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Fujifilm: The Current State and the Future Challenges

Comeback of an Old Friend

For us long time Fujifilm lovers, Fujifilm manager Toshihisa Iida (the manager who said Fujifilm will NEVER go Full Frame) was arguably the most representative face of the Fujiflm X/GFX series of the last 10 years.

Sadly for us (but congratulations to him), Toshi left the electronic imaging division once he got promoted to President and Managing Director at Fujifilm Europe back in 2020.

I must admit I was a bit worried when the Toshi left, as I felt that the Fujifilm X/GFX series was in safe hands as long as he was in charge.

He did run the business with huge dedication, passion and vision, as can also be seen in this in this brilliant documentary (MUST WATCH !!!), that gives an intimate look into his life and work as imaging director.

I honestly thought it would be hard to replace a manager like Toshihisa Iida.

But if I look at all the crazy stuff Fujifilm has released in 2022, all my worries dissipate.

Under the new management, Fujifilm has not only continued to work hard and believe in its imaging division, but they also gave us the most release intense year I can remember, with three higher end camerasfour XF lenses and one GF lens. Plus some accessories, such as the legendary cooling fan and the TG-BT1 Tripod Grip.

The Future Seen Through Fujifilm Managers Statements

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Fujifilm Managers Talk X-Pro4 :: Firmware Updates :: Good, Bad, Struggling Stock :: Roadmap Lenses Displayed :: & More – Top 10 February

Here are the top 10 articles for February grouped in two categories:

  • most clicked articles
  • most commented articles

In the second category, only those articles will by linked, that were not already in the first list.

Most Clicked Articles for February

  1. Fujifilm Managers Interview: Talking Fujifilm X-Pro4, Autofocus, Fujifilm X-T5 Sales, 5th Generation GFX, X100V Demand and More
  2. Good Bye Fujifilm X-T4: My Best X-T4 Experience and the Lens I’ll Buy with Money Earned from its Sale
  3. Fujifilm Firmware Update for X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s
  4. Fujifilm X100V Stock in Fall 2023? The Bad (X100V, X-E4, X-Pro3), the Good (X-T5, X-H2S, GFX) and the Struggling (X-H2)
  5. Cosina Announces Voigtländer NOKTON 35mm F0.9 and Voigtländer ULTRON 27mm F2 for Fujifilm X Mount
  6. When my Old XF23mmF1.4 Beat Sony Full Frame and other Wonderful Moments (but now Welcome my New XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR)
  7. BREAKING: New Third Party Autofocus X Mount Lens Coming Soon
  8. Surprising Price Drops on Selected Fujinon XF Lenses (Not Listed on New Official Fujifilm Deals)
  9. Viltrox 75mm f/1.2 Reviews – The Praise Continues!
  10. Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 for Fujifilm X Mount Development Announcement

Most Commented Articles for February

  1. Fujifilm Firmware Update for X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s
  2. Fujifilm Managers Interview: Talking Fujifilm X-Pro4, Autofocus, Fujifilm X-T5 Sales, 5th Generation GFX, X100V Demand and More
  3. BREAKING: New Third Party Autofocus X Mount Lens Coming Soon
  4. Tamron 11-20mm f/2.8 for Fujifilm X Mount Development Announcement
  5. Cosina Announces Voigtländer NOKTON 35mm F0.9 and Voigtländer ULTRON 27mm F2 for Fujifilm X Mount
  6. Fujifilm Patents Fujinon XF 200-600mm F5.6-8 and XF 100-600mm F5.6-6.3
  7. Leaked Specs: Sigma 23mm F1.4 DC DN for Fujifilm X
  8. RUMOR UPDATE: Upcoming Third Party Autofocus X Mount Lens is NOT from Chinese Manufacturer
  9. First leaked image of the new Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 X lens
  10. CP+ Images: Fujinon GF30mmF5.6 Tilt Shift and GF/XF Roadmap Lenses, Tamron 11-20mmF2.8, Voigtländer 35mmF0.9 and 27mmF2

Best Selling Gear 2022: Fujifilm X-T5 Dominion, Lens Surprise and About Entering a Photography Store with my Wife ;)

And the best selling Camera, Fujinon lens and Third Party Lens are... click the Image to find out
Click the image (or read below) to find out the best selling Camera, Fujinon lens and Third Party Lens

Best Sellers 2022

It’s time to look back at what sold most among the FujiRumors community in 2022.

The data is based on affiliate sales made via Amazon and BHphoto.

Sadly I don’t use the data of Adorama, as I have not found an easy way to display and rank the products. All I get is a list of numbers like “1236.5478.701164” and then I have to click on each number to see which product it is.

For the sake of my mental health, I can’t do that.

TOP SELLING ACCESSORIES

  1. Custom X Hot Shoe Covers
  2. Fujifilm NP-W235
  3. SanDisk 256GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card
  4. X-T5 Screen Premium Glass Screen Protector
  5. Nitecore FX3 Dual Battery Charger
  6. Lexar Professional 128GB CFexpress Type B Card

Finally the custom X hot shoe covers are widely available on Amazon, and it seems people love them (I own them too).

As for Nr.2 and Nr.5 on the list, these items definitely profited from the launch of the Fujifilm X-T5 and X-H2/s as for many of you, those cameras were also their first X series using the newer battery.

Interesting:

Most people went for the original battery as opposed to the third party options (just as I recommended in my article). I’ve even made the sum of the best selling third party NP-W235 battery options (Smallrig, Poweextra and Wasabi), but even in that case, the original battery has a distinct and safe advantage.

When it comes to the dual charger, most picked the third party Nitecore option over the original dual charger. I own both chargers and I have quickly explained the difference between the two in my top 5 recommended X-T5 accessories.

The fact that there is no selfie screen on the X-T5, also forced us X-T5 shooters to buy X-T5 protective glass.

TOP SELLING GEAR OVERALL

  1. Fujifilm X-T5

I make a prediction: the Fujifilm X-T5 will be matched in terms of sales only by the Fujifilm X-T6. The only camera that has a chance to even come close to it, would be an eventual Fujifilm X100V successor (the Fujifilm X200, or X100Vs, or X100VI or however they are going to call it).

TOP SELLING CAMERAS

  1. Fujifilm X-T5 – 65.5%*
  2. Fujifilm X-H2S – 13,8%*
  3. Fujifilm X-H2 – 13,6%*
  4. Fujifilm X-T3 – 2,7%*
  5. Fujifilm X-S10 – 1,6%*
  6. Fujifilm GFX50SII – 0.8%*
  7. all other X and GFX series cameras – 2%*
    * of total camera affiliate sales on FujiRumors

In a normal year, the X-H2 and X-H2s would have been celebrated as top sellers with respectable sales number.

But 2022 was not a normal year: it was the year of the Fujifilm X-T5!

The X-T5 came here to do what it has to do: demolish the internal competiton and establish itself one more time as the top tier in the Fujifilm lineup. In fact, it was responsible for 65.5% of total camera sales via FujiRumors.

A pity for the Fujifilm X100V, which is basically out of the ranking just because it hasn’t been available most of the time. If supply would have been normal, I think it would have made it into the top 4 positions.

What about the last year best seller, the Fujifilm GFX100S?

Well, it has been beaten by the Fujifilm GFX50SII, but only by 1 camera. So it’s basically a head-to-head. That’s astonishing, considering that the GFX50SII was in offer basically for the entire year with several more or less massive rebates, whereas the Fujifilm GFX100S saw it’s first time ever rebate only very recently.

So, despite Fujifilm being much more agressive with the GFX50SII, the GFX100S stands its ground and is actually about to pass the GFX50SII thanks to this sweet deal.

TOP SELLING LENS OVERALL

  1. Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4

Surprised? I certainly was initially.

I mean, how can a lens announced back in 2019 become, by far, the best seller in 2022?

The explaination is simple: the XF16-80mmF4 (as well as the XF18-55mmF2.8-4) enjoyed a substantial sales push because it was offered in bundle with Fujifilm X-T5.

But this alone would not be enough.

Fujifilm also initally shipped out way more X-T5 kits than body only, so if we wanted to wait less for our new camera, we had to grab the X-T5 kit. And this makes Fujifilm more money.

Cynical?

Probably, but Fujifilm is just a business as many others, and other companies are no different. And yet, I wish Fujifilm would have done differently.

Anyway, the good thing is that if you bought it with a bundle, you got the lens for a discounted price. That’s already nice. And you always have the option to sell it “like new” so you should get back most if not all of the money you’ve invested in the lens. Or simply use it and enjoy the lens :).

TOP SELLING FUJINON X/GFX LENSES

  1. Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4
  2. Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR
  3. Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8
  4. Fujinon XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4
  5. Fujinon XF 30mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro
  6. Fujinon XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR
  7. Fujinon GF 20-35mm f/4
  8. Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
  9. Fujinon GF 35-70mm f/4.5-5.6
  10. Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8
  11. Fujinon GF 50mm f/3.5 on par with Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR

We have a rocksolid performance for the XF56mm f/1.2 MKII. No need for deals or bundles to push that one.

Excellent sales (and very close to grab the second spot) is the Fujinon XF150-600mm f/5.6-8. Looks like a wise decision by Fujifilm to make it smaller, lighter and more affordable thanks to its f/8 on the long end.

Oh… and I made the mistake to enter a photography store with my wife… here is what happened.

So, the lovely new 30mm Macro enjoyed great sales, too. I handled one in store myself, and if my wasn’t for my wife being in the store with me, I probably would have left the shop with one for myself. But my wife just asked “don’t you already own a Macro lens“? And since I had no brilliant answer to give, I passed. Please guys, advice me on what to say next time ;).

On Nr.7, an all time favorite for many of us, the lovely Fujinon XF27mm f/2.8 R WR.

In the GF world, the new GF 20-35mmF4 is selling strong.

A crazy good deal is also pushing the GF35-70mm to great sales. For 500 bucks you get a compact allrounder zoom lens capable of resolving 100+ megapixel. It would be too good to pass also for me, if I’d not already own the GF32-64mmF4.

And yes, I know there is an unwritten rule that every list should end with the Nr.10, but the sales of the lenses on the 11th position were so close to the XF16-55mmF2.8, that I felt I need to include them.

For Fujifilm, I guess the biggest disappointment are the sales of the video-centric Fujinon XF 18-120mm f/4 PZ. I guess it’s a niche lens within a niche brand, so one can not expect all too stellar sales.

TOP SELLING THIRD PARTY LENSES

  1. Viltrox 13mm f/1.4
  2. Tamron 18-300mm
  3. Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8
  4. Sigma 56mm f/1.4
  5. Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8

There was a time, when the third party ranking was dominated by manual focus lenses. But those times are gone.

Since Fujifilm took the (long delayed) decision to open their mount, other companies like Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Viltrox, TTArtisan and Samyang started to offer X mount AF lenses. A decision rewarded by Fujifilm X shooters, who now prefer to grab third party autofocus lenses over the manual versions.

And 2023

Well, I can’t say what will sell best in 2023, but I am confident that all the lenses on the current X and GFX roadmap will do very well.

Out of the lenses in the X and GFX roadmap, the one that intrigues me personally most is the GF55mm f/1.7 followed by the XF 8mm f/3.5.

As for cameras… well, for that, my friends, you’ll have to read FujiRumors also in 2023 to find out :).

Follow FujiRumors on Patreon, Facebook, Instagram, RSS-feed, Youtube, Flipboard and Twitter

Top 3 Cameras of 2022

X/GFX Deals End Soon

FujiRumors 2022: Most Read Article, Day with Most Contacts (Surprise: Not X-T5 Launch) and More

My son shows signs of Superior Intelligence - shared on @fuji_rumors Instagram
My son shows signs of Superior Intelligence – shared on @fuji_rumors Instagram

Another year is over. And these are the numbers:

  • 832 blog posts written in 2022
  • 88 rumors shared
  • 97.6% correct rumors (rumor check here)
  • 59,586 comments (average of 72 comments per article)
  • 100% Free ;)

And which one was the day with most contacts? The launch of the X-T5, right?

Well, I’d have bet on it too, but it wasn’t the X-T5 launch.

There was another day that generated significantly more traffic and we will unveil it below.

Most Read Article

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

DPRTV and Ted Forbes 2023 Predictions: Fujifilm X-Pro4 and Dedicated Video Camera

DPRTV teamed up with Ted Forbes to predict the future of the Fujifilm system for 2023.

They predict two cameras:

  • Fujifilm X-Pro4 with 40MP
  • dedicated video camera

I won’t make any comment on anything at the moment, because as you can imagine, I am looking deep into 2023 already, and when the time has come and all the checks are done, I will drop 100% accurate rumors for you.

So for now take their predictions as what they are: fun speculations and wishes.

The FujiRumors community has a clear idea on what they want for 2023.

For the X series the most wished camera is indeed the Fujifilm X-Pro4 followed by the Fujifilm X100VI (or X100Vs or X200 or however Fujifilm is going to call the Fujifilm X100V successor).

For the GFX series, the top wish could be summed up with one word: speed!

List of Fujifilm Related Gear launched in 2022

These are Your Top X and GFX Camera Wishes for 2023 – and They are Quite Clear on What You Want!

I’ve looked at the results of your future X camera wish and future GFX camera wish.

Here they are… and what they tell us.

X series

  1. X-Pro4 with 40MP
  2. X100V with 40MP
  3. X-Pro4 with 26MP stacked

GFX gear

  1. GFX100R with 102 MP BSI stacked sensor
  2. GFX100T with 102 MP BSI stacked sensor (the X-T styled GFX concept)
  3. GFX100S with 102 MP BSI stacked sensor

Conclusion for X series

There is a tendency to prefer more megapixel over more speed. And as a Fujifilm X-T5 owner myself, I can understand why: the X-T5 is plenty of fast enough for most of us thanks to the brand new processor. Plus, the 40MP sensor gives us the best dynamic range on any X series camera.

But most importantly, the list is dominated by rangefinder cameras.

So, after a year full of DSLR styled cameras (X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s), people are hungry to see something happening on the rangefinder front… and I am totally with you guys!

Conclusion for GFX series

Stacked sensor makes the top of the list. Which means that contrary to the X series, for the GFX series people desire more speed rather than more resolution.

List of Fujifilm Related Gear launched in 2022

Ronaldo, Messi and GFX :: Fujifilm X-T5 :: The Revenge of the X-T4 :: Fix This Fuji :: X-Pro3 Class Action & More – Top 10 November Articles

Here are the top 10 articles for November.

  1. Fujifilm X-T5 – FULL SPECS and PRICE LEAKED – Same EVF of X-T4 and More Details
  2. The Revenge of the Fujifilm X-T4: Declared Best Mirrorless Camera by Germany’s Most Prestigious Consumer Organisation (and X100V Best Compact)
  3. I am Sorry Fujifilm, but You MUST fix This NOW (a Firmware Request and a Workaround)
  4. Size Comparisons: Fujifilm X-T5 vs X-T4 vs X-T3 vs X-H2/s
  5. LEAKED: First Fujifilm X-T5 Images
  6. Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 for Fujifilm X mount Listed at Stores – Announcement Imminent?
  7. National Geographic Top 10 Travel Cameras 2023: Fujifilm X-T5 “Reigning Champion” and X100V (3rd), X-S10 (7th)
  8. After Summit Wishlist: Fujinon XF70mmF2 and XF23mmF2 MKII Mock-ups
  9. Fujifilm X-Pro3: Class-action Lawsuit Filed for Falsy Advertising ‘Reliable Durability’
  10. SIMPLY the BEST: Messi and Ronaldo Meet the Fujifilm GFX100S of Annie Leibovitz

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The Latest Gear

Fujifilm X-T5 Stock Check

Fujinon XF30mmF2.8 Macro Stock Check

→ USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama
→ Worldwide: AmazonCA / Amazon of Your Country
→ UK: AmazonUKWexUK / ParkCameraUK
→ EU: AmazonDE / AmazonIT / AmazonFR / AmazonES  / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch / PCHstore

X-T5 Other Countries

Fujifilm Managers Interview: About Internal Camera Memory, X Pan Aspect Ratio, ISO Button Gate on X-H2/s and More – FujiCast

In the lastest Fujicast episode, Kevin and Neale have, among the others, a talk with Fujifilm UK manager Andreas Georghiades and they also go to the Fujifilm headquarter in Japan and talk to product planers.

Needless to say, the talk mostly gravitates around the Fujifilm X-T5. Down below is a summary as well as the podcast to listen.

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Blame the Fujifilm X-T5…

Have you noticed that cameras like the Fujifilm X100V, X-E4, X-T30/II, X-Pro3, X-S10 are out of stock in many places?

And why is that?

A sudden brilliant influencer marketing campaign by Fujifilm?

Nope. ;)

You have to blame the Fujifilm X-T5 for that!

In 2022, Fujifilm has launched three crucial cameras for their future: Fujifilm X-T5, Fujifilm X-H2s and Fujifilm X-H2.

And why are they so crucial for Fujifilm?

  • X-H line can potentially bring more new customers into the Fujifilm X system
  • the X-T* line is Fuji’s bread and butter
  • higher end cameras have more profit margin than cameras that cost $1,400 or less
  • niche cameras like X-Pro3 don’t make nearly as much money as more mainstream cameras

So what Fujifilm did is simple: they knew that by March 2023, when the Japanese fiscal year ends, they absolutely must ship out as many X-T5, X-H2 and X-H2s cameras as possible. And given the parts shortage, they had to reserve most of the remaining parts for those three cameras.

And especially the Fujifilm X-T5, Fuji’s most important camera, is one that can not fail on the shipping front.

That’s why Fujifilm is extremely well prepared with the Fujifilm X-T5, and that’s why B&H Photo will be able to ship out all pre-ordered X-T5 cameras on day 1 (and they still have X-T5 left in the warehouse).

That’s valid also for other vendors, who will very likely also have a decent stock (but I did not talk to other vendors, so this is just my guess). Except for certain retails for the reasons I explained in the comments to this article.

In short: if you are looking for an X-Pro3, and X100V, X-T30II and X-E4 or any other camera you can’t find in stock, then blame the Fujifilm X-T5 for that.

X-T5 USA Pre-Orders

Fujinon XF30mmF2.8 Macro Pre-Orderrs

  1. USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama
  2. Worldwide: AmazonCA / Amazon of Your Country
  3. UK: AmazonUKWexUK / ParkCameraUK
  4. EU: AmazonDE / AmazonIT / AmazonFR / AmazonES  / CalumetDE / FotoErhardt / Fotokoch / PCHstore

X-T5 Other Countries

X-H Cameras

New Fujifilm X and GFX Holiday Savings Include Rebate on GFX100S – But is a Successor Really About to Come?

I can see why this speculation is coming up:

  • it’s the first time ever we have a significant rebate the stellar Fujifilm GFX100S
  • traditionally Fujifilm launched its most important cameras between January and March (GFX100S, X100V, X-T4, just to name a few), because that’s the last quarter of the Japanese fiscal year and Fujifilm wants to push sales with its biggest hits before showing up with the final figures in front of investors

Given the two reasons above, the speculations came up that we are likely going to see a Fujifilm GFX100S successor in the next few months, latest by March 2023.

And since I also got this question via email a lot today, here is what I can say so far.

I have received zero rumors about a Fujifilm GFX100S successors.

And not only that.

I have also zero hints, whispers, indications, nothing of nothing at all.

So we have two options now:

  1. the Fujifilm GFX100S successor is Fuji’s best kept secret of all times
  2. we won’t get a GFX100S successor anytime soon and certainly not within March 2023

Not a rumor, but based on 10+ years of rumor blogging, I’d say that in 99,9% of the cases option 2 is the correct one and everybody thinking the GFX100S successor is imminent will be terribly disappointed.

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