Fujifilm Japan has raised camera prices by up to 15% and instax by up to 23%. Europe moved in summer, and the US could follow soon.
Blaming the “recent rise in component costs, manufacturing and logistics costs,” Fujifilm Japan has issued a statement saying that prices are rising as of October 1. Sometimes, manufacturers provide some notice of coming price movements to ramp up sales, but this one was issued on September 30, giving people very little time to react.
Some of its popular range of instax instant cameras rise anywhere from 6% to 23%. Digital cameras rise 6% to 15%, while the XF500mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR lens rises around 12%.
Cameras earmarked by the company for rises include the GFX100 II, GFX100S II, GFX100RF, X-T50, X-T50 XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens Kit, X-E5, X-E5 XF23mmF2.8 R WR Lens Kit, and X100VI. Reporting from Japan suggests the GFX100 II is at the top of the scale and attracting the full 15% markup.
“We have been trying to absorb costs by improving production efficiency and reducing costs” states a translated statement from the company, noting that it has become “difficult to absorb it with corporate efforts alone.” Likely culprits are AI-driven memory chip shortages, while volatility in the silver market is impacting the silver-halide based instax range in particular.
So, what does that mean for the rest of the world, and is it an indication of rises to come from other manufacturers?
For a start, Fujifilm prices in Europe have already crept up quietly over the summer. Increases of 6-11% have been noted. The GFX100 II was already an expensive purchase, now it’s €500 more than it was in July. The X100VI was €1799 at launch and is now €1999, but good luck getting hold of one as it seems to be out of stock everywhere.
If we had to put money on it, we’d say that European prices will hold where they are at their new level, for now at least. US prices for Fujifilm cameras are a bit more of an unknown. They were jacked up substantially over summer 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s tariff dispute and have stayed at those levels while the trade war drama continues in fits and starts. They could shift upwards again.
(Interestingly, while researching this we came across the fact that second-hand prices for the currently $1799 X100VI are now over and above $2000 as its brand-new availability is currently listed as December 2026.)
As for the manufacturers, Canon, GoPro, Leica, Nikon, and Sony are among those that have issued warnings about potential price rises in recent earnings calls and reporting, with RAMageddon usually cited as the chief villain of the piece. Most have bought memory chips in advance to last the year out. But as a resolution to the memory crisis keeps getting kicked further down the road, so those stocks must be dwindling fast and new ones will likely come with a heavier price tag attached. Prices everywhere and from everyone could still shift upwards as a result.