Fujifilm X-E5 Mirrorless Camera Review: Compact Color Science in a Retro Package
SOURCE:Wired|BY:Scott Gilbertson
Did you want the TikTok-popular X100VI, but with an interchangeable lens? The Fujifilm X-E5 has you covered.
Fujifilm's X-E5 was released toward the end of 2025, and like all Fujifilm cameras, it was difficult to get your hands on at first. It delivers much of what it promises, being essentially an interchangeable-lens version of the extremely popular Fujifilm X100VI.
If you want a cute, compact X100VI, but want to switch lenses from time to time (or constantly, if that's your thing), this is absolutely the camera for you. Like other cameras with this sensor, images are fantastic, micro-contrast is great, and Fujiflim's color science is excellent as always.
I have a couple of minor gripes with some design choices, but for the most part, the X-E5 is exactly the camera that fans of the X-E series have been waiting for. Could I live without the film simulation dial? Yes, yes I could. But no camera is perfect.
The 40-MP Rangefinder
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
The X-E series cameras used to be Fujifilm's minimalist range finder—a smaller, lighter, cheaper alternative to the X-Pro series. I would argue that with this fifth version of the X-E, this is no longer true. This is the Fujifilm range finder. It's less minimalist, both in terms of features and in size and weight, and if no one else is willing to say it I will: There aren't going to be any more X-Pros. If you want a range 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 in between the X-E2 and 3, but let's not be pedantic. We'll just say this is the fifth iteration of the X-E, and it is both the best X-E yet and also a little disappointing.
Let's start with what's not disappointing: the 40-megapixel APC-C X-Trans V sensor and processor. Together, as we've seen in both the X-T5 and X100VI, this combo of sensor and processor is capable of producing truly great photos and is the first sensor from Fujifilm that doesn't make me miss my full-frame cameras.
Also notable in the X-E5 is the addition of in-body image stabilization (IBIS), which used to be something reserved for the X-Pro series cameras (again, IBIS in the X-E 5 sounds like yet another death knell for the X-Pro 4). Fujifilm is claiming seven stops of IBIS, which feels about right based on my testing. I was able to shoot a lot of handheld shots of my kids on Christmas morning and never missed a thing due to camera shake.
The overall construction and build quality of the X-E5 is also a huge leap forward. Unlike the X-E4, which had a rather plasticky feel to it, the X-E5 is solid and well built. The top plate is now a single piece of aluminum, which goes a long way to giving the camera a sturdier, higher-end feel. If you throw a pancake lens on there, like the new 23mm f/2.8, it feels like an X100, which was not true of the previous model.
My favorite thing that the X-E5 has stolen from the X100 is the fake self-timer switch on the front of the camera. (The X100 series took this switch from, well, pretty much every film SLR ever.) On the X-E5, you get five control points out of this switch, which can be pushed left or right, long pushed (about 3 secs) left or right, and then the round part on front is a button. All five of these are customizable, which is good because, frustratingly, there is no ISO dial on the X-E5. I set the self-timer up as a shortcut to get me to ISO to solve that issue.
In other button updates, the X-E5 regains the twin, press-able command dials of the X-E3 (the X-E4 was missing the rear dial). The AF Mode switch is also back, allowing you to switch between manual focus, single-shot autofocus, or continuous autofocus via a button instead of heading into the menus.
Simulacra and Simulation
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Then there is the new dedicated film simulation dial.
Let me say up front that if there were an ISO dial I would have less of a problem with this dial. It would still be embarrassing in some vague way I can't put my finger on, but eh, I could stick a piece of tape over it and forget about it. But there is no ISO dial, and adding a hardware dial for something as frivolous as switching film simulations, while not having a dial for something you change all time (ISO), is unforgivable in my book.
Does anyone even shoot stock simulations? The only useful aspect of the new film sim dial are the three FS positions where you can assign custom film "recipes" (a community-developed word that Fujifilm now uses). That part is actually quite cool, but couldn't that have been just a programmable option for one of the other dials? Did we really need a dedicated film sim dial? Should I care this much? Probably not, but I do. It's otherwise very nearly the perfect camera for me, but gah, that dial.
The X-E5 uses the same W126s battery that you'll find in the X100VI, rather than the larger batteries of the X-T5, which is a shame, as it means the claimed number of shots is only 310, and you can expect less than that. Buy an extra battery.
In terms of image quality, I found no difference in the RAW files from the X-T5 or X-T50. I happened to also be testing the 24-MP Nikon Z5II over the same time period and found the X-E5 RAW files to be richer and more detailed (though the Z5II's autofocus can run circles around the X-E5). The base ISO is now 125, making the noise a bit less than what I got with the X-E4 (which had a base ISO of 160). The difference is not noticeable without pixel peeping, but worth noting. Higher ISOs are very usable. I didn't feel the need to clean noise in post until up around 3200, but I suppose it depends somewhat on taste.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
The autofocus system in the X-E5 is the same as what you'll get in most of the company's recent releases, with some really great focus selector flexibility. Fujifilm is behind its competitors when it comes to continuous autofocus and subject tracking, but the rest of the time I find the autofocus quite good. I like how easy it is to select a focus point with the joystick without taking the camera from my eye. I should note that I asked Fujifilm to send me the X-E5 with the 35 f/1.4 lens, which is one of the truly great lenses I've ever used on any system, but it's not the fastest at autofocusing.
The subject recognition system in the X-E5 was pretty good at picking out both human and animal eyes in my testing, and it is powered by a learning algorithm. It can also pick up birds, cars, motorcycles and bikes, planes, and trains.
Some Final Thoughts
For all that I like about the X-E5, there are some things missing here. Notably there's no weather sealing and only one SD card slot. The viewfinder, while usable, is cramped, especially if you wear glasses. Video capabilities are significantly less than some of Fujifilm's other recent offerings. For example, there's no RAW video like you'll find in the X-T5.
The least popular change in the X-E5 is definitely the price. In the United States the Fujifilm X-E5 will set you back $1,699 for the body alone, and $1,899 for the body with the new 23mm f/2.8 pancake lens (that's a 35mm lens in full-frame speak). That is ... a lot, for what you get. Consider that the X-T5 which has a much larger, higher-resolution viewfinder, a fully weather-sealed body, RAW video recording, two card slots and more—all that for only $200 more.
If it's a range-finder-style body you're after, the full-frame Sony a7C II is $500 more but offers a ton of video features not found on the X-E5, as well as weather sealing. Did I mention that the a7C II has a full-frame sensor?
The reason to get the X-E5 is not because it makes logical sense, but because you like the camera. If you must use logic, focus on the size and weight. It's not pocketable, but it's definitely not a burden to carry, even on a wrist strap. Is it strictly the best value for the money? Probably not, but the best camera for you doesn't have to the best camera for everyone.
