Fujifilm X-T5 Review | Photography Blog

Introduction

Ease of Use

The new X-T5 concentrates on delivering sheer resolution and high levels of detail by utilising exactly the same 40-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor that first made its debut in the Fuji X-series camera range with the recent launch of the X-H2.

This is a BSI (back-side illuminated) sensor design that has much more of a focus on detail and resolution than out-and-out speed, backed up by the inclusion of the special Pixel Shift Multi Shot mode which creates 160 megapixel images.

Previously only seen on the X-H2 and the company’s GFX-branded medium-format cameras, in the Pixel Shift Multi-Shot the camera records 20 frames, shifting the sensor by 0.5 pixels between each frame.

The resulting images are then automatically combined into one DNG RAW file, which can be output to a desired file format using suitable RAW processing software.

The 40 megapixel sensor allows the XT5 to record 6.2K/30p video, but despite using the same sensor, it surprisingly can’t also match the highest quality 8K/30p mode offered by the X-H2.

If you don’t like the less traditional, less Fuji-like user interface or the rather eye-watering price-tag of the X-H2 but you still want the highest-resolution cropped-sensor camera on the market, the XT5 is the one to spring for.

It is virtually identical to its predecessor, the X-T4, retaining all of the traditional dials and controls that Fuji users have come to know and love, including the classic Fujifilm ISO, Shutter Speed and Exposure Compensation dials on top of the camera.

The XT5 weighs 476g or 557g with a battery fitted, making it 50g lighter than the XT4.

Measuring 129.5 x 91x 63.8mm, the new X-T5 is slightly smaller than the X-T4 (which measures 134.6 x 92.8 x 63.8mm) , although not by that much.

It’s actually almost as small and portable as the original X-T1 model, just measuring 16mm deeper because of the IBIS unit and larger capacity battery.

If you’re a long-time user of the XT-series than you won’t notice too much difference between all of the models regards to their in size, weight or control layouts.

The X-T5 has a large, sculpted hand-grip at the front. You can definitely fit three fingers on it, maybe even four depending on your hand size, with your little finger naturally curling underneath the bottom of the body. There’s also a prominent grip on the rear of the camera for your right thumb.

A textured faux-leather surface runs around the full width of the camera, with two metal eyelets on either side of the body used for connecting the supplied shoulder strap.

Fujifilm’s ethos with its flagship X-T cameras has long captured the imagination of ‘purist’ photographers. One of the first things you will notice about the X-T5 is the solid metal top plate adorned with dials to control ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation.

Add an X-series lens with aperture ring to the equation and you have direct access to the key exposure controls without needing to eye a screen. Once acclimatised to this ‘traditional’ form of operation, it’s hard to go back (or should we say forward) to the ‘modern’ way. For us, this handling approach is refreshing.

But the Fuji XT5 is certainly no dinosaur. with a switch under the shutter speed dial offering a choice between Still and Movie shooting. This is a camera that fully embraces both photography and video.

The Still/ Movie switch swaps between dedicated in-camera menu systems, so you don’t have to scroll through excessive video options when all you want to do is photography, and vice versa, and the menu system for both disciplines is really well laid out.

Typically, navigating through this many shooting options to the one that you want is painful. Yet, the in-camera video mode menu is broken down logically into three sub groups; resolution, frame rate and bit rate so you can select the combination that you desire.

A nice touch is that the front and rear control wheels can now be used quietly in movie mode to make changes to exposure settings, even during capture. (The top dials are redundant in video mode.) In conjunction with the touchscreen menu, most other key video controls such as white balance and image stabilisation can be adjusted too.

The X-H2 offers a slightly better video mode than the X-T5 and is the one to buy if you’re predominantly a videographer, although this new model certainly gives it a run for its money.

The XH2 offers a highest quality rate of 8K/30p with no crop recorded in 4:2:2 10-bit internally for approximately 160 minutes, whereas the XT5 can’t record at all in 8K, despite using the same sensor, topping out at 6.2K/30p with a modest 1.23x crop recorded in 4:2:2 10-bit internally.

Both cameras support up to DCI 4K/60p recording with no cropping, and both can shoot 1080/240p slow-motion footage. They also offer the new F-Log 2 profile with up to 14+ stops of dynamic range.

Combined with a compatible HDMI recording device from Atomos or Blackmagic Design, 12-bit RAW video output from both cameras can be recorded as Apple ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW.

They also feature a digital zoom function that uses the camera’s 40.2MP sensor to deliver up to 2x of digital zoom with little to no loss in resolution, when recording video in 4K.

The X-H2 has a much larger buffer, though, which increases the maximum available affect bit rate for video in comparison with the X-T5.

Also, you can’t fit an external cooling fan to the XT5, unlike the XH2, and because it’s substantially smaller there is no full size HDMI port or 3.5mm headphone socket on the XT5 either.

The X-T5 offers a slightly different standard sensitivity range of ISO 125 to ISO 12,800 to the X-T4, which can be expanded down to ISO 64 and up to ISO 51,200.

This makes the X-T5 well suited to low-light shooting, allowing you to hand-hold the camera in places where you’d usually be reaching for a tripod or other support.

Fuji’s clever ISO Auto Control setting allows you to set a maximum sensitivity (up to 6400) and a minimum shutter speed (1/30th is a good starting point), with the camera over-riding your ISO choice if it thinks you’re being too ambitious whilst maintaining a shutter speed that won’t introduce camera shake.

The image sensor used in the X-T5 is the next generation 40.2 megapixel, APS-C sized, X-Trans CMOS 5 HR back-side illuminated (BSI) sensor, making its second appearance in the Fuji X-series camera range.

Although it can’t match up to the headline-grabbing 40fps continuous shooting speed offered by the X-H2S and its stacked sensor, the new XT5 is certainly no slouch when it comes to burst sequences.

This new model offers exactly the same burst shooting rates as the X-H2. They can both shoot at 20fps when using the electronic shutter, with a 1.29x crop applied, and both offer the same 15fps continuous shooting speed when using the mechanical shutter.

There is one very important difference between them, though, and that’s the size of the internal buffer.

Whereas the XH2 can record up to 1000+ JPEGs or 400 RAW files at 20fps, the X-T5 can only manage a comparatively meager 119+ JPEGs or 19 RAW files before the continuous shooting rate starts to slow down.

In comparison to its predecessor, the X-T4 was something of a speed demon when it was released in 2020, so much so that it actually still out-performs the new X-T5.

It can shoot at 20fps when using the electronic shutter without any crop, or 30fps with a 1.25x crop applied, whereas the XT5 can only shoot at up to 20fps when using the electronic shutter, and that’s with a 1.29x crop applied.

To help with capturing the precise moment, the X-T5 has a clever Pre-shot burst shooting mode, with the camera constantly filling the buffer while your half-press the shutter button, and then keeping the most recent ones taken 0.5-1 seconds before a full press of the shutter button, eliminating any camera and human-added delay. Note that this feature only works with the electronic shutter.

Thanks to its 40 megapixel sensor, the XT5 offers a greater number of PDAF points (3.3 million) than the XT4. Fujifilm say that the new model isn’t quite as fast at tracking moving subjects as the flagship X-H2S, though, thanks to that camera’s stacked sensor.

The X-T5 actually has two kinds of shutter, mechanical and electronic. When using its mechanical focal-plane shutter, it has a top shutter-speed limit of 1/8000th second in all shooting modes.

There’s no built-in ND filter, so if you want to use a very fast lens in very bright sunlight when using the mechanical shutter, then it’s a good idea to buy an actual glass ND filter.

It considerably improves the fastest shutter speed for the electronic shutter by 2.5 stops, from 1/32000 sec on the previous generation XT4 to a remarkable 1/180,000 sec on the XT5.

This allows users to leave the aperture wide open in very bright conditions such as a sunny beach or a ski slope, or to capture a split-second motion.

This allows you to continue shooting wide-open with fast aperture lenses in the brightest of conditions without having to resort to fitting a glass ND filter or using an external flash and lights.

The X-T5 has a flash-sync speed of 1/250th second with the mechanical shutter and 1/125th second with the electronic shutter.

To make the camera even less obtrusive, when the electronic shutter is selected there’s a Silent menu option which turns off the speaker, flash, AF-assist lamp and most importantly the shutter-release sound, instantly making the X-T5 perfectly suited to more candid photography.

It’s all very well being able to record at 20fps, but unless the camera can quickly, accurately and reliably focus on whatever fast-moving subject you’re trying to capture, it’s all for nothing.

Thankfully, although the new X-T5 has the same hybrid autofocus system with up to 425 selectable phase detection and and contrast detections points as the X-H1, X-T4 and X-Pro3 models, Fujifilm have made a number of really significant improvements to make it their best AF system yet.

Chief amongst these is the inclusion of subject-based computational AI, with the XT5 being able to automatically detect animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles and bikes, airplanes and train.

You do have to specifically choose which of those you want to track from the Subject Detection Setting menu, but you can easily register different settings to the camera’s various custom modes.

Turning this feature on resulted in a super-high hit rate in terms of auto-focusing, with the camera often able to focus on the subject before we’d even spotted it ourselves.

The improved auto-focus algorithm that’s claimed to be 3x faster than the X-T4 and particularly the subject detection modes help to ensure that the vast majority of your images are sharp.

The XT5 is the sixth Fujifilm camera to feature 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), following on from the X-H1, X-H2, X-H2S, X-T4 and the X-S10.

The X-T4 provides up to 6.5 shutter steps of compensation for stills, whereas the X-T5 provides up to a maximum of 7 stops, half a stop better and the joint-best of any current Fujifilm camera with the X-H2 and X-H2S.

The XT5 has the same very good 3.68M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder, 100fps refresh rate and a built-in eye sensor as the X-T4, but the EVF on the XT5 offers slightly higher magnification (0.80x vs 0.75x).

The even better OLED electronic viewfinder on the X-H2 has greater 5.76M-dot resolution, larger 0.80x magnification and a faster 120fps refresh rate.

One of the biggest differences between the new X-T5 and the X-T4 and X-H2 cameras is the action of the LCD screen.

Fujifilm have gone back to a 3-way tilting LCD on the XT5, rather than the vari-angle screen on the XT4 and XH2, saying that it better matches the more stills-focused nature of the newer model.

The resolution of the screen has been increased slightly from 1.62M-dots to 1.84M-dots, actually making it the highest-res screen of any current Fujifilm APS-C camera.

The X-T5 features both built-in wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The latter option creates a constant, low-power connection between the camera and a smartphone/tablet to transfer images and video using the Fujifilm Camera Remote smartphone app, while the former allows you to remotely control the X-T5 via either a 2.4Ghz or 5GHz wi-fi connection using a smartphone or tablet and the Fujifilm app, and transfer images and video from one device to the other.

The X-T5 has dual memory card slots, just the X-T4, and just like the X-T4 it has two UHS-II SD card slots, rather than one UHS-II SD slot and one CFexpress Type B slot as seen on the recent X-H2S and X-H2 cameras.

Despite the X-T5 using exactly the same NP-W235 batteries as the X-T4, Fujifilm are claiming that it offers 740 shot battery life in economy mode, which is actually 20% better than the XT4.

Both cameras can also be powered and charged via a USB-C connection, which is useful if you’re out and about and have a compatible power-bank to plug the camera into.

Perhaps somewhat controversially, the new X-T5 does not support a vertical battery grip (there are no contacts on the bottom of the camera).

Fujifilm say this is based on market data for the X-T4 which showed that the majority of owners did not buy one.

Instead you can purchase the optional MHG-XT5 metal hand grip if you feel than the body on its own is too small.

Note that there is a Vertical Battery Grip (VBG-XH) available for the X-H2 model which accepts two NP-W235 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to extend the life for up to 1700 frames between recharges.

The previous X-T4 also supports a vertical battery grip, which as well as making handling easier in portrait mode, again greatly increases the available battery life.

A metal tripod mount is positioned inline with the centre of the lens and far away from the battery/memory card compartment, so you don’t have to remove the camera from the tripod to change the battery.

The new Fujifilm X-T5 retains the classic retro styling and control layout of its predecessor but uses the same 5th generation sensor and processor as the X-H2.

Therefore it represents a big step forward in many ways for the XT-series, from the 40 megapixel resolution to unlimited 4K/60p recording with no crop, and from the faster, AI-driven AF system that can recognise a lot more subjects to the improved EVF and IBIS.

The XT5 provides exactly the same image quality as the XH2, but it doesn’t offer 8K video recording, has a much smaller buffer, uses slower memory cards, has a lower-spec EVF, doesn’t have full size HDMI or 3.5mm headphone sockets, and doesn’t support an external cooling fan or a vertical grip.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 40.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 18Mb.

The Fujifilm X-T5 produced images of outstanding quality. It records noise-free JPEG images from ISO 64 up to ISO 3200, with a little noise at ISO 6400 and more visible noise at the faster settings of ISO 12800 and 25600 (ISO 51200 is best avoided), an amazing performance for a camera with a 40 megapixel APS-C sensor. The RAW files were also excellent, exhibiting more noise than their JPEG counterparts but still producing very usable images from ISO 64-6400.

The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds being long enough for most after-dark shots, and the Bulb mode allowing much longer exposures if required. The Dynamic Range and HDR settings subtly improve detail in the shadows and highlights, while the extensive range of Film Simulation modes hark back to a bygone era, and the Advanced Filters allow you to have a little fun with your images in-camera.

Noise

There are 11 full ISO settings available on the Fujifilm X-T5 for JPEGs and RAW files. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

File Quality

The Fujifilm X-T5 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Fine (18Mb) (100% Crop)	Normal (9.1Mb) (100% Crop)
RAW (85.5Mb) (100% Crop)

Night

The Fujifilm X-T5’s maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds in the Time shutter speed mode, and there’s a Bulb mode which allows exposures up to 60 minutes long, which is excellent news if you’re seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 125.

Pixel Shift Multi Shot

Pixel Shift is a special Multi-Shot function that can be used to create 160 megapixel images!

The camera’s built-in IBIS unit is used to shift the image sensor by up to a pixel in various directions during the sequence of 20 shots.

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Fujifilm X-T5 camera, which were all taken using the 40.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Fujifilm X-T5 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We’ve provided some Fujifilm RAW (RAF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

2022 has been a massive year for Fujifilm, with the launch of not one, not two, but three flagship APS-C cameras in the identical shapes of the X-H2 and X-H2S and now the brand new X-T5.

Whereas the former two models largely eschewed the traditional dials and controls that Fuji users have come to know and love, the XT5 marks a return to the familiar control-heavy approach that the XT-series has long been known for, including the now classic Fujifilm ISO, Shutter Speed and Exposure Compensation dials found on top of the camera.

In fact, the new Fujifilm X-T5 essentially retains the classic retro styling and control layout of its XT4 predecessor and combines it with the same 5th generation sensor and processor as used by the X-H2, thereby providing exactly the same stills image quality as its more expensive sibling.

Those would-be-buyers who were hoping for an XH2 in XT-series clothing will be mostly, but not entirely, satisfied with what the X-T5. What it notably doesn’t offer when compared to the XH2 is 8K video recording, which seems to purely be a marketing rather than technical decision on the part of Fujifilm.

Also in direct comparison the XT5 has a much smaller buffer, uses slower memory cards, has a lower-spec EVF, doesn’t have full size HDMI or 3.5mm headphone sockets, and doesn’t support an external cooling fan or a vertical grip, some or all of which may persuade you to forgo the XT5’s traditional controls in exchange for the undoubtedly better specification offered by the X-H2.

Compared to its predecessor, the XT4, which a lot of people may be looking to upgrade from, the new XT5 represents a big step forward in many ways for the XT-series, from the 40 megapixel resolution with 160mp pixel-shift mode to unlimited 4K/60p recording with no crop, and from the faster, AI-driven AF system that can recognise a lot more subjects to the improved EVF, even more capable IBIS and longer battery life.

The X-T4 was something of a speed demon when it was released in 2020, so much so that it actually still out-performs the new X-T5. Fujifilm have also gone back to a 3-way tilting LCD on the new X-T5, rather than the vari-angle screen on the X-T4, saying that it better matches the more stills-focused nature of the newer model. And again the lack of a vertical grip option for the newer model is definitely a brave marketing choice on the part of Fuji.

There’s only a relatively small price difference between them, with the new Fujifilm X-T5 is priced at £1699 / $1799 body-only in the UK and USA respectively and the similarly specced Fujifilm X-H2 costing £1899 / $1999 body only, making it just £$200 more than the XT5.

Overall, the Fujifilm X-T5 certainly succeeds in combining the much-loved design of its predecessors with the cutting-edge specification of the X-H2 at a more competitive price-point, and is therefore worthy of our coveted Essential award.

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Fujifilm X-T5.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Fujifilm X-T5 from around the web.

Specifications

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