I am no stranger to Fujifilm. I maintained a comprehensive Fuji kit, alongside by M cameras and lenses, until as late as 2015. Then, the advent of the Leica T prompted me to change my APS-C allegiance. This turned out to be a monumental mistake, although I did enjoy the roller-coaster ride at the time, sampling all three Ts and the CL. I believed in Leica; I followed the company’s APS-C machinations uphill and down dale, innocently toddling into several of Wetzlar’s dead ends. I suspect many readers will have shared my journey.
In common with many readers and associates in the Leica world, I spent a lot of money keeping up with Leica’s rather haphazard journey through the world of APS-C. The X1, the X2, the X, the X Vario all came and went. When the Leica T arrived, I finally thought they had their act together. It was innovative and showed great promise, and it came with some interesting lenses to add to my collection.
Throughout all this, I never lost faith, and I welcomed the CL with open arms. This was it, the promised start of a new and exciting phase in APS-C photography. More cash, more shelves filled. Then disappointment yet again. When will we ever learn?
“It started in 2024 when I was able to buy one of the rare-as-hens-teeth X100VI compacts”
Meanwhile, good old Fujifilm has been beavering along with its Kaizen and I discovered that I could just jump back on the moving wagon. Unlike Leica, Fujifilm had been beavering away with a clear objective in mind. A good system had become a much better system over 15 years of dedication. If only I’d kept all those lenses that I unloaded when tempted by Leica’s TL!
The Fujifilm resurrection (for me) all started in 2024 when I was able to buy one of the rare-as-hens-teeth X100VI compacts — at full price, of course. I came to love this camera, and it was my constant travel companion during 2025.
Less of a burden
As I get older, I am finding the Leica SL3 — Leica’s only current autofocus interchangeable-lens mirrorless camera — to be a burden when tramping around foreign parts. With Fujifilm, I can build an effective lighter system more easily than with Leica. I acknowledge the many advantages of a full-frame system, but for me the compromise is worth it from a practical perspective.
And even the X100VI is less than two-thirds the weight of its Leica fixed-lens colleague, the Q3. It is easier to carry and offers great image quality. I’m not saying it offers better image quality and resolution than the Leica Q3 or Q3 43 — that is not the case — but it is more convenient and less stressful to carry around. It’s horses for courses. But when you get older, those horses need a bit more encouragement.
Satisfied with the X100VI (for much the same reasons that Jörg-Peter detailed in his article), I decided to re-explore Fujifilm’s system cameras. The natural choice for me, as a fan of the X100 format, was the almost identical X-E5. It follows the design ethos of the world-beating compact, but offers much more versatility.
Film simulations
Fujifilm’s simulations or recipes, based on classic film products, represent another compelling reason to go for this system. They are some of the best in the business, and add a great deal of fun to your photography, whether you shoot JPEGs or just RAW. Whether you use them for the finished product or not, they are undeniably fun to play with.
I’m currently firmly in the RAW camp, but I do enjoy playing with the simulations because they change the viewfinder image to create a good impression of what the picture could look like after processing. Impressively, all the Fuji film simulations are available in Lightroom (only, of course, if you have used a Fuji camera) so you can play around with the full complement of recipes as a starting point for image processing.
For reference, for most of the pictures in this article (except the historic shots) I applied a film simulation during processing in Lightroom and have made only minimal tweaks. So, if you prefer shooting JPEGS, these images are more or less what the camera would produce.
Nevertheless, there is one aspect of the Fuji system that I do not like. The menus are at best unintuitive and at worst thoroughly confusing. I abhor the mix of fonts, and I hate the condensed capitals with a passion. Fortunately, this isn’t a dealbreaker. Almost everything I require frequently can be set on the Q menu. And, truth be told, Fuji’s menu system is probably no worse than, say, Sony’s or Panasonic’s efforts. In this one aspect, come back Leica, all is forgiven!
The X-E5
The little X-E5 has proved to be a sound choice, and I am thoroughly enjoying my time with it. I bought it from a small family Fuji dealer in West London, Chiswick Camera Centre (there aren’t many of them left, and they are worth supporting).
On a whim, I bought the body only rather than the kit with the 23mm (35mm-equivalent) f/2.8 pancake. In retrospect, this was probably a mistake because I have since bought the pancake to add to my collection. As you will have read, Jörg-Peter took the opposite choice.
But, at the time, I figured at the time that the 23mm would replicate the capabilities of the X100VI, although a stop slower. Instead of taking the pancake, I snapped up a small second-hand 16-50mm zoom lens, and the camera and lens cost was the same as the XE-5 kit with the pancake.
The new 16-50mm zoom is something of a gem. It weighs only 240g and is just over 70mm long. Furthermore, all the zooming is done internally, unlike with the majority of such lenses. To all intents and purposes, it feels and looks like a small prime while offering a very usable full-frame equivalent range of 24-75mm.
Stabilisation
The 16-50 doesn’t have OIS (but the X-E5 body offers 5-axis IBIS with up to seven stops of compensation in the centre of the frame and six stops at the edges), and it isn’t the fastest zoom on the planet, with its relatively modest aperture range of f/2.8-4.8. But it is designed for the new high-resolution sensor and offers outstanding sharpness and rendering.
This zoom (let’s not call it a “kit lens”, for that would be an unwarranted insult) makes a very congenial and capable companion for general photography and travel, and I hope to review it in the future.
The X-E5 and this miniature zoom together weigh just 685g. My only non-rangefinder system camera, the Leica SL3, weighs just under 1.5kg when paired with the “economy” Leica 28-70 f/2.8 Elmarit zoom. You have to really need the extra resolution and the fixed aperture to carry around over twice the weight. But I still love the SL3, and it’s my outfit of choice for special events — especially when I can travel by car and don’t have to lug it around on public transport.
Another lens
I required another lens, preferably a prime, that wouldn’t look unwieldy on the small X-E5 and which would give me a faster prime experience. I went for the new and much-recommended 18mm f/1.4 LM WR X which is equivalent to a full-frame focal length of around 28mm.
The 18mm f/1.4 is one of the best lenses ever made by Fuji, according to reviewers, and the output is outstanding from the 40MP sensor. Again, it doesn’t have OIS, but the camera’s IBIS is capable of handling most situations.
Both of these lenses are solidly built and feature weather sealing. Unfortunately, the X-E5 is not weather resistant (unlike the X-T5), but this is something I am prepared to live with for now. Fuji’s weather-resistant alternatives are bigger and heavier, but I have my name on an X-T6 when it is announced.
One of the problems for a Leica enthusiast moving into Fujifilm is the seemingly low price of the equipment. It’s an egregious temptation for the wallet. In fact, brought up on Leica glass, I felt like a kid in a candy store when reviewing the vast panoply of new and used Fujinon lenses.
As a result, I couldn’t resist adding a 50mm f/2 to my collection. It’s a well-established Fujinon lens with an excellent reputation and a very useful 75mm full-frame equivalent.
Into the future with Fuji
And the future? I am definitely enjoying my return to the Fuji X system, and I am already eyeing the prospects. There is a vast range of great glass out there, ancient and modern (“get thee behind me, Satan…”). After all, the system has been popular for 15 years and the used market is full of tempting offers.
However, I will endeavour to choose lenses that are fully compatible with the resolution demands of the new 40MP sensor.
I have my eyes on a very fast 56(85)mm (or a Sigma alternative) and the little 27(40)mm f/2.8 pancake is also an attractive proposition.
Or, perhaps, I should go for the affordable TTArtisans version, which costs around £150. Just for the heck of it because the native Fujinon is worth the extra.
And something else: I intend using my M lenses on the XE-5. Fortunately, I found an old Fujifilm XF-M adapter at the back of a drawer. I’d bought it in 2012 when I was enthused by the prospect of using M lenses on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and X-E1. Now, having just acquired a Leica M EV1, I am keenly anticipating a comparing the two systems. Which will be easier to use and easiest to focus? Watch this space.
“These costs underline the relative economy of a high-end APS-C system”
The numbers
The cost of my initial foray into the Fujifilm APS-C system? Below I quote current street prices, but you should check local suppliers. Note that in some countries, the 16-50 f/2.8-4/8 zoom is sold in a kit with the X-T5 and can be found frequently on the used market at a good saving.
Incidentally, these costs underline the relative economy of a high-end APS-C system when compared with the cost of an equivalent full-frame outfit. Such a system also much more affordable than Leica’s outgoing CL/TL cameras. But perhaps this explains why Leica couldn’t make the CL pay.
Since a chunk of my kit was bought second-hand, I have included what I paid to compare the overall bagful with the recommended retail prices. Any reader entering the Fuji system will choose at least some second-hand glass.
The lovely Fujifilm X100VI is still on the books, although it is not relevant to this discussion of system cameras. However, I did take the opportunity to unload the X100 tele and wide-angle converter lenses which I had been using with the fixed-lens camera. No need for them now, and I was able to buy the 50 f/2 with the proceeds.
| THE KIT | THE NEW COST | WE PAID (*used) |
| Fujifilm X-E5 system body | £1,199 | €1,549 | $1,699 | £1,199 | =€1,366 | =$1,610 |
| Fujinon XF 18mm f/1.4 R LM WR | £849 | €1,099 | $1199 | £575* | =€665 | =$772 |
| Fujinon XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR | £599 | €799 | $849 | £400* | =€463 | =$537 |
| Fujinon XF 50mm f/2 R WR | £392 | €499 | $499 | £210* | =€243 | =$282 |
| Fujinon XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR | £399 | €449 | $499 | £379 | =€439 | =$509 |
| Total | £3,438 | €4,395 | $4,745 | £2,763 | =€3,194 | =$3,710 |
I am sure you can do better if you search around, and in some countries you will do considerably better. Note, as always, that the quoted new prices include around 20 per cent tax in Britain and Europe, while the US recommended prices are before tax. The euro and dollar prices in the “we paid” column are a straight conversion from £ sterling.
As mentioned earlier, our editorial colleague Jörg-Peter Rau in Germany has been on a parallel journey in looking for a smaller system following Leica’s unpopular withdrawal from the market. He described his starter kit in this article.
The strange thing is that we didn’t even discuss it. I had no idea he was thinking of moving to Fuji, and it was a surprise to find he had independently acquired the XE-5 at almost the same time I did. It was this coincidence that prompted us to plan our recent APS-C week, and we are delighted to see the excellent response.
What’s your view?
Have you given up on APS-C since Leica discontinued the system? Are you plodding on with the CL and lenses until the equipment becomes unserviceable? Or are you, like half the Macfilos team, making a bold move? What’s more, do you agree with our choice of Fujifilm or do you favour another brand?
Note: The feature image of the Polaroid at the top of this article was taken in “Colourful Lane”, No 66, Mafang Bay, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China, with the Fujifilm X100VI (©Mike Evans)
| Why Macfilos chose Fuji as it’s APS-C system | APS-C still has a pulse — Leica’s CL and TL |
| How Leica evolved: Key tech from APS-C | Fujinon XF 18mm f/1.4 long-term review |
| Fuji on Macfilos over the years |
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