Fujifilm Managers Committed to X-Pro and X-E Line, Encouraging Words on Autofocus and the INSANE Scale of X100VI Sales!

Japanese Fujifilm managers gave an interview to DPReview here and here. In short:

X100VI

X100VI pre-orders on day 1 where so high, that some had to wait 1 year to get it shipped
Fujifilm increased X100VI by quite a lot
the X100VI sold in a year what all its predecessor combined would have sold in three of four years
X100VI is hard to mass produce, because it is a premium compact camera with sharp edges on the top plate

Autofocus

Fujifilm does not think they are at a point were they think their AF is good enough and hence stop working on it
even today they are working on improvements
“we are aware that we have room to improve autofocus and we are making continuous effort”
wildlife and sports is not Fuji’s bread and butter, but they are learning and create longer lenses
Fujifilm is expanding their field of photography
in these new areas Fujifilm has room to improve

X-Pro and X-E Line

X-Pro3 successor will come, there is no date yet on when it will be launched
X-E line is not abandoned either
“But, especially in the light of what he’d said about a younger audience, we wondered whether it was likely that the X-E series would return to its more enthusiast-focused roots, given how much the X-T series has now expanded to address that audience.”
Fujifilm listens to latest feedback and makes improvements from there
next X-E will be for users who love rangefinder style, but don’t have a specific shooting subject in mind. For those who love daily life photography and use an X-E as snap camera. And they love style and design

Camera Separation

Existing photographers shouldn’t worry about the company’s broader appeal, says Igarashi.
a wider product line allows each camera to be more specialized.
Example: The X-H series’ hybrid focus enabled the X-T5 to have a tilting screen instead of a flip-out one.
Fujifilm aims to better separate stills and hybrid models.
Key focus: Understanding the audience and providing the right fit

Compact Cameras and Young Generations

Maybe there’s a gap for young people to start shooting with digital cameras
X100 line made Fujifilm gain lots of interest among young people. That’s an opportunity for expansion. Also more female audience.
“Now we’re seeing people for whom X-series is the first camera in their entire life“
Fujifilm hints that addressing this audience might mean an expansion beyond its existing models
there is demand for compact cameras
Fujifilm think there’s a lot of potential in compact cameras as long as we can provide something unique
smartphones helped people to get into photography
shooting experience is probably the most important thing that distinguishes smartphones from Fujifilm cameras
young people are looking for this experience
more emotion is involved by using a camera

My thoughts

the X100VI success is insane
what they say about autofocus makes me confident. As I wrote in the past, now that the newest firmware ironed out lots of the bugs we had in 2024, the error Fujifilm could do is to think that they don’t need to work on AF anymore. So the words I hear today dissipate any doubt: they are working on it and improving it further
X-Pro and X-E line… Fujifilm better makes lots of those ahead of launch, as those will sell out like crazy.
camera separation: that’s something we always said. The X-T4 had a selfie screen, because the X-H line was put on ice for a while, and the X-T4 had to take the spot of the hybrid high end camera in the lineup. Now that the X-H is out, the X-T line could go back to its roots. So, we might get PSAM cameras here and there, but that also means the cameras with retro dials will be even more as we like them