Fujifilm X-T5 First Impressions Review

fcracer wrote:

Marco Cinnirella wrote:

Very thoughtful review. I’m actually surprised you haven’t (yet) been accused of user error or “not understanding the menu settings” etc. I think for a camera at this price point in 2022 it’s reasonable to expect accurate and reliable AF-C performance that is competitive with the competition. From what I have seen it’s only the X-H2s that comes close to achieving that. This is why I use Sony for wildlife, sports and action- not that Fuji can’t do it - rather that Sony’s AF makes it easier so that you can then concentrate on composition and exposure rather than experimenting with endless different AF menu settings trying to find one that works.

I’m saying this as a Fuji fan btw who has been a Fuji user since the original x100.

Thanks for your kind words, I really appreciate them. You should see the response I got on the facebook Fuji-X group :S People there believe I'm a Sony troll even though I've owned nearly every Fujifilm camera there is, and my website is full of hundreds of image taken on Fujifilm cameras while travelling around the world. It's a bit sad really and I now appreciate why so many people only post positive reviews on their website.

Speaking as a Psychology Professor, there is some basic psychology behind the defensiveness, espcially when it comes from those who invested in the X-T5 or have convinced themselves they need to. Cognitive dissonance is an unpleasant state akin to a kind of anxiety created when we hear views which challenge our own views or our actions. Those who already invested in a T5 will want to feel their decision was the right one and hearing criticism of the camera, at least for some, will create cognitive dissonance. This can be resolved - and we are motivated to resolve it - in various ways - we could be open-minded and accept the critique (unlikely in most cases because it makes us appear wrong for buying a T5 unless as a result of agreeing we return the camera for a refund), we could seek to ridicule and challenge the authenticity of the critique or question the motives of the person behind the critique (quite likely as we can avoid looking foolish by keeping our new purchase and not feeling like we made a mistake because we deny the veracity of the critique). There is also a degree of group psychology going on sometimes - a kind of tribalism you see in most camera gear forums where the easy way to rationalise away critique is to label it as "trolling" or coming from "fanboys" of competing brands. It becomes very inconvenient when critique comes from people like you and I who are both insiders and outsiders simultaneously because we are long-term Fuji fans but also use gear from other brands. I could honestly write a thesis on the psychology of these forums - maybe I will one day - I mean I have spent 20+ years reseraching prejudice and discrimination and you see it played out every day across photography forums and groups.

At the end of the day i think it is good for Fuji to get some constructive critique from users, can't do them any harm. We should congratulate Fuji for offering choice of camera body styles - it's great to have X-Pro, X100, X-H and X-T lines, well done Fuji, but at the same time there is clearly work to be done to make the AF truly competetive in a market where it seems the major players - C,N and S now all do better.