The video is Italian and he runs over the latest gear with his usual captivating way.
But there is one sentence said by Andrea that I’d like to highlight today.
During the presentation Fujifilm said that right now they are the 3rd brand in terms of worldwide sales but they want to dethrone the current second best selling brand.
I am not sure how Fujifilm is currently the 3rd best selling brand.
So as Andrea in the video also suggest, Fujifilm might include their Instax division in this ranking, which I guess technically is still Fujifilm imaging division, but it would be like BMW saying they want to overtake VW car sales, but include their motorbike sales in the equation: you can do it, they are all motorised vehicles, but it’s not really fair.
Anyway, dear Fujifilm, I’d have an idea on how you would become Nr.1 overnight with only your mirrorless gear: how about you ship all gear people can’t currently find in stock?
And I speak not only about the Fujifilm X100VI, but at your own online store in Japan you have marked all your X/GFX cameras as out of stock. The shortages are chronic. There are periodical and prolonged order stops in certain parts of the world. Some of the shortages we had in Asia are now spreading also to the West (see X-T5 bodies at BHphoto).
Anyway, of course the above was a meeting with the Italian press and the marketing tends to fly high during these events. And I am certainly happy to see Fujifilm aiming to grow and take over market positions. But I wonder how this can happen if even gear launched 2+ years ago is mostly out of stock for years.
Oh well, I certainly wish Fujifilm all the best. But I’d be happy also with the 4th spot as long as we get our gear in a reasonable time.
It would certainly be very high in the ranking for my taste, but I believe the Fujifilm X100VI still holds the throne as best looking Fujifilm camera.
Is this essential to know which X series camera is the best looking one?
Nope
Does it change the fate of the photography universe?
I don’t think so.
But it adds a bit of uplifting lightness into a discussion that is often way to heated in the photography forums, where we battle about the curve quality of the bokeh balls in the top right corner of the image and where we count the number of false color pixels after a 27 stops shadow recovery.
So, feel free to add lightness to this world by telling us in the survey and in the comments which camera you consider the most beautiful one.
I guess X-E line lovers now have mixed feelings, between the joy of the line not being axed and the frustration of still having to wait so long.
Personally, the Fujifilm X-E5 camera is the one camera I will instantly pre-order. I mean, my lovely Fujifilm X-E3 starts to show its age compared to the my Fujifilm X-T5.
And I am not really that interested in the specs, as long as it has the 5th generation processor, the latest autofocus goodness and the new Reala Ace film simulations.
The lack of any of the three features I mentioned above would be a dealbreaker for me.
Nice to have would be the 40MP sensor, IBIS and a simple tilt screen, but no dealbreaker if they are not available on X-E5.
One more thing I hope for and would make the X-E5 perfect for me, would be the combined ISO/Shutter dial we find on the Fujifilm X100VI and X-Pro3. That would be beyond awesome if Fujifilm would put that on the X-E5.
Anyway, that’s my quick features wishlists.
Let us know in the comments which features you’d like the Fujifilm X-E5 to offer (and which ones not).
We just told you that Fujifilm is currently developing a fixed lens Fujifilm GFX camera.
So obviously the questions now flood my Inbox. And I can’t say much more at this point, except for that it will be released in 2025!
Another question was if it will have the hybrid viewfinder. This is something I honestly have no idea about. I hope it has one, but I would not be surprised if, in order to contain costs, Fujifilm would just go with a digital EVF.
In terms of features, we can expect the Fujifilm X100VI to be superior, given it has a smaller sensor which comes with key advantages like a faster sensor readout and less heat generation.
One big question is the lens: at this point I have heard a lot of options, but I have narrowed it down to two options that I consider the most likely one. And if you allow me to speak frankly to you: at this point I am a bit confused since both options I’ve heard come from higher ranked sources (and a few anonymous sources who also give me different options). This is why I prefer to wait a bit, get some clarity, and once I am sure of what I say I will let you know.
If anyone out there can help me out, feel free to contact me. You can do it also 100% anonymously, here is how:
The latest Fujifilm financial results are out for the fiscal year 2023 (April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024).
Fujifilm sums up the performance in this single sentence:
Revenue and profits soared on strong sales of INSTAX and digital cameras
Professional Imaging
Revenue rose due to strong sales of Fujifilm X-S20 launched in June 2023 and Fujifilm GFX100 II launched in September 2023, in addition to the models released in the previous fiscal year.
In March 2024, we launched Fujifilm X100VI, the latest model in the X100 series of high-end compact digital cameras, equipped with a 40.2-megapixel sensor and the latest processor
Consumer Imaging
Achieving the INSTAX sales target of ¥150.0 billion for FY2024 one ver ahead of schedule was a major driving force behind revenue growth in Consumer Imaging
High value-added products, mainly INSTAX mini Evo, a hybrid instant camera incorporating digital technology, and INSTAX Pal, a “palm-top camera” launched in October 2023, performed well
INSTAX mini 99, the top-of-the-line analog instant camera, was launched in April 2024
Growth Strategy in the Imaging Segment
In the professional imaging business, we will expand our fan base by reinforcing the multi-brand digital camera strategy featuring the X series and the GFX series to develop potential needs of people who want more than just smartphone cameras.
The Fujifilm X-T5 has had a very troubled shipping record especially in Asian countries, but also in other countries the situation seems to have gotten worse instead of better.
Amazon USA: currently sold only overpriced by third parties
BHphoto: out of stock and expected to be in stock again in 7-14 days
Same goes for Asian countries, which now start to mark the X-T5 as out of stock again and it is even no longer available for order at some stores, as reported by the Japanese website asobinet.
Now, I don’t know if this is only because Fujifilm struggles to manufacture enough units.
In fact, on May 16 Fujifilm will launch a new Fujifilm X-T5 plus Fujinon XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 bundle, so maybe a good number of Fujifilm X-T5 units is now being withhold from the market so that it will be ready to ship on May 16 bundled with the new kit lens.
And btw… the image above is not a real BHphoto page, but just a rendering I made. :)
Anyway, the list of gear that Fujifilm has announced but struggles to ship is very long. And the mother of all the struggles definitely goes to the Fujifilm X100VI. But Fujifilm is actively working on increasing its production and I believe that by the summer the situation will be much improved, which would be very bad news for all those who are still trying to sell overpriced second hand X100VI cameras.
Anyway, the Fujifilm X-T5 struggles, lots of other Fujifilm does not ship smoothly either, and yet Fujifilm keeps announcing new gear non stop.
I hope they know what they do and don’t just worsen the delivery struggles by adding more gear to build and ship into an already precarious situation.