Good Camera? Not So Good? Why Are Reviews Of The Fujifilm X-T5 So Varied? My Take On It

Abandoned Cabin. Colorado. (click to enlarge)

Recently, I received an email from one of my blog readers lamenting that a review he read (he included the link) was not particularly kind to the Fujifilm X-T5, specifically the autofocus.  Here is a largely intact edited version of my reply.  These comments generally represent my thoughts about reviews and reviewers.

I can’t comment on the X-T5 from a ‘user’ perspective because I’ve never used one. However, I’ve viewed and read more than 30 YouTube videos, articles or blog posts about the X-T5 so I’m seeing what others’ experiences have been. I can’t condemn nor praise the camera at this point in time since I have no personal experience with it.

However, my first response is that, in my judgment, most of these (I’ll call them for lack of a better word) 'reviewers' haven’t used the camera long enough nor have they delved deeply into and tried various settings to optimize their results. Most seem to take the camera out with factory default settings, make some images and then pretty quickly, report on it. Some only for a couple of days, some for a couple of weeks before they have to send it back. I don’t believe you can really understand how to fully exploit the capabilities of a camera in that short time frame and under limited conditions. 

From my personal experience, with my recently acquired Fujifilm X-H2S, it took me more than two months using the camera under a wide variety of conditions and trying different combinations of settings to optimize the AF tracking and increase my ‘hit’ rate, etc. Out of the box default settings were not optimized for identifying and tracking various moving subjects, in my opinion. Not that my X-H2S is perfect. I have identified some things that need improved but my results were much better once I extensively used the camera.

Second, most of the reviews I’ve seen have praised the X-T5 and said the AF was a big step up from the X-T4. Others, not so much. Go figure?  I can’t explain why some think it is better and others not. Maybe the ones who say it is better experimented more and/or made adjustments to the AF settings? Maybe they practiced different kinds of photography.  Every camera has strengths and weaknesses and some are better for some types of photography and others better for other types of photography.  Who knows why their opinions vary so widely?  Often times reviewers review from their personal standpoint and what's best for them.

We have to also keep in mind that this camera does not have a stacked sensor which makes it much slower than the X-H2S. Fujifilm said just that. They said the AF was slower but it had better accuracy due to so many more phase detect AF points built into the 40mp versus 26mp sensor. Additionally, the 40mp is a lot of data compared to 26.2mp. So not focusing as fast seems logical.

Third, I have some photographer friends whose judgment I trust that are using the X-T5 and they all love it. One is a podcaster with more than 40 years photographic experience, owns the Sony A1, the OM Systems OM-1 and the Canon R5, and he has praised the camera. He says the R5 is the best camera he has ever used and he has been primarily a Nikon guy over the decades, so praising the X-T5 comes with an educated and experienced perspective. He was the one who first alerted me to the AF issues in Fujifilm’s previous cameras (which have been largely corrected through that last firmware update.) I consider his opinion as unbiased and educated.

Fourth, I think everyone has set their expectations too high in thinking that Fujifilm’s initial iteration in the AF subject tracking arena would equal or best Sony, Nikon or Canon. The X-T5 (X-H2 and X-H2S) is first generation and less expensive. I think Fujifilm is still learning the ins and outs of AF subject recognition and tracking and will issue a firmware update when they have developed a significant improvement. Additionally, like all manufacturers, their AF will improve with time just as did IBIS and other features. I think too high expectations might be responsible for some of the criticism. I don’t think I ever read Fujifilm say their AF subject tracking was the best in the industry.

Lastly, personal bias, for or against, a particular brand or model camera becomes apparent when you look at a body of work by some of these reviewers. Not many give completely unbiased reviews, especially if they count on reviews (re: clicks) as part of their income, need people to come to their sites and receive free test samples from the manufacturer.  Of course some are honest but many, I believe, skew their reports, overtly or implicitly, due to their biases.

In sum, I guess I would recommend taking all of the reviews with a grain of salt. There may be some that are truly unbiased, thorough and based upon weeks if not months of use in a wide variety of situations by people who are not affiliated with Fujifilm, any other camera manufacturer and haven't received the camera for free as a test sample. I will listen to and believe an unbiased, highly experienced, non-affiliated person who uses the camera for the kinds of photography I practice.  After all, a great landscape camera doesn't necessarily translate into a great sports camera.

I have an X-T5 on order.  Heaven knows when it will arrive!  When it does arrive, I’ll use it for a couple of months in a variety of conditions with a variety of subjects, changing settings, changing them again and again to see if certain settings work better for each condition and see what I can get out of it. But my intended use is not fast AF subject tracking but exploiting the 40mp sensor for landscapes, cityscapes, Americana, old infrastructure, and the other subjects I enjoy seeking out and photographing.  

Of course, all of this is speculation on my part since I've never even held the camera.

By the way, I have having no trouble with the X-H2S in the way of focus accuracy or consistency as I previously had with the X-T4. Very accurate and very consistent AF.

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Thanks for looking. Enjoy!

Dennis A. Mook

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