Fujifilm X-E5 Review: The X100VI's 40MP Sensor With Interchangeable Lenses

The Fujifilm X-E5 is the camera many X100VI fans asked for. Same 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor, same in-body stabilization, same rangefinder-style shape with the viewfinder in the corner. The difference is that you can change the lens. Fuji announced it in June 2025 at $1,699 for the body, or $1,899 with the small XF 23mm f/2.8 pancake.

With that pancake fitted, it looks and feels a lot like an X100VI. Swap in a portrait lens or a zoom, and it becomes something the fixed-lens camera can’t be.

It weighs about 445 grams with battery and card.

Video review: Gordon Laing

Why street photographers want it

The X-E line has always been about small size and a quiet presence. You don’t look like a pro with a big camera, and people react to you differently. The X-E5 keeps that while adding the high-resolution sensor and stabilization rated at 7 stops at the center.

There’s a film simulation dial on top, like the X-T50, so you can switch between Classic Chrome, Classic Negative, Reala Ace and the rest without menus. Subject-detection autofocus handles faces, eyes, animals and more.

40MP gives lots of room to crop, so a 23mm pancake can double as a tighter lens when you need it.

The compromises

The viewfinder is electronic only, a 2.36-million-dot panel with modest magnification. If you love the X100VI’s hybrid optical finder, you won’t find it here.

Battery life is short. The small NP-W126S is rated at about 305 shots by CIPA. Carry spares.

The screen tilts up and down only. One SD card slot. Bursts reach 8 fps mechanical. Video goes up to 6.2K at 30p with a small crop and 4K at 60p, enough for casual clips but not built for serious filmmaking.

And at $1,699 for the body, it costs more than the X100VI’s launch price without a lens.

X-E5 or X100VI?

Choose the X100VI if you want one camera, one lens and the hybrid viewfinder, with a leaf shutter and built-in ND filter. Choose the X-E5 if you want the same image quality with the freedom to use the XF 33mm f/1.4, a portrait lens or a zoom.

Who should buy it

Street and travel photographers who want a small, discreet camera. X100VI fans who want lenses. Fuji shooters who want a light second body with the 40MP sensor.

If you prefer dials for every setting and a centered viewfinder, the X-T50 is the alternative with the same sensor. For a rangefinder-style Fuji with modern image quality, the X-E5 is the one.