I’ll also share a few reviews from various YouTube channels. They mainly seem to agree that for the price you might prefer to go for more affordable third party AF lenses offerings, such as the Meike 55mmF1.4 AF or the Viltrox 56mmF1.7 AF.
A couple of weeks have now passed since the announcement of the Fujifilm X-M5.
And so far the big controversy has not yet received a final answer: how good is the autofocus on the Fujifilm X-M5?
Now a new Fujifilm X-M5 hands-on review has been published by PavSZ (see above).
In his video, he says the X-M5 autofocus is much better than the one on the Fujifilm X-S20.
And when asked about it in the comments to his video, he says multiple times that he shoots also Sony cameras, and that the X-M5 is just as good as Sony in terms of autofocus.
While we can see the Fujifilm X-M5 being better than the X-T5, I confirm what I wrote in pretty much every other article so far: it’s not at Sony and Canon level. Which is why personally I applaud the improved autofocus, but I’ll call myself impressed only when I see it on par with Sony and Canon.
Also, we have to see how much the improved performance over the X-T5 is to attribute to the AF algorithm on the X-M5 (which is in Beta on Pal2Tech’s camera) or it is simply due to the general faster readout speed of the 26MP sensor.
So far the most convincing autofocus demo I saw is the one of Thomas B Jones, with a 2.5 minutes non-stop live eye tracking during a talking head video, and especially when showcasing product mode the transition between product and face is smooth without stepping to acquire focus.
Look, even the toughest Fujifilm AF haters out there show video clips on much much better AF tracking works on X-T4 for example (or on early 5th generation firmware). So while Fujifilm is not at Sony or Canon level, they have already shown that they can do much better than what they are currently offering on the 5th generation cameras.
As I always said: Fujifilm, just downgrade the firmware! You did it in the past with the flawed X-T1 firmware, so you can do it also now.
Pal2Tech was one of the guys, who addressed the latest Fujifilm 5th generation gear autofocus issues in his videos.
That’s why he was particularly interested to test the autofocus of the Fujifilm X-M5 versus the one of the Fujifilm X-T5.
You can see with your own eyes his comparison in the video above (just click and it will start at the right point).
This is what Pal2Tech has to say about:
the focus square on the X-M5 was able to keep with up with him (moving fast around the yard) in a noticeable way
when he starts to run, the X-T5 box is behind him whereas the X-M5 autofocus box is sticky on his face
when jumping into frame, the X-M5 locks focus faster than the X-T5
when moving very very fast all over the frame like crazy, the X-M5 locked focus better than the X-T5
he track running dogs and and people, and it keeps up with them fairly reliably
the X-T5 would not have nailed that many images in that order in AF-C for stills
tracking cars the X-M5 handled very well. Every shot was in focus
tracking bicycles also worked very well
the autofocus performance is great and definitely better than the X-T5, even before the X-T5 experienced the AF issues with the May firmware
Pal2Tech is very impressed by what he saw and he hopes firmware updates will come with same AF to other models
Look guys, Chris from Pal2Tech did put lots of effort into this test.
It’s up to you now to trust him, or maybe trust YouTubers who did not hold the X-M5 in their hands for a single second and looked hours of launch videos to find 2 seconds in which the AF of the X-M5 failed.
Is it at Sony and Canon level?
Well, I feel confident to say very likely not. But according to the most in depth test we could see so far, it is the best autofocus Fujifilm has yet offered on any its cameras.
At least for those looking to purchase a standard f/2.8 zoom lens.
Because the two options we had, the Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 I and the Sigma 18-50mmF2.8 DC DN, were so different to each other that people did not have much to think about: if you want compactness, go for the Sigma. If you want a wider range and an aperture ring, go for the Fujinon.
But with the arrival of the new Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 II, decision making has become a bit more complicated.
As shown in the size comparisons above, the new Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 II falls between the older XF16-55 and the Sigma 18-50 in terms of size. So, if your primary reason for choosing the Sigma was compactness, the decision between the two lenses has now become a bit more challenging.
While the Sigma is still a bit smaller, the new Fujinon will give you a wider range (16-55 instead of 18-50), an aperture ring (which can be de-clicked), likely better weather sealing (as the one of the Sigma is rather basic), and something that is often overlooked: Fujifilm colors.
Look, I own third party autofocus and manual focus lenses. They are some fantastic offerings out there. But one of the main reasons I prefer my Fujinon’s, is that I get consistent Fujifilm colors. That’s for example also why I bought the Fujinon XF10-24mmF4. I did love my Samyang 12mmF2, but the colors just did not look like the ones I was used to when using my Fujinon glass.
However, there is still one huge argument for the Sigma 18-50mmF2.8: the price! If you look for best value for money, the Sigma might be the best option.