New Fujifilm camera X-M5 full specs

Yesterday Fujirumors.com published the leaked press release of the new Fujifilm camera the X-M5 provided by an anonymous source form Asia. It is looking to be an impressive little camera with lots of great specs.

X-M5 Specs

Weight – 355g (including battery and memory card)
Dimensions – width 111.9 mm, height 66.6 mm, depth 38.0 mm
Image sensor – back-illuminated “X-Trans™ CMOS 4” sensor, 26.1 million pixels
Image Processing Engine – X-Processor 5
Film simulation dial with 20 Film Simulation modes (same as X-T50) on the top left
Mode dial on the top right
Focus – Face / Eye AF, deep learning technology subject detection AF, “AF predictive algorithm provides high tracking performance for moving subjects and high precision AF in low-contrast environments” Subject detection for animals, birds (insects), cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes (drones), and trains
Video recording – up to 6.2K/30p 4:2:2 10-bit internal, 4K/60p and 1080/240p
Stabilization – digital image stabilization (only for video)
In built 3 microphones, with steady-state noise reduction function and direction selection (surround, front, back, or front and back)
Vlog mode improved with number and placement of icons
New “9:16 short movie mode” for vertical videos
New bit rates of 8 Mbps and 25 Mbps added for easier video exportation to external devices
Compatibility with the Cooling Fan FAN-001 and Tripod Grip TG-BT1

A mini X-S20 without EVF and IBIS

If we compare the specs to the X-S20, they are very similar – the main things that are missing are the EVF and IBIS. It will also have a smaller battery and the grip is hardly noticeable. It does come with 3 build in microphones, but usually these are useful only in a pinch as most content creators use an external microphone. The X-M5 does have a hot shoe, a 3.5 mm stereo microphone jack, a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, USB type C and a micro HDMI connector (same as the X-S20), hopefully on the right side of the device.

The addition of the new bit rates of 8 Mbps /25 Mbps is sensible and paired with the new 9:16 short movie mode will make it optimized for fast creation and exporting of short videos for various social media sites + YouTube shorts.

Will the X-M5 be a success or another disappointment?

This will depend on several factors:

Price – Fujifilm cameras are usually not on the cheap end and I do hope that they won’t inflate the price too much. Ideally, around a 1000$ seems like the right amount, if it will be around 1200$ it will directly compete with the X-S20, which offers more than the X-M5, and it will be more expensive than its main same-category competitor, Sony’s ZV-E10 II.

Autofocus – it looks like it will come with a new version of AI enhanced autofocus technology that should be better that the recent disasters with Fuji’s pro level cameras. A mediocre autofocus would be particularly detrimental for video shooters, which are the main target of this design.

Stabilization – the promoted powerful digital image stabilization will really need to be on Panasonic level to be able to be effective in stabilizing videos, particularly when vlogging on the go. There will probably be a crop which will limit the already low number of lenses that would be viable for this APSC sensor. The lack of stabilization for stills is concerning, as only the variable zoom lenses have IOS, the small prime lenses are all without it.

Recording limits – there was no mention of recording limits, but such a small body and the ability to record in 6.2K/30p 4:2:2 10-bit internal or 4K/60p, there will be overheating present. If they do implement them it would be advisable that they have an option to override these limits, similar to what Panasonic did with the new firmware update for the S9. The compatibility with the FAN-001 cooling fan would suggest that such an option would be plausible and even necessary.

Conclusions

The leaked specs have surpassed my expectations; Fuji didn’t apply the cripple hammer on this model like other companies usually do (looking at you, Canon). It basically has the same specs as the X-S20, with additional optimization for 9:16 short movie filming and exporting. Looking forward to the availability of these new movie and bit rate modes in other Fuji models (via FW update).

Where the X-S20 surpasses it is in the hardware: EVF, IBIS, built in flash (arguably useless in most situations), bigger grip and battery. The addition of the built-in directional microphone is nice to have, but not necessary. And the more X-S20 buttons/dials which is always a plus – more ways to operate and customize your camera for your specific style and needs.

The flat body and lack of protruding grip is not a favorite of mine, particularly for users with bigger hands, this will be a drawback. Much like with the Lumix S9, 3^rd party manufacturers will provide a selection of attachable had grips and cages to improve the handling. I would have preferred an enhanced grip – like the Sony did for the mark 2 of ZV-E10 – with enough space to support the NP-W235 battery.