Fujifilm X-M5 In-Depth Review: a camera for the content age

The Fujifilm X-M5 is the company's latest APS-C mirrorless camera and comes in as the lowest-end entry in its current lineup. It uses the company's last-generation 26MP X-Trans sensor, the same one found in cameras like the X-T4 and X-100V, but comes equipped with its latest processor, giving it access to Fujifilm's AI-powered subject detection autofocus.

Key features:

• 26MP X-Trans BSI CMOS sensor
• X-Processor 5 with AI-powered subject detection AF
• On-sensor phase detection
• Fully articulated 3", 1.04M-dot LCD
• 20 Film Simulation modes, including Reala ACE
• Continuous shooting up to 8fps (30fps with E-shutter and 1.25x crop)
• 6.2K 3:2 video up to 30p, 4K up to 60p with crop
• External mic and 3.5mm headphone socket
• Single UHS-I card slot
• Battery life rated up to 330 frames (440 frames in Eco) per charge

The X-M5 is available in silver at a body-only price of $799. A black version is coming in April 2025. Fujifilm is also selling a kit with the X-M5 and its XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ lens for $899. Optically, it's not our favorite lens, but its size and price make it an obvious pairing with this camera.

Index:

• What's new?
• How it compares
• Body and controls
• Image Quality
• Autofocus
• Video
• Conclusion
• Sample gallery
• Specifications
• Press release

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What's new

The X-M5 is a return to a relatively old form factor, as the last time we saw a camera with the X-M label was the X-M1 from 2013, the third camera to feature the then-new X-mount, though the X-A series carried on until much more recently. It's broadly made up of parts we've seen before, put together with a few new tricks.

A tiny design

The X-M5 is very lightweight and compact – even with the power zoom kit lens attached, it comes in under 500g (17.6oz) and is small enough to fit in a small bag or jacket pockets. Anyone who buys one will be hard-pressed to come up with an excuse not to take it with them when they leave the house.

It also helps that, subjectively, it's a very good-looking camera; Fujifilm's retro aesthetic with modern functionality continues to serve it well. More on that later.

The camera also features the film simulation dial found on the X-T50, which lets users play around with Fujifilm's color profiles to get the look they want without requiring them to dive into the menu. It may seem like a small thing given that Film Simulations have long been one of Fujifilm's main selling points, but putting them front and center like this strongly encourages people to experiment with them, even if they're averse to spending too much time in the menus.

4K LP video

The Fujifilm X-M5 has 4K and 1080p 'Long Play' modes that crop in on the sensor, letting you record for longer before the camera overheats. The 4K LP mode has a 1.18x crop and is available in 23.98p, 24p, 25p, and 30p. The FHD LP mode, meanwhile, is only available in 50p and 60p and comes with a 1.29x crop. The company says you can record for over an hour at 4K when using the LP mode in temperatures of 25°C (77°F) and around 20 minutes at 40°C (104°F).

The X-M5 also has two new low-bitrate options, letting you capture footage at 25Mbps and 8Mbps. This lets you sacrifice image quality for small file sizes in scenarios when you want to get footage out quickly and will only be using it on social media, where it'll already be heavily compressed.

If you want to shoot with heavier codecs, the X-M5 is compatible with Fujifilm's optional cooling fan, which can help extend record times without using the LP modes and the cropping and loss of quality that come with them.

Three-microphone system

Fujifilm has added an extra microphone to the camera to help distinguish between the audio you're trying to capture and ambient noise. Its UI lets you select whether you want it to let everything in, focus on audio from in front of the camera, behind the camera, or both. The last option could be useful if you're filming someone and talking to them from behind the camera.

The company also says the camera has improved wind reduction and added a new "Steady-State noise reduction" mode meant to make constant noises like air conditioners less noticeable.

If you'd rather plug in an external microphone, the X-M5 has cleverly placed the 3.5mm mic jack on the back of the camera, so the plug and cable won't block the screen when you're vlogging with it. The jack's cover is connected to the camera's body, so you don't have to keep track of a tiny piece of rubber when you're on the go.

Updated vlogging UI

Vlog mode isn't entirely new to Fujifilm's lineup: it appeared on the X-S20 as well, but the company has updated it for the X-M5, making it even easier to control the most important settings via the touchscreen.

Vlog mode has its own UI separate from the standard video recording interface. When you've selected Vlog on the control dial, the camera puts relatively large buttons on the touchscreen that allow you to control focus, access playback mode and start and stop recording.

The vlog mode UI has a clean layout with easy-to-press buttons for the most important functions.

There's also a menu button that brings up controls for other settings, letting you control eye autofocus, electronic image stabilization, 'Portrait Enhancer' mode, background defocus mode, product priority mode, and more without flipping the camera around.

Pressing the Menu button gives you access to most of the options you'd need to control while vlogging. From left to right: Top: Shooting mode, focus mode, image stabilization mode, Face/Eye Detection setting, Portrait enhancer Bottom: Background defocus mode, Product priority mode, high-speed recording, self-timer, 9:16 short movie mode

While you'll still have to use the physical buttons on the back of the camera to change things like which codec, bitrate, or resolution you're recording in, vlog mode does a good job of putting most of the controls you'll need on the touchscreen without being overwhelming to newcomers.

9:16 short video mode

The camera also gains a 9:16 short video mode, which records vertical video by taking a 1080 x 1920 crop from the middle of the frame, rather than requiring you to physically turn the camera into portrait orientation. When you're shooting in this mode, the display will show you the full 16:9 image but darkens the frame outside what's being recorded. You can choose whether you want your clip to be 15, 30, or 60 seconds long.

9:16 short video mode shows you the entire preview, which could help if you want to move the camera while recording.

The resulting videos will be small and quick to transfer to your phone for posting; by default the camera records them at an 8Mbps bitrate, though you can bump this up to 25Mbps. These bitrates, new for the X-M5, are also available across the camera's other video modes as well. File sizes will vary depending on what you're filming, but you can expect 60 second second clips shot at 8Mbps to usually be under 100 megabytes, or under 250MB if you shoot at 25Mbps.

The 15, 30 and 60-second record limits are upper boundaries, but you can stop recording before you hit the time limit; it's easy to imagine a worse version of this mode locking up your camera until the timer hits zero. If you want to record for longer than 60 seconds, you'll have to dig into the menus to switch to the 9:16 resolution mode, which also gives you control over codec and bitrate.

USB-to-smartphone transfer

Fujiifilm also says you'll be able to use XApp transfer files from the X-M5 to your phone using a USB cable, which should be appreciably faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi. That's especially true given that the camera only supports an older Wi-Fi standard, not the faster 5Ghz standard.

In our tests, transferring a two-minute 4K video took around 28 seconds using a USB 4 cable and 11 minutes and 14 seconds using the camera's built-in Wi-Fi, so if you're someone who wants to capture something and post it right away, you'll definitely want to keep a cable within reach. That may be slightly annoying if you have an older iPhone, as you'll need a slightly more specialized USB-C to Lightning cable, but that should be less of a problem in the future as more and more people upgrade to phones with USB-C.

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How it compares

The X-M5 is far from the first small interchangeable lens camera pitched as a hybrid vlogging and photography tool.

This time, Fujifilm is using size, price, and convenience to make its offering more appealing to people who are used to shooting on their phones. While it's certainly bigger than a modern smartphone, it costs about as much as buying the latest iPhone outright, even with the kit lens, and its litany of vlogging features should make it easier to get professional-looking video.

Fujifilm's also leaning on design; it's a safe bet that many creators know what its cameras look like now, ever since the X100V went viral. From its film simulation dial to the mic jack that's apparently inspired by the look of tiny viewfinders on vintage cameras, the X-M5's design screams, "this is a camera you want to be seen with."

The Sony ZV-E10 II is the most similar competitor to the X-M5. It, too, features a three-capsule microphone (though it comes with a handy wind cover for it), has background defocus and product showcase modes, and a microphone and headphone jack. It's arguably even more focused on video, with 10-bit internal recording and 4K/60p recording – though that focus comes at a cost for photography, as it lacks an EVF, just like the X-M5. Fujifilm's offering does at least include a mechanical shutter. Sony's autofocus tracking is also substantially stickier, especially in video.

Sony's a6100 can't quite match the X-M5's video specs, given its lack of a headphone port, 8-bit video, and crop in 4K/30p mode. However, its EVF will make it more enticing to people who want photography capabilities first and video second.

It's much the same story with the Fujifilm X-T30 II and the Canon EOS R50, though the latter distinguishes itself by being notably cheaper than the rest of the cameras in this lineup and by having the nicest display.

Body and handling

The X-M5 is a very compact camera; compared to the Sony ZV-E10 II, it feels smaller than the minor differences in its dimensions would suggest. Part of that can likely be chalked up to its much shallower grip, but what's there is confidence-inspiring, especially when using the relatively small lenses that most people will likely pair with this camera.

While the camera is almost entirely plastic, it doesn't feel especially cheap. There are no creaks or squeaks when you're using it, the buttons are satisfyingly clicky, and the dials and hinges are reassuringly stiff.

Another nice touch is the inclusion of two top-plate command dials, which let you easily adjust your exposure settings without having to change your grip on the camera or switch to using the touchscreen. Of course, the target audience of vloggers and beginners may not be in the habit of manually adjusting exposure parameters, but it offers those users some room to grow.

You need good aim to hit the Q button.

The Q button is less ideal. It's recessed and on the top of the camera rather than the back, which makes it a little difficult to access, especially when you're trying to change settings quickly. Also not helping matters are its small size and the fact that it's nestled between two large dials.

Given how many video features the camera has, it's also a bit disappointing that the slower UHS-I SD card slot is in the battery compartment on the bottom, which could make it difficult if you have a tripod plate installed. It's understandable why it isn't on the sides, which are mostly taken up by the headphone jack, USB-C port and micro-HDMI connecter, but it'll likely be a friction point for some users.

The camera doesn't have a D-pad. You can set focus with the touchscreen or joystick, and use swipes on the touchscreen to bring up menus of your choosing.

The camera also gives you plenty of room for customization via the four 'C' settings on the mode selector dial. For example, you could set C1 up to use eye detection, C2 to be another subject detection mode, and C3 to be standard autofocus, letting you easily switch between them without ever touching the menu. You can also choose whether each custom slot will be a photo or video mode.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Auto mode, which gives the camera almost full control, while letting you make a few modifications to its choices if you see fit. it's a good inclusion for beginners new to the world of dedicated cameras, and doesn't restrict you from shooting Raw, in case you want to also learn how to make substantial edits to your photos.

The camera also has a likely less useful 'Filter' mode, which engages the camera's selectable Instagram-style filters to change the colors and add various effects such as vignetting. Anyone wanting to play around with the look of their image should probably reach for the Film Simulation dial instead, as its adjustments to your image's color and tone are generally more subtle and pleasing.

The mode dial also lets you switch the camera into video mode and vlog mode, which are two separate beasts. We've already covered the vlog-specific UI, but it's also worth noting that vlog mode and movie mode have separate settings, letting you quickly switch between entirely different modes of shooting.

Battery

The X-M5 uses Fujifilm's 8.7 Wh NP-W126s battery, which has been around since the days of the original X-M1 and persists in modern cameras like the X-T50 – Fujifilm's higher-end, physically larger cameras have moved on to a new, higher-capacity model. It's rated to last around 330 shots or 440 if you're using eco mode. That'll likely be good for a day or so of shooting or a weekend of sporadic photography, though it's far from one of the best batteries in its class.

The camera has a USB-C port, which it can charge with even while in use.

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Image Quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

Looking at the Raws produced by the X-M5, it produces relatively detailed images, though most of its competitors capture slightly more detail despite having similar-resolution sensors. Some of that is likely because Adobe Camera Raw doesn't get the best from Fujifilm's proprietary 'X-Trans' color filter design, which helps prevent some of the false color that some of its competitors produce in areas of fine detail.

At higher ISOs, it tends to produce slightly less noise than its competitors, though by the top of the range, it has roughly the same level of noise.

As for its JPEG performance, the X-M5's sharpening at base ISO isn't quite as strong as Sony's or Canon's when it comes to making fine details pop. That trend continues into higher ISOs, where its noise reduction does a decent job at smoothing out noise but can't quite keep the finer details that its competitors can.

Colors

The Velvia Film Simulation can be a bit heavy-handed for some people's tastes, but others like it. Out of Camera JPEG ISO 160 | 1/2700 sec | F2.8 | Fujifilm XF 27mmF2.8

One of the X-M5's main features is its 'Film Simulation' dial, which lets you quickly change the color mode for your JPEGs. The standard profile produces Fujifilm's typically pleasing colors, but if you want a more noticeably retro aesthetic, profiles like Classic Chrome or Nostaglic Negative are right at your fingertips.

Dynamic Range

The X-M5's dynamic range performance is similar to that of its competitors, which means it will handle most scenarios with bright lights and darker shadows reasonably well. However, you'll need to either adjust your exposure and work on the Raw files or use one of the camera's DR modes to get the most out of it.

It has Fujifilm's Dynamic Range modes that give you the option of capturing one or two extra stops of highlight information in high-contrast scenes. This can require an exposure reduction in bright scenes, which increases the noisiness of the image but provides a relatively simple way to get an out-of-camera JPEG without blown-out highlights.

ISO Invariance | Exposure Latitude

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Autofocus

The X-M5's autofocus system is similar to the ones found on Fujifilm's higher-end cameras, such as the X-T50. It lets you choose anything from a fine AF point up to selecting the whole image area, which lets the camera select a subject. In continuous AF mode, there's also a 'Tracking' option that follows whatever is under the AF target when you half-press the shutter. You can use the joystick or the touchscreen to select a focus point.

It has AI-derived subject recognition, letting it recognize human faces / eyes, animals, birds, cars, motorcycles / bikes, airplanes and trains while taking pictures or videos.

The human settings are separate from the other subject detection modes, so switching between them can be a slight hassle since they're two separate menu items rather than humans being listed as one of the subject types.

Face and eye detection settings are in a separate menu.

The subject recognition system works with the different focus point selection modes. For example, if you use a single point and have the camera set to recognize birds, it'll look for any birds around your chosen point. In our testing, the camera wasn't overly aggressive in focusing on a recognized subject; if we had facial recognition on and a human was somewhere in the frame, we could still focus on something else without the X-M5 fighting to focus on the face.

The X-M5 performed well in our basic autofocus test, which involves putting a single AF point on a subject and having the subject approach the camera at a consistent speed. A few photos throughout our three runs came out soft, but it got focus right on the vast majority.

Our autofocus tracking test is more complicated and requires the camera to follow a subject that's moving around the frame and approaching at a variable speed. Using basic tracking with no subject detection, the X-M5 struggled; it would consistently lose track of the subject the second or third time it slowed down and couldn't pick it back up.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16

Switching to face detection yielded far better results, as the X-M5 was able to keep its focus point on the subject throughout the entire run. However, while the camera managed to keep track of the correct subject, it wasn't able to assess and respond to the changes in approach speed, meaning a handful of shots focused at the wrong distance.

At this point, it's clear that Fujifilm's tracking system is a fair bit behind the offerings of competitors like Nikon, Canon, and Sony, both in terms of the stickiness of general AF tracking and in terms of judging subject distance and keeping the subject in focus. While testing the X-M5, we also encountered a few situations where it would hunt back and forth for focus before eventually settling on the subject. This was more prevalent in low-light situations but would occasionally happen in daylight.

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Video

The X-M5 has a range of video modes, including UHD and DCI 4K at up to 60fps, 1080p at up to 240fps, and a 6240  x 4160 '6K' open-gate mode that lets you shoot full-sensor video at up to 30fps that can be cropped later, allowing a horizontal and vertical crop from the same footage, for instance.

Several video modes on the X-M5 require the camera to crop in, making the frame tighter, and turning on electronic image stabilization adds a further crop on top of those, though the amount will depend on your resolution and framerate. The UI makes it clear whenever you're shooting with a crop.

You don't have to change to video-appropriate settings when you switch modes

The camera also keeps your photo and movie settings largely separate; the white balance, exposure settings, and subject detection mode you pick in photo modes won't carry over to video mode, so you don't have to worry about quickly changing to a video-appropriate shutter speed every time you switch between modes. By default, the Film Simulation dial setting will carry over between photo and video modes, though you can prevent that by turning on Movie Optimized Control, an on-screen interface that lets you control your color mode and other video settings using the touchscreen when in video mode.

Despite being an entry-level camera, the X-M5 has several advanced video features. Open-gate video could be counted among them, since it generally needs to be edited before you can share it, which Fujifilm doesn't let you do within its app. You can also shoot in F-Log if you want flexibility to adjust color and contrast in post, and the camera supports 1/48 and 1/96 shutter speeds, which are perfect matches for shooting at 24fps. You can also use its autofocus illuminator as a front tally light to make clear when you're recording, and it even supports Tascam's XLR adapter for connecting professional-grade microphones, along with support for recording four-channel audio.

Video Performance

The X-M5's 4K video is relatively detailed, even managing to be just about as clean as other cameras' 'HQ' modes, which downsample their 4K video from higher-resolution capture, often at the cost of higher heat output or cropping.

Shooting above 30fps in 4K will result in some loss in quality, though switching to 4K LP mode doesn't seem to impact much, beyond the crop. Using the lower-bitrate modes can introduce some artifacts and loss of detail, but given that it's intended for social media that likely would've happened anyways after your file goes through a site's compression algorithm.

Rolling shutter

If you shoot fast-moving subjects with the X-M5 or move the camera quickly, there's a good chance you'll run into issues with rolling shutter, where the video gets a jello-like skewing effect.

Generally, we'd consider 24ms of rolling shutter to be somewhat poor and 21ms to be at the very limit of what we'd consider acceptable. Fujifilm says its digital image stabilization helps correct rolling shutter, and our tests showed that it appeared to be applying some compensation, it also uses a smaller portion of the sensor, which helps further reduce rolling shutter a little.

Overheating

The X-M5's relatively compact form factor makes it seem like it'd overheat easily, and the included LP modes imply that Fujifilm was at least worried enough about it that it wanted to include a workaround for shooting in extreme conditions. However, you may not have to worry about it much in everyday use, especially if you're mainly shooting indoors or in the shade; we tested the camera by shooting its full 4K UHD mode – not the cropped LP mode – and were able to get over an hour over continuous recording in ambient temperatures of around 24°C (76°F).

Vlogging Features

The X-M5 has a Vlog setting on its mode dial, which gives you access to the special vlogging UI. To illustrate how it performs as a vlogging camera, we've produced a short vlog with it.

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Conclusion

By Mitchell Clark

If you're looking for a camera to take pictures and videos for social media, the X-M5 is, at the very least, worth your consideration. The Film Simulation dial makes it exceedingly easy to control Fujifilm's famous color modes, so you can pick the right one for your post, and the camera's design makes it relatively easy to control basic photo settings once you've got the hang of it.

That design is also attractive, which is important if you're going to be carrying it around all day and if people are potentially going to be taking pictures of you while you're holding it. Thankfully, it's not much of a chore to take it with you since it's relatively compact and lightweight, depending on what lens you have attached.

Of course, it doesn't matter how easy it is to tote a camera around if it doesn't actually outperform your phone when it comes to taking pictures. Thankfully, the X-M5's image quality is good enough to justify its place, and its surprisingly capable video modes make it relatively easy to get professional-looking results.

The big downside is its autofocus

The big downside – the one that earns it a Silver award instead of a Gold – is its autofocus. On a camera like this, you want it to be simple, effective and reliable, and it doesn't always nail all those points in the way its competitors can. While its subject detection works well, it can struggle to predict where to focus, an issue you might struggle to work around if you're not familiar with techniques like pre-focusing or zone focusing.

There are other quibbles, too. At this price point, most of its peers have a viewfinder, which some people will miss, and transferring photos to your phone can take a while which is unfortunate given that this camera is so focused on creators and social media.

Despite those complaints, the X-M5 can still be a joy to use after you've learned to work with it, and it has enough capabilities to grow with you as a photographer. While there are other sub-$1,000 cameras worth considering, it's an easy camera to recommend to those looking for what it offers.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Compared to its peers

The Sony ZV-E10 II is a video camera that can also take pictures, whereas the X-M5 is a stills camera that can also do video. Sony's vlogging camera has a large record button front-and-center, a zoom toggle for powered lenses around its shutter button, and comes standard with a windscreen for its capsule microphone. Meanwhile, the X-M5 has a mechanical shutter and twin top-plate control dials. The Sony will have more reliable autofocus tracking, though it can't detect as many subjects as Fujifilm's system – vehicles are a notable absence. Its design is also much more utilitarian and not as pocketable.

Sony's a6100, meanwhile, is decent for photos with its inclusion of a mechanical shutter and an EVF. Its video modes are no match for the X-M5's, though – it can't shoot the easy-to-edit 10-bit video, doesn't have a headphone port and has a substantial crop when shooting anything above 4K 24p. It also has a tilting screen instead of a fully articulating one, making it worse for vlogging.

Fujifilm's X-T30 II is designed around photography fundamentals. It has an EVF, built-in flash and dedicated dials for exposure compensation, shutter speed, and drive mode, though not for Film Simulations. Its video specs aren't as capable, and its battery likely won't last as long, though its biggest weakness compared to the X-M5 is its older processor, which doesn't support the AI-derived subject detection modes. It does still support face and eye detection for humans, but that's it.

The Canon EOS R50 fares very similarly upon comparison; it, too, has an EVF and pop-up flash, though it only has a single control dial. Its video also can't quite live up to the standard of the X-M5's, as it can't shoot 4K 60p at all, and while the APS-C lens selection for RF mount has improved since we originally reviewed the EOS R50, it's still substantially better on Fujifilm's system.

While the Nikon Z50 II hadn't been announced when we initially reviewed the X-M5, it's an obvious competitor – it, too, has a focus on color modes, with Nikon adding a direct control for them to the body. While we haven't fully tested the Z50 II, we expect its autofocus performance to be a cut above Fujifilm's, though there are substantially more APS-C-appropriate lenses available for X-mount compared to Z-mount.

Sample Gallery

Pre-Production Sample Gallery