Fujifilm videographer Ray van Breda: 100 miles with the Fujifilm X-M5

Ray van Breda took the small new Fujifilm X-M5 on a 100-mile off-road bike ride and came back surprised. We chatted about the video quality, his favourite feature and what he found most surprising about this small package of dynamite.

What did you find most surprising about the X-M5?

When I got the camera the first thing that struck me was obviously the size, especially when paired with the new XF23mmF2.8 pancake lens. It can almost fit into a regular pocket it’s so small. In fact, it can fit into a cycling shirt pocket. My main reason for wanting to test it out was to use it on a 100-mile off-road cycling race. I used a shoulder strap with a slight modification and managed to ride the 100 miles with the camera over the shoulder the whole way. That way it was just one strap-click away from being ready to shoot and it was almost negligible weight on my back and comfortable enough to ride the whole way with it.

I was honestly surprised with how much attention I got because of the camera. Because the X-M5 was always on my side, I received many compliments on how “cool” the camera looked. It’s not something I look for in a camera to be honest, but it’s obviously got something aesthetically that people love.

What did you think of the video footage? 

It is such a small camera, you would think there would be some compromise in the quality, but honestly, I have been pairing up shots from both my X-H2S and the X-M5 on a few videos that I’ve produced for SuperSport and some other clients, and it’s impossible to notice the difference between the two. If you shoot on the same Film Simulation it’s very hard to tell the difference.

I think the only areas where I noticed disadvantages were the stabilisation and a crop on the X-M5 in certain settings.

Do you have a favourite feature?

For me, what I liked most about the X-M5 was the fully-operational PASM dial. It functions just the same as my X-H2S, so that once I have the C1 and C2 options set up for my liking, the camera can be controlled with one hand, from various video modes to photo modes, while I’m still riding on the bike.

I was also surprised that it came with a proper flip-out touchscreen, which came in handy on a shoot where I was using the camera as a second angle on an interview, and I was filming from a low angle.

As a professional user, one thing that I personally found redundant was the Film Simulation dial. For me, I shoot my photos in RAW and add film sims in post. However, for a recreational user I reckon it’ll be a lot of fun, and it makes it super easy to see in real-time how a different Film Simulation can change a photo completely. I am a huge fan of the Film Simulation and colour science of Fujifilm, so on a camera like this, it’s a great addition.

Who would benefit the most from buying an X-M5?

I would say anyone who enjoys the art of photography, the fun of it, or needs a super, good quality camera that doesn’t take up space, would love this guy. It’s small enough that you end up taking it places where you usually wouldn’t bother to bring a camera, like I did with my kids when we went to visit a big cat sanctuary. I would not have lugged a camera-bag around but a little thing like that around my shoulder was no hassle, and now I have the memories. For those that are fashion-conscious or like to be stylish, I guess it’s a good option.

Follow Ray on @jumpcut_media_co and his YouTube channel @ jump cut media co.

Video footage captured on the Fujifilm X-M5 by Ray van Breda