Category Archives: Fujifilm

Fujifilm photography equipment and topics.

Commentary, Equipment, Fujifilm, Reviews

Considering the Fujifilm X-E5

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Fujifilm recently announced the X-E5, the latest camera in their X-E series. I think this model series is intriguing.. It is small and lightweight, well designed. has a lot of useful features, incorporates a high resolution sensor and IBIS (in body image stabilization) , and is compatible with Fujifilm’s excellent lenses. It has a few other features that may or may not appeal, along with one “elephant in the room” issue.

Fujifilm XE5 Silver Body
Fujifilm XE5 Silver body. (Used with permission from Fujifilm.)

(Notes: I omit the hyphens between X and E in this article. I have rounded prices to the nearest dollar. Photographs of Fujifilm products used by permission from Fujifilm. Affiliate links in this article lead to B&H Photo — they return a small fee to this website if you use them to make a purchase — thanks in advance!.)

Right up front, let me be clear about one thing: I have not had my hands on the XE5 yet. I owned the XE1, my first Fujifilm camera, about a dozen years ago. Our photographic household has had the XE2, XE3, and XE4, and I have recommended all of them to various potential buyers over the years. While I cannot give a “hands on” review of the new camera at this point — hey Fujifilm, I’m here if you have one to loan! — I am qualified to comment on its features and who may find them appealing.

The XE Series

Let’s start with a bit of XE history. The original XE1 camera came out in 2012. At that time it was one of only two interchangeable lens x-trans* cameras from Fujifilm — the other was the more expensive “flagship model,” the XPro1. The XE1 was a smaller, less-expensive alternative for those who wanted a Fujifilm rangefinder-style camera with interchangeable lenses. Importantly, the XE1 (like later XE models) used the same sensor found in high-end Fujiflm APS-C cameras, which at that time was the 16MP sensor used in the “flagship” XPro1.)

(*”x-trans” refers to Fujifilm’s unique arrangement of the red, blue, and green photo sites on the sensor, a design that was said to help control aliasing/moire on cameras that do not use anti-aliasing filters, among other things.)

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Equipment, Fujifilm, Reader Questions

Reader Question: Fujifilm X100vi, XPro2, or…

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From time to time folks contact me with photography questions. If the question seems like it might be of interest others I like to answer here. Today I will respond to one of those questions.

“PJ” writes:

I mentioned that I’ve followed you on the FM site and have had a look at your website. 

I know you are/were a big fan of the X-Pro2. I have one with a 35mm f1.4 which I use to toss in the backpack or take on a walk around town. For heavy lifting, I have a full set of Nikon gear. 

I may have a case of GAS, as I’ve been seriously considering replacing the X-pro with a Fuji x100vi. Advantages seem to be a smaller, lighter camera, 40mp sensor, IBIS and newer technology. I guess I could get a pancake lens for the x-pro to make it smaller but I’d lose some of the advantages of the x100vi.  I’m not so interested in a new camera with interchangeable lenses, which would rule out some of the other Fuji offerings. 

My original message to you was to pick your brain and see what suggestions/advice you might have and if you have any opinions on the x100vi. 

Look forward to hearing back from you. 

I’m glad to share some thoughts on that question, PJ.

Bottom Line Up Front

The Fujifilm X100vi is a very attractive camera, as long as its pluses and minuses align with your needs and expectations — and it has technologies found in other newer Fujiflm cameras. The X-Pro2, though a few ears old, is arguably the best camera in Fujfilm’s X-Pro series and is more adaptable. There are also some other options if you want something the same size with updated features and flexibility.

A Slightly Longer Summary

As I see it, there are three options, each with its own set of pluses and minuses.

The X-Pro2 is still a good camera. While its sensor is a bit older and has less resolution, my experience tells me that it can make great 20″ x 30″ prints. It is a full-featured camera that accepts interchangeable lenses, giving more options if you want to use something other than (or in addition to) your current 35mm f/1.4 lens.

The X100vi is an appealing camera that strikes a chord with users who like the old fixed-lens, manual control aesthetic and appreciate its small size and very good image quality. It also has image stabilization, which can help when shooting with longer shutter speeds in low light. It has been updated with other newer Fujifilm features and technologies: 40MP sensor, IBIS, and other functional improvements. To get those things you sacrifice some flexibility.

Other cameras could be good compromises, too. I like the XT5 with its small size (about that of the X-Pro2), ability to use any Fujifilm lens, upgraded 40MP sensor, image stabilization, and other functional improvements. The tiny XE4 (if you can find one!) equipped with the 27mm f/2.8 pancake lens is as small and light as the X100vi, and it accommodates any Fujifilm lens.

All of these are attractive options that can make fine photographs. The trick is matching each option’s pluses and minuses to your own circumstances. (My choice was to move from the X-Pro2 to the XT5 for the higher-resolution, small size, access to more lens options and various other improvements.)

The Full Story

This will be a bit long. The question opens up related questions: is a fixed lens camera the right thing? Is an older camera still sufficient? Are there alternatives to both of those options to consider?

I’ll start with some background for readers who may not be as familiar with these cameras as PJ is.

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Equipment, Fujifilm

Fujifilm XPro Camera System

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Fujifilm makes a variety of interesting APS-C (cropped sensor) cameras with different body designs, including from the DSLR-like XT series, the minimalist fixed-lens X100v and similar models, the tiny XE series, and the XPro designs. Unlike most companies making digital cameras, Fujifilm tends to put the same sensors in cameras of a particular vintage (which today means a 26MP APS-C “x-trans” sensor) and differentiate among the cameras in functional ways — size, types of viewfinders, physical controls, IBIS, price, etc.

After engaging in some discussions about some of these cameras recently, it occurred to me that despite doing about half of my photography with one of these Fujifilm cameras I haven’t written a lot about them here recently. So this post takes on some of the key features of the XPro line and some of my thoughts about the current state of this type of camera. (I mostly will not address general topics here, such as the cropped-sensor versus full-frame comparison, or the pluses/minuses of the Fujifilm x-trans filter array, etc.)

The XPro cameras

Fujifilm has now introduced three cameras in this series, the XPro-1, XPro-2, and XPro3. All of them share the rangefinder-style body design. They are not true rangefinder cameras since they use a non-rangefinder system for focusing, but the experience is fundamentally similar to using old-school interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras. This similarity isn’t just about looking or feeling like a rangefinder camera — it is also about including dedicated physical controls knobs (and buttons and switches) for a lot of camera settings such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, and more. While most modern cameras use a modal digital interface, where a single button or wheel may do many different things, on the XPro bodies you can, for example, go straight to a physical aperture ring to change the aperture. If you used those older cameras — or just happen to like them — these cameras are likely to appeal to you.

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Equipment, Fujifilm, Reviews, Tests

A Small Test: Fujifilm X-Pro2 Mirrorless and Active Subjects

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I want to share the results of a little informal test I did today using my Fujifilm X-Pro2 (B&H | Adorama) mirrorless interchangeable lens camera and a Fujifilm zoom lens to photograph an active subject. First, here is an unremarkable photograph, aside from the fact that I would probably not have used my previous mirrorless camera to photograph this subject.

Fujifilm X-Pro2, ISO 400, f/8, 50-140mm lens at 140mm, handheld
Fujifilm X-Pro2, ISO 400, f/8, 50-140mm lens at 140mm, handheld

Read on to find out why I photographed this and what I learned from it.

Background

I first used a mirrorless digital camera way back before the 21st century began — before there were DSLRs there were a number of early digital cameras, and my first was an Apple QuickTake! I used several others from a range of manufacturers before I acquired my first DSLR in about 2003.

As a group, mirrorless cameras have had some problems. One of the most glaring has long been slow autofocus (AF) speeds. Those very early cameras were often just plain awful in this regard, but they got better over the years.

Until recently I used a Fujifilm X-E1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, and it was my primary camera for travel and street photography for about 3 1/2 years. Its AF was fine for most things, but I also had to learn to adapt to slow AF in low light and with low contrast subjects — and the issue was more acute with some lenses than with others. For this reason — and a few others, including electronic viewfinder (EVF) display latency — I would never have thought to use that camera for photograph active subjects.

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