Fujifilm X-A5 Field Test: A good starter camera with impressive image quality but a few oddities
posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 1:47 PM EDT
Click here for the Fujifilm X-A5 Field Test
The Fujifilm X-A5 is the company's successor to 2016's X-A3, and while the two cameras look very similar, there are a handful of interesting changes made under the hood. The headlining feature is the X-A5's new sensor, which while offering the same 24-megapixel resolution, now features on-chip phase detect autofocus pixels. Further, the X-A5 now features 4K UHD video recording.
In the case of the new autofocus, it is better on paper than it is in execution. As you can read in my Field Test, the camera's autofocus was at times indecisive, and the camera sometimes believed it was in focus when it wasn't, even in simple, well-lit shooting situations.
With respect to video, the 4K video recording is hampered by its maximum frame rate of 15 frames per second. This is a severe limitation, which renders 4K video not particularly usable, as 15 fps video is quite choppy. The camera does offer 1080p video at up to 60 fps, at least, and a neat in-camera 4K/30p time-lapse feature.
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The Fujifilm X-A5 is an interesting and affordable camera that offers style, good image quality and many nice features. It does have its shortcomings, too. To learn more about its pros and cons in real-world shooting, read my Fujifilm X-A5 Field Test.