According to Fujirumors, Fujifilm plans to launch the long-anticipated X-Pro3 successor sometime in 2027. I have two conflicting opinions regarding the timing: it’s way late, and it’s coming just at the right time. Let me explain.
First, people have been waiting at the edge of their seats for the next X-Pro ever since the X-Pro3 was surprisingly discontinued in late-2022. Many thought that the next X-Pro was going to come in 2023, and when that didn’t happen, they expected 2024. When 2024 came-and-went, surely it would be announced in 2025, right? Well, here we are in 2026, and the camera isn’t coming until next year. That’s a lot of waiting and being disappointed. Will the next X-Pro ever come? And what’s taking so long, anyway?
At the same time, I think that camera manufacturers release new models much too quickly. Why do we need a new iteration every two or three years? For most models, I would like to see seven or eight years become the normal cycle for digital camera succession. Since the X-Pro3 was introduced in late-2019, the next iteration should be released sometime between late-2026 and late-2027, which sounds like what will happen. This should be typical, and not the rare exception. And at one time—before the digital age—it wasn’t uncommon for a camera to be manufactured for seven or eight years, and some wen’t for much longer (the Zenit-E had a 21-year run). Let’s get back to that.
What makes this difficult to appreciate, though, is that Fujifilm discontinued the X-Pro3 over three years ago. By the time the next one comes, it will have been four years or longer, which, according to historical release trends, means that a whole different X-Pro could have existed between the X-Pro3 and its successor. Fujifilm should have continued to manufacture and sell the X-Pro3 for another couple of years; however, a well-documented faulty ribbon cable sacked it. If you could have purchased a brand-new X-Pro3 as recently as last year, the fact that the next version isn’t coming until 2027 wouldn’t seem so bad. But I also understand why one would not continuing to sell a camera with a known fault. That’s the rock and hard place that Fujifilm found itself between regarding this line—they couldn’t keep making the X-Pro3, but they weren’t anywhere near ready for the X-Pro4.
Fujifilm has had plenty of time to come up with something really good (and hopefully well-tested). It will be interesting to see what exactly the camera will be. Once it’s released, nobody will continue talking about how long it took; instead, the focus will be that it’s here now. I look forward to that, whenever that happens in 2027.
See also: Fujifilm X-Pro2 — The camera that got away (again)
So why discontinue the X-Pro3 four years ago? Lack of sales?
The faulty ribbon cable that has been widely reported for years now. It causes the rear screen to not function.
Potentially they could have made some basic design and manufacturing modifications that could have corrected it, increasing strength and durability. A lot of owners still love that camera. So there could be additional factors in why they stopped.
It happened right in the middle of the global parts shortage. My guess is if the faulty ribbon cable had happened two years early or two years later, it would have been much easier and more practical just to secure some new/better cables and keep going. My guess (just a guess) is that they tried, but just couldn’t find a part with higher durability that could be delivered in the quantity needed and in the time they needed it.
I’m good with the X-Pro4 arriving in’27. Yet, I want to see a re-engineered camera bottom up kicking up the level of engineering to rival Leica’s! Along with a new design eliminating the slop on the top cover. The X100 and XE line is leading the way on this and it is successful. Now’s the time for Fujifilm to honor its debut release in the X-Pro1 by showing a compound difference outshining the entire line utilizing the rangefinder design. Pull out the stops Fujifilm and build a high end durable camera that will see its place in best all time cameras.
For the amount of time it has taken them, I would hope that a lot of care is going into the design. Thanks for the input!
Think it’s not a good look that Fujifilm can’t even give a release date. You’ve got many X-Pro3 and other X-Pro users hoping for an upgrade and hear nothing. Bad form…..
It would be extremely unusual for them to do so. It’s definitely not SOP or any sort of industry standard. They will announce it mere weeks before the release date, not months or years. It would be extremely highly unusual for them to provide a date so far in advance. I don’t see that as a bad look, just very normal within the industry.
“Why do we need a new iteration every two or three years?”
The answer to this is simple, consumers want to buy the new shiny with the latest features. When consumers are looking for a new camera, they are more likely to buy one that has been released in the past 2 years over one that was released 4+ years ago.
For sure, it is driven by consumers who demand it. I just hope it’s possible to shift consumer habits, which are clearly unhealthy, and not “normal” when compared to the long-term of photography, when someone might own a camera for 20+ years. Everything is too “throwaway” now.
Greets,
A bit of a point missed here.
In purer days we had physical cameras, each with it’s own quality and optomechanical abilities.
Emphasis of the new was driven by those challenged by getting perfect exposure with frequently picky chemistry. Stabillity / shake was as now, a matter of technique coupled with common sense.
Composition though, a matter of prejudice and argued over endlessly. Poor focussing, just laziness.
The reviews attempted to split optomechanical hairs. For real users, it was in the feel, with the press being rightly concerned by weight, speed of configuration swaps, resistance to physical abuse and will your long lens get you shot, particularly in Northern Ireland.
In the UK, we saw the switch, Nikon F1 to the Olympus OM1, just because you could carry three.
Pebble in the millpond, Canon and their disposable grey teles.
So, a technology race, albeit a measured one.
What pros and ams obsessed on was the deficiencies of available stock and how it could acceptably have it’s design boundaries streched. Less so for studio or people photography as much could be controlled and larger formats permitted things to be done properly.
Consumer concerns were mainly convenience, speed and price for a tiny print to show to ones friends.
“How have they come out”?
One dominant feature, everyone hated grain as an obstructive but inevitable evil, inherrent in the chemistry. Buzz words, reciprocity, clumping, apparent sharpness versus fine grain.
We still have “washed highlights” and “lost in the shadows”.
So, again, another technology race, chemistry based and similarly measured.
I saw my first digitally based print, 2ft by 1 1/2ft approx. I have a copy.
From Agfa research labs. At a London exhibition. Subject, a Mad Ludwig Castle.
I turned my back on the hiatus to come. I anticipated digital would surpass chemistry in five years making my investments futile. Wrong on the latter, taken 50 years.
Point is, couple four things.
1. The natural shortening of product lifecycles.
2. The effective inclusion of the chemistry race.
3. The progress from possibility to reality of AF for those interested.
4. We have also “progressed” from US and Norther Europe dominance, thru acceptance of Japanese quality to Global competition, for good or bad.
Finally, the technology is by no means mature yet. Maybe teenaged.
No one is accepting security issues nor understanding how AIs may be used to make everything go away.
A return to chemistry may be the only conformation of authenticity.
Meanwhile, self leveling would be a boon as would easier non physical tethering.
Best Rgds.
I would love self-leveling. For some reason, even with the built-in level, I always seem to make a tilted picture. 🤣
Next year is fine by me for the XPro 4, I notice that on some resale sites the XPro 3 is often priced very highly, despite the known faulty ribbon, yet often doesn’t sell at these higher prices. Either way I think we can brace ourselves for a pretty expensive XPro 4. Time to start saving the pennies.