Development of the Fujifilm X100 was first revealed at the Photokina tradeshow in September 2010, and the camera was slated to begin shipping in the US market from March 2011, priced at around US$1,200.

Unfortunately, Fujifilm's Taiwa-Cho factory -- responsible for producing the X100 -- was located just twenty miles from Sendai City, one of the hardest-hit areas by a major earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan on the afternoon of Friday, March 11, 2011. Three days later, Fujifilm revealed that while, thankfully, none of its staff at the plant were injured, the facility had sustained some damage, necessitating a halt in production of the X100, right as the camera was reaching the market. The rest of the company's digital camera line was unaffected, being manufactured in other areas.

Today's Japanese-language statement from Fujifilm reports that production of the X100 has now been resumed, and that the company anticipates shipments to continue from early April. Given that the release is aimed at press in the company's home market, we'd expect that this availability is specific to customers in Japan. However, it's unquestionably great news that Fuji has been able to turn the situation around so quickly, and we'd expect that deliveries will likewise resume in other markets in the not to distant future.