The big picture: Fujifilm has been around for over 90 years, but it was only after post-Covid TikTokers elevated its retro-themed X100 series that the company's modern camera division began to thrive. These days, the Japanese camera maker is struggling to meet demand for it most popular models.
Its latest model, the Fujifilm X100VI, launched in February at an MSRP of $1,599. Getting your hands on one at that price, however, is next to impossible. A quick check over at B&H Photo reveals the Fujifilm X100VI is still on backorder. Similarly, the X100V from 2020 in silver and black is listed as temporarily out of stock. It's the same story at Adorama where the X100V is also on backorder.
Cameras are available via third-part marketplaces like eBay but expect to pay a hefty premium. Recently sold X100VI models are fetching around $2,400 – well above the $1,599 MSPR.
Thanks to the success of the X100 line, the imaging division was Fujifilm's most fruitful in the fiscal year that ended this past March. The division accounted for 37 percent of the company's total operating profit, up from just 27 percent a year earlier.
Fans have flocked to the X100 line in part due to its retro-themed styling. Simply put, they look and feel a lot like film cameras from yesteryear and folks – especially TikTok influencers – are digging it at the moment. In the case of the X100VI, it also helps that it's a very solid compact camera with a 40.2 megapixel APS-C sensor and a 23mm fixed lens.
Smartphone photography has upended the standalone digital camera business but models like the X100VI prove there's still a market for niche cameras that cater to a very specific crowd. If something as specific as this is too specialized for your needs, there are plenty of other excellent digicams out there that offer features like interchangeable lenses that would better appeal to the masses.
As for the X100 series, Fujifilm imaging group manager Yujiro Igarashi said the company increased production to double launch volume ahead of the X100VI. "We found that the orders far exceeded our forecast," Igarashi noted. "In that sense, I was surprised that although we doubled our preparations, it still came up short."
Fujifilm's retro-styled X100 camera line flipped the company's fortunes, it's backordered everywhere
