The X-E5 is Fujifilm’s tiny powerhouse. It’s part of a line of cameras that has often been described as similar to the X100, except with an interchangeable lens. But the X-E line has evolved this year and is taking on a new shape. It used to be seen as a budget option, but at $1,699, that can no longer be said.

Despite the fact that I’ve used almost every Fuji out there, this was my first time playing around with any of the X-E line of cameras. The X-E5 is a gorgeous, petite, and classy-looking camera with sharp lines throughout the body, and with buttons and an occasional concave edge for some extra flair and a distinctive look. It is ever-so-slightly shorter and thicker than the X100VI, but weighs about the same when paired with one of Fujifilm’s pancake lenses. It is hard to keep your eyes and hands off of it. Over the last few weeks using the camera, I’ve had a lot of people asking me about it. Two even assumed it might be a Leica. 

The camera build feels incredibly solid. The dials and the buttons are very clicky; even the side door just feels right. The hinges on the flip screen are sturdy, and it can flip all the way around for some vlogging, too. All those little details matter and make the camera feel premium, but unfortunately this camera is not weather sealed (something you’d also expect for this price).

The big new feature for the X-E is the dedicated film simulation dial. We’ve seen other Fujis adding these, but this was my first time using it. I rarely shift between film simulations since I have a few of my own, which I stick to 99 percent of the time. But the dial does make saving these sims easier, and encouraged me to experiment with different looks a lot more than before. 

When it comes to video, you get 6.2k up to 30fps and 1080p up to 240fps. The X-E5 can also film in F-Log and F-Log 2 color spaces, so there is plenty of latitude for post-processing, which will match well with other Fujifilm cameras. And there’s HLG HDR too. The rolling shutter isn’t the greatest, although it’s far from bad. But the X-E5 shouldn’t be your primary video camera for two big reasons: the video mode takes a toll on this battery, and I’ve had it overheat after 13 minutes of continuous filming.

As stated earlier, this Fuji is equipped with the same sensor we’ve seen for a few years now. It is a 40MP BSI CMOS 5 sensor and it is capable of making some great images. It has been my favorite Fuji sensor since the CMOS III. The photos are sharp, with plenty of detail, and the noise levels are well managed. Anything above 2000 ISO will slowly start to break down and look mushy and soft. This is where the 7-stop IBIS comes in and helps you to keep that shutter open for a bit longer, therefore lowering your ISO too. 

I brought this camera with me on a trip to Mexico along with a handful of lenses. The X-E5 proved to be a brilliant travel camera. I loved having the option to stick to my pancake 27mm for an ultra-compact setup or bring the all-rounder 16-55mm zoom lens for some versatility on a long day out.

But despite how much I loved my time with the X-E5, all of the recent Fujifilm cameras are becoming too similar to each other when it comes to performance. Some of those cameras excel in some way, but the X-E5 doesn’t have anything unique going for it. It is a classic jack of all trades. And that’s not a bad thing. 

But once you start looking at the prices, you might have some second thoughts. When the X-E4 came out it was $850 and was seen as a hidden gem in the lineup. At $1,700, it starts to become a harder sell. However, if you do pick this one, be assured you’re picking a brilliant and gorgeous camera. It might no longer be a hidden gem, but it’s still a gem.

Right now, there are five Fujifilm cameras that are using the exact same 40MP sensor. So picking the right one for you can be confusing, but fret not. Most Fuji cameras offer similar results, and your choice might come down to just the form factor. The good news is that Fujifilm’s latest camera, the X-E5, is packed with top features in a form factor that has won me over.  

This year, the X-E5 grew in size and price. The $1,700 camera is slightly larger and heavier than the X-E4, borrowed a new lever control from the X100 series and has some new tricks like the retro mode EVF. It looks like the X-E line is no longer a budget option for Fujifilm users, but a camera packed with features that are on par with many of Fujifilm’s mirrorless cameras — high megapixel sensors, in-body stabilization, and a great video mode. But there is a lot more to talk about when it comes to this compact powerhouse, which has become my favorite travel camera over the last few weeks. Go check out the video for more.

The first thing I noticed about the Fujifilm X Half is just how small and light it is. The camera is designed to give you no excuses — you should be able to bring it with you everywhere. And after spending a few hours walking around LA with the camera, I’m starting to understand why you’d want to.

Fujifilm’s latest doesn’t necessarily impress on paper. The X Half is an $850 camera with a vertically oriented 1-inch sensor capable of taking 18MP photos. There’s no electric or hybrid viewfinder, no stabilization, no hot shoe, and it can’t even take RAW photos. It’s very easy to look at that list of missing features and disregard the camera altogether.

But the X Half’s simplicity is very much the point. This is a camera for taking scrappy, quick photos and capturing memories. A lot of its flaws are masked with film simulations, filters, and superimposed grain. Its limitations are a feature, not a bug.

The camera comes with a fixed 32mm equivalent f/2.8 lens. Even with all the added grain and filters turned off, I found it to perform very well. The dynamic range is acceptable with natural highlight falloff, edges are sharp, and there’s even some bokeh if you plan accordingly. But I didn’t want to take those kinds of photos with this camera.

Fujifilm loaded the X Half with a number of its most popular film simulations, which mimic the look of classic films, and it also added a bunch of new filters. There’s halation, mirror mode (throwback to Apple’s Photo Booth, anyone?), selective color, dynamic tone, fish eye, and so much more. Some of these are downright silly, but some are endearing and whimsical. My favorite was the light leak. It adds light leaks to your photos in a random fashion, so you never know what you’ll get until after you shoot.

On the top of the camera is something unique: a digital “film advance” lever. Cranking the lever is integral to two of the camera’s new features, 2-in-1 diptychs and film mode.

Diptychs let you merge two images side by side. This feature makes a whole lot more sense in a film camera, but Fujifilm is trying to replicate the idea for a digital world. You start a diptych by cranking the lever like you would on a film camera. (Although unlike a film camera, a digital camera can also record a video, so that can now be part of your diptych, too.)

Then there’s film mode, which is designed to more closely mimic an analog camera. It basically locks you out of using modern features and moving too quickly. There’s no way to preview your shot on the main screen, you’re forced to crank the lever to advance your imaginary film before taking the next photo, you’re locked into a specific look until you’ve finished your “roll,” and there’s no way to play back the photos you’ve just taken either. It is easily my favorite mode here because it strips so much of what we’re used to with digital cameras and makes us use this camera entirely differently.

This mode perfectly encapsulates why I don’t mind the exclusion of an electric viewfinder. Using the optical one in this mode makes you guess your composition and your framing, and you simply won’t know the results until you’re done with your whole roll. Once you’re done, the digital roll “rewinds” and you can look at your photos in the app. Unfortunately the app isn’t finalized and wasn’t available during my demo, but the files are still saved on the SD card.

The only immediate negative, no pun intended, I have noticed so far is that the camera just feels a bit slow. Despite using a fairly fast SD card, write speeds seemed slow and took me out of the moment more than a few times. Creating a diptych with a photo and a video took a long time to save onto the SD. It also slowed me down when using Film mode, where you have to “advance the film” after each shot. I found myself having to wait for the previous photo to save before cranking the lever.

Even the main touchscreen, which is largely how you interact with this camera, wasn’t as responsive as I’d want it to be. There are two screens on the back — a pill-shaped screen that lets you choose film sims and navigate menus, and a vertical screen for changing settings and previewing images. Some inputs weren’t registering even after a few attempts, and I wasn’t the only one at the camera event with the same issue.

Despite those issues, I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time with the camera and was frequently delighted by the clever ideas the Fujifilm team implemented here. I hope to see more companies making bold decisions with hardware and software like this that alter the experience of using the camera.

There are far more capable cameras at a similar price point. But if you’re looking for something refreshing and joyful, the X Half is shaping up to be a brilliant little camera.

I never took 360 cameras seriously. That is, until I started spending more of my free time skiing and snowboarding. My social media feeds are inundated with [mostly sponsored] videos of people using these cameras for exactly that purpose — capturing those thrilling moments on the snowy mountains. And the marketing worked. I punched in that affiliate link, got myself a new 360 camera last year, and never looked back. I was hooked. 

And once Insta360 reached out to tell me about the new X5, I was ready for another adventure. I journeyed back to Tahoe to try the new action camera in my most familiar habitat, test its new larger sensor, more “durable than ever” lenses, and see how the new microphone housing deals with wind.  

Insta360 X5

Insta360 X5

Score: 8

Pros	Cons
Superb image quality Improved low light 4K 120fps	Price keeps going up App still needs work Not the lightest action camera X4 batteries no longer supported

Where to Buy:

• $549.99 at Amazon
• $549.99 at B&H Photo
• $549.99 at Insta360

The new X5 can capture 4K footage up to 120fps, up from 100fps on the X4. And like the earlier model, it can film in 8K up to 30 frames per second, or in 5.7K up to 60 frames per second. 

As always, the biggest jump in image quality comes from the new larger sensor and new image processing. Both those factors contribute to better image quality. It is impressively good. The footage looks noticeably sharper, and the colors look livelier. I was surprised to see such a big difference between the two cameras.

All of those extra details come very handy in post-production. I can stretch out, extend, and manipulate the footage more before the quality degrades. When using the X4, I often found that the sky would have this dark blob over it. That issue is almost gone with the X5.

The microphone housing on the X5 has a new look. Instead of a microphone hole, there is now a built-in windscreen. The goal is to get more clarity from your videos while eliminating wind sounds. It worked well in my tests while skiing down a mountain. People who use these cameras on motorcycles will be thrilled to hear more engine sounds instead of wind noise.

As I said earlier, I mostly use these cameras for action sports or to get specific shots only possible with a 360 camera. But now and then, I try using it for something else, and walk away feeling disappointed. I brought the X4 to CES this year, for example, and used it to film the show floor. The footage had a lot of noise, and stabilization couldn’t keep up, making my clips jittery.

Insta360 is trying to fix that with a new mode called Purevideo. It’s the same mode that was introduced in their Ace Pro cameras. 

It cranks up the post processing. Low-light footage looks cleaner with less noise and punchier color and contrast. I’ve tried it in many different scenarios, and each time it performed better than the normal video mode. It’s an improvement over the X4 and opens up more possibilities for this camera.

Lastly, the X5 can film in LOG. People who want more control over coloring footage in post editing will be very excited about that. However, it only works in Active HDR for some reason. And for those who film in HDR mode, the good news is that it can now film in 5.7K up to 60fps, not 30fps, which has been the limitation on the X3 and X4. 

There is also another new filming mode. It’s called instaframe and it lets you record auto-framed “flat” video of yourself and the 360 video simultaneously. You can share a flat video quickly and keep the 360-degree video for editing later. 

And that’s almost it. At least when it comes to image quality performance, but there are some more new things here worth going through. 

The first one has to do with repairability. Insta360 made it easier to swap out your damaged lenses by letting you do the swap yourself. For $29.99 you can get a lens replacement kit which includes a single lens, removal tool, brush and a few accessories like lens cloths, wipes and gloves.  The swap itself is very straightforward. I read the instructions once and five minutes later I had swapped my damaged lens for a new shiny one. 

I’m thrilled about this change. If you have ever tried using the lens guards to protect the camera, you’re aware how those degrade your footage. This type of feature might even allow you to take more risks.

Battery life is improved in some modes.. You get about 8 minutes more (83 minutes total) on a single charge when filming in 8K30fps and the same 135 minute runtime when filming in 5.7K30fps. However the batteries do charge noticeably faster this year. It takes 20 minutes to get to 80% as opposed to 38 minutes on the X4, but it comes at a cost. The battery has been slightly redesigned, so you won’t be able to use your old ones in this model. While I’m glad there are year-over-year improvements, Insta360 batteries were already very good and didn’t necessarily need  the update. New batteries each year just add to environmental costs and just means I’ll have to spend more on new ones.

And if you do, Insta360 also says the glass on these lenses is stronger than ever. Ideally, you won’t need the replacement kit at all. I got a tiny scratch on my review unit, but it’s so minor that it didn’t appear in any of my clips. 

Finally, the Insta360 mobile app has been revamped to simplify the editing process. I’m still trying to get used to it and there are quite a few bugs that still need squashing. Some icons aren’t labeled and features are sometimes unavailable when they should be. I’m also only able to export videos in 30fps for some reason. I’ll have to spend some more time with it.

The Insta360 X5 is a great 360 camera in a market without much competition. There are some rumors lately of a new 360 camera by DJI. Meanwhile, GoPro is still expected to release its version this year. There are two areas where those companies could differentiate. 

The first one is its weight and overall footprint. Both the X4 and X5 are slightly larger and heavier than their predecessors, and sometimes I felt that weight after extended use, especially on my ski helmet. A smaller 360 camera would be compelling.

The second area is price. The X5 costs $550, $50 more than the X4, which brings it to $100 more than the X3. If you’re considering an upgrade, I recommend taking into account what you need the most from a 360 camera. If image quality is at the top of your list, then upgrade to the X5, you won’t regret it. And if that price tag is holding you back, wait a little, I’m sure there will be an affiliate link for you to use soon. 

Sigma’s new $2,000 camera is missing so many features that you might not take the product seriously. The Sigma BF has no tilt or flip-out screen, hot shoe or cold shoe, any type of viewfinder, mechanical shutter, 4K 60, microphone port, or in-body stabilization. There isn’t even a link to connect your shoulder strap. The list of missing features is long, and as someone who is used to professional “do-it-all” cameras, it was a lot to let go of.

But I think you should try. After a few weeks of using it, the Sigma BF won me over with its bold design, clever controls, clean software, and ability to create stunning photos. It’s a lot to get used to, but the results are worth it.

Sigma BF

Score: 6

Pros	Cons
Great image quality Gorgeous design Fast throughout	No IBIS Poor battery life Electronic shutter only No expandable storage

Where to Buy:

• $1999 at Amazon
• $1999 at B&H Photo

The camera looks unlike anything else on the market. Its body is made from a single block of aluminum, and its controls have been pared down to just a few buttons. The result is a surprisingly easy-to-operate camera you can take almost anywhere — as long as anywhere doesn’t include professional work. I can’t see myself using this in a studio or as a video camera. But as a high-end point-and-shoot, the camera gets incredible results without overthinking it.

The body’s minimalistic and bold design is paired with sharp corners and edges. It isn’t a particularly comfortable camera to hold, but not to the point where it would hurt. Using it with one hand is hard, and the lack of a second strap link is a bit infuriating. Sigma wants you to use this camera with a wrist strap, but I’d rather just have the option for both. You could add a link to the tripod mount, but that’s an odd and pretentious decision.

I’m more welcoming of Sigma’s decision to eliminate a bunch of dials from the camera and opt for just a single one on the back. That dial became instrumental in how I used the camera. In tandem with a small pill-shaped display above it, the dial lets you easily cycle through settings and change them on the fly. I do wish there was a way to eliminate which options you cycle through because I often didn’t need all of them. But the dial also made me jump between creative options like aspect ratio and film simulations a lot more often. It forced me to try out some new looks and compositions. It made taking photos fun.

Another neat feature of the dial is that it turns into an exposure compensation control when you’re half pressing the shutter button. From there you can easily do some quick exposure changes. It’s a clever trick and genuinely useful. The BF’s other buttons can do some neat tricks, too. If you rest your finger on the playback key, it’ll show you your last photo taken until you lift your finger again. It’s a neat way this camera leans into its modern features.

The interface’s simplicity pairs well with the camera’s all-around speed. It turns on almost instantly. Switching between modes is swift. Sensor readout is quick. Continuous shooting is decent (for a full frame camera). Accessing your photo library is just as zippy. 

All the photos can be reviewed on a large, bright, and reasonably sharp 3.2-inch screen and saved on a 230GB internal SSD. There are no expandable storage options, though. This means you have to be a lot more diligent about backing up photos and making sure you don’t run out of space. Personally I am not too bothered by this decision, but I am worried about what happens if the internal storage fails.

I would understand this decision better if Sigma had a good smartphone app for photo transfers. But tough luck. No app and no SD cards means you can only transfer photos with a physical cable. Whether you consider this a dealbreaker or not, I think we can all agree that cameras in 2025 should all have both internal and expandable storage.

The photos themselves look great, like you’d expect from a full frame camera. They’re sharp, lively, and packed with details. My review unit came with Sigma’s updated 50mm F/2 lens, which is a perfect match for this camera. Even in low light, I found that the noise created by high ISO was well maintained. The grain itself was soothing and had very film-like characteristics, especially when using some of Sigma’s built-in film looks.

You can find 13 film simulations on the BF, and that should be enough for most people to find something they like here. My favorite ones are Warm Gold, Teal & Orange, and Rich. I mostly kept using the Warm Gold, which won me over with its warm tones, muted reds, and desaturated colors. Unfortunately, there’s no way to create your own custom film simulations right now, which feels like a missed opportunity. Custom Fujifilm film simulations have created online communities of photographers around its cameras who share their own formulas to help others achieve different looks.

The camera’s auto focus system has impressed me too. It is snappy, has decent focus tracking, and detects faces and animals really well. I did notice more focus breathing in video, but I found it a lot more reliable when taking photos. 

Video is a bit of an afterthought, though. The camera supports 6K up to 30FPS, and that footage does look great. You can film in H.264 and H.265 in Sigma’s Log color codec, and there’s 1080p slow motion up to 120fps. But I do think using this camera for video highlights the flaws of its minimalistic design. Changing settings on the fly becomes a lot harder, lack of a tilt screen makes it more cumbersome, weak battery life doesn’t help either, and no optical stabilization equals more shaky clips. I’m not saying you won’t get good video clips with this camera, but its main focus is definitely in photography.

For a $2,000 camera, there is a lot that is missing here. And giving this a numerical score was harder than anticipated. Despite its long list of cons, I had an absolute blast using this camera for the past few weeks and even took some of my favorite photos ever, but I also can’t recommend it to everyone because it simply won’t satisfy everyone’s needs. If you’re looking for a hybrid powerhouse that can do it all, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for an exciting and modern camera that is fun to use, takes great photos, has clever usability features, and just looks stunning, the BF is a fantastic choice.

I think this camera will leave a long-lasting impression in the photography world, not only for its bold design, but its firm dedication to simplicity. It is very hard to predict if the Sigma BF will be a commercial success. The price tag alone might discourage a lot of people from ever looking into this camera. But if you’re looking at one and find your interest piqued, it has a good chance at winning your heart. It certainly did mine.