Fujifilm X-E5: An Ongoing Review of Fujifilm’s Pocket Rocket
I had the Fujifilm X-E5 in my bag when my Sony camera ran out of batteries during a shoot of the abandoned building in Somerville Road, Brooklyn. PHOTO: Campbell Mattinson.,
I’ve been in the Fujifilm camera system for about ten years – having owned, along the way, an X-T20, X-T3, X-T4, X-H1, X-H2 and GFX 50R – though in terms of the X system it hasn’t been a daily carry for some time. I recently bought the Fujifilm X-E5 though, which I’m a bit excited about. I bought it because it’s a pocket rocket.
To wit:
Small and light
The body weighs about 445 g, including battery and memory card (about 396 g without).
It measures 124.9 x 72.9 x 39.1 mm, with a minimum depth of 33 mm. That’s small. It is a compact rangefinder-style body with the viewfinder at the corner.
Fujifilm launched it alongside a new XF 23mm f/2.8 pancake lens, which – if you go with it – keeps the kit pocketable. I didn’t buy that lens but I do have a 27mm pancake, which is what I’m mostly using it with.
The top plate is machined from aluminium, a first for the X Series.
Serious capability
Sensor: 40.2 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS 5 HR, paired with X-Processor 5. That is a big jump from the X-E4's 26.1 megapixels. It is the same chip used in the X-T5, X-T50 and X-H2.
Stabilisation: It is the first X-E camera with five-axis in-body stabilisation, rated at up to 7.0 stops in the centre and 6.0 stops at the edges.
Video: 10-bit capture at 6.2K up to 30p, 4K up to 60p, or Full HD up to 240p.
Film simulations: It is the first X Series model with a customisable Film Simulation dial. The dial gives direct access to seven popular simulations, plus three custom slots for saved recipes. It has 20 simulations in total, including REALA ACE.
Which means
The X-E5 is basically an X100VI with interchangeable lenses.
Though admittedly
It isn't weather sealed (which doesn’t bother me, coz I’m not that kind of shooter).
And so now …
I’m dying to get shooting. This will be an ongoing page, updated regularly. The first thing I did was take it to a shoot at the Werribee Mansion (for the Mansion portrait article; I also took a Sony a1). I hadn’t yet worked out the focusing in video mode, but I shot a few frames of video anyway.
Actress Meika Bloomfield at the Werribee Park Mansion, wearing a white dress, in 2026. Footage shot on a brand new Fujifilm X-E5 camera.
The still image sitting over the top of the video above is with a Sony camera (sorry); the video itself was shot with the X-E5. The still image below of Meika was taken with the X-E5.
