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We all have been wondering what will the price be of the new X-M5 Fujifilm entry level X-series camera. I mentioned that I hoped it would be under 1000$, ideally around 800$. This seems to be the case as the leaked price of the X-M8 is 899€/799£ for body only, 999€/899£ with the kit lens.
We also got the prices for the two lenses that will also be presented on the 14th of October, the highly anticipated XF 16-55mm F2.8 II, at 1,349€ / 1,149£ / 1,199$, and the prime Fujinon XF 500mmF5.6 at 3,399€ / 2,899£ / 2,999$.
Fuji X-M5 price compared to competition
The X-M5 price of 900€ (probably 800$ but not confirmed) for body only is cheaper than its prime competitor, Sony’s ZV-E10 II, which is currently priced at 998$ body only, 1098$ with kit lens. This places the X-M5 in a good competitive position, having very similar specs, with some added improvements.
DJI pocket 3 is curtly cheaper than the X-M5, at 519$ (669$ with creator combo pack), and while it probably is the best camera for strictly vlogging, it does not have an interchangeable lens, which limits its versatility and is usually not considered a camera for takin photos.
Panasonic’s S9, is nearly double the price of an X-M5, curtly at 1,397$, but it is a full frame camera and it does have (very good) IBIS. Despite the differences it is targeted at the same audience, with very similar features like the real time LUTS, 6k open gate and MP4 lite. It is bigger and heavier (486g), the lens selection is limited. Regarding the lens selection, Sony is a clear winner compared to both systems.
Will the X-M5 be a worthy competitor to the ZV-E10 II?
It depends on its performance in these crucial areas:
Autofocus – Sony cameras are renowned for their autofocus, you can rely on it in video as well as for shooting still. Fuji on the other hand, has currently the worst autofocus in the business, particularly the AF-C for video and photos. They promised that with the upcoming firmware updates these issues should be fixed, but we will have to wait and see if they deliver. The X-M5 might have a completely new AI driven autofocus, which might be great, but it also might not.
Stabilization – Both cameras lack IBIS and rely on digital stabilization plus lens stabilization, if paired with lenses that have it. In the ZV-E10 II turning on the enhanced stabilization comes at the cost of a hefty crop, severely limiting the range of useful lenses for vlogging. I fear the X-M5 will also have a crop when using when using enhanced stabilization. Both cameras would seem on the same level but with Sony you have the possibility of using stabilizing software Catalyst Browse, which does a good job but is limited to 8-bit video.
Overheating – Overheating test done by many content creators have shown that the Sony ZV-E10 II does overheat in hot environments, particularly at 4k 60p, limiting its use for long format videos. The X-M5 has a similar small size body, which limits heat dissipation, and will probably have the same overheating issues. Designers of the X-M5 were fully aware of this issue, that is why the implanted the compatibility with the FAN-001 cooling fan, for users who need longer video recording times. This comes at an additional cost of the cooling fan, but it does provide a solution to the problem of overheating.
Performance will dictate its fate
If the new Fuji camera can perform well, have a reliable autofocus, good image stabilization and not overheat excessively, it will be a huge success. Hopefully Fuji will get it right with this affordable camera and with a well devised marketing campaign, it might even surpass the ZV-E10 II.
