It's well documented that the Fujifilm X100VI is a camera in hot demand – such demand that it was sold not by pre-order, but by lottery in some countries. Likewise, the Fujifilm X100V was in ridiculously high demand. And in Japan, numerous X, GFX and even Instax products have been unavailable for months and months on end.
Fujifilm has now confirmed that it is, in fact, doing this deliberately with its inventory. President and CEO, Teiichi Goto, during the company's full-year financial results announcement in Japan, said that he considers the stock situation "normal".
So what is the thinking? Why is Fujifilm doing this? Why not just do like every camera manufacturer does, and simply make plenty of stock so that all the customers who want to can actually buy your products?
Goto was asked this question, in the context of other manufacturers facing inventory adjustment in the past financial year. In short, rivals were able to meet customer demand but had to discount any excess stock.
"It would be a waste if Fujifilm produced too many products and lowered the price," replied Goto. The thinking is, instead of making too many cameras and risk having to discount them, it is preferable to make too few – even though that means customers are stuck on back-order lists, waiting months for their products.
"What Fujifilm has been trying to do for a long time is now finally becoming a reality," he added. "Our goal with mirrorless cameras is to fundamentally change the way Fujifilm sells cameras."
Effectively, then, for all its promises about increasing production and appreciating customers' patience, Fujifilm is choosing to underproduce cameras. It would clearly rather implement ludicrous mechanisms like lotteries than actually make enough cameras for everybody to buy one.
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the way buying a camera used to be.
If you can find them in stock, these are the best Fujifilm cameras you can buy along with the best Fujifilm lenses.
