Ten Years Ago!

A post we published ten years ago yesterday:

Fuji Goes on the Attack

Shigetaka Komori, Fuji CEO, has announced that Fuji will enter the mirrorless interchangeable-lens market by next Spring (2012) with a line of products that will share the "Fujifilm X" nomenclature with its recent fixed-lens cameras the X100 and X10.

Komori-san says that the sensor quality of Fujifilm X mirrorless will exceed that of current full-frame sensors, although its sensor size will likely be smaller than 24x36mm. The claim reminded me of something...I have a hazy memory of someone with knowledge of the industry telling me long ago that an official of Canon said that Fuji is the only company Canon is scared of—not Panasonic, not Sony, not Nikon—because of Fuji's expertise with sensors. (I might not have that right, so please don't quote me.)

Fuji also confirmed that demand for the X100 has far exceeded expectations. More than 70,000 have sold in six months, and the total is expected to top 100,000 by year's end.

Note: About that anecdote, I did have it right. I was being circumspect because the source had given me permission to quote him but asked me to please camouflage his identity as best I could. He has since passed away, but I'll leave it alone.

Shigetaka Komori retired at CEO of Fuji last Summer. He certainly presided over a wonderful renaissance at that company.

Yesterday was also the tenth anniversary of the death of Steve Jobs.

Mike

(Thanks to Lex Stewart and Richard Man for corrections)

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Albert Smith: "Well, I was one of the 70,000 that bought the original X100, literally the day it hit the shelf of my local camera store (now, sadly, gone). The images of that Leica look alike in the many photo magazines (now sadly gone too) had me salivating after jumping to digital and relegating my M6 to a shelf. I'm glad that I allowed Fujifilm some growing pains because if that original X100 were my impression of the brand, it would have been my last Fuji. They certainly have evolved, and today a Fuji camera is in my hand 99% of the time. It's great to see a mission statement actually be realized also to the letter."

Zave Shapiro: "I'm old enough to remember when people who sold things were familiar with products, their own and competitors. Today we have product managers who claim expertise in 'marketing' and 'product positioning.' I remember fondly when I was offered Good, Better, Best rather than today's 'I can sell you features. How much money do you have?' I just bought a new car so I'm disgusted, of course. The great thing about phone cameras is the return to Good, Better, Best. If Fuji, CaNyKon, etc can hang on I'm sure the MBAs will foul up the phones. We'll have seven Apple phones within $22 all distinguished by feature set (software), and the customers will need classes."

Comments

[Eolake Stobblehouse]

I had the original X-100, and I am really happy for Fuji’s success.

I’m very sad about the decline of the M4/3 format though, to me it’s the ideal sensor size. Compact, but still big enough for good shallow DoF when you need it.
I think the craze for full frame cameras is irrational.

Eolake Stobblehouse

[Stelios]

I remember reading that, which means I've been reading this blog for 10 years. Surely that can't be.

[Michael Perini]

Fujifilm really has done a fine job.
I am a long time fan , although I've never shot with one of their Digital Cameras. I loved their Large format lenses, and used to occasionally rent a 6x17, and used the Texas Leica once.
They are probably most remarkable for how adroitly they managed the film to digital transition. A very well managed company.

[Richard Man]

Minor typo: "I was being circumspect because the source had given me permission to quote him but asked him to please camouflage who he was as best I could."

"asked him to" is incorrect and should just be deleted?

[Lex Stewart]

Dear Mike,

Regarding "Shigetaka Komori is still CEO of Fuji today"

FYI. Shigetaka Komori stepped down as CEO of Fujfilm this summer.

See: https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/about/hq/corporate/message.

Best regards,

Lex

[William]

FUJIFILM has a Semi-Conductors Materials Group (https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/business/semiconductor-materials/wave-control-mosaic) that develops and manufactures color-filter arrays, IR filter films and other sensor optical components. I will speculate this is the expertise Canon was concerned about. The significance of CFA and IR filter layers are not typically considered when discussing perceived image quality. The light transmission properties of these and other sensor assembly optical components are a critical part of image demosaicking. FUJIFILM's Photofinishing & Personalized Photo Products Group has decades of technology development and experience as well.

[Bryan Geyer]

Your "someone with knowledge of the industry" was likely Burt Keppler, and I surely wish that he was alive today. His Canon connection might have been accurate in making that assessment at that time, but this is now a very different era. Sensor design and integration has materially advanced. No camera maker has any significant lead in sensor technology; it's their potential semiconductor source (in Taiwan) that commands those smarts.

[Dennis Ng]

Taiwan do cpu but I am not sure it is a threat. But canon is right but misguided to look at the supply chain vertically rather than the competition horizontally. The Apple is a playbook of this game. M1 vs intel …

In this line, canon should worry about Sony the real sensor maker which might reserve some of the best for their own camera first. https://petapixel.com/2019/07/02/sonys-sensor-dominance-is-a-problem-for-camera-makers-towerjazz/ in fact as canon sensor is a bit behind its camera competition is a bit weak these days.

I thought fuji is its glass making that is the threat.

Its chemical making is not a threat as it is more cosmetic business these days. We still not want to hear news from fuji as it is always discontinuation of this and that. Their expertise are used fir lady make up instead.

Never a fan of fuji camera. The UI and the result is no good. No enjoyment of taking the pic or look at the pic. Not me. Passed.

[Robert Roaldi]

I'd like give a big ditto to Eolake Stobblehouse's comment, if that's allowed.

[Patrick Chambers]

Your comment on Steve Jobs reminds of a T-shirt I once saw: 'Once we had hope, jobs and cash. Now we have no Hope, no Jobs and no Cash'.