u/AkhlysShallRise — reddlx

All photos were SOOC HEIFs with no post-processing; the only thing I did for some of them was cropping/straightening/perspective correction.

I’ve been shooting with full-frame Sony gear for almost 9 years, but I came to Fujifilm because I wanted a compact EDC (everyday carry) camera that’s fun to shoot with and that offers exceptional SOOC results so I can skip post-processing. Sufficed to say I’ve been blown away by the Film Simulations, the workflow they offer combined with hardware and software, and the efficacy of the image quality settings (recipe settings).

Funnily enough, when I first went to the camera store to try out Fujifilm cameras, I wasn’t aware of the X100VI hype (the only social media I have is Instagram and that I barely use). The camera store actually had an X100VI in stock, and the store associate did warn me that if I didn’t get it then, it’d be a at least few months before they would restock it.

The X-E5 and the X100VI were my “finalists” and I played with them for like a good hour. I eventually went with the X-E5 with the 23mm ƒ2.8 for the following reasons:

The few features unique to the X100VI are simply not desirable to me: I dislike using OVF (years ago, I switched from DSLR to mirrorless for the EVF) and I didn’t like that you can see outside the frame in X100VI’s OVF—I find it incredibly distracting for composition. I also never use on-camera flash or ND filters (for photography)
I really liked the look, the tactile experience and the function of X-E5’s Film Simulation dial. I also like that the FS1–3 slots on X-E5’s film dial only saves the image quality settings and not everything else, which the C1–7 custom slots do.
I didn’t like the positioning of the shutter/ISO dial on the X100VI because I couldn’t change it with just a thumb—I would need to use both my thumb and my index finger, making it hard to adjust the dial without holding the camera with my other hand as well. On the X-E5, the shutter dial is easily rotatable with just a thumb and I can do it singlehandedly. And this turned out to be a huge advantage because sometimes my other hand could be holding something else (e.g., a bag of groceries).
The ability to change lenses: I want a camera that can adapt when my preferences change years down the road. I bought my Sony A7 III on release and I still use it today for various circumstances precisely because I can change the lenses as I need.
Once you put the lens hoods on both cameras, the X100VI becomes way less compact—it’s really only pocketable without the lens hood while the X-E5 remains pocketable with or without the lens hood.
The two accessories to make X100VI weather resistant are sold separately whereas the 23mm ƒ2.8 is weather resistant by itself. Also, I noticed that once I added the the AR-X100 and PRF-49 to the lens on the X100VI, the lens extrudes further than the 23mm ƒ2.8 on the X-E5 without a lens hood. That kind of defeats the compactness of the X100VI for me.
X100VI’s leaf shutter was extremely unsatisfying. I need a great shutter sound (and don’t tell me this doesn’t matter). Even X-E5’s shutter sound is nowhere near as good as my Sony A7 III and A7C II.

After a month of using the X-E5, I have gripes with it as well, especially comparing to my A7 III:

The front and back command dials are so bad. It’s extremely hard for me to turn them without accidentally pressing them in, thereby performing an action I didn’t want. They are so slippery compared to the ones on my A7 III. As a result, I often avoid using them
The joystick sucks
Battery life is terrible (yes I understand it’s a compromise for a more compact body, and I accept it)
Terrible positioning of the proximity sensor (should have been to the left of the viewfinder, IMO)
I have difficulty taking out the SD card because it’s so close to the lid. I need to use my nails to pull it and I don’t have nails as a pianist
I’m frustrated by the limited functions you can assign to buttons and dials. For example, there’s no way to assign a button to turn ONLY the LCD off without turning off the camera or putting it to sleep. There’s no way to quickly turn the highlight clipping alerts on/off either.

Obviously, many of these gripes aren’t unique to the X-E5, and comparing the X-E5 to the Sony A7 III is like apples vs oranges, but it’s hard not to compare when I shot exclusively with the Sony for so long.

Overall, I’m now a very happy and impressed Fujifilm shooter. The X-E5 has reignited my love for photography. I’ve been carrying the X-E5 with me everywhere I go in a small sling and having so much fun shooting. I have an upcoming long trip to Europe and I’m so excited to have a compact setup for daily trips and to be snapping away without the dread of long hours of editing after the trip.