Fujifilm has announced the X-E5, a rangefinder-style interchangeable lens compact camera that takes several design notes from the popular X100 series but adds a few of its own, including a customizable Film Simulation dial.
What’s on the Outside?
Designed to be an everyday carry camera, the X-E5 elevates the expectation of the series with an upscaled design that includes a top plate that is machined from a single piece of aluminum. The camera weighs about one pound (445 grams, specifically) and incorporates design touches seen on both the GFX100RF and the X100VI.
It features a tapered design on the rear of the top plate that Fujifilm says “enhances the metallic texture” while at the same time making it natural to operate the dials.
The X-E5 features a newly designed Film Simulation dial that comes pre-loaded with a selection of popular simulations but also gives photographers the ability to create and save their own recipes to three FS options on that dial.
The electronic viewfinder has been redesigned and is more heavily inspired by retro film cameras with a new Classic display mode that displays camera information in a vintage red huge while exposure compensation is displayed on the side via a very traditional needle dial. The X-E5 also has a new Surround View function that displays a black, semi-transparent, or outlined area outside the image depending on user preference. While looking through the viewfinder, users can easily switch between these three options using the Control Lever on the front of the camera.
On that note, the Control Lever is akin to the one found on the GFX100RF and provides short and long pull customization both left and right, giving photographers four possible actions through it.
The rear LCD is a tilt design, which many photographers are sure to appreciate, but can articulate up above the camera to act as a selfie screen.
What’s on the Inside?
The X-E5 features Fujifilm’s 40.2-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor with updated image processing algorithms that it says deliver high resolution while maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio. Beyond that, the company says that an improved pixel structure allows light to be recorded more efficiently on the imaging sensor which unlocks ISO 125 as a native sensitivity (previously only available as an extended option) and the electronic shutter supports a maximum speed of 1/180,000 second.
Also included are Fujifilm’s AI-based subject detection modes (animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, trains, insects, and drones) as well as the company’s latest autofocus predictive algorithms to deliver a familiar autofocus tracking experience for moving subjects and those in low contrast scenarios.
That high-resolution sensor is supported by a new IBIS algorithm and upgraded gyro sensor to provide five-axis stabilization for up to 7.0 stops of stabilisation at the center and 6.0 stops at the periphery.
While it’s not a primary video camera, the X-E5 is capable of shooting in 6.2K/30p resolution and features a tracking AF function during video recording.
A New Paired Lens
Along with the new X-E5, Fujifilm has delivered on one of the loudest requests among photographers: bringing a compact pancake lens to the interchangeable X-series that mimics the one affixed to the X100VI. While it loses a stop of light to do so, the new XF23mm f2.8 R WR is that lens (which is a 35mm full-frame equivalent).
“The lens has been made optically compact through Fujifilm’s latest lens development which reduces size by increasing the number of metal components to make parts thinner while maintaining durability,” the company says.
It is constructed from 8 elements arranged into six groups including two aspherical lenses. It features an aperture range of f/2.8 through f/16 via an 11-bladed diaphragm and can be controlled either through the attached camera or directly on the lens via clicked stops.
For focusing, the XF23mm f2.8 R WR uses a full-group system that suppresses aberration variation depending on focus position (enabling high image quality photography even at close range) and is powered by a direct-current motor that is integrated into the lens, a system that Fujifilm says delivers high-speed autofocus. There is also the option for manual focus through a built-in ring at the front of the optic.
The lens is dust and moisture-resistant thanks to nine sealing points and can operate in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). As such, Fujifilm says it can be used safely in light rain, cold, or dusty environments.
Pricing and Availability
The Fujifilm X-E5 will be available in both silver and black variations in late summer 2025 for $1,699.95 and paired with the new XF23mm f/2.8 R WR lens for $1,899.95. The lens will be available separately in both silver and black variations in late 2025 for $499.95.
Image credits: Header image by Erin Thomson for PetaPixel. All others via Fujifilm
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