Fujifilm X-E5 Hands-on Review
Summary Verdict
With the new compact XF 23mm F2.8 pancake lens, the Fujifilm X-E5 is a small yet powerful camera that’s ideal for everyday shooting and travel photography. Its intuitive handling and easily accessible Film Simulation Mode and aspect ratio controls make it a great choice for in-the-moment, mindful photography. There’s still more testing to do, but early impressions are very promising. I like it a lot, it feeds the creative photographer in me.
Score: TBC
For
Traditional exposure controls and classic styling
Emphasis on creative, immersive photography
7-stop image stabilisation (IBIS) system
Against
Slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor (because of IBIS)
Not weather-sealed
What is the Fujifilm X-E5?
Fujifilm tends to follow a clear pattern when developing new cameras: once a new sensor and processor are released, they gradually appear in models across the range. The Fujifilm X-E5 is the latest to benefit from this approach, gaining the company's 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor and the X-Processor 5. As such, much of the specification could be anticipated ahead of its launch.
However, the X-E5 isn’t just a specification refresh. It builds on the success of the popular X100VI, offering a similar compact form factor and classic styling but with the benefit of an interchangeable lens mount. In fact, it could be viewed as a blend of the X-T50 and X100VI. It’s launched alongside a new 23mm F2.8 pancake lens, making it a highly portable option for everyday shooting, travel and street photography.
With its flat-top, rangefinder-style design and understated looks, the X-E5 is the kind of camera that slips neatly into your bag, onto your shoulder or across your body without weighing you down. It’s a strong contender for women photographers looking for a light, capable camera with a creative edge.
The Fujifilm X-E5 has traditional exposure controls and a new Film Simulation Mode dial on the top plate.
Fujifilm X-E5 Price and Availability
The Fujifilm X-E5 will go on sale in early August 2025, priced at £1299 for the body only or £1549 when paired with the new XF 23mm F2.8 R WR pancake lens.
Fujifilm X-E5 Specifications
Camera type: APS-C Format Mirrorless
Announced: 12th June 2025
Sensor: 40.4Mp X-Trans CMOS 5 APS-C sensor
Processing engine: X-Processor 5
Lens mount: X
Sensitivity range: ISO 125-12,800 expandable to ISO 64-51,200
Viewfinder: 0.39-inch 2.36million-dot OLED with 100% coverage, 0.62x magnification 100fps
Screen: 180° Tilting 3.0-inch 1,040,000-dot touchscreen LCD
Autofocus system: Intelligent hybrid with up to 425 selectable AF points
Subject Detection AF: Human Eye/Face or Animal, Bird, Automobile, Motorcycle & Bike, Airplane, Train
Continuous shooting: Mechanical shutter: 8fps, Electronic shutter: 13fps or 20fps with 1.29x crop
Max video resolution: 6.2K 16:9 (6240 x 3510) at 29.97/25/24/23.98p, DCI4K HQ 17:9 (4096 x 2160) at 29.97/25/24/23.98p with crop
Mic port: 3.5mm
Film Simulation modes: 20 modes: PROVIA/Standard, Velvia/Vivid, ASTIA/Soft, Classic Chrome, REALA ACE, PRO Neg.Hi, PRO Neg.Std, Classic Neg., Nostalgic Neg., ETERNA/Cinema, ETERNA BLEACH BYPASS, ACROS, ACROS + Ye Filter, ACROS + R Filter, ACROS + G Filter, Black & White, Black & White + Ye Filter, Black & White + R Filter, Black & White + G Filter, Sepia
Battery: NP-W126S – 310 shots per charge in normal mode, 400 in Economy mode
Storage: SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II or UHS-I
Dimensions (WxHxD): 124.9 x 72.9 x 39.1mm (33mm minimum depth)
Weight: 445g including battery and memory card
Key Features
The Fujifilm X-E5 features the same 40.2MP APS-C format sensor and X-Processor 5 pairing found in the X-H2, X-T5 and X-T50. This means it benefits from Fujifilm’s latest autofocus system, complete with subject recognition powered by artificial intelligence. It can be set to detect aeroplanes, trains, cars, motorcycles, animals or birds, plus there's human face and eye detection. That's useful in a wide range of shooting scenarios because it allows you to concentrate on more creative aspects of image creation, such as composition, timing, exposure and colour.
The camera’s base ISO is 125 and its native range extends to ISO 12,800. Its expansion settings stretch from ISO 64 to ISO 51,200. While not intended as a sports camera, the X-E5 still offers decent continuous shooting capabilities. You get up to 8fps (frames per second) with the mechanical shutter, 13fps at full resolution with the electronic shutter and up to 20fps with a 1.29x crop. Meanwhile, the maximum shutter speeds are 1/4000 sec (with the mechanical shutter) and 1/180,000 sec (with the electronic shutter).
In-body image stabilisation (IBIS) is built in, offering compensation of up to 7EV at the centre of the frame and 6EV at the edges. That's a first for a Fujifilm X-Series camera. This is especially helpful when shooting handheld at slower shutter speeds or in lower light.
The X-E5 can record Jpeg or 10-bit HEIF images and raw files. It includes all 20 of Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes, and thanks to a new dedicated dial, it’s easier than ever to change between creative looks. More on this later.
While primarily aimed at photographers, the X-E5 also has respectable video credentials. It can capture 6.2K video at 30p with a maximum bit rate of 200Mbps, or oversampled DCI 4K HQ (4096 x 2610) at up to 30p, albeit with a crop. Standard 4K is available at up to 60p. Fujifilm has included both F-Log and F-Log2, supporting up to 13+ stops of dynamic range, and there’s a 3.5mm mic port for higher quality audio capture. However, the video mode is accessed via the drive settings and there isn't direct access via a switch, dial or button by default.
From left to right, The Fujifilm X100VI, X-E5 and X-E4. The lever on the X100 VI switches between the electronic and optical viewfinders, on the X-E5 it’s a useful customisable control that gives a quick route to up to four features.
Build and Handling
The X-E5 continues the classic, flat-topped look of the X-E series but introduces a top-plate milled from a single piece of aluminium. It feels more premium and robust than the X-E4, and there’s a grip that gives the camera a more secure feel in the hand than the flat-fronted X-E4. Nevertheless, it isn’t weather-sealed, so some care is needed in wet weather.
Weighing 445g with the battery and SD card, the X-E5 is only 81g heavier than the X-E4. Its body measures 124.9 x 72.9 x 39.1mm, compared to 121.3 x 72.9 x 32.7mm for the X-E4. When alongside the X-E4, the X-E5 is noticeably deeper, but not disagreeably so. When fitted with the new XF 23mm F2.8 R WR lens, it’s also just 14g heavier than the fixed-lens X100VI.
The extra size and weight of the X-E5 compared to the X-E4 can be attributed to the IBIS (in-body image stabilisation system).
The X-E5 makes several handling updates compared to the X-E4. For a start, the shutter speed and exposure compensation dials are now larger, better quality and easier to operate (the latter is thanks to a concave chamfer along the back edge of the top plate. There's also a new rear command dial, plus a new Film Simulation Mode dial with seven dedicated modes: PROVIA/Standard, Velvia/Vivid, ASTIA/Soft, CLASSIC CHROME, REALA ACE and ACROS. ACROS also includes options for yellow, red and green filter effects.
There are three customisable settings (FS1, FS2 and FS3) on the Film Simulation Mode dial. These can be programmed to include any Film Simulation Mode plus a recipe of your choosing, covering settings like Grain Effect, Colour Chrome Effect, Dynamic Range, Clarity and White Balance. Of course, you don't have to apply a recipe if you'd rather not.
If the dial is set to 'C', all 20 Film Simulation modes can be accessed through the main menu or Quick menu (accessed by pressing the Q button).
A new front lever, similar to the one on the X100VI, sits just left of the front command dial. Its function can be customised based on direction and whether it's pressed or held. For example, I used it to switch between digital teleconverter settings (1.4x and 2x) and aspect ratio modes. On the X100VI, the lever is used to switch between the optical viewfinder (OVF) and electronic viewfinder (EVF) - the X-E5 only has an EVF.
Other nice refinements include a flush-mounted EVF and diopter control, giving the body a cleaner, more premium look.
Multiple exposure (ME) fans will be pleased to learn that the X-E5 has Fujifilm's standard ME functionality. That means it can shoot up to 9 images for compositing, and there are four blend modes - additive, average, bright and dark.
From left to right, The Fujifilm X100VI, X-E5 (with the new XF 23mm F/2.8 R WR lens) and X-E4 (with the XF 27mm R WR lens).
Viewfinder and Screen
The Fujifilm X-E5 has a 0.39-inch OLED electronic viewfinder with 2.36 million dots, thAT’S identical to the X-T50. By comparison, the popular X100 VI has a 0.5-inch OLED electronic viewfinder with 3.69 million dots.
The X-E5's 3-inch touchscreen tilts up and down and flips up through 180-degrees for vlogging or selfies. Surprisingly, the screen resolution is 1.04 million dots – lower than the 1.62 million dots of the X-E4. Although I didn't really notice the drop in resolution, in the bright sunlight of Valencia in June, I found I needed to increase the screen brightness to maximum. A brighter option would have been welcome.
There are also two new EVF display options: Surround View and Classic View. Surround View adds a semi-transparent or line outline to show what’s happening just outside your frame when the aspect ratio is changed from the native 3:2 setting. That's useful for street or action photography because you can see what's heading into the frame. Classic Display mode shows a minimal overlay with only battery life and exposure data in red.
A red frame appears around the screen when recording video.
The Fujifilm X-E5 has Fujifilm’s latest subject detection modes, but Fujdfilm has yet to introduce and automatic or customisable option.
Performance
After shooting with the Fujifilm X-E5 for a couple of days ahead of its announcement, I can confirm that its 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor performs as we've come to expect. The autofocus system also does a great job of detecting and tracking faces and eyes in street or social situations. I did switch it off occasionally when I wanted to focus on other parts of the scene, and it was handy to have a top-plate button to cycle the setting on and off quickly.
In addition, although I haven't tested it personally, I’ve seen that the X-E5 does a decent job of detecting and focusing on birds when the subject detection is set to bird.
As it has the same sensor as the X-H2, X-T5 and X-T50, the X-E5 is capable of capturing the same level of detail as those cameras. It also controls noise well through its standard ISO range (ISO 125-12,800). However, if you aim to shoot Jpegs, I would be inclined to stick to a maximum of ISO 6,400 because it's around this value that some finer details become a little mushy. It's not yet possible to process the raw files from the X-E5 in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom, but once it is, I expect that the AI-assisted noise reduction will work magic on files shot at the highest settings, making them more acceptable. Watch this space.
There are 20 Film Simulation modes available on the X-E5, and while PROVIA/Standard mode makes a good all-purpose choice, it's worth experimenting to see which suits your scene and/or mood. I particularly like Classic Chrome for its low saturation and earthy tones. I saved this to one of the FS settings on the Film Simulation mode dial and applied a 'recipe' that boosted the highlights (H+1) and shadows (-1), added some clarity (+2) and reduced the saturation using the Color control (-2) but increased the warmth of the results by using the shade white balance setting. This produced some results that I'm very happy with straight from the camera. However, I'm looking forward to tweaking the raw files on my computer and potentially adjusting my in-camera recipe.
I also like Acros for creating black and white images. As with the other Film Simulation modes, you can preview the effect in the viewfinder and on the screen, enabling you to assess the result before you press the shutter release.
Conveniently, the Film Simulation Modes can be applied to raw files as well as Jpegs or HEIF images. However, it's worth noting that the aspect ratio control doesn't work with raw files by themselves. If you want to use the aspect ratio control with raw files, you need to record Jpeg or HEIF images simultaneously. While the aspect ratio of the images is 'baked in' to Jpeg and HEIF images, you still get the full sensor readout with the raw file, and you can adjust the aspect ratio if you wish.
I enjoyed the ready availability of the Film Simulation modes (via the dedicated dial) and the aspect ratio settings (via the customisable front lever). I find making these decisions at the shooting stage pulls me into my photography more and I have more fun with the camera.
These customisable options encourage you to get more involved in the image-making process, and they help make the camera feel personal.
Fujifilm X-E5 Sample Images
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Here’s a smaller collection of images captured using the Fujifilm X-E5 with the new XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR lens:
For this shot, I used the Classic Chrome Film Simulation Mode and a 'recipe' that boosted the highlights (H+1) and shadows (-1), added some clarity (+2) and reduced the saturation using the Color control (-2) but increased the warmth of the results by using the shade white balance setting.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/100 sec, aperture f/9, ISO 320.
I was attracted to the multiple squares and criss-cross patterns in this scene. Shooting in square format emphasised the squares and layers in the image. I used the PROVIA/Standard Film Simulation Mode.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/350 sec, aperture f/8, ISO 125.
Shooting in the square aspect ratio cut out some the distractions around this building, butting the focus on the its shape and the colour contrast with the tree in the foreground.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture f/8, ISO 125.
Using the PROVIA/Standard Film Simulation Mode here has delivered colours as I remember seeing them at the time of shooting.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/240 sec, aperture f/8, ISO 125.
The X-E5’s 3D level is useful when you’re lining up an images with vertical and horizontal lines.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/1000 sec, aperture f/2.8, ISO 125.
I shot this image using the 16:9 aspect ratio to reduce the amount of sky in the scene and make the pontoon more dominant. This is another shot take uing my Classic Chrome recipe.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/450 sec, aperture f/6.4, ISO 125.
Fujifilm’s Reala Ace Film Simulation Mode gives slightly muted colours, I think it works well for this scene with a limited palette.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/340 sec, aperture f/11, ISO 125.
I normally shoot high contrast black and white images, but on this occasion I opted for low contrast by adjusting the tone curve for the Acros Film Simulation Mode. I’m looking forward to experimenting with different looks for this image when I can edit the raw file.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Fujifilm X-E5 with XF 23mm F2.8 R WR shutter speed: 1/800 sec, aperture f/8, ISO 125.
Early Verdict
The Fujifilm X-E5 is a well-thought-out, creative and capable addition to Fujifilm’s line-up. It’s a big step up from the X-E4, bringing a much-improved autofocus system, in-body stabilisation, increased resolution and better handling.
It may not have the hybrid viewfinder or weather-sealing of the X100VI, nor the pop-up flash and higher-resolution screen of the X-T50, but it offers a slightly smaller body than the X-T50 and, unlike the fixed lens X100VI, it gives you the flexibility to swap lenses thanks to its XF mount.
Consequently, the Fujifilm X-E5 seems to be a great choice for photographers who want a stylish and lightweight camera that puts creativity first. Whether you're shooting portraits, street scenes, travel or simply documenting the everyday, it’s an easy camera to carry and a joy to use.
This is an early verdict based on limited shooting. There’s more testing to be done in varied conditions and with different lenses before a final judgment is passed, but I like the Fujifilm X-E5 a lot. I particularly enjoyed the speed of access to the Film Simulation Modes and aspect ratio settings, as I find they help me get in the zone and create more images that I like at the shooting stage rather than after processing. That said, the results also feed my creative ideas for processing.
