XE-2, XE-3, or X-E4... The Dilemma

pictograph wrote:

Threaded wrote:

The XE line is kind of interesting as it’s the only Fuji model that’s never really stayed the same. Initially it was the smaller, cheaper X-Pro alternative for those who couldn’t afford Fujis only other ILC, and that was still the case up until the XE2, but after that Fuji widened the range and, notably, introduced the XT1 which immediately sold like hot cakes and rather supplanted the X-Pro at the top of the line.

As Someone who purchased the X-Pro 1 and sold it at the first moment the XE1 hit the market and someone who can and could afford (and purchased before) much, much more expensive cameras, I tell you that a lot of people bought the XE1 because it was the same technology as the X-Pro1 but much smaller, lighter, and without the absolutely useless OVF…

Well no, you can tell me that’s why you bought it, and that’s fine.  I’m sure some others did the same, equally many others loved the X-Pro.  In truth though, Fuji had big problems with both cameras in terms of the performance and feature set not really being where they needed to be, and that didn’t start to resolve until the XE2.

The success of the XT1 lead to the XT10, which essentially repackaged the XE2’s internals but in a shape that was proving more popular and cheaper to produce (in China). By that time Fuji were so uncertain over the purpose of the XE that they didn’t bother designing a new one, and just reworked the same body with newer firmware to produce the XE2S.

Fujifilm did not just offer the same XE2 with changed firmware as a „new camera called XE2s“ but reacted to complaints of customers about some problems with the XE2… IIRC the XE2s offered much better AF performance than the XE2 that could NOT be solved by a simple firmware-update (though firmware updates were possible and were made for the XE2)…

You’re either misremembering or were mislead at the time, XE2 performance with the later firmware was entirely identical to the XE2S.  The only hardware difference was a motion sensor in the S model to enable a full SR Auto mode (unavailable on the standard XE2).  That and a very slightly revised grip.

The subsequent redesigns of the XE3 and XE4 just seem to reflect the fact that Fuji are still continually rethinking just where or if the XE still fits in the lineup. I’m sure both are good cameras in their own way, but they’re both quite distinct from the original and targeting different markets. Neither really seem like satisfactory replacements for the XE1 or 2 because, I guess, Fuji felt those replacements already existed elsewhere.

Evidently you do not know that Fujifilm officially did stop the XE line with the XE3 without any successor. For 6 months the XE line was dead.
But a lot of XE- customers protested and demanded to go on with the XE-line.

This sounds like you’ve been reading too much Fuji Rumors.  Fuji “officially” said nothing about the XE line being stopped, there were rumours but nothing more.

Again, Fujifilm cared for their customers and reanimated the XE-line.

The idea that Fuji created the XE4 just to be nice or in response to some campaign is patently absurd.  It exists because Fuji believe or believed it would sell and make them money.  Clearly the differences from the XE3 indicate that Fuji weren’t entirely happy with that model and the way it was targeted, so they made changes, just as they did from XE2 to 3.