Fujifilm X-M5 has Better Autofocus than X-S20, but New Firmware is Coming REPORT (+VIDEO)

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It’s difficult to gauge how well the autofocus of the Fujifilm X-M5 truly performs.

Why?

The real issue is that performance depends on which Beta firmware version reviewers are using.

In the lead-up to launch, Fujifilm frequently updates the firmware for pre-production models, sometimes even multiple times a day.

So, someone testing the camera in mid-September may have significantly different results from someone testing it in mid-October.

And since reviewers aren’t able to re-test everything after every update, any autofocus performance assessment right now should be taken with a grain of salt, as it’s unclear which firmware version was used.

So we can come to a situation in which some might claim that the X-M5’s autofocus is on par with other X series cameras, while others might say it offers the best autofocus performance of any X series camera.

With that disclaimer out of the way…

….here is what the reputable website techradar wrote in their Fujifilm X-M5 review regarding the autofocus performance here:

Fujifilm has equipped the X-M5’s autofocus system with its latest subject-detection algorithms, including animal eye AF and touch tracking autofocus for video. In fact, it’s better than Fujifilm X-S20 right now, although we were told that the X-S20 will be improved with this latest algorithm via a firmware update.

As we speculated ahead of launch, the Fujifilm X-M5 might be the first camera to feature the new autofocus system set to roll out to other models in November. If the Techradar report is correct, that seems to be the case.

That said, aside from Techradar’s written autofocus comment, I haven’t seen any thorough real-world testing of the X-M5’s autofocus. This could be because Fujifilm likely advised reviewers to avoid deep dives or extensive commentary, as the camera is still running on beta firmware.

But I have watched the German video of Thomas B. jones, where he gave an unfiltered, live demonstration of the eye AF by pointing the X-M5 at his face for two and a half minutes (see video below). Here is what I noticed:

  • a bit less jumping between one eye and the other and mostly it sticks to the eye closer to the camera
  • even in the moments in which he moves his face faster, the AF box sticks on his pupil and not playing catchup with the eye
  • when he tried product mode, the transition between the product and the face seemed to be smooth. Current firmware can re-aquire focus with a bit of pulsing before locking on the subject

Judging at least from the 2.5 minutes video excerpt in the Thomas B. Jones video, I’d say there might be indeed an improvement at least when it comes to video autofocus.

But again, this is far from being a “scientific test,” and there are certainly more demanding scenarios for the autofocus than a talking head video. We’ll need to wait a bit longer to see if Fujifilm truly nailed the autofocus this time.

And look, let’s be realistic: the X-M5 won’t match the top-tier autofocus performance of Sony or Canon cameras just yet. Fujifilm still has some catching up to do. However, fixing the issues that came up with the May firmware update would significantly improve the autofocus to a solid and reliable level.

Click the video – starts at the right point

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