Today I will give you my first impressions of the
Fuji-XT5 coming from Sony cameras and upgrading from the Fuji-XT3. Today we will be talking about
all the things that I love and all of the things that I don't love about the camera. Surprisingly,
the Fuji-XT5 is almost the same size and weight as the Fuji-XT3 but it's smaller and lighter
than the Fuji-XT4 despite a significant ramp up in specs. Even with its smaller size though, I
find the handling is still pretty good. The grip feels nicer and more secure than the Fuji-XT3.
When compared to the Sony A7III the Fuji-XT5, as expected, is smaller, it is lighter, especially
when it is coupled with some of the smaller Fuji lenses. And this is a big plus for me, especially
in longer photo walks because in the past, when I had the Sony 7III with the Sony 85 mm my
hand used to ache a bit after a while. I don't really have this problem with the Fuji-XT5 and
also I don't have a problem carrying it in my backpack for the entire day. I don't really feel
the weight in my back anymore. The body of the camera has changed slightly and these adjustments
have affected how easy it is to use the camera in certain situations. Unlike the Fuji-XT4 which was
meant mainly for social media content creators the Fuji-XT5 comes back to the old philosophy of
Fuji which is mainly focused to photographers. So, there is a major adjustment here. So, we have the
removal of the fully articulating screen that you would find on the Fuji-XT4 with the (addition of
a) tilting screen here on the XT5 more similar to what you would find on the Fuji-XT3. Here is
where I run into my first issue with a camera. As someone who's taking both photos and videos a
fully articulating screen would be ideal. And the Fuji-XT5 doesn't have that. It has only a tilting
screen. And I believe that it's not going to be just me that the fully articulating screen would
make a lot of sense (for) but in the majority of people using the camera. Also, this camera has
amazing video features as we're going to discuss about in a bit, so with these features it would
make a lot of sense to have a fully articulating screen in but it doesn't have that. But it is not
all downside when it comes to the camera's body. Do not get me wrong... and you should hit the like
button down below for this because there are some changes that I really enjoy. One standout
feature is the use of the lower right hand side wheel which works as a button to seamlessly
switch between photo and video modes. This is a game changer for me especially when I'm out on the
streets capturing photos and then quickly going to grab a few video clips as well. Additionally I
appreciate a lot the fact that you can maintain different settings for photos and videos. This
is something I haven't experienced before in any of the cameras I've used from the Fuji-XT3 to
the Sony a6400 or the Sony A7III. Being able to customize your settings independently between
photos and videos adds a different level of flexibility that enhances by far the shooting
experience. Also, I like the new function mode of the ISO wheel. I'm talking about option C
which lets you control the ISO using the front wheel. This coupled with the T- mode of shutter
speed that lets you set your shutter speed using the rear wheel helps a lot when you shoot full
manual and you want to change your settings fast. A small but quite significant change is this.
Especially for those that are using recipes. So, they have added this little button here in the
upper right corner of the camera that lets you switch between different recipes quite quickly.
By the way would you be interested in a video about my recipes and how I use them? Let me know
down in the comments because if enough of you are interested then I will definitely make a video
about that. Also, I'm not going to be delving into how I set up my Fuji-XT5 for street photography
in this video. Because I'm trying to keep things concise, I will be doing that in an upcoming
video so subscribe to the channel and hit the notification bell down below if you want to stay
in the loop. The image quality of the Fuji-XT5 has taken a big leap from the Fuji-XT3 thanks to its
more modern 40 megapixel sensor. A boost from the 26 megapixel sensor of the Fuji-XT3. And although
many will argue that megapixels do not matter the difference in image quality is noticeable.
Also, the higher megapixel count helps in tasks like cropping. The improved sensor of the
Fuji-XT5 brings out more colors in the images, a higher dynamic range compared to the XT3 and
the XT4, however it comes with a tradeoff. I have observed that when I shoot with it in low
light conditions the camera tends to introduce more noise in the images compared to the Fuji-XT3.
And this kind of makes sense because when you have a high megapixel count in the same size sensor it
means you have smaller pixels and smaller pixels can capture less light. Despite this when I found
myself shooting in low light conditions the new noise filter in Lightroom has proven effective
in clearing out the noise resulting in sharper images. Keep in mind that the choice of the lens
also matters a lot. For example the Fuji 35 mm F/1.4 can capture better low light images than the
Fuji 50mm F2 due to its wider aperture. However, I still appreciate the Fuji 50 mm F2 and I still use
it for night photography quite a lot. To get the best image quality in my photos I usually shoot in
RAW file format and then I process these images in Lightroom with my own presets to give them my own
unique look. However, this comes with a tradeoff because RAW files retain all the information
the camera can get they usually are of larger size. For comparison the Sony A7III RAW files
have a 40mb size per photo while the Fuji-XT5 has a whopping 82mb of size per photo. Which does
not only make storage of the photos hard but also puts a strain in my computer during postprocessing
although I do have a pretty powerful PC. To tackle this issue I found a solution, which is using
an external SSD hard drive. These hard drives are much faster than the conventional HDD hard
drives and they make the entire process smoother and more manageable. However, they are a lot more
expensive. On a positive note the larger megapixel size of the sensor of the Fuji-XT5 allows
for a very cool feature which is a digital teleconverter which means now that with one prime
lens you can get multiple different focal lengths adding versatility to your photography. My initial
experience with the autofocus of the XT5 was kind of meh... I mean I've used other cameras like the
Sony A7III and the Sony a6400 in the past and they both outperformed the Fuji-XT5, especially in low
light conditions. I mean I could still get some nice in focus photos with the Fuji-XT5, however,
the experience wasn't as seamless as I had hoped. However, there is some good news. Very recently
Fuji just released a new firmware update for the Fuji-XT5 that vastly improved the autofocus
capabilities of the camera. Now, the camera performs much better when tracking subjects, when
tracking faces, when tracking eyes, even in tough situations like shooting low light condition,
shooting through glass, shooting reflections or even tracking fireworks. But let's be honest,
it is far from perfect. Sometimes it still misses focus, sometimes it still misses critical focus,
so it will focus in the general area of the face but it will miss the eye and stuff like that.
However, overall it is a better performer after the update. Now, let's dive into some features
that I find really enjoyable about this camera and I find them as really handy upgrades. One of them
is the battery life. Now, with the new batteries of the Fuji-XT5 I get to shoot for an entire day
usually with just one battery. And of course you can extend that a bit especially if you are in a
very busy day, with a cheeky extra battery on the the side. So basically, now I'm having exactly the
same experience with the battery life as I used to have with the Sony A7III. The stabilization
of the camera is another big win especially compared to the Fuji-XT3 or the Sony a6400
that did not have optical stabilization. Now, it works seamlessly in both photos and videos
and I find myself confidently pushing my shutter speed in slower speeds like 1/60 or even 1/40
in very low light photography and still being able to get nice and sharp images out of it. Of
course this depends on your scene but the optical image stabilization truly makes a difference.
Another feature that I absolutely love is the Multi-Exposure feature of the Fuji-XT5 which is
an upgrade from the Dual-Exposure feature of the Fuji-XT3. Now, you can be a lot more creative
with your compositions and your only limitation is your own imagination. The menu system is also
worth mentioning especially compared to the menu system of some of the older Sony cameras like the
Sony A7III, the Fuji-XT5 has a nice intuitive menu that you can navigate quickly. You don't have
to scroll through entire list of things to find what you want you can quickly go and find usually
what you're looking for and set it up however you like. Also, I like the quick menu function which
is quite customizable as well. You can change the things you have in the quick menu and you can
access them quickly and easily and change them on the spot. I use it for both photos and videos
and it is a real time saver. Now let's talk about the two things that do not quite hit the
mark with me with this camera. The first hiccup is the rolling shutter issue which is an issue
quite common among mirrorless cameras. However, there are some ways to work around it like using
a gimbal but I haven't quite tested with a gimbal yet. It is something I'm planning to do in the
near future. The second concern I have with this camera, which is a bit puzzling for me, is that
the exposure preview I see in my live screen is different than what I get in the final image.
My impression is that this happens because the camera always applies some sort of recipe to
the images regardless of whether I'm shooting in jpeg or RAW but it still keeps the RAW file
intact for me to process later in Lightroom. But it becomes a bit confusing for me because I
often use my screen, what I see in my screen to decide my exposure and if the exposure I see on
my screen is different from the final photo then I can't really set up my camera right to get
the photo I want to get. So, if anybody knows how to fix that please let me know down in the
comments. it will be super helpful! Now let's touch a bit on the video capabilities of the
camera. The Fuji-XT5 offers unlimited 4K video up to 60p which is already an improvement from
the Sony A7III or the Fuji-XT3 that they both had a 30 minutes limit of continuous shooting.
Now the Fuji-XT5 can also offer 6.2k video up to 30p for those that want a bit more room to play
in postprocessing. The camera boasts impressive color depth for each size allowing you to shoot
4K video at 10-bit 4:2:2 internally. It gives you the option to shoot RAW video using Fuji's
F-log setting providing more room for creative post processing. All in all the Fuji-XT5 has some
amazing video features and the only downside is the lack of the fully articulating screen and the
need for an external monitor if you want to film yourself. It is probably a minor inconvenience
for most people but it is worth noting. So, who is this camera for? The Fuji-XT5 with
its higher megapixel sensor, 40 megapixels, it's optical image stabilization and its smaller
body size it's absolutely perfect for anyone that wants to use it for street photography. You
can capture beautiful moments both during day or during night because you can push your
shutter speed and get more light into your sensor due to its optical image stabilization.
Additionally, it proves as a decent choice for portrait photographers given its higher megapixel
sensor that can capture more colors more dynamic range and lets you play more in postprocessing.
However, I wouldn't recommend this camera to someone who wants to do landscape photography
with it or astro-photography because you would probably be better off with a full-frame or a
medium format camera. Also, I wouldn't recommend it to sports photographers because of limitations
with the auto-focus. On the flip side I think it is a great option for video due to its very high
specs and this is actually one of the main reason why I decided to buy this camera. Because I want
to eventually transition fully to Fuji-XT5 both for my street photography and for my video work.
In essence the Fuji-XT5 has its own audience and I believe it meets the needs of many of us in this
channel community here. So, if you're into street photography and video creation this camera is
probably the perfect fit for you. If you want to see why I switched from Sony to Fuji click and
watch this video next. That was all for today guys! Thank you very much for watching! Until
next time, I will see you on the streets! Bye-bye!
