Meet the X-M5 and XF16-55 f2.8 R LM WR II - Compact X-series mirrorless camera with lighter and better Pro-level zoom
We share our hands-on experience with the recently available FUJIFILM X-M5 compact mirrorless camera and the XF 16-55 f/2.8 R LM WR II.
 |
| FUJIFILM X-M5 with XF 16-55 f/2.8 R LM WR II |
FUJIFILM continues its streak of camera and lens launches this year from the incredibly popular X100VI and the X-T50. Several months later, they released the successor to the long-missed X-M series of cameras.
The original X-M1 came out in 201X and it featured an incredibly slim body while featuring the X-Trans sensor and the FUJIFILM film simulation.
To achieve its compact size, the X-M5 removes the EVF for a fully articulating touchscreen shooting experience. This makes it attractive to aspiring and seasoned photographers who enjoy taking photos with their smartphones or with lightweight and compact point-and-shoot digital cameras but want or demand a significant improvement in image quality.
Alongside the new body is the revamped XF16-55 f/2.8 R LM WR II which is advertised to be 37 percent lighter and is 11mm shorter.
In the Philippines, the X-M5 comes in Silver Argent or Black and it is priced at PHP 58,990 with the kit lens
Let's take a deeper look at the hardware.
Meet the FUJIFILM X-M5 and XF16-55 f2.8 R LM WR II
 |
| The new eco-friendly packaging |
It comes in the new eco-friendly brown packaging with the FUJIFILM X-M5 branding and regulatory information printed around the box.
 |
| X-M5 box inclusions |
Inside the box are the camera, NP-W126S Battery, documentation, cooling fan connector cover, and shoulder strap. FUJIFILM Philippines says the retail box version will come with 15-45 kit ens.
 |
| Clean and minimal front design |
At first glance, the Silver Argent version of the X-M5 is stunning. Because of the silver color you can tell right away that the top and bottom plates are made of metal. The refined and elegant curves and the black leatherette first found on the X100VI and the X-T50 are found here as well.
The Black leatherette adds a premium look while making the camera easier to hold.
From the front, you can easily see the ridges of the left and right dials, the AF assist lamp, front command dial and the X-Mount.
 |
| feature packed back |
At the back are the directional joy-stick, menu button, display/back/bluetooth button, drive/trash button, playback button, AEF/AFL button, the 3.5mm audio jack and the articulating touch screen.
Behind the touch screen are the CPU contacts and mounting screws for the FUJIFILM cooling fan.
 |
| X-M5's fully-articulating touch screen |
As mentioned above, there is no electronic viewfinder. The articulating touch screen also serves as the viewfinder. Because of this, the touch-based user interface introduced in prior X-series cameras has been updated and added here.
 |
| X-M5's top and bottom plates |
At the bottom of the camera are the tripod screw mount and battery hatch.
 |
| Battery hatch with the NP-W125s battery |
Inside the battery hatch is the full-size UHS-I SD card slot.
The camera uses the same Fujifilm NP-W125s batteries first released with the X-T2 and is rated for up to 450 shots in economy mode. It can go down to 270 shots when using boost mode and the EVF.
 |
| X-M5's left and right sides |
On the left side of the camera is the speaker while on the right are the 2.5mm audio jack port, USB-C and the mini-HDMI port.
Camera Samples
 |
| XF 16-55 f/2.8 R LM WR II and I |
Below are camera samples with the XM-5 with the recently released XF 16-55 f/2.8 R LM WR II normal zoom which introduces a significantly smaller size and optical performance improvements.
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 at 55mm |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 at 16mm |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 close-up |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 close-up |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
 |
| Fujifilm X-M5 with XF16-55 version 2 |
Quick thoughts
 |
| FUJIFILM X-M5 with the new FUJINON XF 16-55 f/2.8 R LM WR II |
FUJIFILM has revived the once thought-dead X-M series with a ton of modern visuals and features that make it one of the more compelling options in the mirrorless camera market of today.
Its key features include the well-loved X-Trans 4 sensor from the X-T4 paired with the latest X-Processor 5 which should provide competitive image quality while offering snappy autofocus and operating performance.
It is powered by the immortal NP-W125s battery from the X-T2 and is rated for 450 shots. Depending on the user's shooting style, the articulating touch screen could be always on which drains the battery faster than when shooting with an EVF.
First of all we love the new visual design and the build quality of the camera because aside from being stunning in person, it is unique and easily distinguishable as a FUJIFILM camera.
What we also appreciate are the fully-articulating touch screen and the addition of the front command dial, rear command dial, PSAM dial and the Film Simulation dial. Before having the Film Simulation dial, users had to navigate the directional joystick to access the Film Simulations which wasn't immediately apparent to most users. Because it is now on the top plate, we were wonderfully surprised to find ourselves constantly using the Film Simulation dial. After using the camera for a while, photographers tend to get an intuitive idea of which Film Simulation is best for the current shooting situation so being able to change it on the fly is a surprising and good feature to have.
It features our new current favorite FILM Simulation as well called the Reala Ace too. This makes it one of the few cameras that have it. Its bigger brothers are scheduled to get it through a firmware update.
But the biggest and most impactful change we experienced with X-M5 is the reworked Autofocus system. When we first reviewed the X-H2, X-H2s, X-T5 and X100VI, we felt a noticeable improvement in Autofocus continuous. Single Point Autofocus was never a problem with prior cameras' Phase-detect and contrast detection. But as soon as we took the X-M5 out on the field we immediately set the AF to AF-C or Autofocus continuous because of how fast and how accurate the camera identifies, tracks and focuses on the subject. It was a major surprise as it was a clear improvement from other 5th-generation cameras. Hopefully, it is stable and does not follow suit with what happened to the firmware update with select FUJIFILM cameras.
To keep the cost down and to keep the camera compact while adhering to the Photography first everyday camera, FUJIFILM had to opt for not adding In-body Image stabilization, a larger battery, and the EVF. We are willing to take these trade-offs to get great image quality for lighter and smaller camera bodies.
The size of the camera has also limited the type of ports that it has including the unreliable micro HDMI port and the 2.5mm audio jack. But I would rather have a small and compact camera over these ports.
For people who do not find the new Film Simulation dial, we hope that FUJIFILM can address these concerns with firmware that allows users to remap the dial to other features.
Overall, we highly recommend the X-M5 for people who want a small camera that pairs with a high-quality and compact lens and is the smallest possible camera for Photography that yields image quality significantly better than digital point-and-shoot cameras and smartphones.
Considering the increasing prices of digital cameras and mirrorless cameras, the X-M5 offers great features while balancing the trade-offs for only PHP 58,990 with the kit lens.
Our only wish was that FUJFILM would sell the X-M5 with a Body-only variant.
Stay tuned.
What do you guys think?
Post a Comment