Fujifilm’s trendiest cameras from the X100VI to the X-M5 are hard to find. Tariffs are about to make it worse

Social media trends made the Fujifilm X100VI nearly impossible to find, driving up the popularity of affordable models like the X-M5 along with it. However, new tariffs placed on imports into the US could exacerbate the issue.

Fujifilm has temporarily suspended shipments to the US for several new or hard-to-find models, including the X100VI, the GFX100RF, and the black colorway of the X-M5 (which was scheduled to begin shipping later than the silver variant).

Fujifilm North America has confirmed that pre-orders for the X100VI, GFX100RF, and black X-M5 have been paused in the US to “assess various changes including tariffs and their impact as cost-increasing factors.”

A Fujifilm North America representative said in an official statement shared with Digital Camera World:

“In the US market, we have temporarily suspended orders for some digital camera products in order to assess various changes, including tariffs, and their impact as cost-increasing factors. As a result, we are currently not accepting new pre-orders for the X100VI, GFX100RF, and X-M5 (Black) models.”

Retailer B&H Photo also confirmed that it has stopped taking orders until a ship date becomes available.

The popularity of the earlier X100V prompted Fujifilm to move the production of the popular compact camera to China in order to increase production, according to an interview with Fujifilm executives last year. But while many tariffs have been temporarily paused at a 10% rate, shipments from China face a retaliatory tariff of 145%.

Importantly, Fujifilm has not shared any official comment on whether or not or by how much prices may change. It already makes many cameras in Japan.

Moving production from a country with a 145% tariff to one with a 10% tariff could be far easier for a company like Fujifilm that already has manufacturing centers in both locations, compared to companies that do not have plants outside of China.

However, the Trump administration is currently investigating the impact of a tariff on semiconductors, which could further complicate matters.

While Fujifilm hasn’t shared if or by how much prices could change, a bit of math illustrates the situation that the company could be facing. The list price of the X100VI in the US is $1,599. Take 145% of that, and it’s about $2,318. Adding those numbers together is nearly $4,000.

Again, some companies absorb some of the cost, the tariffs are still changing, and moving production could make any price increases far less. But, the numbers illustrate why Fujifilm has paused those pre-orders as tariffs continue to fluctuate.

As both a Fujifilm photographer and an American, I'm concerned that my next camera purchase may be far more expensive than in the past. I've lived through The Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020, however.

I can still vividly remember worrying that I wouldn't be able to find formula for my baby as pandemic panic shoppers cleared the shelves of baby formula and toilet paper.

That experience is keeping me from panic buying amid all the market confusion, as I think panic buying only makes matters worse. Putting a new Fujifilm X-T5 or the X-H2 on a credit card while I have two perfectly fine X-T4s in my camera bag seems like a poor financial decision, even though I'm highly tempted.

The trade war has been an on-again, off-again back and forth – making change a possibility. Currently, the Trump Administration has paused several tariffs to a lower 10% rate, excluding China’s retaliatory tariff at 145%. If the tariffs that are currently paused do not change, then the rate for Japan would move from 10% to 24% in July.

Many camera brands have declined to comment as the trade war creates uncertainty in the industry. The pause on the cameras' pre-orders is one of the first few examples of the effects of the new tariffs on the photography industry, following a price increase from Blackmagic as well as warnings from smaller accessory brands that prices may be going up.

Prior to the tariff announcements, the Fujifilm X100VI’s viral popularity made the compact camera difficult to find without paying more than list price. That popularity seems to have bled over into the X-M5, one of Fujifilm’s most affordable mirrorless options that has become similarly hard to find.

The GFX100RF, meanwhile, was only announced last month and was expected to start shipping globally sometime during April. If Fujifilm’s announcement is any indication, the limited availability of those popular models may only be getting worse, at least for photographers in the US.

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Tariffs are confusing and constantly changing. Follow our live blog on the impact of tariffs on the camera industry for the latest news. Or, browse the best Fujifilm cameras.