The new Fujifilm X-E5 is a flat-bodied, rangefinder-style mirrorless camera with a corner-mounted electronic viewfinder. Essentially, it repackages most of the technology of the SLR-shaped X-T50 into a smaller form-factor. In many respects, it can be seen as an interchangeable-lens version of the hugely popular X100VI – to the extent that it comes complete with a new slimline 23mm f/2.8 lens. It’s probably a foregone conclusion that it’ll find its way onto our list of the best Fujifilm cameras.
Fujifilm X-E5 at a glance:
- $1699 / £1299 body-only
- $1899 / £1549 with 23mm F2.8 kit lens
- 40.2MP APS-C X-Trans sensor
- Up to 13fps shooting
- 6.2K 30p, 4K 60p, and Full HD 240p video
- 2.36m-dot, 0.62x viewfinder
- 3in, 1.04m-dot tilting touchscreen
- In-body image stabilisation – 7 stops
- Available in silver or black
The X-E5 follows on from the Fujifilm X-E4 which was launched at the start of 2021, but which disappeared from the market a couple of years ago. It’s fair to say that the X-E4 wasn’t universally well-liked, due to a somewhat over-simplified design and the lack of any real handgrip. It felt like a step backwards compared to previous models in the X-E line.
Now with the X-E5, Fujifilm has addressed these criticisms and reinstated controls that went missing from the X-E4, including a physical AF/MF switch and clickable rear dial. It’s also added a few more goodies in besides, most notably a film simulation mode dial as previously seen on the X-T50 and entry-level X-M5. The result is, at first sight, a very likeable camera indeed.
There’s an elephant in the room that we must address first, though, and that’s the pricing – specifically in the USA. The Fujifilm X-E5 will cost $1699 / £1299 body-only, or $1899 / £1549 with the new, matched 23mm F2.8 kit lens. Historically, US prices have looked much lower in comparison, matching UK prices numerically, so we might have expected closer to $1299 and $1549. But unfortunately, it looks like US customers are now quite literally paying the price for the tariffs recently imposed on imported goods.
Features
Looking first at the key photographic specifications, these are broadly the same the same as the X-T50 and X100VI. The Fujifilm X-E5 employs the same 40MP APS-C format X-Trans CMOS 5 sensor and X-Processor 5, and notably, it becomes the first model in the X-E series to include in-body image stabilisation.
The sensor provides a sensitivity range of ISO 125-12,800 as standard, which can be extended to ISO 64-51,200 at the expense of reduced highlight range at the lower end, and image noise at high settings. You can shoot at up to 8 frames per second using the mechanical shutter, 13fps using the electronic shutter, or 20fps with a 1.29x crop.
Subject detection autofocus is on board, with settings for animals, birds, cars, motorbikes, airplanes, and trains. With the conventional AF system, you can choose between using 117 or 425 focus points, with a wide variety of focus area sizes on offer.
New to the X-E5 is the ability to specify three Custom AF zones, which can be rectangular groups of AF points of any user-specified size. This feature brings Fujifilm in line with the other camera makers, but it seems a bit odd to introduce it on the X-E5. It’s essentially for sports photography, and almost any other model in the X-system range would be better suited to that.
Fujifilm has included the same miniaturised in-body image stabilisation unit as in the X-T50. This promises up to 7 stops of shake reduction in the centre of the frame when shooting hand-held, and 6 stops in the corners. Yet it brings only a slight increase in body size, with the X-E5 measuring 125mm x 73mm x 39mm and weighing in at 445g without a lens.
Film simulation recipes
As you’d expect Fujifilm has included its full suite of Film Simulation modes, which are set using a physical dial. This has positions for the usual favourites: Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, Reala Ace and Acros. There’s also space for three custom ‘FS’ positions, which come set to Classic Neg, Nostalgic Neg, and Pro Neg Std.
However, the big deal on the X-E5 is you can now save your own favourite Film Simulation ‘recipes’ onto the dial. First you assign the base film simulation you want to use to one of those FS positions, and then customise it via a new, clearly-designed menu section which groups together all the relevant settings in one place. If you also like to use the base film simulation, then pushing the view mode lever to the left for a couple of seconds temporarily disables all your recipe modifications.
The video below shows how to set up a film simulation recipe on the Fujifilm X-E5.
One slight disappointment, though, is that the film simulation dial’s position directly beside the viewfinder makes it practically impossible to use with the camera up to your eye. There’s no way your right thumb will stretch across, and it’s impractical to use your left hand, either. This is unfortunate, as it’s really useful to be able to see the effect of changing the film mode live in the viewfinder. It’s one area where the X-T50 has an advantage, as its dial is placed on the camera’s left shoulder.
Video features
Video recording is available in 6K 30p, 4K 60p, and Full HD 60p, with a Full HD 240p option also available in high-speed mode without audio. You get a standard 3.5mm stereo microphone input and a micro-HDMI output, and it’s possible to monitor audio via the USB-C port using a suitable adapter.
Video mode is accessed via the drive button, as the last item on a very long list. That’s a pretty strong message from Fujifilm that this really is a camera for shooting stills. It also means photographers can pretty much pretend the video function doesn’t exist, if they want – it never gets in the way.
Connectivity
Like most cameras, the X-E5 has built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for connecting to your smartphone. This works via Fujifilm’s Xapp for Android and iOS, which brings a pretty standard set of features. You can copy photos to your phone for sharing and use your phone either as a basic remote shutter release, or a full remote control. However, the X-E5 does introduce a couple of new features.
Firstly, the camera is capable of printing directly to Fujifilm’s Instax Link line of Bluetooth instant-film printers (currently the Instax Mini Link 3, Instax Square Link, and Instax Link Wide. This update feels long overdue, with the only disappointment being that it doesn’t work with the first-generation Instax Mini Link.
The X-E5 also has a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button recessed into its baseplate. Holding this button down for a second or two initiates the process of connecting to devices for the first time. It’s not something you’ll use often, but I guess it’s nice that it exists.
Fujifilm X-E5 key features:
- Kit lens: The matched XF 23mm F2.8 R WR lens is slim and lightweight, yet retains an aperture ring and weather resistance
- Film dial: The film simulation dial is recessed behind a top-plate window. You can now save your own custom recipes to its three FS positions
- Front lever: A front lever controls the view mode, digital zoom and aspect ratio selection, much like on the medium-format GFX100RF
- Screen: The super-slim screen tilts down, up and forwards, but sits neatly flush to the back of the camera
- Storage: Files are recorded to a single SD card slot which, as on the X-T50, accepts the faster UHS-II type cards
. - Power: The camera is powered by the long-running NP-W126S battery, which charges via the USB-C port and is rated for 400 shots per charge.
Build and handling
My immediate impression on picking up the X-E5 for the first time was that it’s a really nice little camera. In-hand, it feels much like the X100VI, which means it’s rather nicer than its predecessor. A small finger grip on the front and a thumb ridge on the back provide a surprisingly secure hold, with a nice clear space on the back for your thumb.
The build quality feels pretty solid, thanks to a machined aluminium shell top-plate and dials. It’s worth noting, though, that unlike the X100VI, there’s no weather-sealing.
It’s a notably good-looking camera too, with the same kind of sharp, clean lines as the X100VI and GFX100RF. Fujifilm’s decision to move the AF illuminator light in front of the viewfinder gives a front-on view that just looks more ‘right’. A nice rope strap comes in the box, with a sliding suede-backed leather neck/shoulder pad.
When it comes to the control setup, the X-E5 offers a familiar-looking set of analogue dials. Dials on the top-plate control the exposure compensation and shutter speed, but unlike the X100VI, you don’t get an ISO dial. Instead, you use the front electronic dial to change this setting.
Most of Fujifilm’s lenses have an aperture ring, as do many third-party optics. But for those that don’t, again you use the front electronic dial, and click it inwards to toggle between ISO and aperture.
It’s also possible to use the front dial to set the film mode (by setting the film dial to its C position) and even the aperture, although this requires changing a slightly obscure menu setting. Personally, I’m not sure why you’d do either, given that those tactile dials are one of the main attractions of Fujifilm cameras in the first place.
Like on the X-E4 before it, the shutter speed dial includes a ‘P’ position for setting the camera to Program auto mode. Presumably the idea is that this is great for non-expert users. But oddly, there’s no subject detection mode here that can choose between the possible subject types automatically, unlike the X-T50’s program mode.
A button on top beside the shutter provides a convenient means of toggling face detection on and off. But in Fujifilm’s usual way, if you had subject detection engaged previously, the camera won’t revert to it when you turn face detection off. I’d like to see Fujifilm fix this behaviour via a firmware update – ideally across its entire lineup.
On the back, there’s a small but effective joystick for positioning the focus point, navigating menus and changing settings. A small sliding switch on the side selects between focus modes – single, continuous, and manual.
Fujifilm’s usual Q button is positioned on the corner within easy reach of your thumb, much like on the X100VI, and gives access to the most important secondary camera settings. Overall it’s a highly refined interface that works really well, especially given the camera’s small size.
View mode lever functions
One key addition to the X-E5 is a view mode lever on the front, like those found on several other Fujifilm cameras, including the X100VI and the medium-format Fujifilm GFX100RF. This lever has four functions, depending on the direction you move it, and whether you just flick it or hold it in place for a couple of seconds. Another function is set by a button embedded into the lever.
The default functions are as follows:
- Push left: digital zoom, with 1.4x and 2x options.
- Push left and hold: Toggle Film Simulation Recipe on/off (only with the film dial in FS1, FS2 and FS3 positions)
- Pull right: ‘Surround view mode’ for aspect ratio and digital zoom
- Pull right and hold: Aspect ratio selection (from 3:2, 16:9, 1:1, 3:3, 5:4)
- Button: cycle through LCD / viewfinder view modes
If you don’t want to use these functions, you can customise all of them from a wide range of options. Personally, I’d be tempted to place Aspect Ratio onto the button. With both digital zoom and aspect ratios other than 3:2, you still get full-size 40MP raw files, but with cropping information embedded into their metadata.
The shooting experience
From a couple of days shooting with the X-E5 prior to its launch, I found it to be a very pleasant and engaging camera to use – just as you’d expect from an ‘interchangeable lens X100”. All those dials encourage you to engage in the shooting process, rather than just letting the camera do its thing on Auto. Simply by its presence, the film dial encourages you to experiment with the various colour looks more than you otherwise would.
It’s not necessarily perfect, though, and in particular, I found the two exposed controls on the front a bit too easy to hit inadvertently. More than once, I found I’d nudged the ISO dial by accident, or changed between viewfinder and screen viewing modes by pressing the button that’s integrated into the front lever. This is especially disconcerting if you manage to select the “EVF only + Eye sensor” mode, because then the camera doesn’t appear to turn on when you flick the power switch.
I spent most of my time shooting with the matched Fujinon XF 23mm F2.8 R WR pancake lens, which fits the camera’s aesthetic perfectly and adds very little to the bulk. But while it’s easy to label this kind of camera body as being only for use with small lenses, I think that’s an over-simplification. I also used the X-E5 with the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS all-in-one superzoom, which is 121mm long and weighs 615g, and it worked absolutely fine. You just hold the combination by the lens, that’s all.
Viewfinder and screen
On paper, Fujifilm has used much the same spec electronic viewfinder as all its previous X-E and double-digit X-T models, with a 2.36m-dot OLED panel and 0.62x magnification. That means that it’s one of the smaller viewfinders you’ll find on a mirrorless camera, but even so, it works perfectly well for composing your images. It’s bright enough to be usable on a sunny day and it gives a good impression of how your shots will turn out.
Exposure and colour processing are previewed by default, and when you half-press the shutter button, the lens stops down to the taking aperture, to give depth-of-field preview. You can overlay a live histogram, gridlines, and electronic levels to aid composition. Fujifilm has also added a new display mode for the viewfinder only, that shows the main exposure settings below the preview image in a fashion that aims to mimic old film SLRs. Personally I found it a bit gimmicky, but I imagine others will like it.
Below the viewfinder is a 3in, 1.02m-dot LCD, which is surprisingly low in resolution compared to the X-T50 and X100VI’s 1.82m-dot screens. However, not only does it tilt up and down, but it can also face forwards over the top of the camera for photographing or videoing yourself, which neither of those cameras can match. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that you can’t really put anything on the hot shoe without blocking most of the screen – so no flash unit, LED light, or microphone.
Fujifilm X-E5 compared to Fujifilm X100VI
With the X-E5 being touted as an ‘interchangeable lens X100VI’, many potential buyers may find themselves wondering which of the two to get. So what are the main differences? Most obviously, with the X-E5 you can use a wide range of different lenses, while the X100VI can only use screw-on wideangle and tele converters.
Use the X-E5 with its 23mm f/2.8 kit lens, and it ends up very similar in size and weight to the X100VI. However, it’s 7mm deeper front-to-back, which means the X100VI will slip more easily into a (large) pocket.
One major difference lies with the viewfinder. The X100VI boasts a unique hybrid optical/electronic finder, where the X-E5’s is electronic only. But on the other hand, the X-E5’s screen can face forwards, while the X100VI’s only tilts up and down.
Other advantages for the X100VI include its super-quiet in-lens shutter and small built-in flash. Its 23mm f/2 lens has a stop-larger maximum aperture that the X-E5’s f/2.8 kit lens, and a switchable 4-stop neutral density filter. The X100VI is weather-sealed too, just as long as you add a 49mm protective filter in front of the lens.
If you love the X100VI’s styling and design, but really want to be able to change lenses, the X-E5 may just be the perfect camera for you. However if you’re not wedded to the flat-body design, it’s well worth looking at the X-T50, which has a very similar feature set in a slightly larger SLR-like body. It’s great that Fujifilm provides the choice.
Fujifilm X-E5 sample images gallery
Here’s a selection of sample images shot with the Fujifilm X-E5, using the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR lens. Click on any image to see the full resolution version.
Fujifilm X-E5: First impressions
After a couple of days shooting with the X-E5 prior to its official launch, it looks to me as though Fujifilm has done a really good job in its bid to make an ‘interchangeable-lens X100VI’. Crucially, it includes all the features and tactile controls that make the firm’s latest generation of cameras so attractive and engaging to shoot with. Plus, of course, you get the same excellent image quality and lovely colour rendition as all the other current 40MP X-system models.
It’s rare to see an enthusiast-focused camera in this rangefinder-like shape these days, which makes the X-E5 a very welcome addition to the market. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on the camera again and giving it a full, in-depth test. Watch this space.
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Fujifilm X-E5: full specifications
| Sensor | 40MP X-Trans CMOS 5, 23.5mm x 15.7mm (APS-C) |
| Output size | 7728 x 5152 |
| Lens mount | X-mount |
| Shutter speeds | 15min – 1/4000sec (mechanical); 15min – 1/180,000sec electronic |
| Sensitivity | ISO 125-12,800 (standard), ISO 64-51,200 (extended) |
| Exposure modes | PASM, Auto |
| Metering | Multi / Spot / Average / Center Weighted |
| Exposure comp | +/- 5EV in 0.3EV steps |
| Continuous shooting | 8fps (mechanical shutter); 13fps (electronic) 20fps with electronic shutter and 1.29x crop |
| Screen | 3in, 1.04-dot tilting touchscreen |
| Viewfinder | 2.36m-dot, 0.62x OLED EVF |
| AF points | 117 or 425 |
| Video | 6K 30p, 4K 60p, Full HD 240p |
| External mic | 3.5mm stereo |
| Memory card | UHS-II SD |
| Power | NP-W126S Li-ion |
| Battery life | 400 shots |
| Dimensions | 124.9mm x 72.9mm x 39.1mm |
| Weight | 445g (inc battery and memory card) |
