In a recent CP+ Photo Show 2025 interview, Fujifilm commented on its increased production output to meet the demand for the X100 VI.
Fujifilm launched the hugely popular X100 VI fixed-lens compact mirrorless camera in February 2024 and quickly found that demand outstripped product.
Pre-orders for the 40MP fixed-lens powerhouse resulted in extensive delays in shipping orders to stores and customers.
Fujifilm’s Runaway Success
The Fujifilm X100 has proven to be a popular camera system since the first model launched in 2011 – it was the camera that converted me to the Fujifilm X Series for my work.
When the Fujifilm X100 V launched in February 2020, it was overwhelmed by the demand from traditional and non-traditional customers.
While COVID and the resulting lockdowns hindered production, the demand was impressive, and many reported considerable delays in receiving their cameras.
The Japanese imaging giant was once again overwhelmed by the popularity of the X100 VI and has struggled to meet the demand.
A contributing factor to the X100 VI’s scarcity was reports of scalpers buying the camera in bulk to later resell it at a much higher price on e-commerce sites.
It’s a similar story in other industries, with products such as gaming consoles and Pokemon cards being stripped from stores by scalpers.
I saw a recent news article from Japan that said Japanese retail staff are interviewing customers about their intentions for buying the latest Pokemon card series. If the customer cannot satisfy the employee’s curiosity, they’re asked to leave the store.
Fujifilm recently acknowledged this challenge and has taken measures to limit the impacts of scalpers from Japanese retail and online sales platforms.
Early last year, Fujifilm advised that it would ramp up production of the X100 VI to over double that of the previous generation.
Despite this significant boost in volume, Fujifilm is still struggling to meet the demand and even clear the backlog of earlier orders.
We’ve more than doubled our production compared to the previous model. But on top of that, we are also still increasing production. Now we can produce higher than [15,000 units per month] and we have been, but it’s not like we can produce double that [amount again] -General Manager of Professional Imaging Group, Imaging Solutions Division, Fujifilm Corporation.
The Fujifilm X100 VI fixed-lens compact camera is still challenging to find on a store shelf. The most recent MAP Camera (Japan) sales data (February 2025) placed the X100 VI at the top of the list.
We are doing our best and I think we are getting closer to clearing those orders and so I just hope people will be a just a bit more patient not to buy from higher priced resellers available in the market.
Fujifilm isn’t alone in its challenges to effectively predict, manufacture, and meet customer demand; other leading brands are experiencing similar challenges.
Credit : Source Post
