Just yesterday we told you that the RAM shortage is the reason behind the Fujifilm X-T6 delay and that, by delaying the announcement, Fujifilm is at least avoiding the supply issues now plaguing the Sony FX5.
But today I wanted to dig a bit deeper into it, thanks also to input from fellow FR-reader Alpha Atlas.
And the full story is even more ridiculous than you might think.
Let’s start with a statement from Valve, the company behind the Steam gaming platform and Steam Machine. In an interview with the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, Valve explained just how difficult it has become to secure memory—and its experience is a telling example of how brutal the RAM situation has become for companies right now.
Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais told Gamers Nexus – video below:
Q: were you able to lock in contracts with the suppliers directly?
A: Look, there’s no contract; there’s nothing. Like, those guys… [memory makers] give us a price every month or something, and they say, ‘You can buy that many, and it’s yes or no.’ And if we say no, then they never talk to us again
This had the following consequence for Valve:
- 8GB DDR5 shortage: Sourcing enough 8GB sticks for launch became “literally impossible.”
- Valve’s solution: Use one 16GB stick instead of two 8GB sticks.
- Performance hit: Single-channel memory reduces performance by roughly 9–15%.
Even Apple struggles with memory shortage and pricing: the brand new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max for example use the faster TLC memory for up to 512GB models, but the 1TB models use the slower QLC flash memory.
Certainly Apple but very likely also Valve purchase more memory than Fujifilm, which means Fujifilm has even less leverage and this makes the Fujifilm X-T6 production even more complicated in terms of parts procurement and pricing.
Memory makers have currently an incredible leverage and they use it all to make the most money possible out of it.
The funny part of this shortage?
Apparently AI giants like Microsoft have bought massive numbers of advanced chips that are sitting unused in warehouses, making the global semiconductor shortage look even more ridiculous.
In fact, according to The Guardian, Microsoft has less than half the AI chips installed in its datacenters than its public expansion goals led analysts to expect. For Microsoft & Co the issue isn’t chip supply, but a lack of finished facilities—Microsoft simply can’t build datacenters or connect them to the power grid fast enough to plug the GPUs in.
Yet, tech companies keep buying up next-gen chips to stay ahead. This leaves billions of dollars in hardware sitting in boxes, risking obsolescence before ever processing a query.
So, this is apparently the situation. And in this mess Fujifilm has to try to gather not only enough chips, but also try to find them at a price that won’t raise the price of the Fujifilm X-T6 to ridiculous heights.
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When I published about the delay of the Fujifilm X-T6, I saw a surprising number of people getting mad at Fujifilm for it.
As if it was Fujifilm’s fault…. but it’s not.
Let me explain by taking the Sony FX5 as example.
Sony FX5 – Debunking the Wrong Theory
The Sony FX5 was announced back on July 22 – remember this date – with shipping scheduled for August 21 according to Sony’s press text here.
But since then the camera has not yet shipped, with delivery being delayed over and over and over again due to “production issues“.
One theory I’ve come across is that the delays were related to the July 28 Kumamoto earthquake and the subsequent damage to Sony’s sensor factory.
But that can’t be the reason, because I’ve heard the very first whispers about a potential X-T6 delay a few days before the earthquake even happened. So either Fujifilm knew about an upcoming earthquake, or there are other reasons for the decision to delay the Fujifilm X-T6.
Finally, on August 7, I had no more hopes for an X-T6 announcement in September, and I did inform you about it here.
Sony FX5 vs Fujifilm X-T6
Sometimes the first half of 2026 a major issues started to brew up for camera companies and it apparently culimanated in July.
As Fujifilm’s financial report suggests, it could be related the the RAM and components shortage created by the frenzy build-up of AI data centers.
Sadly for Sony, the Sony FX5 probably fell right into an unlucky time-span in which an announcement delay was no longer possible. So they announced it on July 22 anyway, and now, if we are lucky, we will get it in the second half of October, that’s about 3 months after announcement, which is less than ideal.
Because keeping the announcement, preorder, and shipping dates close together helps maintain excitement, convert initial interest into actual sales, and reduce the risk of customers canceling their preorders or other brands to come out with competing products in the meantime.
This is something Fujifilm absolutely wanted to avoid, and since their announcement was scheduled for September 4 – along with XF400/4.5 and XF50-140MKII – they had more time to decide to delay the entire X-T6 launch.
This will help Fujifilm to keep announcement and preorder closer together, which makes total sense, rather than announcing it anyway and then, like Sony with the FX5, keep delaying the shipping.
Conclusion
So, while I understand the frustration of many X shooters, I don’t think Fujifilm could have done anything differently.
In fact, I think they made the best call possible.
It’s better to let customers wait a bit longer now, rather than announcing new gear and then let people wait several months before being able to ship the X-T6 to them. The last thing they need is another X100VI debacle, with scarce shipping and second hand models appearing on the market highly overpriced.
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The Best Fujifilm Communities
- Fujifilm Film Simulation Group
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- Fujifilm X-H Shooters Group
- Fujifilm X-E Shooters Group
- Fujifilm X Third Party AF lenses Group
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- Viltrox X mount lenses Group
- Fujifilm X-S shooters Group
You can now preorder the recently announced Fujifilm VF-GFXC2 viewfinder for Fujfilm GFX Eterna 55 cameras on BHphoto here.
Down below in the CineD video they call it potentially industry-leading in specs and praise its visual quality.
Sounds great… until you see its hefty price tag.
Nevertheless, CineD points out that if Fujifilm made it compatible with other cinema cameras, they could sell a ton of these viewfinders—especially given the severe shortage of high-quality EVFs on the market.
I am not sure… I still think there is more money to be made in the Fujifilm’s Film Simulations Instant Noodles business ;).
The Micro Four Nerds channel created a list with the most viral cameras of 2026.
Some cameras are worth their viral status, others are not. Here is her list… and below some thoughts.
🚫 Tier: Abomination / Pure Cash Grab (Avoid)
- Canon PowerShot SX740 HS/ ELPH 360 HS: Ranked as absolute cash grabs/abominations. They offer no RAW support, no manual settings, use small 1/2.3″ sensors, and rely on outdated tech re-released at inflated prices.
- Panasonic Lumix TZ99: Marked as a cash grab. A 10-year-old rebadged sensor design with a minor USB-C update and a removed viewfinder.
- Sony ZV-1 Mark II: “In the bin / Not worth the hype.” Criticized for its lack of optical stabilization, plastic build, lack of mechanical shutter, and high price tag.
⚖️ Tier: Fun / Conditional Value
- Camp Snap (and Camp Snap Pro): Has limitations (JPEG only, bad shutter sound, no screen), but ranked as acceptable for its cheap price, simplicity, and fun factor.
- DJI Osmo Pocket 3: Highly capable, but users should opt for the newer Pocket 4 instead if available at the same price point.
⭐ Tier: Worth the Hype (Recommended)
- Fujifilm X100VI: Worth the hype for build quality, film recipes, and manual control, provided it is purchased at MSRP rather than inflated reseller prices.
- Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III & G5 X Mark II: Solid 1-inch sensor compact options. The G5 X Mark II is highlighted as the superior choice for photographers due to its pop-up electronic viewfinder.
- Canon PowerShot V1: Highly recommended and “worth more hype than it gets.” Outperforms the Sony ZV-1 II with a wider lens, optical stabilization, better mic, and lower price.
- Kodak Charmera: Worth the hype for being a fun, cheap, adorable mystery-box camera with a strong community around it.
Besides being a fashionable object and arguable the sexiest looking camera in the Fujifilm X series lineup, the Fujifilm X100VI is also an extremely powerful, feature-packed little camera that gets you great image quality. So yes, it’s a viral camera, but it stands out from the others as also the best one for stills photography.
I understand the appeal of the Kodak Charmera, and in fact one of my photographer friends bought it for herself, but I think now that the Instax Pal 2 is out, that one is the by far more appealing camera for many.
I also do agree that the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III is worth the hype, so much so that in my article about the 7 cameras Fujifilm should steal from other brands, I said I’d like a Fujifilm XQ3 that is kind of the Fujifilm version of the Canon G9 X Mark II or Canon G7XIII.
- X100VI
BHphoto (black & silver) / Amazon (black & silver) / Adorama / BestBuy / Moment / Nuzira / Focuscamera - Instax Pal 2
USA: BHphoto / Amazon US / Adorama
EUR: Amazon DE / Amazon UK / Amazon IT / Amazon FR / Amazon ES / Amazon NL - Instax Link Wide Printer 2
USA: BHphoto / Amazon US / Adorama
EUR: Amazon DE / Amazon UK / Amazon IT / Amazon FR / Amazon ES / Amazon NL
- Join Now – Fujifilm GFX Shooters Group
We already reported back in May about the following two Mitakon lenses coming for Fujifilm GFX:
- Mitakon Zhongyi 30mmF2.4
- Mitakon Zhongyi 45mmF1.4
We already had the images for the 30mmF2.4 – which you can see here – and now we have and additional image for the Mitakon Zhongyi 45mmF1.4 which you can see above and has been shared by the Japanese website Asobinet.
And here are some specs:
- 45mmF1.4
- 13 elements in 11 groups
- 0.45m minimum focus distance
- weight: 750 gram
- sufficient resolution to match the 100MP of the GFX
- good chromatic aberration control
- official launch September 20
These are manual focus lenses only.
Mitakon Zhongyi lenses for Fujifilm X and GFX are sold at Amazon here and BHphoto here.
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