The X100 has been rocking the digital world for a few months now, and Fujifilm is starting to get noticed as a real contender among worldwide imaging giants. Fuji has even projected their sales to overtake Sony and Samsung, which would ease them up into 3rd place behind Canon (#1) and Nikon (#2). Fuji is relying heavily on the expanding Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera market to allow for this growth.  What Fujifilm has discovered through their marketing meetings and brand-building  assessments is that “we should put out luxury models and spend more on publicity to build up the brand.” (Reuters Article)

What does this mean for the consumer exactly? Fujifilm wants to create more quality product associations with their brand name  and their products’ branding needs to relay that they are indeed a luxury camera manufacturer. Fuji is gunning for Leica’s under-served market; they want to cover the luxury-inclined consumer, but at a more appealing (and much less painful) price tag.

So how are they doing this? First up was the X100, which with a well-received first run and a still-running demand, they seem to have hit the nail on the head. With a number of  innovations, a solid-feeling body and the legendary Fujinon optics, Fujifilm’s Finepix X100 is the first luxury camera made exclusively by Fujifilm.

Second up, the Fujifilm Finepix X10. This is where the news gets good; originally designated as the X50, the Finepix X10 is the “baby X100″ in all sleek black with a reduced sensor for a smaller body build and an optical 4x zoom. While still not an interchangeable lens model, the X10 will come with the OVF/EVF hybrid viewfinder that made the X100 such a smashing success and will incorporate a few design and operational improvements over the X100.  Look for this camera to be making an appearance around October at a price point of $600 USD.

While still not delving into the interchangeable market like they are projecting, this is an exciting development as we watch one of photography’s beloved film-makers step into the new millennium of photographic technology and reinvent themselves. Look for a whole lot more coming from Fujifilm as they climb into world-competitor status over the next couple of years.