Fujifilm X100VI Manufacturing Production Started (at Least) Back in November – 60K to 90K Units Produced Before Launch?

Fujifilm X100VI Production

Fujifilm told us that they are making 15,000 Fujifilm X100VI units a month.

But given the astronomical preorders for the Fujifilm X100VI, many were wondering if that would be enough to avoid the same shipping disaster we experienced with the X100V.

And we told you in past articles that this also depends on:

  1. how many people preordered at several stores but intend to keep only the fastest-shipping X100VI order and cancel the other orders
  2. how many units Fujifilm has produced ahead of launch

We investigated the first point in a dedicated survey and so far we can see that 14% of people placed multiple orders. So once the first 2-3 batches are shipped, we can expect a sensible reduction of preorders due to the influx of cancellations.

As far as how well Fujifilm prepared for the X100VI launch, yesterday I followed the live stream of German photographer Thomas B Jones (if you are German make sure to follow his YouTube channel).

During the live stream he told us that he was testing a “final hardware production X100VI” since November 2023, and that Fujifilm is basically producing X100VI’s at full power since a couple of months already.

So at this point we can assume that Fujifilm is manufacturing 15,000 Fujifilm X100VI units per month since at least November, which would mean a total of about 60,000 units were made before the X100VI announcement in February.

However, I’d not be surprised if Fujifilm would be making those since even longer.

In fact, I was contacted by the former “head of the production engineering department” (for another company) with an extremely detailed overview on how these things work.

He told me that they generally started to produce the goods 4 – 6 months before they shipped out to the retail stores, because (for the products he made) usually 80% of the annual sales were made within the first 3 – 4 months of a new product introduction.

The email he wrote me was very detailed and insightful (thanks). If anyone wants to take a look behind the scenes and how such things are organized, I share it as PDF here (I kept the person anonymous, but if you want I can add you in the file and link to your accounts… let me know via rumor box in case).

Anyway, back to the X100VI.

Based on everything we said above, we can assume that Fujifilm has so far produced anything between 60,000 and 90,000 units.

Now that would be enough for pretty much any digital camera in the last 15 years. But we are talking Fujifilm X100VI, the most successful digital camera the photography industry has seen in decades. So this might not be sufficient to match the initial demand.

But it is a solid starting point which makes hope that at least those, who ordered in the first 1 to 3 days won’t have to wait that long to get their camera shipped.

And ignore that China numbers for the reasons we explained here.

Fujifilm is aware that the true success of the X100VI is intricately tied to the number of units dispatched. And I am sure delivering X100VI’s as quickly as possible will be their Nr.1 priority for 2024.

Tamron Contemplates Introducing Lenses with Dedicated Aperture Ring

Tamron opened up to the possibility of launching lenses with dedicated aperture ring.

We believe that whether or not to add the aperture ring depends on the concept of each lens and the target audience. So far, we have favored compactness and lightness. But we would like to consider adding one for users who need an aperture ring. It is therefore possible that we will develop this type of lenses in the future.

That would be just awesome!!! Go ahead Tamron!

And one comment about APS-C lenses:

We believe that the market size of APS-C lenses is always the same [as back in the times of DSLRs], at least for the second lens [note: second lens in the sense of lens that people buy after they got the camera with the kit lens].

You can read the full interview at the French website phototrend.

Fujifilm X100VI Owners Manual Available Now

The Fujifilm X100VI Owners manual is now available in html here and PDF here (full manual visible to scroll below)

Fujifilm X100VI Starts Shipping + Did You Preorder Multiple X100VI Cameras but Plan to Keep Only the Fastest-Shipped One? (POLL)

Fujifilm X100VI is Shipping

The Fujifilm X100VI has started shipping all over the world, so that right for February 28 it will be in your hands. This is reported now by many members of our vast X100 users facebook group.

And look, preorders for the X100VI are incredibly high, leading many, myself included, to doubt the prompt fulfilment of all orders.

But there is still hope :).

Among the 5 reasons I’ve listed in the article above, there is one, that I would like to investigate closer today.

I am quite sure that many placed X100VI preorders at multiple stores, intending to keep the fastest-shipped one and cancel the rest. This could lead to a notable reduction in waiting lists once the initial batch is dispatched

And to investigate this, I’m launching this survey (which is 100% anonymous, so just drop your honest answer). If you’ve preordered X100VI from multiple stores but plan to keep only the fastest-shipped one, let us know.

If indeed many placed multiple orders, don’t lose hope if stores indicate a prolonged wait for the X100VI. The waiting list could considerably shorten once the initial batches are released.

Regarding my X100VI pre-order...

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The Popularity is Insane

Despite the potential for numerous multiple orders, it remains undeniable that the Fujifilm X100VI holds the record as Fujifilm’s most successful camera in terms of preorders, surpassing all previous models by a significant margin. It likely outshines cameras from all brands over the past 15 years in the realm of preorders as well.

Now Fujifilm has it: the true mainstream camera, that will make Fujifilm popular in the entire world as the maker of excellent modern digital cameras. And I strongly believe also their interchangeable systems will profit from this immense new gained popularity. Because, as Fujifilm has openly stated on multiple occasions, the Fujifilm X100 series also serves as the gateway camera to the X system.

Anyways, I hope you are among the lucky ones who’ll get yours shipped quickly… and I wish you lots of fun with your beautiful X100VI camera!