Fujifilm Financial Results for FY2019/3 1st Quarter
Fujifilm just published the 1st quarter results for the Financial Year 2019. Fujifilm confirms to be a healthy company, but the overall operating income in the imaging solutions segment went down 2.2%…
“due to such factors as upfront R&D investment for next generation processor and sensor for digital cameras and others.”
There is one country, where like no other, Fujifilm mirrorless cameras are selling like hot cakes and dominate all other brands: Narnia Thailand!
It might seem a phantasy tale, but it’s true.
Today I can share with you the precise numbers of the growth (see below), as well as Fujifilm Thailand’s new goal: 50% market share of the entire compact (they probably mean mirrorless*)interchangeable lens camera market (see above)!
50% market share of the entire mirrorless market might sound foolish, but if you look at the detailed data down below, you will see that they are already not too far away from that goal.
We know that in Thailand the X-A line (and very likely also the X-T100 line) sell incredibly well, 2 lines that in Europe and USA don’t have much appeal (maybe the Fujifilm X-T100 could find some bigger fellowship over here… it certainly deserves one).
* Fujifilm managers said in March 2018 to dpreivew: “In Thailand, our market share for mirrorless is over 40%.”
* Fuji Guys Billy said in February 2017, that “Fujifilm is Nr.1 brand in Thailand“. He does not specify if DSLR is included, but it seems from the video he is including DSLR cameras, too.
* in 2016 a source told me that “Fujifilm was the best-selling MILC in 2015, outselling all the Canon interchangeable lens cameras (DSLR and those EOS-M lines) combined“
* a Manager said to Spanish website in 2016, that ““there is a little known fact: in Thailand, for example, X-A series outsells Canon!”
Anyway, Nikon is confident, and promises “a leap into a new dimension that will last for the next 100 years“.
We know very little about the upcoming Nikon mirrorless camera. So let’s wait until August 23 before we discuss the camera more in-depth.
But what we can discuss now, is what Nikon’s and Canon’s move into the mirrorless world means for Fujifilm X and GFX lovers.
… FUJIFILM IS HAPPY…
Fujifilm managers said here that they welcome CaNikon Full Frame mirrorless cameras, because…
“[…] having those strong brands in the mirrorless marketplace increases general awareness of mirrorless, and that’s a good thing for the whole industry.”
Many people, who currently still think that DSLRs are the only real professional tool, might start to think differently, once they see that even Canon and Nikon start to cannibalize their own high-end DSLR market in favor of their new mirrorless offering.
And this is where Fujifilm (and other mirrorless manufacturers) have their opportunity.
If the message finally passes that “mirrorless is the future” (and it is the future), plenty of DSLR users (who are mainly APS-C shooters, as Fuji Guy Billy correctly said in his X-T100 first look here) will start to migrate to Mirrorless.
Maybe many will just go to CaNikon mirrorless, but at least Fujifilm has the chance to finally attract some of those mirroless-migrants to their X or GFX systems by offering already today:
28 APS-C Fujinon lenses
2 APS-C MK video lenses
3 APS-C flagships (X-T, X-Pro and X-H line)
Plenty of APS-C mid range and entry-level cameras
2 Medium Format Cameras (GFX 50s and very soon an affordable GFX 50R)
6 Medium Format Lenses (more to be announced soon)
It remains to see if the mirrorless-migrants will be patient and wait years for Canon and Nikon to build up a complete new system, or if, since they have to change system and change lenses anyway (unless they use adapters), they will directly switch to more established and experienced mirrorless brands like Fujifilm (APS-C or MF) or Sony (FF),
… AND X/GFX SHOOTERS ARE HAPPY TOO!
What would Fujifilm be today, without the pressure they got from Sony, Panasonic and Olympus? Probably a much worst system than it is today. So, competition is a good thing.
That’s why I hope that the Nikon mirrorless camera will be a top performing camera and very rich in features, a real flagship!
It will motivate Fujifilm (and other companies) to work even harder and to invest even more money into their camera system, and hence improve and expand the Fujifilm system even faster.
So thank you Nikon… thank you Canon… for finally joining seriously the mirrorless side of life… just please, let it be awesome mirrorless cameras ;) .
So today’s question is: is there any reason why Fujifilm should go Bayer also on higher end APS-C Fujifilm X-series cameras?
WARNING
Some people do probably not have the 5 minutes of time it needs to read this article. They will read the headline, and arguing in favor or against X-Trans/Bayer by default :) .
So for those people, who refuse to read the article and don’t go beyond the headline, I will at least make a bullet-point list, in the hope they will read that one at least.
This is a super short condensation and simplification of more complicated subjects, and as such it is naturally an inaccurate list. Each point will elaborated and clarified in all its shades below.
X-Trans Pros
less color noise at high ISO
less moiré (an advantage that will become negligible once APS-C sensor go beyond 30MP)
sharper compared to cameras with same pixel number and optical low pass filter, unless the processing in camera is very aggressive, like on X-A5 and X-T100
more pleasing “film-like” grain at high ISO
Bayer Pros
20%-30% less processing power required (possible benefits listed below)
cheaper to produce than X-Trans
Brutally short conclusion:
X-Trans is better for image quality
Bayer is better for features and speed, unless Fujifilm can compensate for the extra 20-30% processing power required by the X-Trans sensor with a more powerful processor (present in Fujifilm X-T3), new sensor tech for faster sensor readout (maybe stacked sensor) and better heat management (present in X-H1)
If you want, you can now start your 5 minutes reading time :)
Confused by all the rumors? Then let’s put some order into the big buzz :)
So first I’ll give you an accurate timeline and then, down below, the detailed rumors with reliabily rating and working link to every single rumor.
Also consider…. we are working on Fujifilm X-Pro3, X200 and all other rumors, but we will share only once we have something more reliable in our hands. Hence, don’t panic if you don’t see your dream camera listed below. It does not necessarily mean it won’t come, but only that for now we have no solid rumor about it share.
Well, here is what happened after I asked you suggestions:
over 900 of you guys dropped a couple of thousands of suggestions in the comments – see here
I segregated myself in my room for a couple of days, read all your suggestions for countless hours and finally summed them all up into 30 lenses – see here
It was a terrific work not only for me, but also for you guys, since you invested lots of time to discuss, recommend, argue, in order to help me to make the best list possible.
And now all we can do is hope… hope that Fujifilm listens.
So which are actually the most wanted lenses by the Fujifilm community? The answer is… here!
… but here on FujiRumors we do not make up rumors, or keep up regurgitating old ones, just to have something online.
If you decide to invest your time on FujiRumors, then it must be time well spent, hence we only share rumors when we have fresh ones.
This is why sometimes you might have to wait a few weeks before brand new rumors will be published, but it seems that your waiting is over, since I expect a wave of rumors coming.
According to our trusted sources, the Fujinon XF 8-16mm f/2.8 and Fujinon XF 200mm f/2 will be announced in July.
As we already told you months ago, the XF 200mm f/2 will come with the new 1.4x teleconverter, since current teleconverters only perform well down to f/2.8, but not f/2.
this is the Fujifilm X-H1 IBIS unit placed into the Fujifilm X-T2
Fujifilm’s Current IBIS
Some FujiRumors readers have a hard time to believe our rumor, that the Fujifilm X-T3 won’t have IBIS. And you always do good to doubt, since there are undoubtedly lots of fake and wrong rumors surfacing on the web all the time… but not here on FujiRumors ;) .
And yet, despite sharing about 100 rumors a year with a statistic accuracy of 95%+, you should always take also what we write with a grain of salt.
Hence, in order to give some substance to the rumor the X-T3 won’t have IBIS, I decided to give you 2 facts.
