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I was dying to get my hands on this camera. The X-E series has always held a special place in my heart since I bought the X-E2S all those years ago. The X-E range sits very well in the middle of both the X-T and X100 series, and this is almost the perfect cross between the Fujifilm X-T5 and the Fujifilm X100VI.
The bodies are cooler than those of the X-T series and more practical than those of the X100 series, because you can change the lens. Coupled with the 23mm pancake lens, the X-E5 competes in size and price with the X100VI, making it a better choice. This isn’t a comparison of the two cameras, but it should be a serious consideration if you are looking to buy either one.
One final thing before we get into this: the strap. For the first time in a long time, a camera brand has put some time and effort into making their strap decent. It’s a rope strap with leather ends, tastefully designed to complement the camera’s style. Well done, Fujifilm.
The Body & Handling
It’s a beautiful thing, there’s no denying that. Fuji has done a fab job of breathing life into the photography market by giving their cameras such great aesthetics, which is what makes them stand out in the crowd. They designed a camera that is simple yet sophisticated, delivering the cool factor almost as well as the X100VI does.
These days, there’s not a massive difference in what camera sensors produce, so their selling points to me become size, weight and aesthetics. In this case, each one is nailed on, and I do not doubt that these elements contribute to how pleasant a camera is to use and how often you will pick it up and shoot. In this case, the camera looks great, is small and light (just 445g), making it a pleasure to use.
However, despite its stunning looks, the body isn’t without some minor issues. I’m not a fan of the locations of the Playback and Drive/Delete buttons. Ergonomically, they are in the wrong place. I found myself using my left thumb to operate the Drive/Delete button, which triggers the EVF sensor. It’s not a significant issue, but it’s mildly irritating when I like to use the eye sensor to switch between the EVF and rear screen.
The Playback button is too central, too. It’s a button I use a lot, and it needs to be comfortable to reach. There’s plenty of space on that aluminium strip where it could be placed further towards an edge.
Another drawback of the body is the rear screen. Unlike the X-T5, which has a three-way folding screen that lets you shoot in portrait orientation by flipping the screen out, the X-E5 has only a tilt-type folding screen. It’s helpful if the camera is low and you are shooting in landscape orientation, or if you flip it over for a selfie, but it’s not helpful if the camera is low and you are shooting in portrait orientation. Essentially, you can’t place the camera on the ground in portrait orientation and flip the screen out from the bottom so it faces upwards.
I shoot more portrait-oriented photos these days than landscape, so I find it a little inconvenient that I can’t flip the screen out as I’d like. My days of lying on the ground to take pictures are over.
Other things to note about the body are that it has in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), which is a welcome step up for the X-E series. IBIS isn’t necessary in most use cases, but it provides some comfort knowing it’s possible to handhold imagery at much slower shutter speeds.
There’s only one SD card slot. As a rule, I shoot JPEG + raw (JPEG to one card and raw to the other). This is because the crops are applied to the raw files, which isn’t possible if you shoot raw only. In this camera’s case, I shoot JPEG and raw to the same card to maintain the crops, and then I only copy the raw files to my Mac when I insert the SD card. It’s a software limitation, which I find slightly annoying.
And one last thing about the body, and that’s the viewfinder. Fujifilm didn’t put a hybrid viewfinder in this, as they did in the X100VI, which I’m thankful for. But the EVF is slightly on the small side and could do with being slightly larger, like that of the X-T5.
Imagery & AF
Before I shot with the camera, I knew exactly what the pictures would look like because it has the same sensor as my X-T5, which I’m very familiar with. I also knew how the AF (Auto Focus) would perform.
The sensor is a 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor (CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor and HR for High Resolution), which offers ample resolution, and it’s backed by the X-Processor 5, which is fast enough for most uses, delivering up to 13 frames per second with the electronic shutter. You can get a lot from the files in the edit, too, and they are easy and predictable to work with in Adobe products.
The ISO gets a little noisy on these sensors once you start pushing them into the higher realms. However, it doesn’t matter much these days, given the very effective noise reduction in editing software.
If you are a fan of Fujifilm’s film simulations, then you might enjoy this camera even more.
There’s a Film Simulation dial on the top of the camera, where you can select six of Fujifilm’s simulations or set your own in one of three custom settings. Although the dial looks beautiful and adds value to the body, its purpose is a bit of a gimmick and is wasted on me. That said, if your workflow doesn’t include editing later or you always use a film simulation, then this dial may be helpful, especially if you are starting your photography journey and want to experiment with different looks to your imagery.
Fujifilm has never been renowned for its AF and has received heavy criticism over the years. However, I’ve never had an issue. The AF system is predictable, fast and accurate. I tend not to use the AF modes much because I prefer to maintain control of the AF point, but I did shoot some pigeons with it, and it did the job.
Specs
Below is a handy table with the basic specs. Visit Fujifilm for the full breakdown.
| Lens Mount | Fujifilm X Mount |
| Image Sensor | 23.5mm x 15.7mm (APS-C) X-Trans CMOS 5 HR with a primary colour filter |
| Sensor Pixels | 40.2 million |
| Image Processor | X-Processor 5 |
| ISO Sensitivity | 125 – 12800, extendable to 51200 |
| Image stabiliser | 7 stops, image sensor shift mechanism with 5-axis |
| Shutter Type | Focal Plane, mechanical and electronic |
| Shutter Speed | 60 min (Bulb Mode) – 1/4000 sec (mechanical) 30 sec – 1/180000 (electronic) |
| Frames Per Second | Continuous High, up to 13 fps in electronic shutter |
| Dimensions | Width: 124.9mm Height: 72.9mm Depth: 39.1mm |
| Weight | Approx. 445g with battery and memory card |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.39 inch OLED electronic, approx. 2.36 million dots |
| Monitor | 3-inch Tilt-Type Touch Screen |
| Wireless | Yes, via the app |
| Battery life | Up to 400 frames in economy mode |
| Weather sealing | No |
| What’s in the box? | Li-ion battery NP-W126S Headphone adapter Shoulder strap Clip attaching tool Body cap |
Buy / Don’t Buy
If you are interested in the X100VI, buy the X-E5 instead. It’s a better option, given the flexibility of the interchangeable lenses on a rangefinder-style body.
Don’t buy this if the X-T5 is on your radar. The X-T5 is a slightly friendlier camera to use, with a better button layout, a better folding screen, and a larger EVF.
Gallery
Here are a few pics from the camera, but please hop over to the X-E5 Gallery to see the rest, most of which were shot in my favourite street photography locations in London. All imagery in the gallery was captured with the Fujifilm 23mm f/2.8, 33mm f/1.4, 50-140mm f/2.8, and Sigma 56mm f/1.4 lenses.
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