Fujifilm Manager Talks Full Frame Market Shift (and Why Fuji Sticks with APS-C), WR Versions of Older Lenses, Market Situation & More

As we reported here, Toshihisa Iida has just been promoted to new President and Managing Director at Fujifilm Europe.

He is also the guy who said in the past that Fujifilm will NEVER go Full Frame.

Now he gave an interview to the amateurphotographer. Here are some excerpts:

COVID-19 affects on Fujifilm

  • Before the pandemic struck, there were more than 8,000 professional photography businesses operating in the UK alone
  • global demand for digital cameras has dropped by 40% since the start of April 2020 according to CIPA, but thanks to the performance of products like the X-T4 and X100V, Fujifilm is performing significantly better than that
  • Fujifilm also worked hard to supply medical imaging technologies to those on the front line, as well as working to realize the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and therapies at scale with pharmaceutical partners

Biggest Industry Future Challenges for Fuji: the drift towards full frame or the rise of smartphones?

  • biggest challenge is to ensure to keep innovating in R&D
  • Finding a real consumer demand’ is a key
  • provide a better experience of taking photos and videos
  • Customers don’t buy a sensor, but an experience
  • Fujifilm is not a company to simply follow the same path as others
  • Consumers demand more and are no longer wanting to invest in a product; they want a service and an experience.

The Market Differences over the Globe

  • X-T4, X-T3 and X-T30 are all popular around the world, and the X100V has been the bestselling high-end compact globally.
  • GFX is almost evenly split except in the Chinese market [admin note: I have been told the GFX100 sells extraordinary well in China]
  • piqued popularly of the X-A series in some Asian countries
  • Globally, instax is one of Fujifilm’s biggest consumer success stories

And Full Frame?

  • in the last two years the market shifted strongly towards full frame
  • for Fujifilm, APS-C is the best-balanced system
  • APS-C is the best answer for those downsizing due to the smaller, lighter lenses, as well as the camera body
  • GFX provides the best image quality without requiring a high level of investment.

Fujifilm X-S10

  • It was demand coming from customers used to DSLR cameras and from those who prefer to have more usability for video shooting
  • very rich features such as IBIS, 4K30p video with long recording time – but with a small weight of just 465g
  • X-S10 offers a very smooth transition for DSLR customers to enjoy the latest mirrorless technologies with the advantage of a smaller, handy size.

Weather Resistant Versions of older lenses?

  • WR versions of older lenses requires to completely re-design the inside structure, hence in some cases needs R&D from scratch

Should Fujifilm work closer with Sigma and Tamron?

  • I cannot be specific about our working relationships with other companies but we have received and understand our customers’ request.

You can read the full interview at amateurphotographer.

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Top 10 October Posts: New Fujifilm GFX100 Rumors, New Firmware, Fujifilm X-E4 Rumors, X-S10 Attack on SONY, New Roadmap & More

So, here are the top 10 posts for October.

  1. Fujifilm X-S10 rumors (several posts with the top 3 being the leaked images, the layout explanation and the press release)
  2. New Firmware for Fujifilm X-T3 and X-H1 Released
  3. RUMOR: New Fujifilm X Lens Roadmap Coming Soon
  4. Next Fujinon X Mount Roadmap to Include Fujinon XF 18mmF1.4 WR
  5. Fujifilm X-E4 Coming in First Quarter 2021
  6. Fujifilm X-S10: Attack on SONY (& Co), Why it is NOT an X-T40/X-H10
  7. Fujifilm Digital Camera Range: Making Sense of the Line-Up, What Should be Dropped, What Should Stay… and Where is the X-H Line?
  8. Next Fujifilm GFX with 102 Megapixel (not Monochrome) and Much Smaller than Fujifilm GFX100
  9. IBIS COMPARISON: Fujifilm X-S10 vs X-H1 vs X-T4 – Smarter Wiring, 30% Smaller Side by Side with Older IBIS Units
  10. New Fujifilm Camera FF200003 Registered: Fujifilm X-E4, New Fujifilm GFX or Surprise Camera X-T40 or X80?

Bonus Posts You Should not Have missed:

  1. Fujinon XF70-300mmF4-5.6 vs XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 vs XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 vs XC50-230mmF4.5-6.7
  2. SIZE COMPARISON: Fujinon XF18mmF1.4 vs XF16mmF1.4 vs XF23mmF1.4
  3. Fujinon XF Wildlife Photography Lenses Needed, Base ISO 100, Firmware Wishes and More
  4. Good Bye, X-T1: I Sold my Fujifilm X-T1 Today – About Love for Dials and the Story Behind my Favorite X-T1 Image
  5. The X-Pan Rebirth of Fujifilm X-Pro1

Stay tuned for more fun coming in November ;).

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Additional Fujifilm X-S10 Media Slides: 27% Lighter IBIS, New Heat Sink Design for Longer Video Recording and More

I have received additional official media slides about the Fujifilm X-S10.

I’ll share them all down below for you to check out. You’ll maybe learn a few more little tidbits, for example:

  • a new heat sink has been designed, which transfer the heat to the magnesium allow body of the X-S10. This allows for more efficient heat dissipation and therefore allows for longer movie recording times
  • not only the X-S10 has a 30% smaller IBIS, but it is also 27% lighter IBIS unit compared to X-T4 and almost twice as light compared to X-H1 IBIS

You can see the slides with the new heat sink design, the IBIS data, and more down below.

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Media Slides

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Fujifilm Manager X-S10 Presentation: “Not All Fujifilm Cameras will Have Selfie Screens in Future and We Don’t Hate Mode Dials”

The Japanese youtube channel カメラのキタムラ had a chat with a Fujifilm manager.

The talk gravitates around the Fujifilm X-S10, and quite frankly 90% of what is said is stuff you already know. Here we highlight a few things that we consider more interesting.

The Mode Dial

  • One of the things we wanted to do was “custom position”, which is available from C1 to C4
  • we don’t hate mode dials
  • The X-S10 is a “gate camera” for those who enter the X system. A mode dial for simply operation was adpoted for that reason

The mode dial with C-positions is actually like going back to the roots for the Fujifilm X series, as Fujifilm’s second X series camera ever had already one and it continued with its successor.

If you ask me, bringing it back in what is probably the best value for money mid-range camera on the market, is an extremely smart and urgently needed move. We need more folks to join the X club, and the X-S10 could serve this purpose very well.

Film Simulations + Auto Mode

  • It is no exaggeration to say that the first reason for wanting to use a Fujifilm camera is film simulation
  • By pressing the Q button after displaying the film simulation with the function dial, an explanation of that film simulation will appear
  • An increasing number of younger generations of photography enthusiasts have never shot on film
  • New SP mode will record also RAW and select everything for you, inlcluding film simulation

The Rise of Vary-Angle Screens (selfie screens)

  • Fujifilm is not trying to put vary-angle screens on every camera
  • Each camera has its own personality, and Fujifilm chooses whether to implement a selfie screen depending on the main shooting purpose
  • The 3-axis tilt LCD monitor works effectively for still image shooting, so Fujifilm thinks it will continue to be effective for cameras that focus on still images

In my opinion a 3-way tilt screen is superior also for video shooters. The only advantage of fully articulating screens, is if you want to take selfie images or film yourself.

You can read the full summary of the interview in Japanese here (google translated).

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Video Below

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