hoangbre@gmail.com
- Official teaser shows off new camera in silhouette
- Voiceover describes the X-E rangefinder-style line as an “essential” part of X Series history
- Expect a full launch at the Fujifilm X Summit on June 12 2025
A 15-second teaser video, released today ahead of next week’s Fujifilm X Summit event, appears to all but confirm that the Fujifilm X-E5 is being announced imminently.
The short film shows a compact camera and lens in silhouette, with most of its details dark and obscured, while a voiceover says, “There’s another rangefinder-style series that’s just as essential when telling the story of our X Series history”.
Given said image follows those of X100 and X-Pro series cameras in the teaser, the remaining Fujifilm rangefinder-style series this refers to is undoubtedly the X-E range, and so it follows that the obscured image must be of the long-rumored X-E5.
The X-E series of cameras have APS-C sensors and a compact rangefinder-style body, just like the popular X100VI – but also support interchangeable lenses.
Watch On
What could the X-E5 have in store for us?
The X-E5 would be the first new X-E range release since the X-E4, which launched in 2021. It had a 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, no in-body stabilization (IBIS), no viewfinder, no weather-sealing and only a single SD card slot.
The X-E4 also stripped back physical controls like dials and buttons to the bare minimum. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing in a camera, but some felt Fujifilm went a little too minimalist for its own good here – to the point where it actually impacted on the camera’s user-friendliness.
If I was to draw up a personal wish list of improvements I want for the X-E5 (bearing in mind that it’s always going to have to make compromises here and there to keep its price affordable), I’d love to see the inclusion of IBIS and weather-sealing, which would give all-round image performance an overall boost while making the camera a bit hardier and more travel-friendly. Throw in a viewfinder and it might be the perfect affordable street photography camera.
Previous rumors about the X-E5 suggest that at least one of my wishes is coming true. Fuji Rumors has reported that the camera will have IBIS and a 40MP X-Trans V sensor, bringing it more in line with Fujifilm’s fixed-lens superstar, the X100VI.
Of course, the X-E5 will also be an interchangeable lens camera, so it’ll offer greater versatility than the X100VI. In fact, it seems likely to be launching alongside a new X-mount prime lens, the XF23mm f/2.8. This is rumored to be a low-profile pancake lens, portable and discreet – and mounted on a body like the X-E5, the two should make a very compact pairing.
There’s not long to wait now to find out exactly what Fujifilm has up its sleeves for the X-E series. That June 12 X Summit can’t roll round fast enough. Let us know what kind of camera you’d like to see unveiled next week in the comments below.
