What the Fujifilm X-T5 Taught Me About Photography
I put out a video recently about how I never really got along with the Fujifilm X-T5, and how a six-week trip through Mexico showed me that in no uncertain terms. The central theme of which was that the experience gained out in the field, is far more important than worrying about having the perfect gear.
In this article, I thought I’d talk through some of these themes a little, but if you didn’t catch that video yet and would like to see it, you can give it a watch here:
And if you’re new here, hey! I’m Nick. Full-time traveler/suitcase dweller, street photographer, and filmmaker on the road now, non-stop for the last couple of years.
I make videos and write about travel, photography, and life as a creative. If that sounds like your cup of tea, give me a follow over on Instagram or YouTube!
Love/hate relationship with the Fujifilm X-T5
If you know me, it’s no secret that I’ve never really loved the Fujifilm X-T5.
I consider myself a photographer who makes short films and videos, not a content creator who occasionally snaps a photo.
When I was last looking for a hybrid camera to be my “main” rig, the idea of sacrificing the photo-centric ergonomics I’d come to know and love about Fujifilm was a hard pill to swallow.
I pour countless hours into my work each year, and every detail matters. It’s hard not to dwell on gear that doesn’t quite meet my needs, and I suspect many of you feel the same.
But as I said, during my time in Mexico early last year, after already having felt lukewarm about the T5, I realized two things:
It was simply never going to be the right camera for me
I was going to have to embrace it anyway
That second point came down to convenience.
Traveling full-time meant juggling multiple trips all year… from Mexico City and Baja to Guatemala, then Denmark and Portugal in the summer, with stops in a bunch of my favorite U.S. cities along the way.
I didn’t have the luxury of buying a whole other camera due to lack of space in my bags, plus the logistical challenges associated with selling a camera on the road meant I wasn’t going to be able to swap it out quickly unless I got super lucky with a quick sale.
I was worried about the timing too, potentially going without the ability to shoot video during an important trip, which made me too nervous to try.
Plus, every camera I was considering hopping to was above the $2,000 mark so it wasn’t an easy decision, or one to be made overnight either.
So where did that leave me? Stuck with the T5 until I had a chance to breathe, settle down for a little while after the holidays back home in cold, snowy, Denver.
And the result?
I learned a lot over the course of a year spent taking tens of thousands of photos + hours of footage with a camera I never quite loved.
Experience vs. the “perfect tool”
Even if you feel like your camera setup is missing a feature or two, the act of creating with what you have, and the experience gained along the way, is 100x more valuable.
Whether it’s making do with an imperfect tool like the T5, working with someone you don’t always get along with, or even handling an unwanted task like a dentist visit, these challenges are all part of life, part of the journey.
From the Torre Latinoamericana in Centro, CDMX. 180 pesos well spent.
Photography is a huge part of my life, and I think it’s fair to want to love my camera and have a seamless shooting experience with it. Yet, I had a tool and a job, and I wasn’t going to let my minor grievances with the T5 block me from pursuing my work.
Would a different camera have produced better results?
Short answer: It’s debatable.
While there were technical limitations I was working around in addition to workflow, style, and taste incompatibilities:
Too much resolution - I will die on this hill, no one with a mid-range APS-C camera needs 40mp
Challenging/unpleasant/lackluster color science and sensor behavior compared to the older X-Trans IV sensors (Pro 3, T4, X-E4, x100v etc.)
No way to monitor exposure or focus while recording talking heads or anything in front of the camera - my fault for thinking I could get around this with the Fuji X App, which also doesn’t work
Plastic-y, low quality, overall feel
Unusable continuous autofocus, unreliable autofocus in general
Slow, inaccurate auto exposure, and absurd exposure shifts while recording video that ruined clips for me countless times. Yes, I can lock auto exposure. No, I don’t want to. I’d like to trust a brand new, $2,000 camera to make slight exposure adjustments while recording when necessary.
And of course, editing tools like Lightroom partially remedy some concerns with the sensor, but I was still never as happy with my final images compared with my results from older Fuji cameras, even after taking tens of thousands of photos with the T5.
From Castillo de Chapultepec
It was certainly not for lack of trying. You can read more about each of the above gripes in my initial T5 article. I find it a little hilarious that nothing ever really changed for me with this camera, even from day 1, as that article was titled “Everything I Hate About the Fujifilm X-T5”.
Photographers and their cameras
I’ve always believed that the relationship we have with our gear affects our work.
Ironically, that’s why I chose the Fujifilm X-T5 in the first place and tried to force it to work for me as a hybrid camera.
If a more seamless experience had been possible, maybe I’d have been even more excited to shoot. But in the end, the experience I gained by persisting with what I had proved invaluable.
Centro, CDMX
Any modern camera is capable of great results, and the T5 is no exception, even despite my complaints.
For some, it’s the perfect photography-centric camera that also offers passable video specs. I made my investment under that assumption, and it carried me through a year of travel with sharp, well-exposed, and sometimes even in-focus images. For that, I’m grateful.
My question to you:
Have you ever felt held back by your gear or lack thereof?
What tips do you have for focusing on what’s in your hand and pushing forward regardless? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment or on Instagram or YouTube. My DMs are always open!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Embrace your tools, even if they aren’t perfect, and keep creating.
