Fujifilm has been a pretty prolific camera maker in the last six months, but that doesn’t mean its conveyor belt of new models is slowing down – new rumors suggest it’ll be launching two more X-series models in the next year.
The usually reliable Fuji Rumors has reported that “trusted sources” have revealed Fujifilm will be launching “two more mid-range X-series cameras between now and March 2021”.
That date is when the Japanese fiscal year ends, which is why it’s being considered the cut-off. And if you’re unfamiliar with Fujifilm’s X-series, it’s a popular line of APS-C mirrorless cameras aimed at both smartphone upgraders and DSLR shooters looking for similar power in a smaller package.
So far, there are no more details or leaks beyond this prediction. But it’s potentially good news for those who’ve been looking at fine cameras like the Fujifilm X-T30 and Fujifilm X-E3 and wondering if or when they might be upgraded.
While this is only speculation at this stage, we’d say a Fujifilm X-T40 and possibly a Fujifilm X-E4 are the most likely contenders for those two rumored models.
A Fujifilm X-T40, in particular, looks highly likely to arrive in mid-2020, given previous launch cycles. These small, travel-friendly APS-C cameras have traditionally arrived around six months after their larger X-T cousins – and the Fujifilm X-T4 was launched in February 2020.
Of course, this cycle could still be affected by the global pandemic, but the smaller X-T cameras have become Fujifilm’s biggest-sellers, and it’s likely that an X-T40 would have the same 26.1MP back-illuminated APS-C sensor as the X-T4.
High X-pectations
What else could we expect from a Fujifilm X-T40? We doubt the body would be big enough to include the in-body image stabilization seen on the X-T4, but it could well inherit the improved autofocus, side-flipping screen and potentially the new battery seen on its bigger brother.
The other of the “two mid-range X-series cameras” rumored to be en route is a trickier to predict, but a successor to the Fujifilm X-E3 seems the most likely. This compact rangefinder arrived in September 2017, so is more than due an upgrade. Back then, our review praised it by concluding “the X-E3 is everything you’d want in a compact-sized mirrorless camera”.
However, there has been some doubt over whether or not an X-E4 will ever arrive. In March Fuji Rumors reported that the X-E line had actually been canned, although this was slightly contradicted in April when a Fujifilm manager apparently suggested an X-E4 could still be possible.
Still, other than the Fujifilm XF10, the X-E3 is really the only other mid-range X-series camera that is due an upgrade. We are also expecting to see a successor to the Fujifilm X-H1, which is a video-focused equivalent of the X-T line, but this is a more high-end camera that isn’t expected to arrive until 2021, according to the latest rumors.
Source: techradar.com
