this is one of the longest term rumors I have ever shared. So take it with a grain of salt, simply because we are talking about a camera that could be released in 2028
discussions about this camera are very intense inside Fujifilm, but if I understood my source correctly, the final decision has not yet been taken
Fujifilm = Photography
Tell me…
Who could pull this off?
Sony? Canon? Nikon?
Nah, forget about them. They are busy fighting their Full Frame war with mainstream cameras.
No, we need a company that thinks different.
A company that does not think that niche products suck and are just a waste of R&D.
A company with such a massive photographic culture that it understands that cultivating a niche means cultivating the true passion for photography.
Anyone comes to mind?
Oh yes, this company is Fujifilm !
And that’s why, even though this rumor comes from a new source and has not yet been confirmed by trusted sources, I definitely trust that if any brand can make it happen, then it’s Fujifilm.
So, what’s the rumor?
Well, I had a chat with a new source, and this is what it told me.
And yes, we know main specs and price of pretty much everything that Fujifilm is going to launch on May 16.
But I can tell you this: this was only a gentle little rain compared to the massive rumor storm that is about to be unleashed on FujiRumors.
Because you might have a pretty clear idea on what’s coming on May 16.
But if you want to look way beyond May 16, then I recommend you to put on your rubber boots, dress your raincoats and join me for a walk through one of the heftiest rumor storms we have ever seen here on FujiRumors.
I know… I am promising a lot. But I would not do that if I also did not know I will be able to keep my word ;).
How not to miss the rumors?
We offer several tools. You’ll find them listed below and you can pick your favourite one.
To sum them up: the dial is useless. One can press a button to access all film simulations anyway. It would have been better to keep the drive dial there.
But there is a flaw in this thought.
Because the exact opposite is also true: why do you need a Drive dial?
I mean, I don’t have a Drive dial on my Fujifilm X-E3, but all I need to do is to press a button and I can access all options very quickly.
And for that matter, why do you need an ISO dial? Or a shutter dial? Also there I can press a button, and access all options quickly too and then scroll through them with the command dial.
ISO dial, Drive dial, Shutter dial, Film Simulation dial: one could argue there are all useless, since you can access all options with a simple press of a button anyway.
If a dial makes sense or not solely depends on how you shoot and what kind of experience you are looking for.
I for example change much more often the film simulation than the Drive dial settings. So, for me personally, I prefer to have the Film Simulation dial rather than the Drive dial.
And for all those, who play around with Film Simulations much more than with the Drive options, a dedicated FS dial might make more sense than a dedicated Drive dial.
So, Fujifilm decided that Film Simulations are more important for potential X-T50 customers than the Bracketing options on the Drive mode, hence they decided to offer a dedicated dial for it. Just turn it, and you’ll instantly see the film simulation applied on the screen of your camera right on the field. And, as we have been told, the dial also works in video mode.
Last but not least: lots of FujiRumors readers might be sceptical right now, but there is one guy who seems very convinced that this is a brilliant move: it’s Andrea from SonyAlphaRumors, who even made a video about it and explains why he thinks this is a great move by Fujifilm in this article here.
SonyAlphaRumors acknowledges that Film Simulations are a big deal and in several videos vehemently asked for Film Simulations also on Sony cameras!
Maybe he got convinced by the Film Simulation glory after he saw an image I took with my GFX and he texted me asking how I managed to get those colors. And I told him I did not edit anything… just set the camera on Astia and that’s it. You can read there story here.
So, the Sony guy sees lots of sense in this dial. Honestly, I also prefer it over the Drive dial. Although my top choice would have been an ISO dial. But between Drive and Film Simulation, I pick the Film Simulation dial with joy.
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.
