A little over two years ago Fujifilm stated that they’re working on “wow” products, so I gave my Top 10 suggestions for that in an article entitled 10 “WOW” Products Fujifilm Should Be Making Right Now. I thought it would be fun to revisit the article. Did Fujifilm make any of those suggestions? What “wow” products have they released that didn’t make my list? Which ones should they still pursue?
To recap, my 10 ideas were:
10. Minimalist Model — no rear LCD or video mode
9. 135mm lens — really, any focal length prime in-between 90mm and 200mm
8. A new pancake lens — I suggested 15mm, 23mm, and 40mm as potential options
7. GFX 100R — 100mp successor to the GFX 50R
6. ISOCELL — bring the Fujifilm/Samsung joint technology to the X-series
5. Infrared — I suggested the X-T30 II as the model of choice
4. Digital XPan — a dedicated 65:24 aspect ratio camera
3. X200 — full-frame X100-like camera
2. X80 — successor to the X70
1. Acros-Edition — monochrome-only X100 or X-Pro camera
How does it look 27 months later? With nearly zero promotion, Fujifilm released the X-T4 ES (“Extended Spectrum”) infrared camera over the summer. It flew completely under the radar! While few own it, whenever I show my X-T4 ES to people, it always gets a strong “wow” reaction. As far as I’m aware, B&H is the only camera store currently selling it, and you have to order either in-person or over the phone—it’s not available online right now. So far, I’ve published two Recipes for the Fujifilm X-T4 ES: Aerochrome v1 and Aerochrome v2. If Fujifilm were to do even a little promotion for this camera and made it easier to buy, it would sell decently well, I’m certain of it. Of my 10 ideas, this is the only one so far that has come to pass.
There are “rumors” circling about potential upcoming gear. I’m not sure what may or may not come, but a few of the items (or similar) in my list have been floated on websites like Fujirumors. Even though only one has become reality, it’s possible that in a year or two more can be checked off (I’m sure that some probably won’t ever happen). My top choices would be a new pancake lens, digital XPan, X200 (perhaps GFX instead of full-frame), X80, and a monochrome-only X100 or X-Pro. It’s hard to know what the future holds, but I do believe several “wow” products are in the works right now (including the GFX Eterna cinema camera that Fujifilm recently teased).
Of course, the most obvious “wow” product released by Fujifilm is the X100VI, the most in-demand camera by any brand ever. Fujifilm is getting closer to fulfilling all of the preorders and backorders… word on the street is that if you don’t mind the black version, you might be able to get it real soon without much of a wait. Since demand is higher for the silver model, that one will likely require more patience. This camera has the potential to become the most-sold model ever. It will be interesting to see if demand remains high over the next few years—I think it certainly could.
Now it’s your turn. Let me know in the comments which wow product you’d like to see Fujifilm make next! I’m pretty excited for what’s coming down the pike, whatever it might be. I think there will be plenty of upcoming announcements over the next couple of years to get especially excited for.
See also: Evergreen + Fuji X Weekly Protective Case for Fujifilm X100VI / X100V / X100F
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Fujifilm X100VI in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X100VI in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira