Intro

The Fujifilm X-T50 is a mid-range mirrorless camera aimed at photographers who want the core quality and style of the higher-end X-T5, but are happy to trade some features for a smaller, lighter and more affordable body. 

Headline features include the latest 40 Megapixel X-Trans V sensor and X-Processor 5 with their related upgrades to autofocus, power consumption and movie quality, coupled with built-in stabilisation or IBIS for short, and the debut of a new Film Simulation dial. All packed into the smallest body in the series with an interchangeable lens mount. My full review is in the video below, but if you prefer to read the written highlights, keep scrolling!

Announced in May 2024, the X-T50 comes five years after the X-T30 and two and a half after the mildly-updated X-T30 Mark II version. Note there was no X-T40, so that makes the X-T50 the official successor to the X-T30 models, although some regions will continue to sell the older version as a cheaper option.

The initial body price of $1400 or £1300 is comfortably higher than the current $1000 or £800 price of the X-T30 II, but as you’ll discover, Fujifilm is pitching it more as a mini X-T5, which retails at around three to four hundred more, although do look out for discounts as it’s now 18 months older.

Kits are also available with the new XF 16-50 zoom lens for $1800 or £1650, and I have a separate review of that if you’re interested.

So in this review I’ll detail not just the upgrades over the previous X-T30’s, but also the differences between it and the X-T5 to help you decide which is best for you. I tested a final production model running final firmware.

And since we’ve seen this sensor and processor combination on previous models, I’ll concentrate on what’s new here. Don’t worry, I still have loads of new sample images for you, but for a more detailed analysis of image quality I’ll refer you to my Fujifilm X-T5 review.

X-T50: 124x84x49mm, 440g // X-T30 II: 118x83x47mm, 380g

The X-T double-digit series has always been impressively compact and the X-T50 continues that tradition, measuring just 124mm wide, 84mm tall and 49mm thick at its widest point including the grip and eyecup. Note the main body itself is only 34mm thick. This makes it about 6mm wider than the X-T30, 1mm taller and 2mm thicker, although unless you have them side by side you’re unlikely to notice any difference in overall size.

In terms of weight, I measured the X-T50 with battery and card at 440g, about 60g heavier than the X-T30 II, but now with the benefit of IBIS. This makes it just over 100g lighter than the X-T5 and smaller in every dimension.

To give you an idea of scale, here’s the X-T50 on the left and my older X100 V on the right. Their bodies are similar in thickness and while the head on the X-T50 makes that part a little taller, the X100 is actually a bit wider.

The weight of the latest X100 VI which sports IBIS, is 521g, but of course includes a built-in 23mm f2 lens. The lightest lens in the X-series so far is the XF 27mm f2.8, which weighs 84g. Mount it on the X-T50 and the combination is within a few grams of the X100 VI and not much thicker overall. 

Obviously the lens is one stop dimmer and a bit longer in focal length, but it’s clear how the X-T50 is a viable alternative to the X100 series for those willing to trade the hybrid viewfinder and fixed lens for the flexibility of an interchangeable lens mount. Indeed I think the X-T50 – not to mention other models – would really benefit from a series of updated pancake primes.

In your hands, the X-T50 unsurprisingly isn’t as comfortable as the larger X-T5, but Fujifilm has greatly improved the grip over the X-T30 which now includes a ridge for your middle finger to push up against, while also allowing the shutter release and front dial to be positioned a little further out than before. 

Meanwhile the thumb rest on the rear provides useful purchase, and I’m pleased to report I never accidentally triggered the Q-menu when picking up the camera – something that plagued the X-T30 for me.

The build quality feels solid, but like its predecessors, the X-T50 is not officially weather-sealed. For that in the series, you’ll need to spend more on the larger X-T5.

At first glance, the X-T50’s controls look similar to the X-T30, especially on the upper right side where you’ll find the threaded shutter release with a power collar, recessed finger and thumb dials, both with push-to-click operation.

There’s a dedicated shutter speed dial which runs between 1/4000 and one second in one stop increments along with from a separate 1/180 position for the fastest flash sync speed.

1/4000 remains the fastest mechanical shutter, with the X-T5 boasting a faster 1/8000 shutter, but both cameras offer quicker electronic shutter speeds up to 1/180,000 via the T position on the dial.

As well as providing one third increments, the T position also allows you to dial-in far longer shutters than most cameras, beyond the usual 30 second limit to one, two, four, eight and even 15 minutes without the need for a Bulb timer or cable release. It’s not a new feature for Fujifilm, but remains one of their most valuable for long exposure photographers.

As before a switch around the shutter dial flicks the X-T50 into full Auto, and like the X-S20, this includes not just scene detection, but unlocks automatic subject detection for autofocus that’s not available in the standard modes.

This does a great job at recognising not just different scenes and conditions, but also the type of main subject and adjusting the settings to match. Like the X-S20, it can be a little heavy-handed with the dynamic range options and doesn’t allow you to overrule them from the menus, but as a catch-all, don’t panic switch, the Auto mode works very well.

On the far right is a slightly recessed exposure compensation dial running from +/-3EV, with a C position which transfers control to the front finger dial after a push. Finally there’s a programmable function button.

On the left side is the first unique feature on the X-T50, swapping the old drive mode dial for a new one dedicated to adjusting the Film Simulation. There’s eight labeled positions for Standard Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, the latest Reala Ace, Classic Negative, Nostalgic Negative and Acros, with an on-screen guide as you turn it.

A menu allows you to choose which Acros filter you’d prefer, as well as programming the three additional custom FS positions. You can assign any of the full range of Film Sims to these, including Pro Negative, Eterna, standard Monochrome and Sepia.

The new dial encourages you to explore the Film Simulations, which after all, are a big selling-point of the system, and even though they were only a button push away before, I personally found myself trying out different ones more than normal. I think it’s a really fun addition for both those who are new or familiar with the Film Sims.

Of course this now means the drive modes have moved, this time to a button on the top left of the rear surface. Like the X100 series, this presents a menu to access the burst modes, bracketing and HDR options, as well as multiple exposures, panoramas, filter effects and the movie mode.

The Multiple Exposure mode lets you combine up to nine frames with the choice of Additive, Average, Light or Dark options. As you take each additional photo, a ghostly image of the composite so far is shown for framing guidance, and if you don’t like your latest frame, you can delete it and try again or exit if desired. It’s fun to adjust the Film Sim dial for different frames to mix colour and monochrome elements.

The Panorama mode can grab a bunch of images during a choice of sweeps before stitching them in camera. As with previous Fujifilm cameras, I’ve experienced highly varied results with the stitching. If the scene is complex, any errors can be effectively hidden, but once you have a clean horizon, be it the Sea or a ridge, I often find alignment issues. Your mileage will vary.

Fujifilm fans may also notice the button to the right of the viewfinder has become dedicated to AF ON, while a new one above the tiny joystick covers Auto Exposure Lock.

As before, there’s no cross-keys with most navigation being performed by the clickable joystick or touch screen interface. Again the most popular settings are accessed via the Q menu with a push of the button on the thumb rest. Oh, and the focus mode is set by a dial in the front corner.

Moving onto composition, the X-T50 shares the same size 3in 3:2 shaped screen as before, but now with a slightly higher 1.84 million dots. As before this can be angled down by about 45 degrees or up by 90 for more comfortable framing at high or low angles. 

It lacks the additional sideways tilt of the X-T5, and both cameras are unable to face the screen forward. If you’re after a fully-articulated flip-screen you’ll need either the X-H or X-S series.

Meanwhile the electronic viewfinder appears to be the same as the X-T30’s, employing a 2.36 million dot OLED with 0.62x magnification. While it would have been nice to have a higher resolution panel and larger magnification, both are step-ups available on the X-T5, while the X-H series continues to enjoy the most detailed viewfinders in the series. So the X-T50 viewfinder image is quite small and not the most detailed out there, but it remains usable.

As before, both the battery and card are housed in the same compartment under the camera, with the X-T50 employing the same NP-W126S pack as its predecessors and the X100 series.

While the less power-hungry X-Processor 5 may squeeze more out of it than the previous generation, it remains a small battery which can run short during a full day’s shooting, especially if you include a lot of video or use continuous IBIS. So either carry a spare or a USB power bank to top it up.

This is another benefit of the X-T5 which can accommodate the larger NP-W235 pack, but this in turn makes the camera bigger. So like the X100 series, the smaller battery was chosen to keep the body size as compact as possible. It is what it is.

Another compromise of a small body is only having room for a single SD card slot, again like the X-T30’s and X100’s. This is another step-up for the X-T5 which can accommodate two card slots, and more conveniently in the grip side too. 

On the plus-side though, Fujifilm has at least upgraded the XT50’s card slot to support UHS-II card speeds, in theory allowing the buffer to flush more quickly after a burst.

To find out, I fired-off a burst of uncompressed RAW files – around 87MB each – using the top quoted mechanical speed of 8fps. I managed 22 frames in 2.69 seconds, corresponding to a rate of 8.2fps, before the camera slowed to 3fps. The buffer took just under eight seconds to fully write onto a fast UHS-II card. 

These figures essentially match what I measured for the X-T5 when shooting at the same speed, with both cameras falling behind the X-H2 on bursts, not just in terms of the buffer size, but the potential for faster write speeds onto CF Express cards.

That said, you only really notice when shooting bursts of RAW. Switch to JPEG and the bursts grow while write times almost disappear. Plus faster bursts are possible with the electronic shutter up to 13fps with no crop, or up to 20fps at a reduced resolution of 24 Megapixels with a 1.29x crop.

The X-T50 also inherits a pre-burst mode which exploits the electronic shutter to keep a rolling buffer of frames as you half-press the shutter. Then when you fully push, it commits the most recent to memory before continuing. In my tests the X-T50 buffered about half a second of action, which doesn’t sound like much but is generally enough to ensure you catch the moment a bird takes flight or a player makes contact.

In terms of ports, a door on the left side opens to reveal a 3.5mm microphone jack – a welcome upgrade over the 2.5mm jack on the X-T30, along with USB-C and Micro HDMI.

There’s no dedicated headphone jack, but it is possible to connect some earphones to the USB-C port. Like earlier models it can be fussy though, for example the X-T50 wouldn’t drive my USB-C Apple EarPods, but Fujifilm considerately bundles an compatible adapter which lets you connect any 3.5mm earphones.

The battery can be charged over USB-C, and like recent Fujifilm bodies, the port also allows the camera to double-up as a standard webcam. Fujifilm says this supports 4k streaming, but like the X100 VI when I tried it in YouTube Live, it forced the camera into 1080 60p only. Maybe other apps or services allow higher resolutions.

The X-T50 also supports Frame.IO for uploading files directly to the cloud for backup or collaborative work, although in the absence of automatic proxy conversions, you’ll be transferring full size video files.

You’ll also notice an option in the menus to connect to instax printers, but this is only for the old, discontinued Wifi models. Sadly and bizarrely, the most recent Fujifilm cameras still won’t talk to the latest instax printers which now have Bluetooth only, despite the earlier X-S10 proving it was possible. C’mon, don’t you want to sell more of those instax cartridges?

And finally atop the viewfinder head are a standard hotshoe and a popup flash that’s triggered by a lever around the Film Simulation dial. When comparing the X-T50 against the X-T5, it’s important to remember the X-T5 does not have a popup flash.

Ok, now onto the sensor, with the X-T50 unsurprisingly inheriting the 40 Megapixel X-Trans V and X-Processor 5 combination of the X-H2, X-T5 and X100 VI. As such you’re not only getting a boost in resolution over the previous 26 Megapixel versions, but also the improved autofocus, subject detection and lower power consumption of the latest processor.

Just briefly here’s a standard test shot taken with the X-T50 and the new XF 16-50 kit zoom launched alongside it, and under good conditions you’ll enjoy some of the most detailed images from an APSC camera. I have loads of new sample images to share in a moment, but if you’re after a detailed analysis of noise, dynamic range and RAW files, check out my X-H2 and X-T5 reviews as the core image quality and file options are essentially the same.

I will show you some autofocus tests with the new kit zoom though, here at 16mm f2.8 where you’ll see the subject snap into focus without fuss. And now at 50mm f4.8 where again refocusing between the bottle and wall are pretty swift without issues.

The X-Processor 5 also equips the X-T50 with a subject detection menu allowing you to manually select between animals, birds, cars, bikes, planes or trains. Meanwhile the human face and eye detection remains on a separate menu with the most recent selection overriding the last.

Like the X-S20 before it though, I was disappointed the auto subject selection mode is only available when set to full Auto. Here it is in action, and I want you to keep an eye on the white icon on the left of the grey bar at the bottom.

These were all recorded in full Auto where you’ll see the X-T50 switching between cars, bikes, human eyes, birds and animals even with only a brief glance at them. It’s not 100% accurate, but close enough to be a really valuable option rather than having to manually select the desired type of subject. 

Please Fujifilm, add Auto Subject detect to all your cameras, and make sure it’s also available outside of full Auto mode as it just works really well.

Moving on, one of the biggest upgrades on the X-T50 over its predecessors is having built-in sensor shift stabilisation, or IBIS for short. Once they figured out how to squeeze it into the X100 VI, it was inevitable they’d include it across the range, although it doesn’t diminish the engineering achievement given the body size. Like the X100 VI, it’s only made the X-T50 barely thicker than before.

Here you can see the view without IBIS using the new XF 16-50 at 50mm, where the image is a bit wobbly like the X-T30 before it. But enter the menus, enable one of the continuous IBIS modes and you can return to a much steadier view which makes accurate framing much easier. For me this is one of the major benefits of IBIS, especially for the X-system which has lots of unstabilised primes.

But of course it also allows you to handhold much slower shutter speeds than before and you’re looking at one taken again with the 16-50 at 50mm, where IBIS allowed me to capture a sharp image down to 1/10 of a second.

Now on the right is the same exposure, but without IBIS where you can see the image is spoilt by camera shake. On the day I needed a shutter speed of 1/160 to handhold a perfectly sharp result with this higher resolution sensor and small body, so the IBIS was effectively giving me around four stops of compensation. Far from the quoted seven stops for me personally, but still extremely valuable. As you’ll see it also transforms the X-T50 for video.

Moving onto the movie mode, the X-T50 unsurprisingly inherits many of the features and quality options of previous models sharing the same sensor and processor.

So you can film 1080 or 4k from 24 to 60p, as well as enjoying 1080 slow motion up to 240p, or 6.2k recording up to 30p. You can also choose to encode in H.264 or H.265, and in a nice upgrade over the X-T30, the chance for All-i encoding too. Like previous models, there are some restrictions or crops though, so let’s have a look at some footage in practice.

I’ll start with 1080 at 25p filmed with the 16-50 kit zoom at 35mm f5.6, and all these clips were encoded using H.265 Long GOP. At 24-30p, there’s no horizontal crop. But set the X-T50 to 1080 at 50 or 60p and like the X100 VI, you’ll incur a mild 1.1x crop to the field of view. Sorry for any wobbles, as it was very windy when testing.

Next back to 1080 25p before switching to standard 4k at 25p, where again there’s no crop between 24 and 30p. And again when switching to 4k at 50 or 60p, you’ll incur the same mild 1.1x crop as seen with 1080 footage.

Next let’s return to 4k 25p before selecting the 4k HQ mode, which oversamples from 6.2k for a more detailed image, although only available between 24 and 30p, and with a more substantial crop of 1.23x. And now for the 6.2k mode which when viewed on a 4k timeline looks just like 4k HQ, again with the same 1.23x crop and available from 24 to 30p.

But the extra resolution allows you to zoom-in a little, while maintaining 4k quality, which gives you a little extra flexibility in post, albeit not as much as an open gate mode which would record the full height of the sensor. 

As it stands, the normal 1080 and 4k modes are available in 16:9 or wider DCi shapes, while 4k HQ and 6.2k are 16:9 only. F-log and F-log 2 are available in any mode for those who want to grade, while the Micro HDMI port can output 6.2k RAW video to either Atomos or Blackmagic external recorders at 24 to 30p.

Before moving on, to compare the quality between the 4k modes, here’s the standard uncropped 4k at the top, with the 4k HQ mode at the bottom, but with the lens adjusted to match the field of view. Now you can better see the benefit of 4k HQ in detail.

If you’re into slow motion, the High Speed Recording menu lets you capture at 100 to 240p and encode at 24 to 60p, with the footage playing back at the set speed without sound. All modes here incur a 1.23x crop. So let’s play that 1080 25p clip again before switching to 1080 at 100p, encoded to 25p for a four-times slowdown. Notice the 1.23x crop to the field of view. And now for 1080 at 200p, again encoded here at 25p for an eight-times slowdown, and again with that 1.23x crop.

Next for video autofocus, using the 16-50 kit zoom at 16mm f2.8 and a single AF area in the middle. Here you can see the camera and lens pulling-focus in what looks like two steps rather than a continuous smooth transition. It doesn’t overshoot, but it does pause briefly in the middle.

And now at 50mm f4.8 where there seems to be even more visible steps during each focus-pull. This is something I’ve seen when reviewing other Fujifilm cameras with this kind of close-range refocusing task – it’s just not something they excel at.

So let’s try something at a more common distance: your’s truly at 50mm f4.8, using face and eye detection to find me on the frame. And I’m really relying on it here as unless you connect an external monitor or use the phone app, you won’t be able to even see if you’re on the frame, let alone in focus. 

But luckily it does a better job at tracking and refocusing on me than the previous test, while also giving an idea of the potential bokeh when shooting portraits with the new kit zoom.

Now let’s see how the stabilisation performs for video, starting with a clip filmed at 50mm with IBIS turned off, where the footage is understandably wobbly.

Next here’s the X-T50 with IBIS enabled, so you’re looking at sensor shift alone. The view is much steadier and has transformed the camera for handheld filming with unstabilised lenses.

But there’s more. Like many Fujifilm cameras, an optional IBIS plus DIS mode applies additional digital stabilisation to further steady the image in return for a mild 1.1x crop.

And finally here’s a clip filmed with IS Boost mode enabled which is designed to lock the image in place, almost like a handheld tripod. You can see as I reposition the camera, the stabilisation almost snaps into place and keeps it still. I like this mode for static compositions.

If you prefer to walk while you’re filming, here’s how the X-T50 looks with the new kit zoom at 16mm f2.8 using IBIS alone. It’s not completely steady, but if you’re careful with your steps, the footage can be acceptable. Oh and remember the screen doesn’t face you, so I’m filming blind here.

Here I’ve enabled digital stabilisation on top of IBIS and I’d say it’s not making much difference here, certainly not the almost gimbal-like results of some rivals with their enhanced digital modes. Again this is no different from previous Fujifilm bodies I’ve tested – they’re just not able to iron-out my own wobbles when walking as well as others do, but your mileage may vary.

Which brings me to rolling shutter, so hold onto your lunches as I shake the camera back and forth, first in 1080 25p, where there’s a little skewing, but nothing too bad. Likewise here in standard 4k at 25p, where the skewing is kept fairly low considering the back and forth I’m giving it.

Switch to 4k HQ though and you’ll see worse rolling shutter thanks to the oversampled footage having a slower readout. This is no different to other cameras – if you want the detail from oversampling, you’ll pay for it with slower readout and worse rolling shutter. Similarly for 6.2k here which like 4k HQ, reads the whole sensor, hence worse skewing.

As for recording times and overheating, you may recall the previous X-T30 only allowed 10 minute clips of 4k and overheated in my tests after six of them. In contrast the X-T50 can keep recording until you run out of power or memory, or the camera overheats.

With the shutdown temperature set to high, I managed a single clip of standard 4k 25p lasting 90 minutes before the battery ran out – you can see it approaching one hour here. I filmed indoors in the evening with the camera feeling warm at the end, but there were no temperature warnings.

After the camera fully cooled and recharged, I tried the more demanding 4k HQ mode, which managed an hour and 15 minutes before the battery ran out again, albeit this time with the temperature warning appearing during the final minutes. Your mileage will vary, but like the X100 VI, it’s great to now enjoy much longer 4k clips with reduced overheating.