Here’s What It Took to Get Your Hands on a Limited Edition Fujifilm X100VI

Getting a regular Fujifilm X100VI is challenging enough, with Fujifilm struggling to keep up with massive demand. However, acquiring the X100VI Limited Edition camera? That’s next to impossible.

With just 1,934 units available worldwide, Fujifilm fans in the United States had a short window to purchase one of the 300 X100VI Limited Edition units allotted to the region. The initial plan was to spread these out over three days, with 100 up for grabs daily on Fujifilm USA’s web store. It predictably crashed the website, and when the dust cleared, many units found their way into the hands of scalpers and bots.

Fujifilm investigated the purchases and found that about two-thirds of them were fraudulent or otherwise suspicious, and then canceled them. The cameras, with a new lease on life, were then put into a raffle system. This approach allowed fans to sign up for the chance to purchase the X100VI Limited Edition, and one lucky PetaPixel reader, Alex Phan, shared that he was one of these winners.

An email screenshot from Fujifilm announces a "FUJIFILM X100VI Limited Edition Update." It features a black and silver Fujifilm camera beside congratulatory text stating the recipient has the opportunity to purchase it. MSRP price is listed as $1,899.95.
Alex Phan was one of the lucky photographers to receive this email from Fujifilm late last month.

“I just wanted to inform you that I was able to get the limited edition X100VI thanks to PetaPixel‘s article,” Phan tells PetaPixel over email.

Phan has already received his special, rare new X100VI Limited Edition camera and has been happily shooting with it. However, the purchasing experience he describes is well worth a closer look. Fujifilm seemed to take no chances with its second attempt to sell the X100VI Limited Edition, and made prospective purchasers jump through some unusual hoops.

Advertisement for the FUJIFILM X100VI Limited Edition camera. The ad features a photo of the camera with a black strap, a "Time to Buy" button below the photo, and text emphasizing the opportunity to purchase the camera for $1,999.95.

“So on April 25, I got the email saying I won a lottery spot,” Phan explains. “In the email, it said to wait until April 30; there will be another email that contains the link to purchase.”

Phan says that this initial email warned him there would be a short 48-hour window to complete the transaction; otherwise, he would lose his spot.

On April 30, the promised email arrived and Phan completed the transaction online. The following day, Fujifilm North America emailed the photographer asking for a selfie alongside his driver’s license to verify his identity.

Screenshot of an email from Fujifilm Online Order Support Team with Order #000051095. The email requests a selfie picture holding an ID to confirm identity before proceeding with the order. The email was sent to someone named Alex, dated 5/1/24.

“I had a ‘WTF’ moment,” Phan says. “What threw me off is that the email address that sent out [that request] is not from Fujifilm, but from FNAC ShopUSA. I went online and Googled it to see if anyone else got the same thing as me, but I couldn’t find anything. I got to the ‘eff it’ mode and took a selfie with my driver’s license.”

Fortunately, the email was not a scam — FNAC is Fujifilm North America Corporation. But it’s easy to understand Phan’s skepticism, as typically, sending a photo of yourself and a government-issued ID to people online is a bad idea.

“A few days later, I got the FedEx tracking email. Phew!”

A person wearing a black cap and a black t-shirt with the text "READY. ACTION." is holding a camera up to their face while standing outdoors in a desert-like area with rocky formations and parked vehicles in the background.
Phan with his fancy new X100VI Limited Edition camera. He’s one lucky Fujifilm fan. And based on his shirt, he is a Nikon fan, too. And a Sony shooter as well, actually. Phan loves cameras of all kinds.

As Phan says, Fujifilm was very rigorous in ensuring that the cameras didn’t find their way into the hands of scalpers — and Phan certainly isn’t a camera scalper.

“I’m a crazy person that takes a selfies with my driver license,” he laughs.


Image credits: Alex Phan

Discussion