after squinting, it's more likely to work in black and white. A rough check, but a useful one.
Notice where the light is coming from. A subject lit evenly from the front can look flat without color. Light from the side or behind creates shadows that give form and depth. In a city: gaps between buildings, a window-lit room — these are good places to start.
Use hard shadows as compositional elements. Direct sunlight creates crisp, high-contrast shadows. In black and white, that shadow becomes another subject: the shape of a staircase, the grid of a gate, the silhouette of a person. Learning to see shadows as shapes is one of the faster paths to intentional black-and-white images.
Get close to textures. Concrete, cobblestones, bark, small movements on water — these read richer as tone than as color. The 写ルンです has a fixed focal length, and distant subjects tend to lose definition. Working close plays to the camera's strengths.
The flash is worth using. The on-camera flash is direct and front-facing. In color this can feel flat. In black and white, the same light creates clear highlights and shadow that works well for snapshot portraits. At night or in low light, don't hesitate.
27 frames is the constraint that makes you decide. You can't spray and hope. Black-and-white photography tends to reward the pause before the shot. The limitation is the practice.
Who Is This For?
These are inferences from official sources. I haven't shot with either camera.
写ルンです Active suits:
- People who want a film camera they can take into water — surf, rivers, rain — without worrying about it
- Anyone wanting a casual option for shallow diving or active outdoor use
- Shooters who want to stop managing their camera and react to conditions
写ルンです Black and White suits:
- People curious about black-and-white film who want to skip the specialized processing obstacle
- Anyone who wants the simplicity of 写ルンです while working without color
- A low-commitment starting point for black-and-white film photography
Both are probably not for:
- People who want to choose their own film, ISO, or processing chemistry
- Anyone who wants to keep using the same camera (both are single-use)
- Shooters managing their film and development budget closely (27 frames, prices unannounced)
Things to Check After Release
- What film is loaded, and what is the ISO rating? (especially Black and White)
- How reliable is the Active's waterproofing under extended use or temperature variation?
- How does pricing compare to the standard model?
- Do these new models work with the 写ルンです+ app (digital scan delivery via convenience stores)?
- What does the grain and tonal range of Black and White actually look like?
The announcement itself is worth noting. 写ルンです expanding its lineup after nearly 20 years suggests that interest in film cameras has stayed real enough to justify it. What the cameras actually produce is a question for after they ship.