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On the 14th of October at 9 am EST/3 pm CET, Fujifilm will have the X Summit 2024 at the Clay Studio in Tokyo Japan. While its main theme will be design – “from product design to engineering design” – it is also an ideal time to reveal new Fujifilm products.
From the information gathered form the teasers and leaked images we should getting a new camera, the Fujifilm X-M5, and two new lenses; the Fujinon XF 500mm f/5.6 and the updated Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8.
X-M5 – Fuji’s new entry level camera
The X-M5 will be an affordable entry level camera for anyone wanting to dip their toes into the Fujifilm ecosystem. It will have the 26.1-megapixel APS-C X-Trans BSI CMOS 4 sensor and the fifth generation X Processor. The body will be similar to its predecessor the X-M1, with some changes: it will be missing the rear command dial, but will have a front one, it will have a joystick, no D-pad, and in the place of the popup flash it will feature a film simulation dial (like the X-T50). Like the X-M1 it will have no IBIS (in-body image stabilization) and no EVF.
Fujifilm China teased a poster of its main features:
- Tilting LCD
- Lightweight
- Fast autofocus
- Compact design
- Film simulations
- Interchangeable lenses
- Advanced optics
The two thing that jump out to me are the tilting LCD and the “fast” autofocus.
Tilting LCD – great for vloggers
Since it will have very similar specs to the X-S20, the X-M5 could be a great budget content creator talking head camera and a direct competition to other similar cameras such as the Sony Alpha ZV-E10 II. As seen from a leaked video posted on Fujifilm Brazil’s Instagram channel, it will have fully articulating LCD screen, which will be ideal for video content creators. For vlogging on the go, the lack of IBIS might make the footage not great, we will have to see what kind of digital in camera stabilization it will have, if it will have it at all, and how effective it will be in conjunction with stabilized lenses and how well it will work with the kit lens.
Fast autofocus – will it also be reliable?
With the ongoing autofocus issues, that we already covered in this article, it will be interesting to see if the autofocus in this new camera will have the same issues or have they implemented a new “fast-er” autofocus algorithm that will be reliable and not prove to have the same issues as other models. The speed of autofocus is usually more dependent on the lens that you are using, so it will be interesting to see how this will work out in the X-M5. It will be bundled with the lightweight Fujinon XC15-45mm F3.5-5.6 OIS PZ kit lens, which does have image stabilization, and is ideal for such a small body.
Two new Fujinon lenses
Fujifilm will also be revealing two new lenses; the much anticipated Fujinon XF 500mm f/5.6 and the updated Fujinon XF 16-55mm f/2.8 II. The XF 500mm will be a great addition for sports and wildlife photographers, who have been asking for a long range prime lens for some time now for the X-mount system.
The XF 16-55mm f/2.8 II will be about 30% smaller and lighter compared to the old version, which weighs 655 grams and is a hefty, bulky lens, particularly on smaller cameras. The smaller size will also translate into a smaller filter size, form 77 mm to 72 mm. Dubbed as the “prime zoom” the 16-55mm f/2.8 has a very good reputation, and many photographers like its versatility, constant fast aperture and design quality. I have no doubts the mark II will have a similar following.
We will have to wait until the 14th of October to discover all the details of these products, including the pricing and availability. Since the X-M5 will be manufactured in China and its targeted market is Asia (particularly Thailand), it should have the availability issues that we have seen with other models such as the X100 VI or X100 V.
