Camera bodies, which are popular with creators and professionals on account of their film simulations and unique color rendering, are now US$200 (RM847) more expensive than they were on last Thursday evening. — Pixabay
Fujifilm Holdings Corp raised US prices for the majority of its digital cameras and lenses last Friday, in some cases by hundreds of dollars, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to reverberate across the consumer tech industry.
Many of the company’s camera bodies, which are popular with creators and professionals on account of their film simulations and unique color rendering, are now US$200 (RM847) more expensive than they were on last Thursday evening. For instance, Fujifilm’s premier consumer camera, the X-T5, sold for US$1,699 (RM7,196) earlier but now costs US$1,899 (RM8,043), a 12% bump.
Fujifilm did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
The company is headquartered in Japan, which is subject to a baseline 15% tariff under a deal that the Trump administration struck with the country last month. Fujifilm subsequently relocated manufacturing for a few camera models from China to Japan; during that time, the prices remained stable. Other consumer hardware makers have also raised prices in recent months, including Kyoto-based Nintendo Co, which earlier announced a US price increase for the original Switch handheld games console, citing "market conditions.”
Fujifilm is the fourth-largest camera maker behind Canon Inc, Sony Group Corp and Nikon Corp, according to market research firm Techno Systems Research. But the brand’s products often stir an outsized buzz on social media among tech enthusiasts. Its X100 series went viral on TikTok during the Covid pandemic and has consistently been on backorder at most retailers since then. The latest model in that lineup, the X100VI, has risen to US$1,799 (RM7,620) with the latest price changes – up from US$1,599 (RM6,772).
As for the other major camera manufacturers, Canon, Sony and Nikon already raised prices for a number of products earlier this year. Smaller players like Sigma have also given in after months of global tariff anxiety; that brand increased the cost of its lenses by around 10% in June, the photography outlet PetaPixel reported at the time, but the company told retail partners it’s not planning another hike despite the new 15% rate levied on Japan.
Fujifilm’s most recently announced mirrorless camera, the X-E5 unveiled in June, has not undergone any price adjustments. That product is scheduled to ship later in August. The X Half, a compact, lightweight model the company introduced this year to attract more Gen Z customers, has also maintained its US$850 (RM3,600) price for the time being. – Bloomberg
