Is the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative? Here comes the real-world review

These similarities are certainly no coincidence. The Fujifilm X-E5 looks like a rangefinder camera and seems to deliver much of what users expect from a Leica M. But is the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative to the Leica? As a long-time rangefinder photographer, I put it to the test.

Let’s start with a trigger warning. I know that there is a certain kind of question that commonly divides the Leica world: can anything truly be an “alternative”? Not a competitor on paper, not a camera with similar specifications, but something that captures at least a trace of the experience — of seeing, handling, and ultimately photographing — that has defined the M system for decades. With the release of the Fujifilm X‑E5, that question has resurfaced once again, perhaps more insistently than before.

In this article, I will focus on whether Leica users might find the Fujifilm X-E5 interesting and if so, for what reasons. While the X-E5 will seem a logical alternative to the CL, I am also keeping M, Q, and SL users in mind. They could be attracted by a camera that looks much like a rangefinder camera but is a modern mirrorless system camera with a purely electronic viewfinder indeed.

How the Fujifilm X-E5 wants to evoke a Leica feeling

At first sight, the X‑E5 seems almost tailor-made to provoke the comparison. It is compact, understated, distinctively rangefinder-styled. And seems to be built around a philosophy that prioritises deliberate photography over technical excess (that’s at least the feeling Fujifilm wishes to evoke). But beyond appearances and spec sheets, the real test lies in use: how it behaves in the hand, how it shapes the act of photographing, and whether it can hold its own not just as a camera, but as a photographic companion in the Leica sense of the word.

To get it straight out of the way: There are far more differences than similarities between a Leica M and the Fujifilm X-E5. One has a full frame sensor and has to be focused manually, the other is APS-C and features autofocus. Differences are less when compared to a Leica Q. But also in this case, we will see that user experience is far from similar. You could even go as far as to say that the closest link between these two cameras is the fact that your viewfinder is on the body’s left side, instead of a middle position as it has been the SLR tradition.

The Fujifilm X-E5, apart from the Leica alternative question

But let’s leave the comparison aspect for a moment and just look at the Fujifilm X-E5.

First impression

The first impression the X-E5 makes is a “wow” effect. When you take the camera out of its box, it oozes quality. There is a lot of solid metal used for the body, and all the main control dials are intuitively understandable. The aperture can be selected on most Fujifilm X-Mount lenses directly.

The beautifully knurled shutter speed dial sits exactly where it is supposed to be. The only thing missing is the hidden ISO setting inside the dial we know from the X100 series. An exposure correction dial is ideally located for easy use. Everything else also appears to be very, very sensibly designed.

Image quality

If you see the first images from the Fujifilm X-E5, you might well understand a bit better why it is so often called a Leica competitor. The 40MP sensor delivers pictures of excellent quality and with a remarkably high contrast range. Often, you can recover even the darkest areas, and the danger of blown highlights is significantly lower than on the M10 I have been using for so long now.

Add to this excellent high ISO performance (6400 fully usable, the rest can be taken care of in post-processing). White balance can be a bit off, however, especially in mixed light situations. As a dedicated RAW photographer, I don’t care that much about it anyway.

Film simulations

Speaking of this: Fuji cameras are also renowned for their film simulation modes. Shame on me, but I have used them only sporadically so far. I always see the beautiful film stetting dial under its glass cover on the top of the camera when I take the X-E5 in my hands. And I keep reminding myself to finally do some serious testing with this typical Fujifilm feature.

Maybe I can overcome my deep-seated preference for shooting RAW only and manage to write a small article on this in the future. You can read here about Mike Evans’ experience with film modes on a different Fujifilm camera, meanwhile. Or you have experience and want to share it in the comments section.

As an interchangeable lens camera (ILC), the Fujifilm X-E5 offers great versatility. You can attach lenses from fisheye to super telephoto. Fujifilm, as well as third-party manufacturers, have nearly 80 to offer here. You are not limited to a certain number of frame lines in your rangefinder, and neither are you to lenses with manual focus and manual aperture setting.

Versatility

For a trip to Rome, I combined the camera and the 23/2.8 kit lens with a Sigma 12/1.4 (18mm equivalent) and the Fujifilm 50/2 (75mm equivalent). I knew I needed a fast super wide angle for indoors and a small telephoto lens for details. And the pancake for moments when you don’t want to carry around a proper photo bag or backpack. And all suited into a small and inconspicuous bag!

I made sure that all lenses are ready for the 40MP sensor — the Sigma 12 is quite new, the Fujifilm pancake 23/2.8 as well, and even the 50/2 from 2017 is rated as 40MP ready. For other older Fujifilm lenses, I would recommend reading reviews carefully. Remember, the small APS-C sensor is densely packed with pixels. This also poses high requirements on the optical quality of lenses, of course.

User interface

All in all, the user experience turned out to be satisfying, but it never even came close to the simplicity and the logistics of a Leica. This is true for a recent M, SL or Q camera. As Jon Cheffings recently pointed out in his excellent article, Leica has made great efforts to achieve user interface convergence. Fujifilm’s menu system is far from being self-explanatory, and many options have to be ferreted from deep inside a complex menu. Why can’t other manufacturers learn from Leica here, also in terms of design and typography? The good news is, however, that you won’t have to delve into the menu often once you have set up the camera to your preferences.

Why people feel the Fujifilm X-E5 is a Leica alternative…

But, then, is it like a Leica? If yes, in what respect, and if no, why? Mind you, it’s getting really subjective now. Maybe you have used the Fujifilm X-E5 as a potential Leica alternative yourself. Or you have already ruled it out for this purpose. Or you are not particularly keen on rangefinder photography, but you find the X-E5 simply cool. In any case, the X-E5 can be a competitor for Leica cameras: It is remarkably smaller than an SL outfit, it is more versatile than a fixed-lens Q, and many will find it easier to use than an M. So, can it hold up to this comparison?

Build quality

One feature a Leica M (and, in fact, Leicas in general) and the Fujifilm X-E5 have in common that any user will immediately perceive: build quality. Among all these plasticky system cameras, these two brands stand out — and Fujifilm even more so, given the moderate price point.

The X-E5 is a particularly good confirmation that good manufacturing quality and a great haptic interface is also possible outside the luxury segment. I don’t see that the enormous price difference — the X-E5 costs one fourth of a Leica Q and one sixth of a Leica M, the latter without any lens.

Haptic controls

And one more thing reminds of a Leica M: You don’t have to look into the viewfinder or at the rear display to read most of the essential settings of this camera. You don’t even have to switch it on to read aperture setting (distinct values with most Fujifilm lenses, or A), shutter speed (between 1s and 1/4000s or A), exposure compensation (between +3 and -3 or C, a programmable value).

Sadly, the ISO setting is not displayed on a custom dial, but then most users will work with auto ISO. You can use one of three individually adjustable limits. You can even set several parameters for each of these limits, including minimum shutter speed, to avoid any risk of blurring. Not only here, the small, but well-designed joystick for moving your autofocus field is very helpful.

Unobtrusiveness

Leica M users will also feel immediately at home with the Fujifilm X-E5 because of its size and the unobtrusive character of this camera. It is a bit smaller than a Leica M and comes at a weight of 445g (M11 black: 530g, all values with battery and SD card).

Many Leica M users love their cameras for their inconspicuous looks, and it does look relatively old-fashioned if you are holding the camera to one side, rather than immediately in front of our face.

This is because the viewfinder sits at the edge of the camera body, of course. We will see how long this exclusive feature will work in case more rangefinder-styled cameras get launched. But for now, it has its undeniable effects, as I noticed in my field tests.

Ecosystem and community

And finally, both Fujifilm and Leica cameras are part of ecosystems which are more than a set of certain technical specifications — at least according to many users, who see themselves more as Fujifilm or Leica fans and less as just customers. Kudos to Fujifilm for playing the niche topic so efficiently.

The proposition of belonging to a community is certainly something that links the two brands. I experienced more than once how another Fujifilm user looked at my camera and started a conversation — something I have only known among Leica users so far. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Fujifilm spokesperson said one day that they looked very closely at what makes Leica successful.

M lenses

An attractive option, especially for Leica M users, might be the possibility to adapt M lenses to the Fujifilm cameras. Fujifilm’s own M adapter is good. Of course, it can’t read out the 6bit code like Leica’s M to L adapter. But you can set six lens profiles with focal length (important for image stabilization), vignetting control and more. For me, these details felt too clumsy, so I make the necessary corrections in Lightroom. I left it at focal length and was happy to see that this value even gets written into your EXIF files.

The 1.5 crop factor turns your 50 into a 75 and your 135 into a 200. And you get the additional advantage that only the best part of your lens will be used. The downside is, of course, that you hardly get very wide angles of view even with the shortest M lenses (the 16-18-21 turns into a 24-27-32). But truth to be told, you can also attach your M lenses to Sony, Canon, or Nikon mirrorless cameras.

… and why the Fujifilm X-E5 can’t be a Leica alternative

We have seen plenty of similarities between Leica M (but also Leica Q) cameras and the Fujifilm X-E5. After many weeks of real-life testing, I have also found numerous things that set the cameras (and brands) apart.

Sensor size

First, we are speaking of different sensor sizes. There certainly is some almost religious zeal for “the bigger, the better”, but you can’t deny that a full frame sensor gives certain unique opportunities, especially when it comes to narrow depth of field.

The 60.2MP full-frame sensor as used in the Q3 or M11 camera features about 70,000 pixels per square millimetre, Fuji’s 40.2 MP sensor has almost 109,000 pixels packed on one square millimetre. However, I never had to complain about the Fujifilm X-E5 in respect to noise or dynamic range. But it is a matter of fact that the individual pixels are smaller than in any full frame sensor. This means that you can still expect better image quality with a bigger sensor.

Viewfinder

Second, despite silly videos on the internet calling the Fujifilm X-E5 a “rangefinder” camera, it isn’t, of course. Others refer to “rangefinder style”, which is a better description. Other than a camera with an optical rangefinder which serves for both framing and focusing, the X-E5 has only an electronic viewfinder.

With its 2.36 MP resolution, it is certainly not state-of-the-art. You can excuse this with the fact that the camera is beautifully small in overall physical size. But it’s still a pity that Fujifilm cheapened out on EVF resolution and size on the X-E5, especially since the equivalent-sized X100VI has a 3.96MP finder.

This somewhat limits the usability of MF lenses (for example, M-Mount via adapter): To check focus, you will have to enlarge the critical part and zoom back afterwards. You can also activate focus peaking with any MF lens. But do make sure the AF/MF switch on the camera is set to M (actually a smart way to turn peaking on and off without going to the menu).

Leica’s newer electronic viewfinders all have better resolutions (5.6MP) than the one in Fujifilm X-E5 (2.36MP). And nothing matches an optical rangefinder when using M-Mount lenses. But that’s another story.

User experience

You can argue that all modern cameras are good, or maybe even very good. But not all are good to use. And it’s especially here where the comparison between a Leica and Fujifilm cameras shows the big difference.

The Fujifilm features a Quick Menu (which can be customised to a certain degree), a main menu, plenty of buttons and dials and comes with a 154-page printed “basic” and a 424-page digital handbook. In a way, it is astonishing how many settings you can change — but it is also confusing and can make working with the camera slow. Sure, you can forget most once you have set up your camera, but it’s still annoying. And it shows how well Leica is doing with their focus on user experience.

I really do wish for a firmware update for the Fujifilm X-E5, giving a new option for “simplified use”. This would feature a cleaner looking Quick Menu and a stripped-down main menu. But maybe that’s not what many Fujifilm customers want, unless they are coming from Leica.

Lenses

I have not yet tested a wide range of Fujifilm X-Mount lenses. The 16-50/2.8-4.8 (24-75 equiv.) zoom on an X-T50 saw much use for my professional assignments, and I found the lens surprisingly good for a kit lens. I also used the 18/2, the 23/2.8 (which came with the X-E5), and the 50/2.

All of them were good, but maybe you can’t expect highest-end optics in this price range. I made no 1:1 tests. But I would say that I liked Leica’s APS-C lenses better. I always cherished the compact Summicron 23/2, the Summilux 35/1.4 and the 11-23 zoom.

I also used the Sigma 10-18, which is tiny yet fast at f/2.8. In addition, I was able to test the Sigma 12/1.4 which has exciting tech specs, and it does hold true to that. A few additional shots I took with the (rather old) Sigma 56/1.4, which is also available for L-Mount. The results looked promising.

This review is certainly not a dedicated lens test. But I’ll go so far as to say that photographers for whom the newer Leica M lenses or the 28mm or 43mm of the Q models are something of a standard will have to expect a few compromises with Fujifilm.

Is the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative? Who this camera is for?

We have noted that the X-E5 isn’t a Leica M killer. It can’t replace the unique experience of rangefinder photography. One thing is autofocus, one other is program mode. I guess most Fujifilm X-E5 users will activate both. And rightly so, both auto functions are excellent. Nailing your focus is easy thanks to face, animal, car or almost whatever recognition. And exposure as almost always spot-on.

So I would rather compare the X-E5 to a Leica Q, adding the benefit of interchangeable lenses. In a way, you can get a 28mm plus a 43mm equivalent (X-E5 with the small 18/2 and the 27/2.8) at third of the price for one Leica Q. You trade in sensor size, resolution and speed, but get a very viable solution for many photographic tasks. As Mike Evans points out, the X-E5 with the new 18/1.4, which he regards highly, makes an even more interesting Q3 substitute.

For M users, the X-E5 can be a nice addition to their kit. I can also recommend it as an alternative when you need something for easy-going photography. Or if you want to give the camera to some less experienced shooter at times, for example during a family reunion.

In all these respects, the Fujifilm X-E5 can be a Leica alternative. That’s simply because it shares quite a few of the appealing qualities of a Leica. And it can’t be a Leica alternative because it lacks many of the typical Leica qualities. But for many photographers who yearned for a Leica but were never able to afford or master one, the X-E5 might well bring relief.

A wider look into the Fujifilm universe

Fujifilm has established itself as a highly innovative and ambitious camera and lens maker. Their belief in this niche and their success is remarkable. One part of this niche is a “classic” user experience with traditional aperture, shutter speed and other settings. And if you look around, you will soon see that not only older men, deeply rooted in the film era of photography, are attracted to this concept. So, the Fujifilm alternatives to the X-E5 come to mind.

Most notably, these are the X100VI with its fixed focal length lens and the X-T50 with its more SLR-like design. The latter one I used a lot more often in the past year than the X-E5. But, in principle, everything to do with the sensor and the lenses can easily be applied to the X-E5, just as it applies to the X-T50.

All three cameras (X100IV, X-T50, X-E5) share the same 40MP sensor. A comparison between these three similarly priced Fujifilm cameras is already in the works. We will cover it again from the viewpoint of a long-term Leica user.

Conclusion: Is the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative? Yes and no…

Is, to come back to the initial question, the Fujifilm X-E5 a Leica alternative? I would say that it depends on what you mean by “Leica”.

If an M camera is the point of reference, the answer is No. The Fujifilm X-E5 will, with its electronic viewfinder, never give you the rangefinder experience, for better or for worse. And it won’t link you to a 100-year-long tradition of photography with all these big names and iconic images. Furthermore, the user experience will not even come close to the pureness and easiness of handling a Leica M. Here, even the Fujifilm X-E5’s closest recent Leica M counterpart, the M EV1 with its electronic-only viewfinder, is miles ahead.

But if “Leica” means for you a remarkably compact, unobtrusive camera which is capable of delivering high-quality images even in difficult conditions, the answer is Yes.

Add to this a price tag that makes this camera far more widely accessible. And the fact that you might feel more comfortable when strolling around with a €1,700 kit instead of a €15,000 camera and lens combo. At the end of the equation, you might well feel that the Fujifilm X-E5 can easily be a very valid Leica alternative. 

Just to put it into perspective: The Fujifilm X-E5 with the 23/2.8 has a recommended retail price of €1,799 | £1,549 | $1699.95, the 50/2 comes at €499 | £429 | $314.95, the Sigma 12/1.4 at €599 |£519 | $579.00 and the Sigma 10-18/2.8 at €749 | £649 | $679.00. Street prices can be considerably lower.

And just in case you are still mourning your Leica CL and its beautiful lenses, be it as a standalone kit or as an addition to your M outfit: console yourself with the Fujifilm X-E5. The camera outperforms the CL and T/TL/TL2 in almost every respect. It’s only a pity that you can’t adapt the L-Mount lenses.

And, for what it’s worth, I have a strong feeling that Oskar Barnack, in his quest for a small and capable camera, would have liked the Fujifilm X-E5.

Discover more:

Articles by Jörg-Peter Rau	Leica vs. Fujifilm: How the race was won
Mike Evans on the Fujifilm X100VI	Fujifilm GFX100RF medium-format camera
Lee Aspland on the Fujifilm X-T50	The entire Macfilos coverage of Fujifilm

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