Fujifilm has had a great year, but apparently it's not over yet. Widely rumored to be launching the Fujifilm X-T5 next month, the mid-range all-rounder has the potential to be the most exciting camera of the year.
The source of this speculation is, as always, reliable Fuji rumors (opens in a new tab), with the site claiming that Fujifilm will "announce the Fujifilm X-T5 in November" and that the camera will also ship the same month. . There is a degree of certainty about these claims that has rarely been lost.
So why is the X-T5 potentially the biggest camera release of the year? After all, we've seen some brilliant newcomers since January, and two of them have been the Fujifilm X-H2S and the Fujifilm X-H2. Throw in the Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10 for stills, and the Panasonic Lumix GH6 and Sony FX30 for video, and it's already been 10 months for an industry seemingly plagued by supply chain problems.
The great potential of the X-T5 is that, of all the major releases this year, it could be the best affordable sweet spot for photographers. Since there haven't been any major spec leaks yet for the X-T5, the word "could" works a lot in this sentence. But the promise is very apparent when you look at the models that the XT will likely borrow its talents from.
The current Fujifilm X-T4 continues to rank high in our guide to the best cameras for photography. When it was released in 2020, our review stated that "no other camera in this class matches the X-T4's low-light performance or resolved detail." That claim would now be challenged by the Canon EOS R7, but the X-T4 is still good value for its $1,699 / £1,549 / AU$2,999 price tag.
The Fujifilm X-H2 (above) delivered a new 5MP BSI X-Trans 40 APS-C sensor, which is rumored to be coming to the new X-T5. (Image credit: Fujifilm)
But the X-T5 is likely to bring some big changes, including a new sensor. According to rumors from Fuji (opens in a new tab), it won't be the "stacked" APS-C chip from the X-H2S, but the 40MP one found inside the X-H2. This is good news; We're wrapping up our testing of the X-H2 and (spoiler alert) it's setting a new benchmark for APS-C sensors.
So how will the X-T5 differ from the X-H2, which costs $1,999 / £1,899 / AU$3,399 (body only)? It looks like the main differences will be in the controls and the slightly fancier setup of the X-T5. The X-T5 is expected to adopt Fujifilm's retro dials for changing settings like ISO and shutter speed, rather than the X-H2's 'PASM' (Program, Auto, Shutter, Manual) approach.
The mid-range X-T5 will also no doubt be less supportive than the X-H2 in a few key areas. Expect to see two SD card slots, rather than the faster, more expensive CFexpress, plus a smaller grip, lower EVF (perhaps the 3,68 million-dot one on the X-T4), frame times of video and no optional battery grip. In theory, all of these things should bring the X-T5 into the X-T4's launch price range of $1,699 / £1,549 / AU$2,999.
This combination of features would not exactly make the Fujifilm X-T5 unique. But its trump card over its rivals will likely be the variety of high-quality lenses available from Fujifilm and, increasingly, from third-party brands…
The glass is greener.
(Image credit: Fujifilm)
Choosing the right camera should always involve looking at the system lenses to see if they are the best for the things you like to photograph. Sony continues to offer the best range of lenses for full frame cameras and Fujifilm is now in the top position for APS-C cameras.
The range of lenses available for the X mount is certainly not perfect: there's a big hole at the longer end for some telephoto lenses like the XF300mm f/4, XF400mm f/4 or XF500mm f/5.6. And, more importantly for the X-T5, the system still needs a lot more "Mark II" lenses like the recent XF56mm f/1.2 R WR to take full advantage of that 40MP resolution, even if Fuji claims (opens at a new tab) that 20 existing lenses can extract the “maximum profit” from their additional details.
Still, some of the leading X-series prime lenses, including the XF23mm f/1.4 R LM WR and XF33mm f/1.4 R LM WR, have now been upgraded. Importantly, the X mount has now been opened up to allow third-party manufacturers to fill in some of the gaps or offer cheaper alternatives to Fuji's own lenses. Viltrox, for example, recently released an excellent XF13mm f/1.4 lens for astrophotography, while Sigma started with three main lenses.
(Photo credit: Canon)
This is where the Fujifilm X-T5 could potentially have an advantage over one of its closest rivals, the Canon EOS R7. L'EOS R7 est un excellent appareil photo avec une superbe mise au point automatique – un domaine dans lequel le X-T5 peut avoir du mal à l'égaler – ce qui en fait l'un des meilleurs appareils photo animaliers du marché pour son Reward. But it's also affected by a lack of native lenses, as well as Canon's baffling decision to keep its RF mount closed to other manufacturers.
While Sony doesn't seem interested in creating a mid-range mirrorless camera for photographers - although a mirrorless version of the Sony FX30 now seems likely - the X-T5 might be the closest we get to a powerful workhorse focused on still images. at a reasonable price. price this year.
As ever, the proof will be in the proof, and Fujifilm has plenty of ways to pry mediocrity out of the jaws of greatness with the X-T5. But if you're an avid photographer looking for a new camera, November could end the year with a surprisingly strong bang.
