Fujifilm XT5 - Worth The Wait?
I’ve been using the Fujifilm XT5 for the last couple weeks and in this post I will share my initial thoughts and impressions on what could be the ideal travel camera.
Context
As always with gear blogs, you need some context. For those new here, I’ve been using Fuji cameras since 2018 for street & travel photography as well as making YouTube videos. I have nothing to do with Fujifilm and everything I own I’ve purchased with my own money when released for general sale. I will be sharing my thoughts & observations, however I will not be reading out the spec sheet. This is not a full review. The full review will come after 6-9 months of real world use.
Positives
Let’s start with the good bits and I’m happy to report, there are many of them.
Size and weight
This first thing you will notice is that the camera is lighter and more compact. Although the differences are small, they are noticeable. Especially when putting this camera in your sling or bag, the extra room is apparent. Also if you’re gonna be carrying this round your neck all day, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Ergonomics
Although it is smaller, the grip does seem a little better. Please keep in mind that I have hands similar to a 10 year old girl, so for me this grip is great. However if you have normal size hands, then you might find it on the small side. For reference everyone loves the XH2 grip, where’s I can’t even reach the joystick properly. Apart from that everything remains the same as the XT4.
Buttons & Dials
The button and dial layout is identical to the previous camera. So you still get the top dials which for photography I personally love. They allow you to see all your settings at a glance and make changes even with the camera switched off. Also they allow you to quickly switch between shooting in Aperture priority to a specific shutter speed for adding motion blur for example. If you’re a hybrid or video shooter though, I would actually lean towards the XH2 style layout. So nothing really new to report here… which itself is a good thing… as this layout was pretty decent already.
Screen
I’m gonna be honest and say that I like both types of screens, however for photography I am happy they have gone back to the articulating design. Also for filming. As long as you don’t need to film yourself, the articulating screen is definitely a smoother experience for 4 reasons. First of all it doesn’t get in your way. Secondly it is more compact therefore much easier to blend in when shooting in busy locations. Thirdly it is quicker to deploy either in landscape or portrait orientation. Finally it is far easier to use with thick gloves compared to what’s on the XH2 for example. Also the general screen quality does seem to be a noticeable improvement on the previous one.
Speed
When you switch the camera on and start using it, you will notice a big improvement to the general speed of everything. For example I used an X100v the other day and was shocked at just how slow and laggy it felt compared to the XT5. So from browsing menus, changing settings, switching modes and autofocus… everything just feels faster.
Autofocus
Speaking of autofocus, a substantial improvement on the XT4. There is honestly nothing to criticise here and we finally have a good, fast and reliable AF on a Fuji camera. I have to admit that I have not tried the new subject tracking features, this is something that I will be saving for the full review as it needs a lot of time. I did experience the odd hunt now and then as well as a few missed focus shots but nothing to write home about. Honestly if keep missing focus with this camera, you probably need to actually learn how to use it.
Sensor
The images out of this camera are are very good. The overall colour rendering, tonality, cleanliness and general feel of the photos in my opinion is an improvement on the XT4. However this is just a general feeling so far and I would need more time to really understand the differences. This is also to say that the differences are not big enough to dismiss the XT4. Unless you need to print large or crop a lot… in which case the extra megapixels will definitely help.
Custom mode settings
The previous camera had custom mode settings for your JPEG settings however on the XT5 we get a software version of the custom modes that you would see on the XH2 dial. So effectively you can have 7 different cameras and switch between them as you see fit. This is probably the most under rated feature as it opens up a whole world of options.
Battery Life
Overall battery life is great and you will easily get through a day of modest use on one charge. Is it a deal breaker coming from an XT4, not really. However coming from any camera that uses the older battery, yeah it is a huge upgrade.
New Port Doors
Finally the new port doors are much nicer than what you had on the XT4.
Negatives
It’s not all rosey though as there are a few negatives, at least in my opinion.
Cheaper Build Quality
When I first got it out of the box and held it in my hands, one of the first thoughts I had is that it just feels a bit cheaper. Of course compared to the XH2 it ought to be cheaper as it is not a flagship. However even comparing to the XT4, I just feel like they’ve used slightly cheaper materials. From how the paint finish feels, to how the dials and buttons click. Is it a big deal? No, but it is something worth mentioning.
EVF
Next negative is the fact that the EVF has not been updated that much if at all. If you never used the XH2, you probably wouldn’t know what I’m talking about. However the EVF on that is noticeably better with regards to resolution, clarity and refresh rate. Considering this is a photo first camera where many would use a viewfinder, I just feel it could have been better. However as you know comparison is the thief of joy and if I never used the XH2, I wouldn’t be making this point…
Price relative to XH2
The final negative is the price relative to the XH2. As it stands in the UK the XT5 costs £1700 and the XH2 costs £1880. For only £180 more you’re getting a more capable camera, with better build quality and with more features. Is this a deal breaker? Again it is not… however if you don’t care about having a slightly bigger body, the flippy screen and the minimal dial layout, in many regards the XH2 is a better deal than the XT5.
Thoughts & Recommendations
To summarise the XT5 is a very good camera and a good upgrade. But you already knew I would say this… for the same reason that the XT3 is a good camera and so is the XT4. However for me, the XT5 pretty much fixes all the issues and bugs I had with the XT4 and then further improves the economics and image quality. So in all honesty, I do think that this is by far the best travel camera you can get and I’d go as far as saying that coupled with the 27mm pancake lens makes for a great compact camera too. Is that worth the asking price of £1700? In my opinion yes if you either have the disposable income, you plan to make money using this camera or you take photography very seriously. If you don’t have that kind of money or those requirements, I’d say a good used XT3 will be perfect.
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