First, Generation Z was bringing back the point-and-shoot digital cameras of the early 2000s, but now TikTok users are bringing back the Fujifilm X100 — and dramatically driving up the price of the camera with it.
FujiAddict reports that the prices of Fujifilm X100 cameras have skyrocketed recently, specifically in the past few days, due to TikTok users praising the camera on the social media platform.
The report notes that the jump in price can be seen across vendors. However, TikTok’s impact on the camera’s price can be best seen on Amazon, with X100V prices rising to around $3,000, which is as much or more than some newer full-frame options from the likes of Canon, Sony, or Nikon are asking.
Moreover, the price of an original, used Fujifilm X100 has risen from a few hundred dollars to around $1,000.
The data shows the camera started increasing in price earlier this year, but that trend has continued steadily. While the Fujifilm X100 has always been a popular compact camera, online coverage has never had this kind of influence on its price and serves as further proof of TikTok’s power as a major force in the camera industry today.
‘This Camera Will Change Your Life’
In recent months, there has been a revival of interest in the Fujifilm X100 on TikTok. The hashtag #fujifilmx100v now has over 3.2 million views. While the hashtag #fujifilmxt100 has a further 1.1 million views.
Several TikTok users have praised the Fujifilm X100’s color science. However, interest in the camera seems to have particularly gained traction on TikTok after photographer and influencer Kylie Katich posted a viral video series about the Fujifilm X100 in September declaring that, “this camera will change your life.”
In the clip, Katich shows some of the photos she has taken from the camera and explains how they required “zero editing.” The photographer then notes how the Fujifilm X100 “looks like a film camera, and has settings like a film camera but it’s digital.”
Katich then says how the Fujifilm X100 is “a digital camera that mimics film.” She describes how, “you can play back your photos, go directly to your phone while you’re shooting and not waste time or money developing the film, and you can even shoot on auto settings if you want to.”
It is this statement that the Fujifilm X100 can perfectly emulate a film camera that has captured TikTok’s imagination and curiosity. The resurgence in film photography can be widely attributed to Generation Z and the concept of finding a modern digital camera that can mimic film is a compelling one for younger users.
Following Katich’s video, other photographers like Grace Troutman have purchased a Fujifilm X100 for this and reviewed the camera in clips that have amassed millions of views.
Since then, photographers have also posted videos on TikTok in which they describe how they have replaced their film camera with the Fujifilm X100 instead. While other TikTok users like filmmaker and photographer, Edward Lee have dubbed the Fujifilm X100V their new “favorite camera” for its ability to shoot photos that need no editing.
When Instagram stated that it was no longer a photo-sharing app, TikTok increasingly became the online space to discuss photography and is clearly a major player determining current and future camera trends, especially among Generation Z.
PetaPixel previously reported on how TikTok’s domination in short-form video is not the only thing Instagram should be worried about. In the time that Instagram has shifted ever further away from its roots as a photo-sharing app, Generation Z has found a new space to post their selfies and photo-dumps — and that is TikTok.
Image credits: Elements of header photo licensed via Depositphotos.