Quick take: I paired Fujifilm's smallest, cheapest camera, the $800 X-M5, with its biggest lens, the 200mm F2, because it's ridiculous and fun. It worked great for both photos and video, which says a lot about how good even entry-level cameras have become. It also got me thinking about how camera YouTube has become obsessed with tiny spec gaps, and why I want my channel to focus more on making things than chasing gear.
The Smallest Camera, the Biggest Lens
The X-M5 is Fujifilm's entry-level, EVF-less camera, made to lure smartphone shooters into interchangeable lenses. The 200mm F2 is a professional sports lens. I rigged them together with a mini Rigzilla setup and went for a walk. Funny enough, you're really just carrying the weight of the lens. The camera feels like nothing.
What's the Point?
With every new camera release, people lose their minds over small imperfections: it can't record 8K 60 RAW internally for 30-plus minutes, or the autofocus didn't guess exactly what they wanted. The X-M5 shows how ridiculous that has gotten. It's an $800 beginner camera, and it handles a pro lens just fine.
The State of Entry-Level Cameras
Where Fujifilm stands out is that it purpose-builds its lenses for APS-C. For most other brands, APS-C lenses are an afterthought to get you into the mount. Fuji's 200mm F2 is a pro lens, and it works as well on the X-M5 as it does on the X-H2S, for photos and for video. The X-M5 even shoots 6.2K open gate, which my Canon R5 Cs don't.
Why I Have the X-M5
I bought the X-M5 to replace my X-H2S, then it became my second angle because it's so easy to color match. Now it's mainly my on-the-go YouTube camera, along with the Canon PowerShot V1. It has some of the best autofocus I've used in a while, probably Fuji's best or second-best algorithm.
Fuji's Autofocus Reputation
The running joke is that Fuji autofocus is terrible, and Fuji earned some of that. But I went pro in video with the X-T3, when people were already complaining about its autofocus. I think a lot of people don't want to admit they have to learn how to use their cameras.
Shooting With It
I hadn't used the 200mm F2 in two years, since I haven't shot sports in a while. Out on the trail, I found some deer, and the combo performed very well. Even the JPEGs looked great, aside from the heavy haze. As I showed in my Canon 5D Classic video, if you're focused on photos, even 10 megapixels goes a long way.
Good glass goes a long way. I used to know a sports photographer who owned his lenses and rented camera bodies for every event. It sounds insane, but it's a smart business move, especially if you can bill the rental to the client.
Let's Talk About Camera YouTube
If I had to, I could run my talking-head client work on a pair of X-M5s today. I bought my Canon R5 Cs because of overheating issues shooting outdoors in direct sun, and I worked around the X-T3's 30-minute limit and overheating by recording externally.
Camera YouTube has become almost all gear. That makes sense, since we have questions before we buy. But the tutorials that got me into this field are now locked behind paywalls that repackage the basics, and YouTube is flooded with reviews that repeat the marketing points companies send. My favorite video I've made recently was about the 20-year-old Canon 5D Classic. No links, just photos and simplicity, and a lot of you enjoyed it too.
So more of my videos will focus on affordable gear, camera techniques, editing, storytelling and fun photo shoots. You can take good photos and video with almost anything released in the last 8 to 10 years. And please stop treating menus as a gotcha in reviews. Use any camera for a week and you'll get used to its menus.
My Fujifilm Wishlist
Fujifilm needs a new processor and a new autofocus algorithm. The X-H2S and X-M5 have mostly caught up, but they're still maybe a generation behind Canon and Sony, with Sony ahead of everyone. The X-H2S still shows a weird exposure flicker, something you won't see even on Canon's PowerShot V1. Fixing that has to be a priority for Fuji's next cameras.
Final Thoughts
If you want an entry-level camera with good autofocus and incredible video features, the X-M5 is an easy recommendation. You can add a cooling fan for long recording and shoot 6.2K Blackmagic RAW or ProRes RAW externally. It has no IBIS, rolling shutter is just okay, and it's a single-card-slot entry-level body, so it's not ideal for tight sports video. But if you really want to, you can, and that's a little ridiculous.
Keep Reading
Gear in This Video
Gear in this video
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying through these links costs you nothing extra and helps support the channel.
