The EVF specs are completely unexcusable at this price and time. That's the biggest killer for me.
I know inflation and tariffs and all, but yeah this is twice the price the XE4 dropped at.
I really agree with Scott that Fuji is An awful value for a serious photographer who knows what they want these days.
Literally every camera I’ve ever owned has been lacking in some manner no matter how much I spend or expect. For paid/critical work I have little to no tolerance for my core essentials so I’m 100% function over form there…. but for everything else, I’m used to them hitting 90%. Fred mentioned the A7CR EVF, it doesn’t bother me (too much) because of everything else I get in that compact form factor. That camera is insane for what it is. But I get deal breakers for others are not the same as mine.
I’m excited to order the XE5 tomorrow. When it doesn’t meet my needs on a particular day, I’ll just pick up a different camera.
The A7CR is at least a 0.7x magnification. That’s a largish viewfinder. This is…not. Same resolution and size as the original X-E1 EVF.
Of course it may not be a dealbreaker. For me the dealbreaker would be price, as I’d much rather spend $1700 on an X-T5 instead of this.
One good thing is that Fujifilm cameras hold their value very well. I had the X100VI for over a year and sold it for $75 more than I paid for it (and I’m sure I could have gotten even a couple hundred more but I didn’t feel comfortable with that.)
The X-T1 (incidentally one of my favorite cameras ever) still goes for around $600 on the used market despite being 12 years old and ancient in terms of mirrorless technology.
Chances are the X-E5 will be selling used for $1500 even two years from now.
Fred Miranda wrote:
To be fair, they did include their latest sensor, processor, and IBIS, along with a few options that were removed from the X-E4 like the drive dial and some others. But still, my main complaint was the EVF since this is an EVF-only camera and not a hybrid like the X100 series. The specs are just too low for a new camera at this price (Same for the X-T50 which was already overpriced). I personally can't justify it, especially since I already own a low-resolution EVF camera, the A7CR, and I don't enjoy the experience. At least the Sony has a magnification of 0.70x....Show more →
Bottom line: I agree with you that it is over-priced for a camera with these specs. I used to be able to recommend the XE line to new photographers who weren’t ready to spend a lot of money but were looking for an ILC for things like travel. But at $1700 for the body only, I just don’t see doing that with the XE5.
While I agree that adding IBIS adds value to the XE line that wasn’t there before, I’d temper that by noting that IBIS is now pretty much a standard camera feature. (Hard for it not to be, when smartphone cameras do IS.) I regard the 40MP sensor as more or less an expected feature rather than a plus that adds value — Fujifilm has always put that main line new sensor in the XE line after the more expensive bodies.
As to the viewfinder issue, I get it. It seems like it wouldn’t be that hard to change the magnification (thought the small body may make it complicated) or increase the resolution. (My personal bias is that I’m not so concerned about EVF resolution , as I just think of the EVF as a way to frame/compose, and I don’t need a great image in order to do that.)
Overall, I think this is a “swing and a miss” for Fujifilm, unfortunately. They have a fine concept in the XE cameras and they serve a real purpose — but part of the legacy is the “less expensive for the same IQ” thing… and that’s just gone at this price — it is the same as the XT5!
I hope Fujifilm learns a lesson from this. (“This” being what I expect to be less than happy sales numbers for the camera.) It isn’t the first time they’ve tried to up-price an APS-C model and ended up in trouble. (The XH1 debacle and eventually fire-sale pricing comes to mind.) Who knows, maybe smart potential buyers will sit back and wait for it to get blown out at $1000 or so near the end of the year?
That said, I still like Fujifilm as a company and I like man of their (sometimes imperfect) products. The gear is used by plenty of folks, from casual vacation photographers to serious folks doing professional work with the miniMF systems. The lenses (especially for APS-C) are excellent, if occasionally slightly weird. I hope that this XE5 situation is an anomaly.
The XE4 still kicks ass … and is very compact with the pancakes. But as mentioned, I think it’s very likely the XE5 $1700 pricetag is going to pull the used XE4’s up into the $1300-$1500 range especially if there’s a 6+ month waiting list. So would grab one sooner than later just in case. You def won’t lose money grabbing one for $1000.
When the X100VI was announced the X100Vs flooded the used market dropping down to $1100+ (even sub $1000). But then 3-6 months into X100VI still backordered the X100Vs climbed back up into the $1200-$1700 range as X100VI’s were reselling used for $2000-$2300.
Who knows. But this is my guess if a) the XE5 blows up as the ILC X100VI and b) people are looking for alternatives.
gdanmitchell wrote:
Bottom line: I agree with you that it is over-priced for a camera with these specs. I used to be able to recommend the XE line to new photographers who weren’t ready to spend a lot of money but were looking for an ILC for things like travel. But at $1700 for the body only, I just don’t see doing that with the XE5.
While I agree that adding IBIS adds value to the XE line that wasn’t there before, I’d temper that by noting that IBIS is now pretty much a standard camera feature. (Hard for it not to be, when smartphone cameras do IS.) I regard the 40MP sensor as more or less an expected feature rather than a plus that adds value — Fujifilm has always put that main line new sensor in the XE line after the more expensive bodies.
As to the viewfinder issue, I get it. It seems like it wouldn’t be that hard to change the magnification (thought the small body may make it complicated) or increase the resolution. (My personal bias is that I’m not so concerned about EVF resolution , as I just think of the EVF as a way to frame/compose, and I don’t need a great image in order to do that.)
Overall, I think this is a “swing and a miss” for Fujifilm, unfortunately. They have a fine concept in the XE cameras and they serve a real purpose — but part of the legacy is the “less expensive for the same IQ” thing… and that’s just gone at this price — it is the same as the XT5!
I hope Fujifilm learns a lesson from this. (“This” being what I expect to be less than happy sales numbers for the camera.) It isn’t the first time they’ve tried to up-price an APS-C model and ended up in trouble. (The XH1 debacle and eventually fire-sale pricing comes to mind.) Who knows, maybe smart potential buyers will sit back and wait for it to get blown out at $1000 or so near the end of the year?
That said, I still like Fujifilm as a company and I like man of their (sometimes imperfect) products. The gear is used by plenty of folks, from casual vacation photographers to serious folks doing professional work with the miniMF systems. The lenses (especially for APS-C) are excellent, if occasionally slightly weird. I hope that this XE5 situation is an anomaly.
It’s not a large body but if Sony can put a 0.7x corner finder on the even smaller a6400 at half the price, I think Fujifilm could manage to at least get to that 0.69/0.7x range of magnification.
I also just noticed they reduced the resolution of the rear screen from 1.62M dots to 1.04M dots. Now, I’ve got two cameras with 1.04M dot screens and honestly it’s fine, but both of those are sub-$1,000 cameras. Very odd to have that be worse while charging significantly more.
Fuji will sell some higher priced XE5s, for sure. Like many are paying over msrp for an Nvidia or AMD GPU (that in many cases, didn't get much better over the previous generation). If someone thinks they must have one, and already has FOMO (missing previous trends), they might curse the company and then line up to buy anyway.
I see there is buyers remorse showing already from those who bought the X-Half (paying more than the XE4 at launch). The X-Half might just exist to anchor a lesser camera at that price point. XM-5 now being sold for 50% more than what I paid for a new XE4 around here.
Jman13 wrote:
It’s not a large body but if Sony can put a 0.7x corner finder on the even smaller a6400 at half the price, I think Fujifilm could manage to at least get to that 0.69/0.7x range of magnification.
I also just noticed they reduced the resolution of the rear screen from 1.62M dots to 1.04M dots. Now, I’ve got two cameras with 1.04M dot screens and honestly it’s fine, but both of those are sub-$1,000 cameras. Very odd to have that be worse while charging significantly more.
I think that’s the issue. It is one thing to use a lower res and lower magnification EVF or a lower resolution LCD on a less expensive camera, and it wasn’t inappropriate when the XE models were $850 or even a bit more. But to use that kind of entry level configuration on a $1700 camera isn’t right.
I wonder what their thinking is.
Perhaps they are (with some logic) thinking that the XE5 could be marketed as a sort of “ILC X100vi?” Is it tariffs — the current tariffs and building in some buffer for what might come? Something else?
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Paul Z wrote:
Fuji will sell some higher priced XE5s, for sure. Like many are paying over msrp for an Nvidia or AMD GPU (that in many cases, didn't get much better over the previous generation). If someone thinks they must have one, and already has FOMO (missing previous trends), they might curse the company and then line up to buy anyway.
I see there is buyers remorse showing already from those who bought the X-Half (paying more than the XE4 at launch). The X-Half might just exist to anchor a lesser camera at that price point. XM-5 now being sold for 50% more than what I paid for a new XE4 around here.
Fuji might help sell some more ZFs and A6700s...Show more →
There are always some folks — including some who frequent this forum — who will buy just about every new thing. Quite often they move on to the next new thing quickly, and some even order before a new product is released and then sell it before they even use it! Unless one is a scalper, it is a game that is far removed from photography itself.
So, you are right: there will undoubtedly be some people who will buy the XE5 —because of some combination of being really are sure this is exactly the right camera for them, a gamble that it will be hte next X100vi (it won’t), an inability to resist the lure of the Next New Thing.
But people like that are a pretty small fraction of the market that a camera company needs to reach in order for a product to be a real success.
Yeah it just seems Fujifilm is going to cash in on the fact that their designs are in demand. And I can’t really fault them for that, but it’s a little disappointing to see them move slightly towards being a boutique brand where you’re paying for the name and aesthetics.
I mean, this is the same price as the Z5 II, and aside from a more compact size and generally more attractive aesthetics, the Z5 II will be literally better in almost everything.
That's crying over the high price of the Fuji X-E5 :-). Comparable compact cameras cost similar or more and don't have a viewfinder. Yes, you can buy a cheaper Nikon, Canon and Panasonic. Panasonic is much bigger, Nikons produce a horrible green color, Canons have expensive and large lenses. You can find someone everywhere and Fuji will sell it for that money.
I get not buying this camera due to the higher pricing. Or due to low res EVF. But there seems to be anger at Fuji for the pricing. I'm not sure I understand why its not completely expected. Tariffs are either 30% or 40%, its hard to get a straight answer. Was Fuji supposed to eat the cost? I really didn't think anyone believed that. The X-T5 price will go up unless the increased cost to switch to Japanese manufacture is absorbed by Fuji. I doubt that, there typically isn't enough margin in consumer electronics to covers that. Nobody is going to pay you to take their product.
SGinNorcal wrote:
I get not buying this camera due to the higher pricing. Or due to low res EVF. But there seems to be anger at Fuji for the pricing. I'm not sure I understand why its not completely expected. Tariffs are either 30% or 40%, its hard to get a straight answer. Was Fuji supposed to eat the cost? I really didn't think anyone believed that. The X-T5 price will go up unless the increased cost to switch to Japanese manufacture is absorbed by Fuji. I doubt that, there typically isn't enough margin in consumer electronics to covers that. Nobody is going to pay you to take their product....Show more →
I don't think there's ANGER, per se, but a justified heavy sigh that a camera of this middling spec is priced over much more versatile full frame cameras.
The X-E line is a red headed stepchild of sorts for Fuji...it's always the very last line to get updated, meaning it's always somewhat outdated by time it comes around. That's fine if it's an $800 camera, not fine if it's $1700.
People have been waiting a while to see if this line would be updated again at all, and now that it has, in this way...total buzzkill.
It's a beautiful camera, no doubt. Maybe even their prettiest model to date.
The problem is the price to value proposition. But, perhaps Fuji knows exactly what they are doing, and their target audience is not people who evaluate such things and post on camera gear forums (including myself).
RoamingScott wrote:
I don't think there's ANGER, per se, but a justified heavy sigh that a camera of this middling spec is priced over much more versatile full frame cameras.
The X-E line is a red headed stepchild of sorts for Fuji...it's always the very last line to get updated, meaning it's always somewhat outdated by time it comes around. That's fine if it's an $800 camera, not fine if it's $1700.
People have been waiting a while to see if this line would be updated again at all, and now that it has, in this way...total buzzkill.
Fuji straight up changed the positioning strategy of the XE5 and are no doubt positioning it as a x100vi ILC … it’s all over the design language, lever on the front, square AF illuminator, front grip and back mild thumb bump plus same sensor / IBIS … and new 23mm.
It’s also not a coincidence the GFX100RF is very x100 like. So you can get an ILC x100vi, an x100vi, or a medium format x100vi.
From that angle, the previous ethos of the XE line is dead. This is the new ethos.
For awhile we wondered if the XE line was dead. I suppose in a way it is. I’m surprised they didn’t just drop the old name entirely and call it the X5.
