Fujifilm has published its financial result for the 3rd quarter of the fiscal year 2022.
We remind you that the fiscal year in Japan ends on March 31. That’s why Fujifilm now launched massive lens deals to push the sales numbers before the final yearly report.
These are the results for the imaging division:
My Fujifilm X-T4 is gone… sold.
Unlike when I sold my X-T1, there won’t be a huge emotional goodbye today.
But that’s not to say I didn’t appreciate my X-T4.
On the contrary, I have done lots of work (wedding included) and travel with it (taking lovely family images).
At a certain moment, I even fell madly in love with… with the selfie screen!
It was 2020, and since February I was in lockdown and teaching online. I filmed my lessons with my X-E3, but when I finally received the X-T4, it totally improved my workflow to be able to see myself during recording, but I also started to make more creative videos for my students (which they appreciated, as you can here from their Whatsapp feedback I’ve shared in this article – direct video here).
So I guess this could be called my best experience with the X-T4: it simplified my teacher life during lockdown and also gave me a creative boost.
And to be honest, there were several other occasions where the fully articulating screen turned out very handy, as I have described here.
So to be clear: it might not have been my all time favorite camera, but I appreciated it and had lots of fun with it.
And yet, the day I’ve received the rumor that the Fujifilm X-T5 has a 3 way tilt screen (a masterpiece of a rumor btw, with quotes from V for Vendetta ;)), I did put my Fujifilm X-T4 up for sale. Because although I can see the advantages of fully articulating screens, for my style of shooting the disadvantages just outweigh the Pros.
I needed a couple of months to sell it. I feel like most buyers simply have unrealistic expectations on how much second gear should cost. I received messages from people who said they won’t pay more than 500 bucks.
Of course I declined such offers and wished them good luck to find an X-T4 for that price in 2038.
At the end I found someone living just 15 minutes car drive from my home who bought it at a fair price.
The new owner of my X-T4, Nicole, is more into video and prefers the fully articulating screen of X-T4. I am happy to see my X-T4 in the hands of someone who is going to appreciate and love it.
And what should I do with the money earned from the X-T4 sale?
Buy more lenses, of course! :)
After lots of thoughts, I decided that it will be one of the new fast 40MP capable primes. But which one?
What Not
What’s Left
The Decision
One would say, so keep the old XF23mmF1.4 and get the XF18mmF1.4.
But here is the thing: as you’ve seen from the examples I made above, 23mm is a really nice focal length that I use in many important moments of my life. And the idea of having the stellar ultra sharp and fast focusing XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR is intriguing me.
So the masterplan is this: with the money from the X-T4 sale I will buy a new XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR (I give it 1/2 months and hope in a sale, otherwise I’ll buy full price). Once I have it, I’ll sell the old XF23mmF1.4 and have some more money to buy even more lenses. Maybe the 18mmF1.4 or why not, even the XF16mmF1.4.
2023 just starts as 2022 ended: I still struggle with my GAS :D
CineD gives us a look inside the Fujifilm factory and shows us how the Fujinon XF 150-600mm f/5.6-8 R LM OIS WR is made.
It’s one of the first factory tours we get after a long time, as during the pandemic no media was allowed into the Sendai factory about 2.5 hours north of Toyko.
There is not much new to learn, except for the fact that it takes 480 parts in order to assemble a single lens. But it is always nice to take a look inside the factory and see how much work and also care goes into the manufacturing of our gear.
Here on FujiRumors the XF150-600mm was a huge hit making it in the top three positions of the best selling lenses of 2022.
Full List of List of Fujifilm Related Gear launched in 2022
Trusted Reviews raves about the latest Fujifilm cameras, the Fujifilm X-H2 and the Fujifilm X-H2s.
And while both are excellent, only one of them gets a 5 star rating: the Fujifilm X-H2.
Our one five-star review for this week goes to Fujifilm for its ground-breaking APC-S camera. It’s well-constructed, weatherproof and lightweight, with a fantastic articulated screen, and a large and bright OLED viewfinder plus a control layout that few will have problems getting to grips with. This is one of the best cameras around.
Score: 5/5
The Fujifilm X-H2S is a versatile camera with a speedy burst mode, updated subject detection algorithm and support for 6K video. However, it’s not as high-resolution as the X-H2 nor as visually appealing as the Fujifilm X-T5, both of which can be found for less money.
Score: 4.5/5
So that’s the thing with PSAM dial cameras. They tend to get more attention by huge review sites than more niche retro styled cameras. And good press never hurts.
Also CineD declared the Fujifilm X-H2 the best camera launched in 2022 for video work. As working professional videographers, their opinion matters and debunks the myth that the X-H2s is the video centric cameras and the X-H2 the stills centric one. As we always told you, both are perfect hybrid machines, and the difference is not video vs stills, but speed vs resolution.
And and yet keep in mind that Fujifilm still offers more Retro styled camera lines than PSAM camera lines. So in my humble opinion there is little to complain for retro lovers like me and probably many of you if we look at the 2022 best sellers on FujiRumors, where the X-T5 demolished all sales records.
You can check out the Trusted Reviews article here.
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Rumors and Discussions
There is this wish… or idea… that keeps coming up in the comments in the last few months.
Initially I kind of ignored it, but since it is coming up over and over again, I took my time to think it through.
Here are the conclusions I came up with.
We confirm 100% what we already told you: the next Fujifilm X series camera to come will be the Fujifilm X-S20.
But when exactly will be announced?
Will it happen during the Fujifilm X Summit in April as many would guess (me included)?
Well, why not. The X summit in April is definitely a very hot candidate for the X-S20 announcement.
But just to be clear and precise: our sources only said that the Fujifilm X-S20 will be Fuji’s next X series camera, and they did not give us any further time indication, which is why right now in theory everything is still possible, even an announcement before or after the X summit in April (as well as during the X summit of course).
Also, our sourced said “X series camera”, hence we talk about Fuji’s APS-C lineup.
Last thing: the fact that the X-S20 will be the next X camera to come does not exclude that also other cameras could be announced on the same day.
I know, lots of questions and speculations. I will now work on all of this and once I have solid updates, I will let you know.
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When DPReview published their studio lab test of the Fujifilm X-H2, they used the old Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R for their test.
But as Fujifilm has openly said, the Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R is not capable of taking full advantage of all the 40MP edge to edge also at maximum aperture. Fujifilm writes:
The list specifies our selection of lenses that have high resolution performance from edge to edge at maximum aperture, allowing you to fully experience all that the 40MP sensor has to offer. Lenses not listed will also allow you to experience the improved resolution performance of the 40MP sensor.”
To be clear: all Fujinon lenses will experience a sharpness boost. But not all will be able to resolve all the 40MP even wide open across the entire frame.
Many rightfully asked DPR to re-test the studio lab scene using the new Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R WR, and so they did. Their conclusion:
Our interpretation is that there is a slight contrast benefit to the use of the new 56mm F1.2R WR vs. the non-WR lens; in the widget above we’ve tried to highlight the area of greatest difference. In our judgment the difference is not sufficient, at the aperture value the test scene is shot at, to justify breaking consistency with previous Fujifilm models tested in our setup.
This isn’t a comment on the new lens: we’d expect to see greater differences at wider apertures, and we’ve found the autofocus performance to be improved over the older version. But neither of these are pertinent to the selection of our standard Fujifilm test lens, so we’ll stick with the original 56mm F1.2R for now, to maintain perfect continuity in the studio comparison feature our site provides.
It shall be noted at this point that DPR used the lenses at f/5.6 on Fujifilm X-T5 and Fujifilm X-H2.
I find it a pity that they won’t change the lens. At f/5.6 the performance might be similar in the center, but as you can see from the screenshots I have shared above (or here and here), in RAW I see an sensible advantage for the new Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R WR. I think they could just simply use the new lens for testing going forward.
But we appreciate DPR going the extra mile and testing it on the new XF56mmF1.2 R WR. If you don’t shoot wide open a lot and don’t mind slightly softer corners, then the original Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R is still a great option (especially now that it is super discounted).
You can access the DPR comparison studio lab test here.
We are 23 days into 2023, and today we will drop for you the first rumor of the year.
According to information we have received, the next Fujifilm X series camera to come will be the Fujifilm X-S20.
It’s trusted stuff, so go out and spread the word ;).
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Rumors and Discussions
BCN has published their rankings for 2022 sales in Japan.
Cameras:
Fujifilm is out of every ranking except for fixed lens cameras, where it snaps the third position.
Lenses:
Fujifilm had a sales share of 5,9% in terms of lens sales.
Remember:
Biggest market research data available on the internet so far says that Fujifilm’s overall camera market share in 2021 was of 5,9% (if we include sales of DSLR cameras). So far no data for mirrorless cameras only has been published.
Surprised?
Anyone surprised? Well, I am not. Fujifilm has always played the niche game and while they did grow significantly when one looks at the mirrorless market only (third largest manufacturer ahead of Nikon in 2020), the way Fujifilm approached the camera market with the design of their cameras kind of “forced” them into a niche.
The Future
The very recently launched Fujifilm X-T5 will have the main responsibility in 2023 to push sales for the X series and possibly grow the market share. Although I believe the Fujifilm X-H2s has such a big potential (as the latest firmware has shown) that if Fujifilm covers is further with firmware Kaizen love, it could become (if it isn’t already) a very serious option for all those looking for an ultra-performing stacked sensor camera with PSAM layout.
And sure there will be more cameras and lenses coming in 2023, which I hope will contribute to expand Fujifilm’s market share.
But while there is surely still some growth potential, Fujifilm will very likely never get to the crazy numbers of Sony and Canon (which btw are the two companies manufacturing their own sensors and Fujifilm called this their strategic advantage).
But personally I have never had any problem to be part of a niche. Because I have lots of fun in this niche. We might be only 5.9%, but we have 100% love for photography. A love, that Fujifilm can support better than any other brand thanks to the way they design their cameras.
Here is a roundup about the latest and greatest Fujifilm gear.
It will be the latest and greatest only for a few more months, as the next Fujifilm X Summit has been announced for April 2023. And we know Fujifilm launches new gear on those summits.
But until then, let’s enjoy what it available now in terms of 5th generation Fujifilm cameras and latest lenses:
So here is a roundup.
