Fujifilm goes after aspiring vloggers with its new $800 X-M5 camera

Even arsenic it keeps moving to drawback up with request for the massively fashionable X100VI, Fujifilm has been connected a dependable cadence of releasing caller cameras. The X-T50 was announced successful May, and it was the archetypal to diagnostic a carnal dial for switching betwixt the company’s signature movie simulations. That dial is carrying guardant to the new, budget-tier X-M5 that Fujifilm is announcing today.

The X-M5 is priced astatine $799.95 and is an affordable gateway into the company’s interchangeable lens mirrorless camera lineup.. Fujifilm is positioning it arsenic a lightweight camera perfect for mundane shooting and “emerging contented creators” who privation to vlog with it — contempt a deficiency of in-body representation stabilization (IBIS). At 13 ounces (355 grams), the X-M5 is the lightest assemblage successful Fujifilm’s existent X-Series family. It comes successful metallic oregon black, but the achromatic mentation won’t beryllium shipping until April. The metallic volition beryllium successful stores adjacent month.

Fujifilm is pushing the connection that for arsenic bully arsenic our smartphone cameras mightiness be, the X-M5 has a acold larger sensor that’s susceptible of capturing more. At the apical near of the camera is the movie simulation dial, which offers speedy entree to 8 movie simulations and 3 customized slots wherever you tin delegate different favourite from the 20 built-in options. The X-M5 besides has a PASM-style mode dial, a afloat articulating rear LCD (though there’s nary EVF), and the microphone input is successful a unsocial spot connected the backmost of the camera adjacent the hotshoe.

But adjacent if you don’t person an outer mic, the X-M5 is Fujifilm’s archetypal camera to see a three-mic system. “You tin take from 4 microphone directivity options: surround, front, back, oregon beforehand and back, depending connected the situation,” the company’s property merchandise says. To assistance with clearer audio, the camera is besides susceptible of cutting retired steady-state noises similar aerial conditioning oregon different changeless hums.

The X-M5 includes Fujifilm’s tried and existent 26.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and the company’s current-generation X-Processor 5. Fujifilm can’t look to flight disapproval of its system’s continuous autofocus performance, and truthful the institution is rolling retired a newly-enhanced predictive autofocus algorithm that it believes should rectify the inconsistent deed complaint that immoderate customers person experienced with its caller cameras.

For video, the camera tin seizure 6.2K/30P 4:2:2 10-bit video, and successful this epoch of vertical societal media content, it’s besides got a 9:16 “Short Movie Mode” that caps retired astatine afloat HD resolution.

There are respective tradeoffs that Fujifilm had to marque to deed the X-M5’s price. The rear LCD has an unremarkable solution of 1.04 cardinal dots. (By comparison, the X-S20 has a 1.84-million dot LCD.) The camera besides uses Fujifilm’s older and smaller-capacity battery, truthful if you’re retired for a agelong time of vlogging, it’ll beryllium omniscient to transportation a spare. And the SD paper slot is inactive UHS-I. That shouldn’t beryllium a immense contented for the people marketplace here, but it’s worthy mentioning.

In summation to its latest body, Fujifilm is besides announcing the 2nd mentation of its precise awesome XF16-55 f/2.8 lens. The caller solid is importantly smaller and lighter than the original, which has grown to beryllium possibly my favourite lens successful Fujifilm’s arsenal. But it tin decidedly get dense astatine times — particularly connected my X-H2 — truthful I’m looking guardant to seeing what a quality the downsizing has made. Fujfilm says the caller exemplary is adjacent sharper and amended astatine resolving the 40-megapixel sensor recovered successful the X-T5, X-H2, and X-T50. It costs the aforesaid $1,199.95 arsenic earlier and volition beryllium disposable successful December.

If you request adjacent much reach, there’s besides a caller 500mm f/5.6 OIS WR lens that’s designed for outdoor shooting. (Think wildlife, sports, birds, and truthful on.) It comes astatine a hefty $2,999.95 and volition beryllium disposable successful December.