The French website Phototrend had the opportunity to visit the Fujifilm factory in Taiwa, Japan, which where many premium Fujifilm gear is made, but not only premium. For example, also Fujifim’s oldest X mount lens, the legendary Fujinon XF35mm F1.4 R is assembled here.
In this tour, Fujifilm will also tell you which is the most complex gear to manufacture. Spoiler: it’s this beast here, which consists of over 1,000 pieces!!!
There is lots of interesting stuff to read and see, but I found one sentence particularly interesting: “adjustment is the key to image quality“.
So while the assembly takes time and is indeed complex, all the micro-adjustments made during and after the assembly are crucial to ensure a consistent and high quality product.
Down is a quick summary where you can read all the details as well as some images.
Professional Imaging: X series, GFX series, cine lenses, broadcast lenses, etc
It’s safe to assume that the majority of the imaging division profits comes from Instax sales
But also the professional imaging department alone saw a revenue increase. In this regards, Fujifilm mentions the sales of the Fujifilm X-H2S, X-H2 and X-T5.
Strong sales of instant photo systems and digital cameras boosted overall revenue by 23.1% year-over-year to ¥410.3 billion and operating income by 97.1% year-over-year to ¥72.9 billion.
In the Consumer Imaging business, revenues increased due to strong sales of instant photo systems, color photographic paper and dry minilabs / materials. In March 2023, we launched INSTAX mini 12, the latest entry model of the INSTAX instant photo syste. We have also strated offering the smartphone app /NSTAX UP! that allows users to enjoy the digitized INSTAX photos on their smartphones.
In the Professional Imaging business, revenue increased as sales of new products from the X Series digital cameras, X-H2S, X-H2 and X-T5 which come with the latest, fifth-generation devices, fared well.
You can check out all the documents and reports at the dedicated Fujifilm page here.
The Fujifilm X Summit on May 24 is approaching and as a consequence speculations and hopes are rising about which cameras Fujifilm could announce on that day.
Well, today we can tell you with 100% certainty that the Fujifilm X-S20 will be announced during the X Summit on May 24.
The situation does not look much better at Amazon either.
Some stores even totally removed the X-Pro3 from their website, such as Wexphotovideo here.
As I told you from a parking lot, I believe the Fujifilm X-Pro line will continue to be an experimental line for Fujifilm and I am looking forward to see what the Fujifilm X-Pro4 will look like. As soon as I have rumors about it (as well as the permission to share them) I will let you know.
To be clear: I don’t know if these will be the only two cameras in 2023 or if there will be more. If there will be more, then those codenames could stand for other cameras.
Now, thanks to the help of a fellow FR-reader, we are able to tell you also when, according to the registration, these two cameras will be made public (see screenshots below):
So at least the May 26 date is not really accurate, as the FF220002 camera will be announced on May 24.
That’s why we should take also the second date, September 12, with a grain of salt.
But what we can assume pretty safely at this point is that there will be separate announcements for the FF220002 and the FF230001 cameras, with one coming in May and the other one probably in September.
So especially in regards to the camera that according to the registration might be planed to come in September, we must take that date with a grain of salt, as there is simply too much time between now and September and Fujifilm can change plans a couple of times until then. Assuming they even really have set a date for that announcement already.
So, I share the dates with you now, because that’s what the official registrations say, but don’t take them as something rocksolid.
Let’s have a weekend chat… and try to give an answer to a question I often get.
The story is this:
Back in March Fujifilm Spain displayed this camera roadmap, where they show two more cameras coming in 2023.
So the question I get often these days is: is this really all we will get in 2023? Two cameras and no more?
I can understand your skepticism, especially considering that even during the Covid pandemic Fujifilm has launched an average of 3 to 4 cameras a year, as we calculated in this article.
And if Fujifilm really was to launch two cameras only, then FujiRumors readers already know which ones these will be:
First off: it is not clear if the roadmap displayed by Fujifilm Spain refers to X series cameras only (hence APS-C cameras) or if it includes also GFX cameras.
If it was for X series only, then it we would get 2 X series cameras (one of them being the X-S20) and at least one GFX camera (as we rumored here).
The Spanish website Fujistas, who shared the roadmap and was present at the event, actually reported on them as being “two X series cameras“. So that would mean two APS-C cameras. So there is one I never rumored before that would still come in 2023.
But even if Fujifilm Spain’s roadmap would include the GFX cameras, than I’d not be 100% sure that all we get are really only 2 cameras.
Why?
Because internal roadmaps get regular updates and are often changed depending on the need of the moment. Fujifilm might postpone a camera launch, but can also anticipate its announcement. This depends on lots of things such as their own state in terms of development of new models, but Fuji can also look at what competitors are doing and in case step on the gas and work on releasing new gear faster.
Same happens with lens roadmaps, which are public. Fujifilm can announce and even show mockups of roadmap lens (remember the XF33mmF1.0?) and then cancel or change it. Other lenses get delayed, other never appeared on any roadmap, but suddenly hit the market (lots of the MKII lenses for example).
That’s why I personally would take any camera or lens roadmap with a grain of salt.
If it really was the most up to date roadmap and it would include also GFX cameras, then FujiRumors basically already told you which cameras will come in 2023.
But if’s only for X series or not the most up to date roadmap, then this means I have still some work to do to find out which other cameras could come in 2023.
In any case, stay tuned on FujiRumors. As soon as I can tell you something reliable, I will post updates here on the blog and on my YouTube channel.
Maybe some of this (or something else) will drop on May 24. In any case we can be sure there will be surprises (as it is with every X summit). So definitely stay tuned on FujiRumors for the live blog.
Fujifilm has released a video where they finally announce what FujiRumors is telling you since a weeks: there is no Fujifilm X Summit in April, but it will take place on May 24 (as we told you) in Bangkok. Fujikina will take place on May 27 also in Bangkok.
they announce new firmware for XF/GF lenses that reduces focusing noise with certain linear motor AF lenses, smoother aperture operation and improved focus tracking performance during zooming
GFX Grant Challenge program updates
Fujifilm X Summit in Bangkok announced for May 24
Fujikina Bangkok on May 27
FujiRumors has so far rumored two cameras and one lens.
Fujifilm has released firmware updates for plenty of lenses that will make the autofocus more silent, the aperture operate smoother and also give better tracking performance while zooming.
That’s a very nice upgrade especially for video shooters.
Not all lenses will get all these three updates. You can find the full detailed list below.
Stalman+ hosted Chris and Jordan on his YouTube channel. They talk about DRP shutting down, the Sony ZV-E1 and starting from minute 38:24 they also talk about all camera brands in a section called “Battle of the Camera Brands”.
Regarding Fujifilm, this is what Chris, Jordan and Stalman+ have to say (starts 57:05):
they talk about the peculiar vintage look that Fujifilm cameras have that can “outlast technology”
love of using, holding and being seen with beautiful cameras, that’s still a factor today. Other companies under-appreciated that factor
Chris says that a few years ago the talk in the industry was that you have to go Full Frame or you are going to die
Fujifilm very bravely said “let’s stick with APS-C and let’s go one better and make some awesome medium format cameras”
Chris said they could make a whole podcast on how successful that whole line has been for Fujifilm
they delivered lots of amazing APS-C lenses
Chris thinks this was a smart decision, especially now that we look at the new sensors on the X-T5
Fujifilm is doing a great job giving people what they want and not having to go full frame to do it
you get a solid camera that can do many different things, that looks great and that focuses “yeah…”
Staleman+ says Fujifilm is the only camera that he would shoot JPEG straight of of camera or do a non-LOG profile and actually use it
the X-H2S is a powerhouse for video
Jordan agrees and says that the X-H2S image is one of his favourite out of any format of camera, even comparing it to full frame especially in terms of dynamic range it keeps up really nicely
they also listen to us in terms of features. They were the first to let videographers do 48th or 96th of a second shutter speed. Shutter angle and waveforms still missing. Hopefully those will come in future
Jordan’s biggest issue with Fuji’s recent launches is that a lot of those cameras haven’t felt completely finished (occasional crashes even with production models, punch-in focus not as sharp as it was previously)
Jordan wants Fujifilm to go back to where they were, as the company known for giving you initially flaky products but then they would firmware update the hell out of them
Fujifilm has the base hardware to make some of the best cameras out there, but Jordan just does not 100% trusts them at this point
Staleman+ says he did not experience such huge issues and crashes, but certainly there are some things that could be improved
he adds that he appreciates the operability and physicality of the cameras, the dials etc. It’s so clear what you are getting into as you start operating it and he loves that about Fujifilm
Chris said that he appreciates that Fujifilm launched the X-S series of cameras that actually departs from the manual controls
if you don’t love the manual dial control and you want an alternative, they are offering it
Chris prefers the X-S handling
Staleman+ just likes the way they are running the company and also leading the way in some ways when it comes to video, for example with Frame.io integration
Kudos to Fujifilm for leading from behind, so being in the position of being a smaller company that are still showing real strength and leadership
So lots of great things are said about Fujifilm, and only two significant points of criticism: improve autofocus even more and keep delivering Kaizen firmware updates.
