Fujifilm X-T5 Review: 40 Megapixels and Real Dials in a Small Body
The Fujifilm X-T5 is a camera for people who like holding a camera. Shutter speed dial on top. ISO dial on top. Exposure compensation dial on top. You can set everything before you turn it on, and you can read your settings at a glance with the camera switched off. Fuji went back to that classic layout with the X-T5 after the X-T4 drifted toward video, and photographers noticed.
It came out in late 2022 and has been one of Fujifilm’s best sellers since. A successor, the X-T6, has been the subject of rumors through 2026. Until it lands in shops in numbers, the X-T5 remains the photographer’s X-mount camera to buy.
Inside is a 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor, the highest resolution Fuji has put in an APS-C body. That’s more than most full-frame cameras at this price. Pair it with good glass and the detail is startling.
Video review: DPReview TV
Why photographers love it
The body weighs about 557 grams with battery and card. That’s lighter than the X-T4 and a lot lighter than the X-H2, which shares the same sensor. Put a small prime on it, like the XF 33mm f/1.4, and it’s a walk-around camera you’ll actually carry.
In-body stabilization is rated up to 7 stops. With 40MP, any shake shows up quickly, so it earns its keep.
The film simulations are the other reason people buy Fuji. Classic Chrome, Classic Negative, Nostalgic Neg, Acros and the rest give you finished-looking JPEGs straight from the camera. Plenty of X-T5 owners have stopped shooting RAW altogether. That says something.
There’s also a pixel shift mode that combines 20 frames into a 160MP file for still subjects like artwork or architecture, though you need Fuji’s desktop software to merge them.
The rear screen tilts three ways: up, down and sideways for vertical shots. Purists prefer it to a flip-out screen because it keeps the screen in line with the lens.
Where it falls short
Autofocus is good and better than older Fuji bodies, with subject detection for animals, birds, cars, bikes, planes, trains and insects. It’s still a step behind Sony, Canon and Nikon for fast, erratic subjects. You’ll get keepers of sports and birds in flight, just fewer of them.
Video is capable, with 6.2K at 30p, 4K at 60p, 10-bit F-Log and F-Log2. The tilting screen makes vlogging awkward, though, and the body isn’t built for long recordings. Video shooters should look at the X-H2 or X-S20.
The 40MP sensor also demands sharp lenses. Older or cheaper X-mount glass can look soft at pixel level. Budget for good lenses.
Battery life is fine, at roughly 580 shots per charge by the CIPA standard, but carry a spare for a full day.
Who should buy it
Travel, street and landscape photographers. People who enjoy the act of setting a camera by hand. Anyone who wants 40MP files without full-frame size and weight.
Next to the full-frame Sony A7 IV it’s smaller, has more resolution and costs less, but gives up some low-light performance and autofocus speed. Next to the cheaper Fujifilm X-S20 it has the better viewfinder, the dials and the higher-resolution sensor.
If the dials make you smile, buy the X-T5. You’ll shoot more with it.