Chip Shortage Delays Nikon Z9 Delivery to October 2022 – Bad News also for Fujifilm (and Fujifilm X-H2)?

The worldwide chip shortage and the camera high demand is pushing the next stock shipment for the brand new Nikon Z9 to October 2022 according to various Japanese retailers as reported by SonyAlphaRumors.

We are talking about a flagship camera, on which Nikon totally relies on to recover from their dramatic market share decline (Nikon is behind Fujifilm in the mirrorless camera market and with DSLR included is way behind Sony and Canon).

Moreover, SAR also says that Sony has postponed most of their new camera launches to the second half 2022.

So the fact that Nikon won’t be able to ship the latest orders of their single most important camera for many months to come should put all camera manufacturers into high alert, even Fujifilm.

If the chip shortage is really going to last that long, then I wonder how this will affect also planed Fujifilm announcements for 2022.

And here is where we have to talk about the Fujifilm X-H2.

Fujifilm X-H2 Announcement

We know one thing for sure (thanks to our sources): the next camera Fujifilm will launch is the Fujifilm X-H2.

Let me say it again: no other X series camera is planed between now and the Fujifilm X-H2.

Considering that the last “real” X series camera announcement was the Fujifilm X-E4 back in January 27 (I refuse to consider the Fujifilm X-T30II a “new” camera, as it basically just an X-T30 on firmware steroids, and the Fujifilm X-T3WW is an X-T3 without charger), we are now waiting since almost 1 year for a new X series camera to come.

That’s a whole lot of time.

Given the long wait, I hope Fujifilm was somehow also able to organize enough chips for the Fujifilm X-H2 in order to announce it as soon as possible, ideally in early 2022 (as most of you speculate).

And considering how important the Fujifilm X-H2 is for Fujifilm, I am sure they’ll do everything they can to release the X-H2 as soon as possible.

But these are crazy times, and I highly doubt Fujifilm has at this point set any solid announcement date for the Fujifilm X-H2 yet.

And quite honestly, would anybody of us be surprised if the Fujifilm X-H2 would materialize only in the second half 2022? I guess not, considering the circumstances.

But let me be clear at this point: I still hope for an early 2022 announcement for the X-H2. It’s not a rumor, just a hope. I just say that if it would come later, I personally would not be overly surprised by that, even if that would mean that Fujifilm hasn’t launched a new X series camera in 1.5 years or more.

Solution for the Worst Case Scenario

If the chip shortage would force Fujifilm to postpone the launch of the Fujifilm X-H2, then I hope that they will at least make some sort of “development announcement” as they did for the Fujifilm X-Pro3.

In fact they partially already did it also for the Fujifilm X-H2 when they said that in 2022 there will be a stacked BSI X-Trans sensor for Fujifilm APS-C cameras. Sure, the X-H2 was not mentioned, but trust me, the Fujifilm X-H2 will be the first X series camera to sport such a sensor.

But that’s not enough.

In case of a longer delay (which I hope won’t happen), my hope is that Fujifilm will make a more solid and concrete Fujifilm X-H2 development announcement, in which not only they could show us mock-ups (as they did with the X-Pro3), but also give us a more solid date as far as the announcement goes.

For many professional photographers, having a perspective on where a certain system is going and developing, can be a reason to stick or switch to that system (or away from it). Hence, Fujifilm can’t keep silent for too long on the Fujifilm X-H2 front.

Sure, FujiRumors can contribute a bit to keep the buzz going thanks to the rumors shared by our sources, which help to keep confidence in the X series future (and hence keep people into the system and making others curious about it). Just take a look at the rumors below, and you’ll understand that Fujifilm is planing big things for 2022. But at some point also Fujifilm has to come forward more decisively than they already did.

With all that said, I hope there won’t be any need for a development announcement and that the Fujifilm X-H2 will come soon enough.

Fujifilm X-H2 Rumors Recap

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Top 7 Critiques on Fujifilm that Are Absolutely Justified

I recently wrote an article, where I list 10 attacks on Fujifilm that do not make any sense.

In that article, I promised that I would also write an article about the exact opposite, meaning sharing a list of critiques on Fujifilm that I totally understand and I agree with.

You can find it down below.

And of course, feel free to add your own critiques on Fujifilm in the comments down below.

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FujiCast with Fujifilm Manager: X-H2 Talk, Monochrome GFX, Amazing 2022 for Fuji, Kaizen Talk, “Tonygate” and More

Fujicast is back with new episode #197 and #198. Also again on the podcast, Fujifilm UK manager Andreas Georghiades.

Not so surprising, as Japanese Fujifilm managers confirmed it already a few times: there will be a Fujifilm X-H2 one day. It’s probably Fuji’s way to facepalm publicy when they read the fake rumor the X-H line had been canceled ;).

They also talk about the Tony Northrup video, where Tony does not look overly optimistic to Fujifilm’s future.

Down below you can find the podcast as well as a summary.

Tonygate:

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Fujinon XF200mmF2 Lens Removed from BHphoto but NOT Discontinued

Fujinon XF200mmF2 – Discounted but Not Discontinued

Ok, let me set something right.

BHphoto has completely removed the Fujinon XF200mmF2 R LM WR from their website. You’ll be redirected to a page that says: “The page your requested is no longer available. We have redirected you to a simlar page for your convenience.” I tried to check a google cached version of the page, and when I add the XF200mmF2 to the cart, it then tells me “some item(s) are no longer available at B&H“.

The situation is not much better at other stores. AmazonUS says here “Currently unavailable. We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock” and Adorama says here that it is “Temporarily On Backorder“.

According to a FR-reader, BHphoto is sending out emails telling customers that the XF200mmF2 is discontinued:

B & H has sent me an email saying that the fuji xf 200 mm f2 has been discontinued and they no longer carry it.

So what is happening? Is it really discontinued?

I did investigated this, and I can 100% safely say that the lens is not at all discontinued. So I do not know why BHphoto is not listing the lens anymore.

What I know is that given the worldwide $/€ 2K discount on the XF200mmF2, as to expect, the lens sold out almost everywhere. And I’ve warned you already back in May that such a discount is ridiculous for a lens that was already short on stock before this epic deal.

Now the inevitable happened: it’s out of stock basically everywhere and who knows when Fujifilm will be able to ship current orders.

So, if you are interested in this lens, place your order. You’ll get it at some point. Fujifilm is still manufacturing it and will for a long time. But you better arm yourself with patience.

The XF200mmF2 Problem

The Fujinon XF200mmF2 is arguably one of the very best lenses Fujifilm ever made.

As we reported here, when Fujifilm designed it, they didn’t care about size and price. All they wanted to achieve, was the best image quality and a fast autofocus.

But Fujifilm managers told us that it did not sell well. In fact, given the struggles the XF200mmF2 faced on the market, Fujifilm is wondering if it makes any sense at all to continue to develop and manufacture long prime lenses, that will just result in a loss of money for Fujifilm.

My guess is that people overall tend to prefer zoom lenses that cover that 200mm range, and there are quite some of them in the Fujifilm lineup (and more will come in future).

Sure, none of them is optically on par with the close to perfect Fujinon XF200mmF2, but they are all very decent lenses anyway and deliver an image quality that will be totally satisfactory for the vast majority of Fujifilm X shooters. And they all come for a significantly more affordable price tag.

What About the XF300mmF4 and XF500mmF5.6?

Speaking of long primes…

Back in March 2020, we reported about two Fujinon XF patents showing a Fujinon XF 300mmF4 and Fujinon XF500mmF5.6.

And although I am aware that some folks gave it as 110% certain that those lenses will come in 2021, we warned you in January 2021 that those lenses won’t come in 2021. And quite frankly I have no idea if they will ever come.

We invite you to check out or latest and most updated 2021/2022 rumored Fujifilm products timeline to see what is coming (and what not).

The Future Needs…

So what will the future bring?

Well, you might remember how back in 2019, Fujifilm launched a survey on which lenses we’d like to receive in future.

FujiRumors took 1:1 the lens suggestions Fujifilm made and made this poll out of it that saw 20,000+ people voting on it.

Guess what?

All the long telephoto prime lenses ended up at the very bottom of the ranking, showing that there is simply not enough interest for such lenses.

My take?

Well, I think the XF200mmF2 is maybe not long enough (although with the 1.4x TC it is basically an XF300mmF2.8 lens).

What  I believe could be worth Fuji’s R&D and become much more successful is a Fujinon XF400mmF4 lens. And with 1.4x TC you’d have a XF560mmF5.6 lens. That lens, I believe, could guarantee Fujifilm decent sales.

So, let’s hope Fujifilm won’t give up on telephoto prime lenses. They are needed. For a niche, sure, but definitely needed.

LOVING X-TRANS: Landslide Victory for Fujifilm X-H2 with X-Trans V vs Bayer in Survey

Recently we reported that the Fujifilm X-E4 will be the last X series camera featuring an X-Trans IV sensor, and that the next camera to come will be the Fujifilm X-H2 in 2022.

However, at this point in time we can’t say if the Fujifilm X-H2 will feature an X-Trans sensor or an Bayer sensor.

To be honest, I have received an anonymous tip about it (thanks a lot!!!), but as usual here on FujiRumors we try to give it a quick double check first before sharing.

Until then, here are a few thoughts.

Personally I love the X-Trans sensor for its better performance at high ISO (better looking grain, less color noise), the sharpness boost it delivers and more.

But I am also not a blind fanboy and I am well aware that also the Bayer sensor has its significant strengths, such as 20 to 30%a lower power consumption which leads to less heat generation, meaning you can push the camera more in terms of recording times for example. Also with Bayer sensors, stuff like digital image stabilization and pixel shift is easier to achieve. And last but not least, Bayer is more affordable!

I have elaborated in depth the Pros and Cons of Bayer and X-Trans in this article.

So, while I am in the group of people, who hopes the Fujifilm X-H2 will get an X-Trans sensor, I would totally understand if Fujifilm would go Bayer instead.

The thing is this: reading the comments, I always thought I am in the minority when it comes to the X-Trans vs Bayer debate, meaning I read more comments of people who want to get rid of X-Trans than comments of those, who want to keep it.

But a recently survey I’ve launched here, shows it is completely the opposite.

Of the Fujifilm X shooters reading FujiRumors

  • 51% want a Fujifilm X-H2 with X-Trans
  • 24% want a Fujifilm X-H2 with Bayer

The rest of the readers are either fine with both options (18%) or have not yet formed a final opinion on this (7%).

That’s a landslide victory for Fujifilm X-Trans!

And while I am with you guys on this one, if Fujifilm decided to go Bayer, it would probably not be the biggest of all drama, if they were able to take the most out of the advantages it offers, not in terms of image quality, were X-Trans is superior, but in terms of implementing new features such as digital image stabilization, pixel shift and more.

Finding out which sensor it will be, is my top priority (thanks again for the anonymous tip at this point).

The answer, my friends, will be shared hopefully sooner rather than later here on FujiRumors.

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Fujifilm X/GFX Timeline 2021/22, Fujifilm X-H2 Rumors, End of X-TransIV, Can Fuji X Lenses Cover Full Frame Sensor – Top 10 May Posts

May was another month rich of rumors (so was April).

Let’s hope our sources will help us to make June just as exciting as the whole 2021 was so far in terms of breaking rumors.

Now let’s look at what you should not have missed in May.

  1. Fujifilm Product Timeline 2021/2022: About X-H2, GFX50SII, XF150-600 and More (And What Will NOT Come)
  2. Fujifilm X-H2 in 2022 Will Be FIRST X Series Camera with New Sensor and Processor
  3. No More Fujifilm X Series Camera Coming in 2021
  4. IT IS OVER: Fujifilm X-E4 is Fuji’s Last X-Trans IV Camera
  5. TESTED: Can Fujifilm X Lenses Cover a Bigger Sensor?
  6. Fujinon X Mount Roadmap 2021/2022 Updated with Latest Rumored Lenses
  7. This Guy Sold All His Full Frame Gear for the Fujifilm X100V, Firmware 2.00 Tests and More – X100V Roundup
  8. Let’s Be Clear: Fujifilm’s Next X Series Camera will be Fujifilm X-H2 and There Won’t be Fujifilm X-T40 or X80 Before that
  9. DPR Fujinon XF18mmF1.4 Review: Gold Award!
  10. Fujifilm X-H2 with 8K DCI/UHD Video Coming 2022

All top 10 Posts so Far

  • Top 10 in April – Fujinon X Mount Roadmap Updated, Fujifilm X-H2 with 8K, Fujinon XF23/56 MKII & More
  • Top 10 in March – Fujifilm X-H2 in 2022, Fujifilm GFX50SMKII in 2021, XF 33mmF1.4 in 2021, Top 5 Forgotten X Mount Lenses & More
  • Top 10 in February – Firmware Updates, Sony A7III vs Fujifilm X-T4, Nostalgic Negative Explained, Sigma X Mount and More
  • Top 10 in January – What We Expect from Fujifilm in 2021 :: Fujinon XF 150-600mm Rumors :: 70% Fuller Sensor than Full Frame & More

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Fujifilm Product Timeline 2021/2022: About X-H2, GFX50SII, XF150-600 and More (And What Will NOT Come)

FUJIFILM 2021/2022
RUMORED PRODUCT RELEASE TIMELINE

Time to update our previous X and GFX gear timeline, which was not only limited to 2021, but lacked of some gear we rumored in the following months.

Also, I’ll include a list of products that will not come as the fake rumors keep spreading and I notice a tendency in forums to believe just everything that is written or talked about somewhere, may it be a monochrome camera, and X-T40 with IBIS coming very soon, the X-H2 coming 2021 and totally random stuff like that.

But luckily there is a 100% efficient anti-fake-rumors-vaccine called FujiRumors, so check out the list down below to know what Fujifilm really plans and when it will come.

And it won’t end here.

In fact, I have a skype call scheduled with the Japanese source in very near future. After the last call a few weeks ago, we dropped a couple of rumor-bombs (X-H2 details, the end of X-Trans IV, no more X cameras in 2021, the new GF zoom to come second half 2021 and more stuff I am not allowed to share just yet).

I expect that also our next call will be very interesting.

In case you’d like to know what it shared with us, feel free to follow FujiRumors and get updates via Facebook, RSS-feed and Twitter.

But until then, here is the most updated list of gear to come (and gear that won’t come).

X Series Gear
2021/2022

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Top 5 Forgotten Fujinon X Mount Lenses

When I shared the rumor that Fujifilm will release another f/1.4 prime in 2021, the comment section exploded with 300 comments about dreams and wishes what it could or should be.

Today I was reading through your comments, and truly enjoyed the vivid discussion.

But when I arrived to the end of it, I realized that while it’s fun and nice to watch ahead and see what the future might bring us in terms of gear, sometimes it’s also worth to stop for a moment and look back at what we already have.

So, today, I’d like to bring back the attention to five Fujinon XF lenses that I call “forgotten“, but not because people don’t own and love them, but just because they have slipped under the radar overrun by the buzz about the latest and greatest and therefore don’t get the coverage they’d deserve anymore.

So FujiRumors would like to bring back balance in the Fuji Universe and gives to 5 lenses the revival they deserve.

The 5 “forgotten” lenses

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Top 10 February Posts: Firmware Updates, Sony A7III vs Fujifilm X-T4, Nostalgic Negative Explained, Sigma X Mount and More

So guys, February was the first month that I had to run FujiRumors as a daddy (he was born January 26).

You might therefore have noticed that sometimes I reply to tweets at 3AM, or a dramatic rise of typos in my articles. Sorry for that. ;) But I think my wife and me slowly get the hang of it.

The good thing is, FujiRumors just kept running as usual, and here are the top 10 articles for February.

  1. New Firmware for Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T30 and XC 16-50mm II Released
  2. Sigma: “We May See Some Sigma Lenses for Fujifilm X Mount in 2021”
  3. Fujicast Interview with Fujifilm Manager: Talking Breakthrough Fujifilm X-H2, X-E4 the Last 26 MP (?), Open Lens Protocols, X80 and More!
  4. DPReviewTV: Sony a7 III vs. Fujifilm X-T4 – Which is Best?
  5. Fujinon XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 Hands On Reviews
  6. Fujifilm X-E4: Minimalist Tool and X100V or X-E4 for Street Photography?
  7. Fujifilm GFX100S “More Than Full Frame” Promo Series… and How Suddenly Sensor Size Does Not Matter Anymore for Some Youtubers ;)
  8. Fujifilm X-E4 X Lab – In Search of Lost Simplicity
  9. New Fujifilm Patent Shows Fujinon XF35mmF1.4 MK II
    Please read the follow up article: Fujifilm Currently NOT Working on Fujinon XF35mmF1.4 MK II
  10. Fujifilm GFX100S Nostalgic Negative Development Story, Recommended Settings, Samples, Exceeding Full Frame – Fujifilm X Lab

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Fujicast Interview with Fujifilm Manager: X-S10, GFX100S, R&D Choices, Instax Wide Printer and More

Here is the summary of part 2 of the Fujicast interview (part 1 here) with Fujifilm Manager Andreas Georghiades :

  • X-S10 was more expensive at launch than the X-T3, but the X-T3 was an older product when the X-S10 was launched and there were promotions on the X-T3
  • there are people who like DSLR’s and want to go smaller mirrorless camera, and the X-S10 is a great camera for them as it has a PSAM dial. Then there are rangefinder lovers (X-E, X-Pro) and others want individual dials (X-T4 etc)
  • X-S10 is targeted to attract new users in the Fujifilm system
  • for pure photographic orientated people, there are X100V, X-T3, X-Pro3 etc
  • there was a gap, and the X-S10 fills that
  • he does not know of an Instax Wide Printer, but he’d love to have one too
  • When it comes to making decisions (such as if implement vary angle screens or not etc), they get their feedback from various sources. From X photographers, camera reviewers, traditional press, youtube reviewers
  • at the end you can’t make everybody happy, some will always complaint. For example, the GFX100S has lower res EVF compared to GFX100, but it’s also much cheaper. But some complaint and wanted a cheap camera with the super-resolution EVF of GFX100
  • compromises need to be made sometimes
  • if you want X-T4 performance on a more photo centric camera, there is the X-T3
  • Fujifilm can’t please everyone
  • Brexit won’t have additional costs on repairs, but there might be delays initally
  • the Fujifilm UK X-Thusiast program won’t be extended to USA

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