According to Fujirumors, some camera stores are beginning to mark the Fujifilm X-E4 as discontinued. It’s not uncommon for cameras to be marked as such prior to the announcement of its successor, but I don’t think that’s the case here.
I own and love my X-E4. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the X-E line because my very first Fujifilm camera was an X-E1, which was my gateway into the Fujifilm family. The X-E4 was my most-used camera body in 2022. It’s an especially great camera for travel photography due to its small size and minimalistic design, and I’m so glad that I preordered it when it was announced.
Of course, it wasn’t without controversy. Fujifilm probably went a step or two too far in their attempt at minimalism, removing a couple of things they probably shouldn’t have. No camera is perfect. Despite that, the X-E4 has been in-demand since its release, with sales often exceeding Fujifilm’s ability to manufacture new bodies. The camera has been on backorder for the majority of the time since its release a little over two years ago. If you are a camera maker, best case scenario is that a camera’s demand exceeds your ability to make them, and they are already sold before they even reach the end of assembly. The X-E4 was one such model.
So why, then, is it being discontinued?
The reason why Fujifilm couldn’t keep up with demand is the global parts shortage that affected so much within the industry. Fujifilm didn’t prioritize securing parts and manufacturing efforts for the X-E4 for two reasons, I believe: 1) other models were even more in-demand, and 2) other models have higher profit margins. I don’t have any proof of that, it’s just my assumptions. Cameras like the X100V and X-T5 are more in-demand than the X-E4, and more money is made per camera sold than the X-E4, so less of an effort was made to produce more X-E4 bodies. Instead of trying to fulfill the full demand, Fujifilm prioritized other models. It’s fine that they did that, because something had to give somewhere, and Fujifilm made their tough decisions.
My guess is that parts are running especially thin now for the X-E4, so Fujifilm is telling camera stores that they cannot fulfill more orders. I think more bodies have been made and are en route to the stores, and possibly more are on the assembly line right now, but after that there will be no more. Some of those who have it backordered will get their camera, and some won’t. That’s all just a guess and so take it with a large grain of salt. I have zero inside information.
Instead of trying to secure more parts and manufacture more copies of the X-E4, I think Fujifilm is trying to move onto X-Trans V as quickly as they can. I suspect that the X-Pro3 is no longer manufactured, and Fujifilm and camera stores are waiting for the current stock to dry up. I think the X-T30 II is on it’s last production run, and will soon be discontinued. My guess is that all of the X-S10’s that will be made have been already, and it’s a matter of the current stock running out. Same for the X-T4. The X100V is another story. I think Fujifilm will continue to manufacture it as long as demand remains sky-high, which will likely be until the day the X100Z (or whatever they will call it) is released; however, I do think they are giving manufacturing priority to the X-T5, X-H2, and X-H2S. Again, this is all speculation and nothing more.
Supposedly, the next Fujifilm camera to be announced will be the X-S20 sometime next month, but Fujifilm cancelled their April X Summit. Maybe they weren’t as ready for the X-S20 as they thought they would be. I think Fujifilm should prioritize the next X100-series camera, but my suspicion is that 2024 will be the year of the X-Pro4 and X100Z, and not 2023. I do think the plan is for one more X camera to be announced this year (aside from the X-S20, in or around September), but it will likely be an affordable (budget) model, such as the X-T40 (they might call it X-T50).
Fujifilm has three low-budget lines: X-S, X-E, and X-T00. They used to have other lower-budget lines, but that end of the camera market dried up so they discontinued them. I don’t believe that Fujifilm will continue with three models competing against each other. My guess is that either the X-T00 or X-E line is done for. Since Fujifilm has flirted in the past with discontinuing the X-E line, that series is likely on the chopping block, or at least being discussed as such within Fujifilm management. Don’t be surprised if there is no X-E5.
If the autumn camera isn’t the X-T40, what could it be? Fujifilm would be smart to prioritize the next X100-series model. That should be near the very top of their to-do list (after fixing the Cam Remote app). I wouldn’t be surprised if Fujifilm introduced a new mid-tier PASM line in-between the X-S20 and X-H2/X-H2S—I have no idea if that’s in their plans or not, but it does seem like a gap in the lineup. I’ve heard of plenty of demand for a non-PASM flagship model, but I don’t think that’s currently in the cards. Of course, I’d love to see an X80 or monochrome-only model—those are the only cameras that I’m personally interested in right now—but I’m not holding my breath. Most likely, 2023 is the year for the X-S20 and X-T40.
I hope the X-E line isn’t done for. I hope there is an X-E5. If they do make it, the series has historically been announced near the end of a sensor’s lifecycle, so perhaps we will see one in 2025, just before X-Trans VI is introduced. We’ll see.
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Fujifilm X-E4 in black: Amazon B&H Moment
Fujifilm X-E4 in silver: Amazon B&H Moment
X100X
We’re only up to five – X100V. Next in line would be hen sixth. X100VI?
I hope not VI, but I have heard that (and VS) suggested. I would prefer single letter. But, in the end, the name matters not.
Could go x100H, for hex. That just punts the 7, though.
Personally, I hope they don’t go with x100vi… just seems like a shame to revert to roman numerals after S/T/F were so cool. V could be plausibly a letter in FIVE.
Some letters that Fujifilm used for film emulsions (that haven’t already been used for an X100) are: C, D, G, H, X, and Z—they could go with any of those. I assume that E could be used for 8 and N could be used for 9 (going back to the S, T, F format). I would hope that X would be reserved for 10. That leaves 6 and 7… if H is used for 7, Z is my top pick for 6 (Zeta is the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet). I have no idea what Fujifilm will do, though.
X100Z. Yes, that works.
I hope they have the foresight to save that one for the tenth iteration. 😀
Re. X80: let me add to the chorus of voices in support of a followup to the X70!
It’s long, long, long overdue! I hope Fujifilm has it in the plans.
I’m very glad I bought my XE-4 early, I love it. Is it true that the X-T30 II is the exact same camera on the inside as the XE-4?
The sensor and processor are identical. I assume that autofocus and such are identical, too, but I’ve not seen anything (nor looked for anything) that confirms it, but they are very similar, aside from shape and buttons.
I have an X100V.
I would purchase an X100VI with the 40MP sensor. Fuji, my $1,400 USD is here for you.
I will likely pass on the next X100 iteration just because I love my X100V so much (unless there’s some surprise new feature that I just have to have). But I know it will be a highly successful camera no matter what. Fujifilm cannot release it soon enough.
I think Fuji can simplify the product line. Dump the X-H2. Stick with the X100, X-Pro, X-T, and X-E lines. Shed the low end.
I would be happy with that lineup personally. From what I hear, the X-H2/X-H2S is selling pretty well.
The kindest I can say about this camera is it’s not for me. Hope they’ll bring back the design(s) of the previous versions. If not then I look forward to the next X-P.
I personally love the X-E4, but I can understand why others might not agree with that assessment.
I’m hoping the X-E line doesn’t go away. There ought to be something compact, and the rangefinder-style body lends itself to that. But maybe they know the X-T#0 line does better for them, even if it doesn’t speak to me. I figure if I want a body shape akin to an SLR’s mirror box, I’d rather have an X-T.
I don’t see a need for something between the X-S and X-H lines, however. The “entry”-to-“pro” gap isn’t that large. Today’s “entry” cameras are more like the mid-tier of the recent past, and the old entry level has dropped off entirely. While I’m not personally into PASM-Fuji, I get why they want to have these cameras, but two is probably sufficient.
I have heard a number of people say that they want to upgrade to something better than the X-S10 (weather sealed, two card slots, etc.), but don’t want to pay 2K+ for an X-H2 model and they aren’t interested in traditional dials. I have also heard a handful of people say that they want a smaller body to use in additional to their X-H2/X-H2S… something $1.5K-ish and weather sealed and PASM, and the X-S line doesn’t do it for them. So I do think there is a market to some extent… not sure to what extent, though.
Fair enough. Although IMHO the best way forward is to figure out a way to get at least weather sealing into the X-S line. Seems like widespread weather sealing is one of the big selling points for both Pentax and [no longer called] Olympus.
I think if the X-S line had weather sealing, an extra SD card slot, 7 presets (instead of 4), etc., it could fill that mid-range role, but they’d definitely have to increase the price several hundred dollars. Supposedly the X-S20 will be the same cost as the X-S10, we’ll see soon enough I suppose. I don’t know which way Fujifilm should move forward with it, so it will be (somewhat) interesting to see what they end up doing.
Would Fuji really wait until 2024 to announce the X-Pro4? That would put over four years between models. Also, the 3 isn’t widely available and hasn’t been for months.
I’ll be extremely disappointed if only one body is announced this year.
The X-Pro2 was released exactly four years after the X-Pro1. The X-Pro3 was released three-and-a-half years after the X-Pro2. Fujifilm could announce the X-Pro4 in the fall like the X-Pro3, or they could announce it in January like the X-Pro1 and X-Pro2. It could go either way. But, after releasing three high-end cameras in 2022 and no affordable options, my guess is that the X-Pro4 will come in 2024. I have zero inside information, that’s just my guess.
Sold my X100V. Just wasn’t using it much compared to my GRlllx. I’m holding onto my “old” XE-3, though.
Why were you prefering the GR IIIx? I’d like to know because I was about to buy a X-E4, but now I’m shifting my mind to the Ricoh.
The X-E series and the GR aren’t really comparable, IMO. One is a single focal length and the other is an ILC. The X100 was large enough to make me not want to carry it around for “everyday” stuff. The Ricoh is truly small. Also, the Fuji attracted more attention than I’d like (I had the silver finish). The Ricoh looks like a cheap camera, so no one notices. I keep my X-E3 (black finish) as my swiss army camera. The Ricoh is the scalpel, as Sean Tucker says.
I love the X-E3, and I was oh so waiting for the XE-4, but when it came out it was such a disappointment. It was several steps below its older sister. I desisted buying it .
They definitely took a divergent approach to the X-E4 than X-E3. Personally, I love the X-E4 (my most used model in 2022), but I can certainly understand why someone would disagree. Not a camera for everyone.
I wish Fujifilm would make an X40. For people that argue that a bigger sensor would require a bigger body I say to them that the Sony RX-100 series cameras are smaller than the X30.
Unfortunately, I think small-sensor cameras are basically a thing of the past. With all of the new interest in classic digicams, there might still be a market, but I think camera makers aren’t all that interested because the demand isn’t what it used to be. The X30, for example, was a sales bust. Still, it wouldn’t hurt Fujifilm to explore an X40 to see if it is viable.
I have just inquired at several dealers in Germany and Austria who all checked with the respective distributors and despite the fact that it’s hard to come by tjey are still taking preorders.
Don’t know about B&H and not about the US, but I have several independant sources insisting that the camera is not discontinued.
I have a contact at a large US camera retailer, and two weeks ago he told me that those who haven’t already ordered the X-E4 will likely not get one, and some of those currently on the wait list possibly might not get one, either. He did not confirm that Fujifilm has “officially” discontinued the camera, but the impression that I got from him was that they’re not expecting to receive new bodies at some point soon, but they’re not sure exactly when that will be or exactly how many more cameras they will receive from Fujifilm.
I hope they are wrong, though, because the X-E4 is an in-demand model… not quite like the X100V, but the people who want it should have an opportunity to buy it, so Fujifilm should continue manufacturing it until the demand runs out.
Sounds quite right. I guess the question is if a possible successor will come out before preorders will be fulfilled. Supposedly they are coming slow but nobody would confirm that they are ceased to be manufactured.
I hope Fujifilm is working on a successor, but I’d be very surprised if they are. I think they are more simply stopping production, without outright stating that it is forever, leaving confusion. It could be that they are running low on parts and are unsure if or when they will be able to secure more; perhaps Fujifilm hopes that they can produce more, but are unsure if they will be able to, so they are discontinuing it without officially closing the door on the possibility of making more in the future. This is all a guess, though.
Our local Minneapolis camera shop had a used X-E4 body in near mint condition listed for $1099 a couple weeks ago and it was gone from their website within 48 hours. (I check daily to see what interesting used finds come in.) Pretty wild that like the X100V people are willing to pay a premium used. Too bad Fuji can’t make more and make them quickly.
That is crazy! And it is too bad that Fujifilm isn’t able to crank them out a little quicker.