18mm @ f1.4
I bought the X-T5 as an AF walk-around compliment to my MF Leica system and my pocket rocket, the Sony RX100Va.
18mm @ f1.4
I am an amateur photographer and just really enjoy photography. A camera accompanies me everywhere, including work, weekends, shopping and holidays. My most enjoyable genre is a kind of street photography, which I call “people and context”. i.e. I am not a big fan of a building on its own, or a person on their own, rather the contrast of the person in the context of the building or landscape. Although I occasionally use video, mainly for kids events or for a “talking head” of my wife, as she does on-line appeals, I am 99% a picture taker. The only thing I really need for video is a microphone socket (I use a Rode) and the absence of rolling shutter – and I only use full HD, not 4K.
Suspended !
Final summary first
the X-T5, for my needs, is the best interchangeable lens camera I have used. I don’t want to compare much with other cameras, as its all personal taste, but most good cameras today can create great pictures.
Boring photo @ f1.4
Pixel level blow up
Size and weight: the X-T5 is 50g lighter then the X-T4 and smaller, together with being around 100g lighter then the X-H2. Its really comfortable to hold for hours, and I just use a wrist strap for reassurance. Its absolutely perfect with the 18mm f1.4 and the 33mm f1.4. These two lenses are the right shape for the camera and well balanced. Their results are amazing and utilise fully the 40mp sensor.
St Pauls @ ISO 6400 with 14mm @ f2.8
The sensor: an extra 13mp is very useful, but only if it can be as sharp and detailed at the pixel level. Compared to the X-T4 and X-T2 I have used, the new sensor has a noticeable edge. At high ISOs, e.g. 6400 its more noisy, but only at the pixel level, and the 40mp sensor’s noise is very analogue and attractive. Note that downsizing to 26mp gives better noise performance then the previous sensor. It is however great to have that detail. I do a lot of night and dark environment shooting, and the X-t5 is excellent as a low light camera.
14mm commute
The controls: this is a Fuji thing for the X-T series generallt, but being able to set aperture, speed, exposure compensation and ISO without even the camera being on, is a major advantage. I would have preferred a button lock on the exposure compensation dial, and also a button lock on the drive and the still/movie dial, as I have hit these by accident. I would also have liked a large, firmed shutter release key. This leads me to the biggest improvement that could be made to this camera, having the X-H2 focus nipple. In fact I almost thought this is worth the price of entry to the X-H2 on its own. However, the dial system, lighter weight and size firmly put me in X-T5 territory.
@f1.4
The AF: As someone who has mostly used MF or the latest Sony AF, the focus system came as a surprise. Its excellent. I use AF-S, but it never misses focus and the eye-detect seems to be much better then the last time I looked at Fuji. I don’t really miss anything over Sony, although note I don’t do continuous AF.
With my 18mm
Missing in action: Fuji have decided to leave out a headphone socket, although I believe one can still be attached via a USB adaptor. No battery grip is being made (I never use one, but if this is important then you need the X-H2). The X-T5 does not have the capability of fitting an external cooling fan, a full sized HDMI socket or 8K, completing a round of specs that mean whilst the X-T5 is a very good video camera, it is neither leading edge nor exceptional.
The lenses: although these are common to all Fuji X, I still feel the urge to shout out the lenses I have bought. The 18mm f1.4 and 33mm f1.4 are just exceptional. Bleeding sharp at f1.4, and manage to be relatively compact and low weight at the same time. I also use a 14mm f2.8 which is also super sharp and lightweight. I am sure there are other ones out there, but in terms of f1.4 lenses, albeit in APS-C format, I can’t really find such good allrounders in any other camera APS-C or FF camera system, at least not for the size or light
I usually get some form of buyers regret after any purchase, but finding it hard to generate any for the X-T5 and my new Fuji AF system. I do regret no mid range f2.8 which is a bit lighter then 16-55mm, but there are 3rd party options, and perhaps Fuji will pull something out of the hat in the future.
56mm @ f1.2
Really enjoying this camera. Most importantly of all, it is so enjoyable to shoot, and produces a very high percentage of keepers, which to me, is what its all about.
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"No photograph survives first contact with the subject"
