I see enough low use XE 5's in the B&S it has me wondering why such a short trial period before parting with it?
How usable (or unusable) is the EVF, particularly in low light? One of my main intended uses for this body would be street/travel prime use in low light situations while traveling.
Is the control layout manageable with largish hands? For this I know I could add a grip and thumb lever so not overly worried.
I mainly shoot raw, but am thinking about migrating over to HEIC and using my own pre-cooked film sims, especially with this cam. Does the sim dial allow for any of my own recipes to be saved?
Any other general usability comments appreciated. If you have it and love it, why? If you had it and sold it, why?
Jack Flesher wrote:
I see enough low use XE 5's in the B&S it has me wondering why such a short trial period before parting with it?
How usable (or unusable) is the EVF, particularly in low light? One of my main intended uses for this body would be street/travel prime use in low light situations while traveling.
EVF is usable enough for me and you have the option for boosting low light performance
Is the control layout manageable with largish hands? For this I know I could add a grip and thumb lever so not overly worried.
I don't have particularly large hands but use the SmallRig hand grip and thumb grip which seems to improve the overall handling
I mainly shoot raw, but am thinking about migrating over to HEIC and using my own pre-cooked film sims, especially with this cam. Does the sim dial allow for any of my own recipes to be saved?
Yes - you get three recipes and each can save the basic image quality settings although you can't save as many things as you can with the custom settings
Any other general usability comments appreciated. If you have it and love it, why? If you had it and sold it, why?
I don't love the overall handling as much as the X100VI and I'd like to have better weather resistance but I'm pleased I bought it and don't intend to sell it
Jack Flesher wrote:
I see enough low use XE 5's in the B&S it has me wondering why such a short trial period before parting with it?
How usable (or unusable) is the EVF, particularly in low light? One of my main intended uses for this body would be street/travel prime use in low light situations while traveling.
Is the control layout manageable with largish hands? For this I know I could add a grip and thumb lever so not overly worried.
I mainly shoot raw, but am thinking about migrating over to HEIC and using my own pre-cooked film sims, especially with this cam. Does the sim dial allow for any of my own recipes to be saved?
Any other general usability comments appreciated. If you have it and love it, why? If you had it and sold it, why?
Perfectly usable! EVF is just fine. Using it for Street and City in all lighting conditions w/o issues.
Large hands no problem. Mine is w/o grip or thumb rest.
The camera interface can be adjusted to taste. E.g., I have put the color histogram on F1, Replay on the back wheel ...
Problem currently is that in MF withj focus check on, the zoom doesn't reset to normal when half pressing the shutter button.
The camera is well built and feels good. Slightly larger than previous X-E models. Best combined with the f2/f2.8 primes. 16f2.8, 27f2.8 and 50f2. The f1.4 primes also work - but they are bit large for the body. Best zoom for it is probably the Sigma 18-50 f2.8. But I don't use zooms on my Fujis.
Hope it's okay to respond here...I'm one posting a FS for a low shutter count X-E5. I find it a wonderful camera; I purchased to take on a trip for some street photography, decided at the last minute to take my X-Pro3 instead, and after spending time with that, really decided I was good and perhaps to impulsive in picking up the X-E5 to replace.
It is faster, built just as well, and to my eye, outstanding image quality compared to the Pro, I just can't part with the Pro and don't need both.
Jack, I have not used the XE5, but I have used all of the previous XE models — some just a little bit and one a lot.
With that in mind, only one comment from me: If you haven’t worked with a camera of that small size you should make sure to handle one before you buy. These bodies have some tightly spaced controls due to the small camera size, and there also isn’t much of a real grip on them.
For some things that’s fine, even great. The thing fits into some really small places and it is inconspicuous in use, which can be advantageous for things like street. photography. But if you hold it for a long time (as I have done when shooting street) the small, gripless bodies can become uncomfortable. A wrist strap helps.
From what I understand of the XE5 and from what I know from the previous models, it sounds like a fine little camera…
Jack Flesher wrote:
I see enough low use XE 5's in the B&S it has me wondering why such a short trial period before parting with it?
It has nothing to do with the camera itself but more to do with people's buying habits. Most people just want to be the first to have something cool or get excited with the announcement so they place a preorder. Then they receive it and play with it, then bills come up and decide they can't justify another body sitting around so they sell it. I see this on every new thing that gets released across every hobby.
I have smallish hands and I don’t find the X-E5 comfortable for longer time periods - without the SmallRig grip. With the grip it is darn near perfect. I do use a wrist strap.
Images are exactly like my X-T5. The X-E5 makes a great second body and the viewfinder configuration is a nice alternative to the X-T5. I suspect I’ll have this body for quite a long time.
The EVF is surprisingly better than I thought it would be. No issues nailing manual focus lenses either. The thumb grip is a must for me. The hand grip makes it very usually for larger lenses. I like the ability to keep it small or build it up. I did a comparison of RAW vs HEIF and was impressed by the HEIF ability to push and pull.
jeffnesh wrote:
Hope it's okay to respond here...I'm one posting a FS for a low shutter count X-E5. I find it a wonderful camera; I purchased to take on a trip for some street photography, decided at the last minute to take my X-Pro3 instead, and after spending time with that, really decided I was good and perhaps to impulsive in picking up the X-E5 to replace.
It is faster, built just as well, and to my eye, outstanding image quality compared to the Pro, I just can't part with the Pro and don't need both.
You don't have to part with your X-Pro. Keep it and use it when you feel like it. After some time, you'll notice that you will take it less and less as the X-E5 is such a good, smaller, better alternative. And even then you can keep it if only for sentimental reasons. My X-Pro3 bodies rest comfortably in a drawer to be taken out only when I feel like it.
Jack Flesher wrote:
I see enough low use XE 5's in the B&S it has me wondering why such a short trial period before parting with it?
How usable (or unusable) is the EVF, particularly in low light? One of my main intended uses for this body would be street/travel prime use in low light situations while traveling.
Is the control layout manageable with largish hands? For this I know I could add a grip and thumb lever so not overly worried.
I mainly shoot raw, but am thinking about migrating over to HEIC and using my own pre-cooked film sims, especially with this cam. Does the sim dial allow for any of my own recipes to be saved?
Any other general usability comments appreciated. If you have it and love it, why? If you had it and sold it, why?
The X-E5 has one feature that most reviews have dismissed as a gimmick, to the extent that they mention it at all, but that makes the X-E5 uniquely suited for low light or night street photography.
What Fuji calls the “Classic” view in the EVF, because it emulates the viewfinder of an analog camera, provides minimum critical information as red numbers on a black background, with an emulated needle for exposure.
For physiological reasons, this works exceptionally well for distraction free rapid shooting in a dark environment. Think of the red night lighting on a car dashboard and the (now often emulated) speedometer needle.
I recently picked up an X-E5 a few days ago — my first Fuji body — and I’m enjoying it so far, especially paired with the 23mm pancake lens. I do have a couple of questions though: which VND filter are you using? And do you prefer a leather half case or a regular handgrip? I’m not a fan of how both add extra weight — I kind of wish there was just a simple finger grip sticker you could attach to the side instead.
allenvgh wrote:
I recently picked up an X-E5 a few days ago — my first Fuji body — and I’m enjoying it so far, especially paired with the 23mm pancake lens. I do have a couple of questions though: which VND filter are you using? And do you prefer a leather half case or a regular handgrip? I’m not a fan of how both add extra weight — I kind of wish there was just a simple finger grip sticker you could attach to the side instead.
As a user of other small Fujifilm cameras, have you thought of first just trying a wrist strap and seeing how that goes?
allenvgh wrote:
And do you prefer a leather half case or a regular handgrip? I’m not a fan of how both add extra weight — I kind of wish there was just a simple finger grip sticker you could attach to the side instead.
I have both a leather half case and a regular handgrip - the half case adds less weight but the handgrip provides better support.
I have had the X- E5 since the first week in September and I’m very happy with it. The EVF is a little small but the same resolution as my Sony A7CII and A7CR so I got used to it quickly. sure I prefer the higher resolution of my X-T5 and even larger resolution of the X-H2. I assumed from the beginning that I would put a hand grip and thumb grip on it. Also use a wrist strap on all my smaller cameras so they don’t slip from my hand.
I’m very happy with the quality of the RAW files and HEIF from the body as well. Control layout work for me as well so I’m very happy with my purchase and have no plans to sell and use it as a walk around camera. That said I own a few full frame cameras so if I need more I have access to it.
I’m also using the X-E5 with the XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR kit, and honestly, everything I’ve posted on Instagram lately has been from this combo. I’ve been enjoying it so much for everyday shooting that I haven’t had a single day to try my Sigma 17-50 f/1.8 Art on my X-H2S.
As others have mentioned, though, the moment you mount anything heavier, the lack of grip becomes noticeable. I wish Fuji would find a way to incorporate a more substantial grip into these pseudo-retro bodies while still retaining their retro charm. And it would be amazing if they just standardised around the NP-W235 across the whole lineup. Maintaining two battery systems for street vs. portrait work is a real pain.
I’m thinking of adding a grip eventually, but for street photography, I’m mostly living on the XF 16mm f/2.8, 23mm f/2.8, or the classic 35mm f/1.4, anyway. For now, the compact setup remains the winner...!
The X-E5 is the best-handling Fuji X camera I've owned. Yes, I have a grip on it, just as I did with every Fuji X I have owned. Yes, I wish there was a little better thumb grip on the back*. But even with the swipe controls turned off, I have enough function buttons to control everything I need. I even have the Q menu set to just 8 functions that I could just as easily use MyMenu for.
I do wish the Film Sim dial controlled ISO with the Auto settings. But part of that is because I have the Film Sims set to the from control dial so I can quickly and easily compare different Sims with my eye to the EVF, something I could not do with the X100VI and X-T5.
I'm down to two cameras that cover everything I need.
* I have both the SmallRig and Hoage thumb grips; both are more than I want. But I've only had one add-on thumb grip I've liked.
I really appreciate all the responses. While I do like the concept of it, I am thinking at this point I might just wait for the upcoming XH3/XT6 releases with the reported newer/better/faster “AI”” AF processor. For now that’s a more useful upgrade for me than a smaller body would be. Thanks again!
I've found a case that has transformed the X-E5 ergonomics for me, and can highly recommend it. From Akara Labs... the case pops off in less than two seconds to access the battery/memory card. The feel of the 3D printed material is nice and the grip has made it so that my 16-50 zoom is now nearly perfect from a handling standpoint.
For the F2/F2.8 primes, the balance is outstanding. The case is so light as to be essentially weightless. I use the JJC thumb grip to round out the balance... makes it feel a bit more secure when holding the camera casually at my side.
The 1.4 primes are still a little unbalanced, but I reached out to the company and mentioned a couple more mm of depth on the grip might help improve the balance with the larger primes... they listened and have made a new one and sent it to me to try out.
