Fujifilm X-M5 in-depth review

What is the Fujifilm X-M5 and who is it for?

The imaging world is constantly evolving, and while there’s still lots of hype surrounding models such as the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Nikon Z 8 and Sony A9 III, those cutting-edge, prestige products are not cameras for the people.

The fact is that if you want to sell lots of boxes, the place to be is where the market is: right now that’s with content creators, storytellers and vloggers. In short, the billions of Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram users. While not everyone posts content, we’re still talking huge numbers, meaning a big target for every manufacturer.

Cue the Fujifilm X-M5, a compact and affordable camera with an impeccable pedigree that’s perfect for those migrating from a smartphone, as well as mirrorless first-timers.

With 6.2K/30p open gate in-body video recording, short movie mode and a full repertoire of still imaging skills, the X-M5 is a formidable little machine and an impressive hybrid.

While you can buy the kit with the XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS PZ, Fujifilm’s lens range is one of the most extensive, and third-party support is growing too.

Fujifilm X-M5 handling

Pick up the X-M5 and you can’t help but be impressed by its pocketable size. It’s easily Fujifilm’s smallest X Series camera, but its handling remains good.

The right-side bulge and pronounced ridge for the thumb provides a comfortable, secure grip for carrying the camera in hand, ready to shoot, although I added a wrist strap for safety’s sake.

There’s no familiar top-plate bump to allow for an EVF, which of course keeps size and weight down. People migrating from a smartphone won’t find the lack of EVF an issue at all, as using the monitor to frame shots will already be second nature.

For those of us more used to cameras with a viewfinder, that familiarisation takes a little more time. However, the monitor is fully articulating, provides a good viewing image and touch functionality is well up to standard.

Overall handling of the X-M5 is fine once you get used to holding the camera out rather than raising it up to the eye. I’ll admit I did that more than once, but soon got the hang of it.

Setting up shots precisely when the sun’s out is more challenging; maybe a monitor with a higher nits rating would be beneficial, but generally I had no complaints on this front.

The on/off, record button and rear input dial are nicely placed, and the mode dial has the usual PASM settings. There are also four custom user positions, and both a movie and a vlog setting.

Limited space on the back panel means that there is no AF-ON button and the focus joystick is somewhat low down, so a slight hand readjustment is required to use it.

One aspect of the design does deserve highlighting. Most cameras have ports on the left side of the body, which is fine until the ports are used at the same time. Plug in a mic, external monitor and use the USB-C battery charging port, and things can get a bit messy when the articulating monitor is faced forwards or optional L-shape grip is attached.

The X-M5’s solution is to have the headphone, USB and HDMI ports on the right and the mic port on the rear. On an EVF camera this would create fresh issues, but it is potentially a great design initiative on the EVF-free X-M5.

Given that I use the mic port more often than the headphone port I’d prefer them to be swapped over.

Fujifilm X-M5 features

At its core, the X-M5 uses the 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, which has been a regular on Fujifilm cameras since it arrived in 2018; used on the X-T4, X-S10 and X-Pro3. Its abilities are well known, and on the X-M5 it’s supported by Fujifilm’s latest X-Processor 5 imaging engine.

In-body image stabilisation is getting to be a common feature, but sadly it doesn’t make an appearance on the X-M5 for space and cost reasons.

Having gotten used to it, I did miss having IBIS handy, and some slower-shutter-speed shots – in the region of 1/8 to 1/30sec – did suffer from camera shake. The lack of IBIS obviously has an impact on handheld video shooting too.

The X-M5 is the second X Series camera to feature a dedicated Film Simulation dial with eight fixed settings and four berths that you can fill to suit your taste. The eight fixed ones are Provia/Standard, Velvia/Vivid, Astia/Soft, Classic Chrome, Reala Ace, Classic Neg, Nostalgic Neg and Acros – for setting this, the filter options can be applied via the menu.

As you might expect, the X-M5 can be customised to suit different users, but the breadth of customisation is limited compared with other X Series cameras.

There are three physical buttons – AEL/AFL, record and Q – that can be assigned to 79 different settings and four direction monitor swipes with 74 options. That’s more than enough, and there’s the added benefit of it being easier to remember what does what.

Fujifilm X-M5 image quality

With its pedigree and well-established imaging technology, you would be entitled to feel let down if the X-M5 didn’t deliver great results. There’s no danger of that though; the X-M5 proved itself to be a capable performer in both stills and video capture.

I shot JPEGs, HIFs and lossless compressed Raws, putting the latter through Adobe Lightroom.

Exposures were generally spot on, the exception being when shooting directly towards strong light sources, but here the Raws showed good highlight and shadow recovery powers.

Shooting predominantly dark scenes could also mean slight overexposure but this is also easily corrected with Raws. For JPEGs and HIFs, having correct exposure at the time of shooting is important.

I enjoyed the Film Simulation modes, as always, and having 12 of the 20 – including the latest addition, Reala Ace – instantly available is fun. To be fair, digging into the menu isn’t arduous either, with options for simulation bracketing or allocating a function button.

Having 12 on hand is creatively liberating, and the dial is a constant reminder that they’re readily available. I was regularly switching from setting to setting.

Fujifilm X-M5 continuous shooting

For an entry-level camera, the X-M5 can rattle through frames, and there’s pre-capture shooting too. For this burst shooting test, I used a 128GB Prograde 300MB/s SD card.

Shooting Fine JPEG and lossless compressed Raws with the mechanical shutter I got 47 8fps shots, as claimed, before the camera hesitated and the buffer cleared in 14 secs.

With continuous high shooting using the electronic shutter, rates of 10, 20 and 30fps with a 1.25x crop are claimed.

At the 30fps setting I got 34 shots at 29fps, while at 20fps I got 38 shots at 19fps; so close enough to Fujifilm’s claims. Without a crop, the options are 8, 10 and 20fps – at 20fps I got 30 shots at the claimed rate.

The X-M5’s pre-shot mode works well with the electronic shutter and continuous high shooting. There’s a good choice of frame rates, but the 0.5sec pre-shooting time is fixed, as is the post-capture period.

Fujifilm X-M5 autofocus

Autofocusing is handled well on the X-M5, with its advanced system that has the option of 117 or 425 points in single point, or if you prefer zones there’s the choice of 3×3, 5×5 and 7×7.

The single point or zone can be moved around by the focus lever or with the touchscreen, and there’s a touch shutter release too.

There’s also face and eye detection and a long list of subject detection modes: animal, bird, automobile, motorcycle and bike, aeroplane and train.

I tried a selection of lenses for this test, including the XF 23mm, XF 18-55mm and XF 55-200mm, and focusing speed, accuracy and responsiveness rated highly on a range of subjects.

I didn’t get the chance to shoot fast action in the short time I had the X-M5 but no notable issues surfaced in stills and video shooting so far.

Fujifilm X-M5 video

Speaking of video, I shot some sample footage in 6.2K video mode and tried out the short movie mode feature too.

Performance was great; the footage looked clean and richly detailed, but without IBIS it could be a little shaky.

Although I’m not a vlogger, I regularly skim through YouTube Shorts so I’m aware of the potential of the 9:16 short movie mode – it worked well.

I enjoyed filming myself while I walked around once I got used to not being self-conscious. If I could play guitar, dance or liked talking about myself, I would be using this feature all the time.

Conclusion

To wrap up, the X-M5 showed itself to be a very capable camera with plenty of potential to tempt keen photographers and content creators who are currently using their smartphones and looking to take the next step.

Given its set of features, the X-M5 has broad appeal; even experienced creators just wanting a pocketable backup will find this camera a worthwhile investment.

You could partner it with something like the XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR, for example, turning it into a powerful imaging notebook for £1200.