Fujifilm X-M5

The Fujifilm X-M5 ($799.95, body only) debuts as the most affordable entry point into the Fuji X camera system—and the smallest. The form factor adds interest for creators who want to pack light but also want the picture-taking experience that comes with a camera rather than a smartphone. The X-M5's feature set leans heavily into Fuji's excellent Film Simulation engine and video features for vloggers, including 10-bit encoding and a better in-camera mic than you'll find in stills-focused cameras.

The X-M5 doesn't have an eye-level viewfinder, however, which restricts the variety of lenses you can use. Vloggers probably won't mind, but creators looking for a fully rounded camera should look to a model with an EVF like the Editors' Choice-winning Nikon Z50II instead.

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Design: It Can Find a Home in Larger Pockets

The Fujifilm X-M5 is a refreshingly small mirrorless camera and serves to fill a gap in the space. Tiny cameras were all the rage in the early days of mirrorless but eventually gave way to slightly upsized bodies that look and feel more like the DSLRs they replaced. At just 2.6 by 4.4 by 1.5 inches (HWD) and 12.5 ounces without a lens, the camera simply isn't a lot to carry. If you use a small lens like the XF 27mm F2.8 R WR, you can easily slide the camera into a jacket pocket or handbag.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The camera leaves out some typical features to realize its small design. It doesn't have an electronic viewfinder or flash, which puts it in the same category as a pair of competing cameras marketed strongly to vloggers, the Nikon Z 30 and the Sony ZV-E10 II. It's worth noting that the X-M5 and Z 30 both work with an external flash, but the ZV-E10 II omits a mechanical shutter, so it's not a good one to get if you want to use strobes.

Weather sealing and in-body image stabilization are also left out, though neither is an expected feature in this price class. The same is true for the Canon EOS R50 and R10, as well as the Sony a6100, a6400, and ZV-E10 II. Of course, there's an exception to this rule: The Nikon Z50II includes dust and splash protection, so it's safer to use outdoors on a rainy day.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Fujifilm markets the X-M5 in the two-tone silver and black body I received for review and has an all-black edition set to ship soon. You can get the camera as a body only and either choose your own lens or use any Fuji X glass you may already own or in a kit bundled with the XC 15-45mm power zoom lens for $899.95.

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Controls: Easily Swaps Between Film Sims

The X-M5 is a small camera and balances best with smaller lenses. Fujifilm has a bunch in its X system library, including a hearty dose of first-party options like the XC 15-45mm zoom, a slew of primes including the XF 16mm F2.8 and XF 23mm F2, plus a good swath of options from third parties like Sigma and Viltrox. The X-M5 has a small handgrip, so it's pretty decent with mid-sized lenses, too. I used an XF 16-55mm F2.8 II during testing and found the combination manageable if a bit front-heavy.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

However, you shouldn't pick this camera up if you're looking for a platform for telephoto lenses. Since there's no viewfinder, you'll need to hold the camera out in front of your face to get a good view of the display, which makes it practically impossible to work with a long zoom like the XF 150-600mm. Get a camera with an EVF if you're interested in big zooms; in the Fuji system I'd recommend the X-S20, X-H2, or X-H2S.

The X-M5 is Fujifilm's second camera with a hard dial to cycle through its sundry Film Simulation color profiles, following the X-T50. The dial is in the same place, at the left side of the top plate, and works the same way here. It has markings for the most popular profiles (Standard/Provia, Vivid/Velvia, Soft/Astia, Classic Chrome, Reala Ace, Classic Negative, Nostalgic Negative, and Acros), plus three configurable slots (FS1, FS2, FS3) that you can assign to any of the remaining options (Pro Negative Standard, Pro Negative Hi, Eterna, Eterna Bleach Bypass, Monochrome, Sepia), and a C setting to cede Film Simulation control to the menu system.

All and all, the Film Sim dial is a well-thought-out control, and I have the same positive thoughts and complaints that I did with the X-T50. On the plus side I love having a quick, visual dial to set the Film Look, as it makes changing between profiles a really simple matter. On the downside, I don't think Fuji went as deep into customization options as it could. The Film Simulation engine also lets you apply grain or a color chrome effect to images, but those settings are universal and apply to each and every film look. I'd like to see Fuji add an option to configure these options on a profile-by-profile basis as you can with the similar Color Creator dial control that OM System included in the recent OM-3.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The remainder of the top controls are positioned to the right of the hot shoe. The X-M5 has a standard PASM Mode dial to set the capture mode. The dial includes the basics plus dedicated slots for vlog-style video, image filters, and four configurable Custom modes. The shutter release and on/off switch are nearby, along with dual control dials (one on the top, one on the faceplate just below the shutter release), a Record button for movies, and the quick menu (Q) button.

I have one complaint here: the Q button is undersized and squeezed in between the edge of the plate and two dials, a combination that makes it awkward to press. It'd be one thing if the Q button was an infrequently used control surface, but that's not the case; it's a button that I reach to frequently when using a camera. The Q menu is a single-screen interface with a dozen configurable panes to directly adjust settings like autofocus, screen brightness, and others. It's a real shame that the Q button is a pain to get at on the X-M5.

The rear controls are spaced out a bit better. The Drive/Delete button is at the top left corner, with the Play and AEL/AFL buttons at the same height but further off to the right. Like most recent Fuji bodies, the X-M5 eschews a rear directional pad, instead using an eight-way joystick for both menu navigation and focus point manipulation. The joystick is at the right side of the rear plate, just beneath the thumb rest. Menu/OK and Disp/Back buttons are directly below.

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Display: A Competent Vari-Angle Touch LCD

The X-M5's 3-inch display is the only viewfinder, as there's no eye-level EVF built-in or available as an external accessory for the camera. The latter isn't too surprising; add-on EVFs have fallen out of favor—the most recent mass-market camera to include the option was the Canon EOS M6 Mark II from 2019. If you want a camera with an EVF, look to the Fujifilm X-T30 II, X-S20, or X-T50 for a body that works with X series lenses, or to the Nikon Z50II, Canon EOS R10, or Sony a6400 if you aren't yet committed to a lens system.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Thankfully, the X-M5's touch-friendly LCD is decent enough. Pump its backlight to maximum, and the screen is visible outdoors on a sunny day. While its 1.04-million-dot resolution is far from class-leading, it's good enough for everyday use. There's some articulation, too. The screen swings out to the side and twists to face down, behind, up, or forward, the latter of which is handy for self-recorded vlogs and selfie photos.

It's up to you to decide if an eye-level viewfinder is a must-have in a camera. I don't think that younger photogs with good close-up vision are going to struggle, but those of us who've crossed into our 40s may have to upgrade to reading glasses or a progressive prescription to see a rear LCD clearly at the distance you'll typically hold a camera during use.

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Power and Connectivity: Good Battery Life, Easy Streaming

The Fuji NP-W126S battery powers the X-M5 and runs for a very decent 330 exposures per charge per CIPA standards, a figure that extends to 440 if you use the camera in its power-saving Economy mode. It should power through most days, though keep in mind the battery life will suffer if you pump up the screen brightness or record video. Vloggers can expect to get about 75 minutes of 4K30 footage on a fully charged power pack.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

It's easy enough to top off the battery in-camera via USB-C charging. The USB port also works for data transfer and streaming, and the X-M5 supports the UVC/UAC communication standard, so it works as a webcam without any additional software or drivers. In addition, the camera includes a micro HDMI video out, 3.5mm headphone and 3.5mm microphone jacks, and a UHS-I SDXC memory card slot. The microphone jack is located on the rear, just behind the hot shoe, a good move as this is the most sensible place to mount a mic or wireless transceiver.

The camera includes Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 4 radios, so you can connect it to your smartphone via the Fujifilm X App (free for Android and iOS), which supports wireless remote control, file transfer, and firmware updates. You can also pair it with the Fujifilm Tripod Grip BT-1 ($199.99), which is built for vlogging and includes useful on-handle controls, including a Record button and power zoom rocker that works with the XC 15-45mm.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

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Autofocus: Quick Results Bolstered by Subject Detection

The X-M5 uses Fujifilm's autofocus system to accurately identify, focus on, and track subjects in motion at up to 30fps with a 1.25x crop or 20fps at full resolution. Focus is generally snappy and accurate, and if you leverage subject detection, the X-M5 will jump to the eyes for portraits of people, pets, and even wildlife snaps. It also has modes specific for planes, trains, automobiles, and motorbikes. Of course, the focus system can focus on and track other things and has no problems at all with landscapes and still-life scenes.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Burst capture is most often used for sports and wildlife photography but can come in handy if you're trying to get the perfect picture of your child or pet at play. The X-M5 has a pretty decent buffer for action shots. At 20fps, it can get about 50 Raw or 200 JPGs in sequence with no signs of slowing down. The downside is that the UHS-I card slot takes a while to write all the pictures after a burst. I clocked the camera at 15 seconds for a full Raw burst and 30 seconds for JPGs. The camera can take some more photos as the buffer clears, but you'll need to wait for your photos to write to the memory card before starting a video clip.

The focus system supports various areas of interest with coverage for nearly the entirety of the frame. Setting a specific region of interest, ranging from a small flexible point to larger zones, is easy enough. The X-M5 makes it easy to move the focus area around, too, as you can do so either with the rear joystick or by tapping on the touch display.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

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Image Quality: A Proven Sensor With Fuji Color

The X-M5's picture quality is a known quantity. Its 26MP X-Trans BSI CMOS APS-C image sensor and X-Processor 5 imaging engine are used by other cameras, including current models like the X-S20. In low light performance, dynamic range, and electronic shutter readout speed, it keeps up with competitors with similar pixel counts like the Sony ZV-E10 II.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The sensor supports ISO 160-12800 in its native, automatic range and can be set from 80-51200 manually. The camera captures photos with little noise and excellent dynamic range in its lower register. Noise increases, and dynamic range decreases as the ISO goes up, so you'll see more grain and have less room to adjust exposure in dim lighting when using the camera to snap 14-bit Raw pictures. For JPGs and HEIFs, you'll see less detail the further you push the sensor, with waxy output in the ISO 25600-51200 extended range. The X-M5 is on relatively even footing with other cameras with APS-C format sensors, and you'd have to move up to a full-frame camera for significantly better results at very high ISOs.

The X-M5 does not include in-body image stabilization (IBIS), as is true for most cameras priced under $1,000. In this case, the small body leaves little room to squeeze in IBIS. If you want a Fuji camera with a stabilized sensor that can get you longer handheld exposures without a tripod, look to the X-S20 as an alternative. As for other systems, the Canon EOS R7, Lumix S5, Nikon Z 5, and Sony a6700 are the most affordable options with physically stabilized sensors.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Fuji's imaging engine is built around its Film Simulation profiles, a broad set of looks that give JPG and HEIF pictures an analog-minded creative color grade. Each of the Film Sims has a distinctive look and feel, for more detail on each read our explainer that breaks down the differences between Reala Ace, Classic Chrome, Acros, Eterna, and the rest. Film Sims don't apply to Raw images, but in-camera development tools allow you to reprocess any Raw image in camera as many times as you'd like, and desktop editors who use Adobe Lightroom Classic can use them too.

In addition to JPG and HEIF, you can also opt to save re-processed images as an 8-bit or 16-bit TIFF, an uncompressed format that's ready to print or share like a JPG, but with the editing flexibility that's closer to Raw. TIFF support is an uncommon feature, so it's worth mentioning, but TIFF files take up a lot of storage space, so I don't expect too many creators to choose it. TIFF isn't available for regular picture taking; it's only an option for in-camera Raw development.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The X-M5 also includes creative filers for JPG and HEIF output, accessible via the Filter setting on the Mode dial. Filters have a more dramatic effect on images than Film Sims, with options that include a miniature effect that blurs part of the scene to simulate a photograph of a diorama, a low-fi toy camera filter, high and low-key exposure looks, and others. Filters are not available for re-processing or video recording.

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Video: Pro-Grade Movie Features

The X-M5 has the best set of video features we've seen in a camera priced under $1,000. The video engine records footage with 10-bit color sampling at up to 4K60 widescreen (with a 1.18x crop), full-width 4K30 oversampled from a 6K picture, and 6K30 open gate recording. Open Gate uses the full sensor area for a 3:2 aspect and is a good option for content creators who want to pull both 16:9 and 9:16 frames from the same clip or use an anamorphic lens to achieve an extra-wide CinemaScope aspect ratio.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

All of the Film Simulation color, grain, and color chrome options are available for video recording, so you can easily apply a creative look to footage in-camera. Editors who prefer to apply a color grade later on, whether for creative effect or simply to squeeze more dynamic range out of a high-contrast scene, can switch to the flat F-Log2 profile. F-Log footage has low saturation and contrast, so it looks washed out prior to editing, but it serves as a far more malleable starting point for color correction versus typical profiles.

In addition to the standard video mode, the X-M5 includes a Vlog setting on its control dial. Video quality is the same between the two capture modes, but the Vlog setting simplifies controls with an on-screen interface. Like the similar Sony ZV-E10 II, the X-M5's Vlog mode includes a one-button background defocus option to get video with either a soft or in-focus background, a product focus mode that puts focus priority on objects placed near the lens so YouTubers who do product reviews can easily show off what they're talking about without having to fiddle with focus settings, and a short movie mode that lets you record 10-, 30-, or 60-second 9:16 vertical clips when holding the camera horizontally.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The X-M5 delivers surprisingly good heat control for long-form video recording. I was able to run the battery all the way down when recording 4K30 without any pauses and got about 20 minutes of 4K60 before the camera stopped recording due to heat. Fuji's Fan-001 cooling fan ($199) is compatible with the X-M5 and a good option if you need to record 4K60 long form.

As mentioned, the X-M5's sensor is not physically stabilized. It supports electronic stabilization (EIS) for video, however. The EIS is pretty effective when you pair it with a stabilized lens like the XC 15-45mm kit zoom, though can occasionally show a wobbly frame if a particular jostle or bump is too much for the digital stabilization to overcome. EIS also reduces the angle of view of an attached lens by 1.5x, which means content creators will want to pick a wider-than-normal lens for self-recording; the XF 10-24mm R WR ($999) is a good option, but it costs more than the camera. Creators looking for perfectly smooth video may want to consider adding a small gimbal like the DJI RS 4 Mini to their kit or choosing a different camera to start. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 has a fixed lens mounted on a gimbal and is our Editors' Choice for vloggers and content creators looking for a small, stabilized camera for video.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Pocket 3 requires you to connect an external mic if you want to get clear audio that will impress visitors to your YouTube channel or TikTok account. The X-M5 includes a three-microphone system that's a bit richer sounding than most in-camera mics, plus it supports forward, rear, and omnidirectional pickup patterns. Its microphone system is similar to the Nikon Z 30 and Sony ZV-E10 II. If presenting to camera is a major part of your vlogs, I still recommend getting a good lapel mic system like the DJI Mic Mini ($169) for truly rich, distraction-free sound, but the X-M5's built-in mic is good enough for many scenarios. The Pocket 3 is the champ for self-recorded vlogs, but if you want to do more with video and take advantage of the creative possibilities that come with interchangeable lenses, the X-M5 proves to be a solid choice for video and vlogs with a few features that make it stand out versus similarly priced cameras.

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Verdict: Small Camera Fans Take Note

The Fujifilm X-M5 is somewhat of a throwback design to the early days of mirrorless cameras when small bodies without eye-level viewfinders dominated the space. Nowadays, most mirrorless cameras are about the same size as an old DSLR, so having a slim option with modern sensor tech, class-leading video features, and a broad library of small, high-quality lenses is a breath of fresh air. Its size limits its use with bigger lenses, so it's not as versatile for action and events as an EVF model like the Nikon Z50II, our Editors' Choice for mirrorless cameras under $1,000. It also leaves no room for sensor stabilization, so handheld vloggers may find the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, our top pick for vlogging cameras, to be better for handheld recording. If you want a camera that lets you try different lenses and is fully featured for video, the X-M5 is easy to recommend.