Fujifilm X-A5 Comparison Review

The Fujifilm X-A5 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in January 2018 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 24 megapixel.

Is the Fujifilm X-A5 a good camera? The X-A5 has a Camera Elo of 2805. This very strong rating puts it among the elite group of camera grand masters. The X-A5 ranks among the top 30 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the X-A5 ranks among the top 10 percent.

Headline Specifications

Fujifilm X-A5
Mirrorless system camera
Fujifilm X mount lenses
24 MP, APS-C Sensor
4K/15p Video
ISO 200-12800 (200-51200)
No viewfinder, LCD framing
3.0" LCD, 1040k dots
Tilting touchscreen
6 shutter flaps per second
450 shots per battery charge
117 x 68 x 40 mm, 361 g

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Fujifilm X-A5 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Fujifilm X-A5 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Fujifilm X-A5	4.6 in	2.7 in	1.6 in	12.7 oz	450	n	Jan 2018	399			Fujifilm X-A5
	Canon SX730« »	4.3 in	2.5 in	1.6 in	10.6 oz	250	n	Apr 2017	399	-		Canon SX730
	Fujifilm X-T30« »	4.6 in	3.3 in	1.9 in	13.5 oz	380	n	Feb 2019	899			Fujifilm X-T30
	Fujifilm X-T100« »	4.8 in	3.3 in	1.9 in	15.8 oz	430	n	May 2018	599			Fujifilm X-T100
	Fujifilm X-E3« »	4.8 in	2.9 in	1.7 in	11.9 oz	350	n	Sep 2017	899			Fujifilm X-E3
	Fujifilm X-T20« »	4.6 in	3.3 in	1.6 in	13.5 oz	350	n	Jan 2017	899			Fujifilm X-T20
	Fujifilm X-A3« »	4.6 in	2.6 in	1.6 in	12.0 oz	410	n	Aug 2016	399	-		Fujifilm X-A3
	Fujifilm X-A10« »	4.6 in	2.6 in	1.6 in	11.7 oz	410	n	Dec 2016	399	-		Fujifilm X-A10
	Fujifilm X-A2« »	4.6 in	2.6 in	1.6 in	12.3 oz	410	n	Jan 2015	399	-		Fujifilm X-A2
	Fujifilm X-A1« »	4.6 in	2.6 in	1.5 in	11.6 oz	350	n	Sep 2013	399	-		Fujifilm X-A1
	Nikon D3500« »	4.9 in	3.8 in	2.8 in	12.9 oz	1550	n	Aug 2018	429			Nikon D3500
Convert to Metric
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Fujifilm X-A5 was launched in the US market at a price of $399. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Fujifilm X-A5 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Fujifilm X-A5 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of comparator-cameras.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The X-A5 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the X-A5 can use is 4K/15p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Fujifilm X-A5 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

One convenient feature of the X-A5 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Fujifilm X-A5 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the X-A5 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the X-A5 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog).

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Fujifilm X-A5	+	-	4/5	4/5	3.5/5	Jan 2018	399			Fujifilm X-A5
	Canon SX730« »	+	-	4/5	-	4/5	Apr 2017	399	-		Canon SX730
	Fujifilm X-T30« »	+ +	84/100	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Feb 2019	899			Fujifilm X-T30
	Fujifilm X-T100« »	+	79/100	4/5	-	4.5/5	May 2018	599			Fujifilm X-T100
	Fujifilm X-E3« »	+	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2017	899			Fujifilm X-E3
	Fujifilm X-T20« »	+ +	82/100	5/5	-	4.5/5	Jan 2017	899			Fujifilm X-T20
	Fujifilm X-A3« »	-	74/100	4.5/5	-	4/5	Aug 2016	399	-		Fujifilm X-A3
	Fujifilm X-A10« »	-	-	4/5	-	4/5	Dec 2016	399	-		Fujifilm X-A10
	Fujifilm X-A2« »	-	-	4.5/5	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2015	399	-		Fujifilm X-A2
	Fujifilm X-A1« »	-	-	4.5/5	-	4.5/5	Sep 2013	399	-		Fujifilm X-A1
	Nikon D3500« »	-	-	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2018	429			Nikon D3500
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review of this and another camera, just make your choice using the following search menu. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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