Newsswitch interviewed Fujifilm Manager Toshihisa Iida. Here is a summary of the interview I blatantly copied from Fujirumors.com :)
Fujifilm GFX System
- Fujifilm GFX100 orders in the first month were more than twice than expected
- GFX100 got attention of high-end amateurs
- The GFX100 has features such as high-pixel, high-sensitivity, and wide-gamut video shooting that can be used in a wide range of applications
- Weight and slowness are the challenges of cameras equipped with medium-sized or larger image sensors
- The GFX100 is also valued for its improvement
How to revitalize the market
- Expanding the APS-C X System
- evolve the existing models
- market demand for high-performance products is increasing
- High end gear is becoming more expensive and heavier
- It is important to meet the expectations of the high-end customers
- demand for video will grow
- smartphones are evolving with computational photography, but for background blur or shooting in a dark place, interchangeable lens cameras are still superior
- Toshihisa Iida thinks that struggling digital camera sales it is not only because of the popularity of smartphones, but also because there are no products that are more attractive than smartphones. He would like to revitalize the market by creating a popular type of camera that can attractive for smartphone users
How to Overcome Challenges
- Proceed with efforts to improve production efficiency and reduce costs
- it is difficult to increase the efficiency of lens production
- Automation technology is incorporated into the Miyagi factory. Some interchangeable lenses are also automated, but the human eye is absolutely neccessary for the adjustment process
Future Roadmap
- The roadmap is updated once a year. To date, we have announced an average of 5 or 6 new products each year. We are not going to slow that pace