Quick take: I took the Fujifilm X-T5 on a photo walk the day firmware 4.10 dropped, with an adapted Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II and the Fuji 70-300mm with a 2x teleconverter. Autofocus was solid and didn't hunt, bird detection worked well, and video tracking on a person was good. It still struggles to grab small subjects behind brush. Honestly, I never had autofocus problems with the X-T5 before the update either.
Why I Tested It
I was supposed to be shooting my what's-in-my-bag video for 2025, but Fujifilm dropped firmware 4.10 for the X-T5 (along with updates for several other cameras) the night before, so I wanted to see if it was any good. I'd already tested the X-H2S's recent firmware update, and I came away impressed.
To be clear, I didn't have autofocus problems with the X-T5's previous firmware. Stress tests are very different from how people actually use these cameras, so instead of something exotic like the Fuji 200mm F2, I tested two lenses normal people might actually use.
Test 1: Adapted Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II
The first lens was the Canon EF 35mm F1.4L II on a Fringer EF-X adapter, about a 53mm full-frame equivalent. If you're coming to Fuji from Canon with a bag of EF lenses, the Fringer is my favorite EF to X-mount adapter so far.
With bird detection on, it picked up geese well, though it once decided ripples in the water were a bird. For subjects at the edges of the frame, I still had to tilt toward them and half-press the shutter before it locked on. I usually keep subjects centered or track them, so that may be normal. The main takeaway from this test was that the autofocus didn't hunt, but it didn't hunt for me before either.
Image quality from the Canon is good, and it was one of Canon's first lenses with their blue refractive optics, which virtually eliminate chromatic aberration. For the size and weight, though, I think you're better off with the Fuji 33mm F1.4, or the old 35mm, which match the camera's size much better.
Test 2: Fuji 70-300mm With a 2x Teleconverter
The 70-300mm is a great small zoom that pairs perfectly with a camera this size. With the 2x teleconverter I could push continuous autofocus harder.
A large bird overhead: it didn't do well at first, then locked on.
Crows and open subjects: it picked them up well.
A small bird behind brush: it wouldn't pick him up. Even in continuous tracking I had to let go of the shutter and press again. Objects in front of subjects are probably where Fuji's autofocus can improve next. My Canon would likely have grabbed him, and Sony handles this really well without you having to re-press.
Bird eye detection: it feels very Sony-like and worked better for me than the subject modes did on the X-H2S last time.
This is also why I always carry a simple telephoto. You never know what you're going to see, including a full-on goose fight.
Wildlife Video Test
I shot handheld video of ducks without an ND, stopped down to F20. Bird detection had him in focus even when the detection box didn't show, though at one point it started hunting oddly. Like I remember from the Fuji 16-80mm, I sometimes had to half-press to get it to focus. I may have been under minimum focus distance at that focal length.
Video Autofocus on a Person
To finish, I filmed myself with the Canon 35mm and moved around the frame. Tracking was pretty good. Continuous video autofocus is a lot harder than photo autofocus, and it held up well. If you use the X-T5 as your main video camera, it's in good shape.
Video vs the X-H2S and Canon
After the X-H2S's last firmware update, I couldn't really tell the difference between it and my Canon R5 C for single-subject video autofocus, and I'd say they're on par. I'm really happy with the X-H2S for video. What I really wish the X-T5 had gotten is open gate recording, my favorite X-H2S feature. The X-T5 does shoot a cropped 6.2K, and having that extra resolution to recompose in post is a big deal compared to cameras stuck at 4K.
Final Thoughts
The X-T5 isn't a sports camera, and most people aren't tracking much beyond their kids. In my experience it never had problematic autofocus, so for me 4.10 wasn't a dramatic change. If you did have hangups about its autofocus, it's now solid for photos and video, and bird detection is genuinely good. Its weak spot is still small subjects partially hidden behind objects.
For more on how I carry this gear, see what's in my camera bag for 2025.
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