Fujifilm X-E5 Mirrorless Camera Review: Compact Color Science in a Retro Package

Great 40-MP sensor successful a compact, lightweight range-finder-style body. Strong taxable designation and decent autofocus speeds. IBIS. Excellent Fujifilm colour science. New movie simulation dial allows you to store customized movie recipes.

Not weather-sealed. Only 1 SD paper slot. Video options not up to par with different caller Fujifilm cameras.

Fujifilm's X-E5 was released toward the extremity of 2025, and similar each Fujifilm cameras, it was hard to get your hands connected astatine first. It delivers overmuch of what it promises, being fundamentally an interchangeable-lens mentation of the highly fashionable Fujifilm X100VI.

If you privation a cute, compact X100VI, but privation to power lenses from clip to clip (or constantly, if that's your thing), this is perfectly the camera for you. Like different cameras with this sensor, images are fantastic, micro-contrast is great, and Fujiflim's colour subject is fantabulous arsenic always.

I person a mates of insignificant gripes with immoderate plan choices, but for the astir part, the X-E5 is precisely the camera that fans of the X-E bid person been waiting for. Could I unrecorded without the movie simulation dial? Yes, yes I could. But nary camera is perfect.

The 40-MP Rangefinder

The X-E bid cameras utilized to beryllium Fujifilm's minimalist scope finder—a smaller, lighter, cheaper alternate to the X-Pro series. I would reason that with this 5th mentation of the X-E, this is nary longer true. This is the Fujifilm scope finder. It's little minimalist, some successful presumption of features and successful size and weight, and if nary 1 other is consenting to accidental it I will: There aren't going to beryllium immoderate much X-Pros. If you privation a scope finder from Fujifilm, the X-E5 is the camera to get.

The X-E5 is technically the sixth X-E camera since Fujifilm sneaked the X-E2S successful betwixt the X-E2 and 3, but let's not beryllium pedantic. We'll conscionable accidental this is the 5th iteration of the X-E, and it is some the champion X-E yet and besides a small disappointing.

Let's commencement with what's not disappointing: the 40-megapixel APC-C X-Trans V sensor and processor. Together, arsenic we've seen successful some the X-T5 and X100VI, this combo of sensor and processor is susceptible of producing genuinely large photos and is the archetypal sensor from Fujifilm that doesn't marque maine miss my full-frame cameras.

Also notable successful the X-E5 is the summation of in-body representation stabilization (IBIS), which utilized to beryllium thing reserved for the X-Pro bid cameras (again, IBIS successful the X-E 5 sounds similar yet different decease knell for the X-Pro 4). Fujifilm is claiming 7 stops of IBIS, which feels astir close based connected my testing. I was capable to sprout a batch of handheld shots of my kids connected Christmas greeting and ne'er missed a happening owed to camera shake.

The wide operation and physique prime of the X-E5 is besides a immense leap forward. Unlike the X-E4, which had a alternatively plasticky consciousness to it, the X-E5 is coagulated and good built. The apical sheet is present a azygous portion of aluminum, which goes a agelong mode to giving the camera a sturdier, higher-end feel. If you propulsion a pancake lens connected there, similar the caller 23mm f/2.8, it feels similar an X100, which was not existent of the erstwhile model.

My favourite happening that the X-E5 has stolen from the X100 is the fake self-timer power connected the beforehand of the camera. (The X100 bid took this power from, well, beauteous overmuch each movie SLR ever.) On the X-E5, you get 5 power points retired of this switch, which tin beryllium pushed near oregon right, agelong pushed (about 3 secs) near oregon right, and past the circular portion connected beforehand is simply a button. All 5 of these are customizable, which is bully because, frustratingly, determination is nary ISO dial connected the X-E5. I acceptable the self-timer up arsenic a shortcut to get maine to ISO to lick that issue.

In different fastener updates, the X-E5 regains the twin, press-able bid dials of the X-E3 (the X-E4 was missing the rear dial). The AF Mode power is besides back, allowing you to power betwixt manual focus, single-shot autofocus, oregon continuous autofocus via a fastener alternatively of heading into the menus.

Simulacra and Simulation

Then determination is the caller dedicated movie simulation dial.

Let maine accidental up beforehand that if determination were an ISO dial I would person little of a occupation with this dial. It would inactive beryllium embarrassing successful immoderate vague mode I can't enactment my digit on, but eh, I could instrumentality a portion of portion implicit it and hide astir it. But determination is nary ISO dial, and adding a hardware dial for thing arsenic frivolous arsenic switching movie simulations, portion not having a dial for thing you alteration each clip (ISO), is unforgivable successful my book.

Does anyone adjacent sprout banal simulations? The lone utile facet of the caller movie sim dial are the 3 FS positions wherever you tin delegate customized movie "recipes" (a community-developed connection that Fujifilm present uses). That portion is really rather cool, but couldn't that person been conscionable a programmable enactment for 1 of the different dials? Did we truly request a dedicated movie sim dial? Should I attraction this much? Probably not, but I do. It's different precise astir the cleanable camera for me, but gah, that dial.

The X-E5 uses the aforesaid W126s artillery that you'll find successful the X100VI, alternatively than the larger batteries of the X-T5, which is simply a shame, arsenic it means the claimed fig of shots is lone 310, and you tin expect little than that. Buy an other battery.

In presumption of representation quality, I recovered nary quality successful the RAW files from the X-T5 oregon X-T50. I happened to besides beryllium investigating the 24-MP Nikon Z5II implicit the aforesaid clip play and recovered the X-E5 RAW files to beryllium richer and much elaborate (though the Z5II's autofocus tin tally circles astir the X-E5). The basal ISO is present 125, making the sound a spot little than what I got with the X-E4 (which had a basal ISO of 160). The quality is not noticeable without pixel peeping, but worthy noting. Higher ISOs are precise usable. I didn't consciousness the request to cleanable sound successful station until up astir 3200, but I accidental it depends somewhat connected taste.

The autofocus strategy successful the X-E5 is the aforesaid arsenic what you'll get successful astir of the company's caller releases, with immoderate truly large absorption selector flexibility. Fujifilm is down its competitors erstwhile it comes to continuous autofocus and taxable tracking, but the remainder of the clip I find the autofocus rather good. I similar however casual it is to prime a absorption constituent with the joystick without taking the camera from my eye. I should enactment that I asked Fujifilm to nonstop maine the X-E5 with the 35 f/1.4 lens, which is 1 of the genuinely large lenses I've ever utilized connected immoderate system, but it's not the fastest astatine autofocusing.

The taxable designation strategy successful the X-E5 was beauteous bully astatine picking retired some quality and carnal eyes successful my testing, and it is powered by a learning algorithm. It tin besides prime up birds, cars, motorcycles and bikes, planes, and trains.

Some Final Thoughts

For each that I similar astir the X-E5, determination are immoderate things missing here. Notably there's nary upwind sealing and lone 1 SD paper slot. The viewfinder, portion usable, is cramped, particularly if you deterioration glasses. Video capabilities are importantly little than immoderate of Fujifilm's different caller offerings. For example, there's nary RAW video similar you'll find successful the X-T5.

The slightest fashionable alteration successful the X-E5 is decidedly the price. In the United States the Fujifilm X-E5 volition acceptable you backmost $1,699 for the assemblage alone, and $1,899 for the assemblage with the caller 23mm f/2.8 pancake lens (that's a 35mm lens successful full-frame speak). That is ... a lot, for what you get. Consider that the X-T5 which has a overmuch larger, higher-resolution viewfinder, a afloat weather-sealed body, RAW video recording, 2 paper slots and more—all that for lone $200 more.

If it's a range-finder-style assemblage you're after, the full-frame Sony a7C II is $500 much but offers a ton of video features not recovered connected the X-E5, arsenic good arsenic upwind sealing. Did I notation that the a7C II has a full-frame sensor?

The crushed to get the X-E5 is not due to the fact that it makes logical sense, but due to the fact that you similar the camera. If you indispensable usage logic, absorption connected the size and weight. It's not pocketable, but it's decidedly not a load to carry, adjacent connected a wrist strap. Is it strictly the champion worth for the money? Probably not, but the champion camera for you doesn't person to the champion camera for everyone.