Review: Fujifilm X-T5 APS-C Mirrorless Camera

Ever since the Fujifilm X-T1 was released in 2014, Fujifilm has been evolving its celebrated series of APS-C mirrorless cameras. The Fujifilm X-T5, released in late 2022, brings some huge changes. It’s not just the features, it’s also about the direction in which Fujifilm wants to take these cameras. Let’s take a look at this pro-level shooter to see what all the fuss is about.

Fujifilm X-T5 Overview

The first thing you notice about the Fujifilm X-T5 is how ‘right’ it looks. On the outside, at first glance, little has changed over the years. It’s only when you have it next to its predecessors that you notice the slight changes here and there—the deeper handgrip or the different optimisations of button layout. Picking it up feels immediately familiar. If blindfolded, many would immediately be able to recognise it’s an X-T camera in your hand. So, what about those features?

Camera Body and Controls

Nothing’s really been taken away—or at least, nothing we noticed. One of the things that makes an X-T camera a joy to use is the use of top-mounted dials. Everything you need from ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation is right there, easy to reach. The grip feels deeper and more angled—better and more apt to the needs of pros—something we feel Fujifilm has been teasing in recent years. 

These top-mounted controls were really missed on the Fujifilm X-H2, another flagship camera from Fujifilm. Let’s hope Fujifilm will always include these top-mounted controls in its cameras. After all, who actually enjoys using menu systems? The less often you have to go into them, the better. 

On the electronic viewfinder, the resolution remains the same at 3.69 million dots, the magnification is upped slightly from the 0.7 on the Fujifilm X-T4 to 0.8 on the Fujifilm X-T5. The rear LCD is where things really begin to change, with emphasis on how Fujifilm positions the X-T5 within the range. 

Gone is the multi-angle screen of the Fujifilm X-T4 in favour of the three-position LCD of the Fujifilm X-T3. Now, many might baulk at this, but Fujifilm sees the X-T5 as primarily focused on stills, while the Fujifilm X-H2 and Fujifilm X-H2S are aimed at videographers. 

Why has Fujifilm done this? No doubt that many would prefer a multi-angle screen. It’s entirely possible that the three-way tilt system is more robust for professional use than a multi-angle screen. In many ways, if you’re on the fence about which camera to get, having features specific to each camera makes that decision easier to make. 

Comparison: Fujifilm X-T5 & X-T4

Here you can see how the Fujifilm X-T5 has improved upon the Fujifilm X-T4 across both stills and video:

Arguably the biggest change is the sensor. And it’s likely to be the change that will get the most 'oohs' and 'aahs'. Gone is the 26.1-megapixel sensor of the X-T4 (Read our Fujifilm X-T4 review). Instead, we get the same 40-megapixel APS-C BSI X-Trans sensor found on the Fujifilm X-H2. Aside from the increase in resolution, it also improves sensitivity—with base ISO starting at 125, as opposed to 160, and peaking at 12,800.

Features We Love

ISO

ISO performance gets a bump in the low end, with the sensor now starting proceedings at a slightly cleaner 125—or 64 on the extended range. On the other end of the scale, the Fujifilm X-T5 reaches ISO 12,800 or 51,200 extended. 

Film Style Photography

It’s a joy to use Fujiflm’s amazing film emulations, with the X-T5 supporting the HEIF compression format. So, if you choose to shoot RAW and Compressed in-camera, the compressed images with white balance and your custom preset will still be rendered at 4:2:2 10-bit colour. This means more data, fewer artefacts and less banding.

Next Level APS-C Sensor

The notion that APS-C cameras are somehow inferior to full-frame is a thing of the past. Beautiful, punchy images—aided by a boost in resolution—are incredibly pleasing. There are heaps of dynamic range. Plus, Fujifilm practically invented colour gradation in an APS-C sensor. And it seems like they've now perfected it. 

Pixel Shift

Though we didn't try it as part of our test, the pixel shift feature must be a huge attraction for landscape photographers. Pixel shift renders out a 160-megapixel super-size image by stacking exposures with a shift to the nearest pixel. An impressive addition that further separates the Fujifilm X-T5 from its predecessor. 

In-Body Image Stabilisation

In-body image stabilisation (IBIS) is increased up to seven stops compensation, though at six stops this was likely already high enough. Still, the ability to shoot at a lower ISO by letting the IBIS take the burden is a real benefit, especially when shooting with longer lenses in low-light conditions.

White Balance

Another helpful improvement on the Fujifilm X-T5 is the deep-learning white balance feature. This allows the camera to accurately apply white balance values to your images. The feature works especially well with images shot in tungsten or any form of artificial light. Of course, if you’re shooting JPEG or HEIF, white balance will be ‘burned’ into the image.

X-T5 Autofocus

The camera’s autofocus performance is impressive. We didn't see any discernible difference from the XT-4, but the X-T5 has more pixels, which helped Fujifilm increase autofocus points throughout the sensor. But what is truly impressive is the inclusion of object recognition—beyond just faces and eyes. The Fujifilm X-T5 can now recognise trains, cars, bikes, birds and other animals.

While autofocus could always be better, more autofocus points might not always be what we need. Advanced autofocus algorithms are much more well-received as they’re able to identify subjects and lock focus onto them. After all, the Fujifilm X-T5 is likely to be used by a wide range of photographers, from event pros and wildlife photographers to wedding photographers and hobbyists.

Shutter Speed

Max shutter speed also increases to 1/180,000 using the electronic shutter. Yup, that’s right—one hundred and eighty thousand. So, if you want to shoot at f/1 and 1000 ISO in midday sun, the Fujifilm X-T5 has you covered. In all seriousness, while we’re not sure how many will use this feature. But, if you prefer the look of your images with the lens fully open and the texture of high ISO, then it’s safe to say that you’ll never need to carry ND filters with you.

Shooting Video on the Fujifilm X-T5

What about video? As we mentioned earlier, it would appear the Fujifilm X-T5 has made way for the Fujifilm X-H2 series as the camera for hybrid photographer-videographers. But that’s not something you’d notice from the rather impressive specs. 

The Fujifilm X-T5 outputs 6K 4:2:2 10-bit internally. Resolution-wise, that’s a pretty beefy file. But more importantly, from a compression perspective, while this level of colour and bitrate is pretty good, the addition of 6K internally is still very impressive. Sure, the Fujifilm X-H2S is arguably better for video. But you have to ask yourself—what do you really need from your camera?

Our Final Thoughts

All in all, it isn’t easy to find any faults in the Fujifilm X-T5. This is a phenomenal camera, which has improved almost everywhere that matters. Fujifilm, with its dedication to the APS-C format, still lacked a higher-resolution sensor that topped 26 megapixels. So this considerable increase in its pro camera will be well received. 

While resolution alone isn’t always a reason to move between cameras, the improvements across the board make the Fujifilm X-T5 easy to justify the upgrade—even if you’re changing from the X-T4. The only thing that might be a deal-breaker is the rear LCD. Has Fujifilm missed the mark by thinking that only videographers are interested in a fully-articulating screen? Time will tell. But if it's something you can live with, and if you are already invested in previous incarnations of the X-T series, the X-T5 is more than a worthy upgrade.

Read our Fujifilm X-T3 review or discover more articles on the MPB content hub.