Let’s dive into the world of Fuji cameras, but first, a quick word about their series. Fuji Film offers a range of series, one of which is the XE series, specifically crafted for street photographers. It’s been a while since the XE4 camera was announced, and I was starting to wonder, when will Fuji Film drop the next update for their XE series? If we zoom in on the XE series, it’s clear that it’s dedicated to street photographers. Think about it: if a camera maker announces a video camera, we don’t analyze its core specs or performance from the perspective of wedding photographers. Similarly, take the Sony A9 Mark 3, built for sports and wildlife with its global shutter sensor—clearly designed for those genres. We wouldn’t evaluate it for street photography, right? The same logic applies here. Fuji’s XE series is made for street photographers, and they’ve dedicated the entire lineup to them. So, we won’t analyze it from the perspective of any other genre. Instead, we should think like street photography users: if I’m into street photography, how useful or effective is this camera for me?
Fuji XE5 Design for Street Photographers
Looking at it from that angle, the XE5 camera is purpose-built for street photographers. Fuji designed the entire series with them in mind, offering a compact solution that fits right in your hands. Street photographers want a camera they can slip into their jacket pocket when needed. When they spot a great scene unfolding or stumble upon a moment worth capturing, they can quickly pull out the camera and start shooting. That’s the core idea behind this camera—it’s built on the foundation of street photography. With portability in mind, the entire body design is sleek and compact. You won’t find a deep hand grip here, unlike Fuji’s professional XT series cameras, which come with those deeper grips. This camera isn’t made that way.
Optional Hand Grips for Fuji XE5
If you’re someone who prefers a hand grip, think of the Nikon ZF camera. I’ve used a SmallRig hand grip with it most of the time, and similarly, SmallRig hand grips will be available for the XE5, which you can buy and use to enhance your shooting experience.
Film Simulation Dial and Customization
Moving on to the body design, Fuji has placed a film simulation dial on top. Fuji has a massive user base, a whole community that absolutely loves the retro vibe of their film simulation dials and colors. This time, Fuji has taken it a step further by introducing an FS mode, where you can create your own recipe. Want to tweak one, two, or three specific modes like Provia? You can add your own touch, a bit of your signature, save it, and access it quickly. For those using Fuji Film cameras, this is a fresh and exciting feature. Now, personally, I’m not a fan of filters—I never use them. I don’t have the time to process RAW images either. When I shoot JPEGs, I set everything to neutral in the camera. I use neutral settings in my profiles, avoiding any lens correction tools or camera-applied adjustments. I just want plain, straightforward images from the camera. But there’s a bunch of people who love these film simulation modes, and for them, this is a fantastic addition.
Manual Controls and Display
This camera doesn’t come with extensive manual controls—just the essential controls and a joystick controller on the rear, which is plenty for usability. When it comes to the display screen or the electronic viewfinder, there’s a bit of disappointment around the resolution. Fuji could have gone beyond 2.36 million dots, and photographers have expressed some frustration that the EVF resolution wasn’t upgraded further.
Clear Display and Viewfinder
That said, Fuji has done something interesting this time. Their electronic viewfinder display, which they call a clear display (not the exact term they use, but close enough), takes you back to the 1980s viewfinder vibe. You’ll see basic specs like shutter speed in red at the bottom of the screen, keeping the entire viewport neat and clean. That’s really amazing. In street photography, framing and reframing your composition is crucial, and Fuji has made the aspect ratio selection incredibly easy. You can choose your aspect ratio to capture your frames with specific compositions. They’ve introduced several modes in the aspect ratio sector, and one that stood out to me while looking at the features is the semi-transparent mode. It clearly shows which specific area of your image will be captured. If you select a particular aspect ratio, the rest of the frame will be cut off, making this a great tool for street photographers.
Digital Teleconverter and Sensor Stabilization
There’s also a digital teleconverter function. I noticed this with Fuji’s X-T5 announcement, where they highlighted the benefit of using a 40MP sensor. When you digitally zoom or crop up to 2x, which this camera provides, it’s a great way to recompose images on the go, especially if you’re using high-quality prime lenses. These two modes are excellent for street photographers. For the first time in the XE series, Fuji has included sensor-shift image stabilization (IBIS). They’ve tried to innovate in every aspect this time. Others are linking their AirPods with VR—how could Fuji stay behind? They’ve stated that when shooting, the center subject gets up to seven stops of IBIS support, and even at the sensor’s corners, you get up to six stops. This means IBIS is highly effective across the entire sensor—a really, really good thing.
Autofocus and Continuous Shooting
Speaking of the autofocus system, it has everything you need. If you’re tracking moving subjects, there are dedicated modes for pets, cats, animals, and even humans—different modes for different subjects. You can easily select a specific mode, or if you don’t want the hassle, just leave it to the camera. It’ll automatically select and track subjects. Fuji cameras are now very capable in this regard—it’s not like the old days. Their AF system keeps improving. As for continuous shooting speed, street photographers get exactly what they need: around 8 frames per second on the mechanical shutter. With the electronic shutter, you get about 13 frames per second uncropped. If you can handle a bit of cropping, you can push it to 20 frames per second with the electronic shutter. But here’s the thing: with a 40MP sensor, using the electronic shutter can show rolling shutter effects. I always recommend sticking to the mechanical shutter unless your camera has a stacked sensor or Canon’s FSI sensors, which tweak readout speeds significantly. If you have a basic or extra basic CMOS sensor, limit yourself to the mechanical shutter.
Weather Sealing Concerns
Looking at all these core specifications, this camera is highly usable. But there’s a big issue users are reporting. I’ve been getting messages asking, “Sir, a camera like the XE5 at this price point—is it not weather-sealed?” I couldn’t find any initial confirmation that the camera is weather-sealed. At this price point, if they’re offering a camera specifically made for street photographers and it’s not weather-sealed, that’s not a good thing. If you’re charging users this much for a new generation XE series camera meant for street use, what’s the user supposed to do—walk around with a plastic cover over it? Weather sealing would have been a great addition to this camera.
Video Capabilities for Casual Creators
On the video front, you can record 6K videos at 24 to 30 frames per second, though there’ll obviously be a slight crop. Open gate? No way, brother—it’s a 40MP sensor. How could they offer open gate? 8K resolution would cannibalize their other series’ sales. Plus, this slim camera compromises on the heat sink unit. So, this camera is made for casual videographers and content creators. Yes, it’s primarily developed for street photographers. You can tilt the 180° display screen to capture selfie videos or images. You can shoot high-quality 4K videos at 24 or 30 fps. But again, the sensor design means there’s a slight crop in high-quality 4K modes, though uncropped 4K modes are available with a bit of a quality compromise, which isn’t really noticeable.
Alternatives and Pricing
More or less, this is a usable camera at its price point for street photographers. As for alternatives, you can get the new Nikon Z5 Mark II at a slightly lower price. Within Fuji’s lineup, the XT50 is a strong option. If you’re not too attached to the XE5’s design, you can buy the XT50 at a lower price range. There’s some disappointment among people about the pricing Fuji has set, though this is the announcement price. We might see some price relaxation in the next two to three months. All in all, this is one of the best cameras for photographers ever announced by Fuji in the APS-C lineup. They’ve made a few compromises, but apart from that, the camera is very usable. Let me know what you think of this camera. And of course, if you like this video, don’t forget to share it with your friends and give it a like.
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