Although we may not see any more Fujifilm launches this year, the announcement of Fujifilm’s venture into film cameras has us a bit concerned. This year, the company launched four new cameras and lenses, with the last camera entry being centric to videos. This should have given us a hint about where Fujifilm’s direction is headed, but it was much to our surprise that they chose to get into videos on such a big scale. After all, they are set to compete against Sony, Blackmagic, and other similar brands, which is a great enough opportunity. However, this unveiling seems to be a challenge for photographers.
Fujifilm’s Research and Development Department is Small
Unlike Canon and Sony (or even Nikon), Fujfilim’s research and development department is still considered smaller than its competitors. Fujifilm makes a lot of profit from other technological spaces, such as healthcare, semiconductor processing materials, laboratory chemicals, and much more. Imaging, which is a significant contributor to this, still does not have the kind of funding the other departments have. That’s also because the contribution is great but still diminutive compared to others.
They may have to create specific lenses for a new GFX camera dedicated to video. Although the company already has a bunch of lenses in its cinema department, we aren’t sure whether they will all fit the new camera. Perhaps a mount has to be designed to help this. Or, they have to create a whole new lineup for the 100MP camera in addition to the existing Fujinon GF32-90mmT3.5. Either way, the chances of it impacting the photography cameras exist.
The company leases about three to four lenses yearly for the X and GFX series for stills. However, as the department is not too expensive, the chances of the company focusing on the cinema lineup more than their photo lineup are high. With videos becoming increasingly common, we see a dwindling interest in stills. And that is not just Fujifilm. The same goes for Canon and Sony, too.
Furthermore, if the company launches fewer lenses than this number or more hybrid cameras, that will upset many people. Their Instax ranges may not be impacted as much since the company stated it is the most beneficial to them, especially now with the rise of film-like aesthetics.
The Supply Crisis Still Looms
We heard different reports from different members of the Fujifilm imaging sector, but both stated that the company is working towards ensuring photographers get their cameras on time. If the division of the new GFX cinema camera is clubbed with the photo camera, it may lead to more issues with supply. Companies already find it hard to get resources to build cameras today, and the chances are those that remain will be geared to the cinema lineup. This could, overall, have an impact on an already delicate ecosystem of photo-focused devices. Perhaps it will drive the sales of the used Fujifilm devices even more. Or perhaps people are simply frustrated with the delays.
A Lack of Innovation in Photography
We can see that today, not just with Fujifilm but with other competing brands. The X series cameras seem to be facing a crisis. As our editor, Chris Gampat, wrote succinctly in the past: “I’ve lost faith in them to make a capable X Pro 4 camera in the same way that a child who goes to therapy loses faith in a parent who acts like a wounded grown child. And so I acknowledge them for who they are, but state that I don’t think that they can love photographers in a way that we need to be loved.”
Change is not always good—at least not in the current scenario. There is too much saturation in photo-focused camera work, and the industry is currently finding the best way to deal with it all is to shift to a new medium. This may work for a while, but once they have reached the end, they may jump into another medium. It is shocking to see that photography, just being 200 years old, has reached such a stage of stagnation. Perhaps that’s why it needs to meet its end to be revived again. We remain to see where Fujifilm takes us the next year.