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Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light review: The magic of light

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Photography

I’ve recently been playing with some fabulous gear from the terrific people at Hobolite. Being a big fan of LED continuous lighting for a while now, I adore the ease of use and convenience for still life, product and even headshot lighting. So when they sent me their brand new Hobolite Iris Creator Kit, I was thrilled to test out the functionality of this gem.

Just like all the other Hobolite products, it’s so simple to use. It comes with a few cool accessories and they are all magnetic…yes magnetic. It’s only 5W, but when you can pop it on mini light stand, behind or inside some objects, well it becomes VERY versatile. Let’s have a closer look!

Note: Blonde Robot (Australian Hobolite Distributor) sent the Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light kit to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this light are my own.

Pros

Runs on batteries and is very small (8.6 x 5 x 3cm)
Cool and funky, great retro design
Variable controls for power and color temp (2700K — 6500K)
Minimalist design, Small and lightweight, fabulous for putting in books, cauldrons, in trees, shooting macro and so much more
Intelligent cooling with heat sink and fan
Easy to turn dials for power and temperature, and simple on/off switch
All accessories, dome diffuser, aperture ring, three different lenses and gel filters and are all magnetic.
Battery (on full power) lasts about 2 hours
Bluetooth and works on the Hobolite App
Bright high Contrast LCD Screen
Weather resistant

Cons

To be honest I am pushing things a bit, as there were no real cons. If you want more light, grab a different Hobolite product.

The battery is built-in. It would be handy to swap batteries in and out.
5W power…but then that’s also the beauty of it.

Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — Technical specifications

All of the technical specifications are from their website/marketing material.

Output Power (Max): 5W
Color Temperature Range: 2700K~6500K
Luminous Flux: 300LM
Magnetic Property: Yes (from lens mount)
Expansion Accessories: Yes
App Control: Yes (Bluetooth 65.6 feet)
Dimming: 0-100%
Battery run time: 2 hours on full power /18 hours at 10% power
Dimensions: 8.6 X 5.0 X 3.0cm (without accessories)
Net Weight: 0.45kg (without accessories)
Operating temperature: 14-104F
Protection Class: IP54
Color: Brown Faux leather

Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — Versatility

You can adjust the light intensity and the color. I like it set to 5600k. But that is really just a personal choice. You can change the color temperature, so it’s effectively adding gels, which could be handy in certain circumstances. This side into the actual aperture ring. Additional colored gels can also be purchased. The gel filters it came with have some cool atmospehric effects, like Blue or Golden hour, Spring Pastel and my favourite the Aurora.

Ergonomics are great. The diffuser and grid work quite well to soften and direct the light. I’m not sure I would want to place it on top of the camera, but I guess it’s possible you can (need optional hot shoe stand). I love that it is so small you can hide i in props and such, light painwith it and use it for macro work. Has a whole range of (optional) accessories too.

Build quality

Small and sturdy, dials are firm and stable but easily turned. The accessories are all magnetic, making it a breeze to add and remove. Feels very sturdy and compact. Funky retro look, a bit like an old-school instamatic camera. Non slips surface on sides.

Out of the box

It comes wih power cable (USB C-type), dome diffuser, gel filters, Fresnel lens, Aperture ring, adjustable lens, a cool funky Magic lens and Quick Start guide.

The Iris is in the book and lights up the models face

Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — Infinite amtosphere creativity

Thanks to some innovative technology this little light might just change the way you see LED lights (if my other reviews haven’t already). Small and compact but powerful enough for macro, light painting, and for so many other uses – like still life, adding cool dramartic or atmospheeric lighting to your photography images. Versatile and adaptable to whatever you want to use it for. And the best part, it’s simple to use.

Mounting

This Iris light is so small I either place it on th floor (or ground) on a table, in my hand, but I also placed it in books, or stools, cauldrons and more.

Setup

It’s so simple to use. To turn it on you press the power button. Adjust the dials for power and color temp. Add a lens, the diffuser, grid or gels and you’re ready to shoot. It’s that simple. I used it for some light panting, macro and to ad some drama to portraits in the studio. It gave beautiful etheral glow (especailly with the Aurora gel filter).

The Iris is in the cauldron with the Aurora Filter (camera left is the Hobolite Mini) — The Iris is in the cauldron with the Aurora Filter (camera left is the Hobolite Mini and green gel)

Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light — A terrific lighting addition to your kit

I have been using this light in the studio for a variety of shoots from macro, still life and product photography. It’s a terrific little light and very handy. The fact that it is so small, lightweight and easy to use is a big plus for me. It is a little on the pricey side. Sample images below on AP mode (Sony A7RV) at 5600K.

Lenses, Gels and diffuser

The Hobolite Iris 5W Continuous LED Light comes with a dome diffuser and four atmospheric gel filters: Blue Hour, Golden Hour, Aurora and Spring Pastel. More gel colours are available as optional extras.

Available from Hobolite from 24th May, with an SRP of $199.00.

You can check out the unboxing on my YouTube channel.

“Native fashionista” creates runway looks and economic opportunity

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Native

The ribbon skirt is a colorful symbol of Indigenous pride, born of Voyageur trade with Great Lakes tribes.

At Native Nations Fashion Night in northeast Minneapolis, the historic garment was rocking the runway, paired with chunky black boots as Nirvana blared. The look was deeply traditional, yet totally modern.

The same could be said of the fashion show, held in late April, which featured fur apparel made by an Alaskan Tlingit designer (who hunts her own material) alongside bodysuits with translucent skirts that evoked Beyoncé or Taylor Swift.

The show’s creator, designer Delina White, of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, is known for contemporary-style clothing and accessories that incorporate Indigenous motifs and materials and reference social issues.

Since the self-dubbed “Native fashionista” boldly launched her design career at age 50, she’s dressed a two-spirit (gender non-forming) model in jingle pants, a riff on Ojibwe jingle dresses worn by female dancers. And made jewelry with vintage rosary beads to reclaim the harmful history of church-run Native American boarding schools.

“Fashion is such a visual art form,” White said. “You can make statements with it.”

Though White’s work has been getting attention — it’s been displayed at Mia and the Walker — her larger mission is to spotlight other Indigenous designers. That’s why she created the largest annual Native runway show and artisan marketplace in the Upper Midwest, now in its fourth year. At a time when global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Levis and Minnetonka Moccasins are collaborating with Native designers, White reinforces the message to “appreciate not appropriate.”

At this year’s Fashion Night, attendees represented multiple generations and tribes from across the region, including Bad River in Wisconsin and South Dakota’s Cheyenne River. The crowd dressed in vibrant colors and dense patterns. The room smelled of burning sage.

White had lined up an especially high-profile model: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe who is known for her striking Native-designed wardrobe.

On the runway, Flanagan told the crowd how “guys on the internet” like to disparage her style, commenting, “That’s not what a Lieutenant Governor dresses like.” “But I am a Lieutenant Governor,” she said. “And this is what I dress like.” The audience roared with applause.

A second career

A month earlier, one of White’s Fashion Night designs — a buoyant hoop skirt with a colorful diamond pattern — was still three cut-up quilts, laid out on a bedspread at her home on the Leech Lake Reservation. White had purchased the quilts, featuring the star design popular with Plains tribes, and was piecing them into a round.

White likes to incorporate natural elements with cultural significance, such as birch bark, red willow and oblong beads made of bone or horn. Her sewing room is stacked with fabric, so her work tends to spread throughout her home, which once belonged to her paternal grandmother. On a living room table, she was assembling jewelry made from deer sheds, cut into cross-sections to look like miniature tree rings.

White’s lifestyle is modest (she drives a Honda with 250,000 miles on it), but her view of Leech Lake is priceless. Though she grew up mostly in urban areas — Chicago, Milwaukee, Houston, Minneapolis — she spent breaks on the reservation near Walker, Minn., where her mother’s family also lived. “I always wanted to come back,” she said.

In 1992, she did. White spent the next several decades raising a family and working for the tribe in administrative roles. But she’d always been interested in fashion. She was a model who competed in Miss Teen Minnesota and, before that, learned beadwork from her grandmother.

When White was in her 30s, she and her husband, Gerald, took their blended family of seven children on the powwow circuit, dressed in regalia they’d made. White’s beadwork impressed other dancers, but it was too labor-intensive for her to justify selling it.

Instead, more than a decade later, White pursued a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant, which facilitated a 2015 series of fashion shows in local galleries, in collaboration with her daughters Lavender Hunt and Sage Davis. That project launched White’s brand, I Am Anishinaabe, which has been featured in the country’s largest Native fashion show, in Santa Fe, N.M., and collected by the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design.

White discovered a way to make her beadwork more accessible by photographing her designs and having them printed on fabric. The original beading remains a one-of-a-kind artwork. But the photorealistic reproduction, which she turns into flowy clothing and scarves, can be worn and enjoyed by many within the Native community and beyond it.

Economic capacity

The best way to ensure that clothing and apparel with Indigenous imagery is culturally sensitive, White says, is to make sure it was designed by a Native person. “We trust that the designer is not going to appropriate their sacred or traditional designs that they use in ceremony as a commercial thing,” she said.

Supporting Indigenous designers helps develop the community’s economic capacity, White added, noting how tribal members often leave the reservation for job opportunities. (While the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux have profited immensely from gambling operations on their reservation near the Twin Cities, casinos in more remote areas, such as Leech Lake, bring in far less revenue.)

Grace Goldtooth, this year’s Fashion Night emcee, noted how the show not only brings visibility to Native artisans, but to issues in the community. Goldtooth, the executive director of a Lower Sioux Community nonprofit focused on revitalizing the Dakota language, said she appreciates White’s gift for raising up everyone in her orbit.

“If she succeeds, we all succeed,” Goldtooth said. “She makes room at the table for everyone. One of our cultural practices is to be humble and have compassion, and she executes that so well by being compassionate and supportive to the artist.”

What Went Down at the Private View for Another Man’s New Exhibition

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Photography

Last night (May 15) at the new creative hub inside 180 Studios, Dazed Space, biannual print publication Another Man hosted an evening of festivities to celebrate the opening of exhibition SHASHIN RON (ON PHOTOGRAPHY), coinciding with the start of Photo London and marking an exciting new era for the men’s style title.

Editor-in-chief Ellie Grace Cumming and art director Lina Kutsovskaya welcomed notable guests from the fields of photography, fashion, film and art including Campbell Addy, Dilara Findikoglu, Tish Weinstock, Ethan James Green, Gary Card, Lulu Kennedy, Bee Beardsworth, Charlotte Knowles, Lucy Kumara Moore, Jamie Reid, Ibby Njoya, Jonas Glöer and Kiki Willems. They were joined by the new issue’s editors and contributors Ted Stansfield, Jordan Duddy, Ola Ebiti, Douglas Irvine, Ai Kamoshita, Piotr Chamier, Trinity Ellis, Jack Pierson, and many more. A steady flow of drinks, from beers to margaritas and palomas provided by Don Julio and 1664 Blanc, kept the celebrations going until late into the evening, with music from DJs Nkisi and Raime.

The exhibition is in collaboration with award-winning colour grading and finishing studio Studio RM, a prestigious post-production studio with offices in London, New York and Paris. Studio RM have always been committed to discovering and supporting new and established photographers and video-makers, and collaborates with artists such as Zoë Ghertner, Alasdair McLellan, Luke Gilford, Peter Ash Lee, Aidan Zamiri, Iggy London and Gordon Von Steiner.

The exhibition is curated by Another Man’s art director, and showcases an array of works by global artists and photographers from both Volume II, Issue I and their personal archives, spanning images which deck the walls, and film, projected inside cosy tents at the centre of the space. The exhibition is hosted directly below where the magazine was crafted in the months prior, and features the work of artists including Lucas Blalock, Trinity Ellis, JH Engström, Ryu Ika, Douglas Irvine, Keizo Kitajima, Paul Kooiker, Thomas Mailaender, Gabriel Moses, Momo Okabe, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Viviane Sassen, Paul Sepuya, Nick Sethi, Chris Shaw, Marie Valognes, Kandis Williams and Julian Klincewicz. The exhibition provides a glimpse into the new world of Another Man, reflects the arresting new times in men’s fashion, and reintroduces the publication as a leading voice in style, art, photography, and culture.

SHASHIN RON (ON PHOTOGRAPHY) is open now until Thursday 23 May, at Dazed Space, Surrey Street, London, WC2R 2ND, 12pm-7pm daily. Entry is free and open to all. Supported by Studio RM. Special thanks to Snow Peak and Leica.

One hundred years of royal portrait photography celebrated at Palace

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Photography

An unseen family photo marking the birth of four royal babies and the earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the royal family are among the historic highlights.

Notable royal pictures on display include works by Dorothy Wilding, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, Andy Warhol and Rankin.

A coronation portrait by Hugo Burnand of the King (Yui Mok/PA)

Also on show is fashion photographer Paolo Roversi’s portrait of the Princess of Wales, taken to mark her milestone 40th birthday.

Kate’s off the shoulder dress and sideways pose are described by the Royal Collection Trust as bearing a “striking visual resemblance” to an 1864 painting of Alexandra, Princess of Wales – later Queen Alexandra – by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.

Visitors to Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography at the King’s Gallery, which opens on Friday, will be able to compare the two images, with the historic 19th century depiction of Alexandra hanging near the black and white image of Kate.

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography exhibition — The portrait by Paolo Roversi near the painting of Alexandra, Princess of Wales in 1864 (Yui Mok/PA)

Kate, a keen photographer who sparked a furore with the editing of the Waleses’ Mother’s Day picture, has stepped away from the public spotlight while she undergoes chemotherapy for cancer.

Warhol’s 1985 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light, while Rankin’s 2001 photograph of the smiling Queen was superimposed against the union flag and Polly Borland’s Golden Jubilee portrait of the Queen was set on a glittering gold backdrop.

They are the among the examples of experimentation and playfulness from the 1980s onwards.

The exhibition also sheds light on behind-the-scenes processes, from contact sheets and photographers’ handwritten annotations to correspondence with members of the royal family and their staff.

The earliest surviving photographic print of a member of the royal family produced in colour shows Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester – sister-in-law to King George VI – on her wedding day.

It was taken in 1935 by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography and champion of women photographers.

Alongside portraits marking official occasions are more intimate family moments, including a never-before-seen image of four royal mothers – Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent – holding their newborn babies.

The babies are Prince Edward (now the Duke of Edinburgh), Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (now Lady Sarah Chatto), James Ogilvy and Lady Helen Windsor (now Lady Helen Taylor) – who all turned 60 this year.

The image was taken by Margaret’s photographer husband, the late Earl of Snowdon, as a personal token of thanks for Sir John Peel, the royal obstetrician who delivered all four babies within the space of two months.

On display is a handwritten letter from Margaret to her sister the late Queen, asking her “Darling Lilibet” to sign the print “as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery” and also suggesting they take a trip to the theatre to see Noel Coward’s “witty” comic play Hay Fever.

The Snowdon portrait of the four royal mothers and Princess Margaret's letter to her sister — The Snowdon portrait of the four royal mothers and Princess Margaret’s letter to her sister (Royal Collection Trust/PA)

“If you enjoyed ‘Private Lives’ this is just the ticket. Would like to see it? It would be such fun to see if together,” Margaret writes.

Alessandro Nasini, curator of the exhibition, said: “The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the royal family, captured by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the past hundred years – from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, and Rankin.

“Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, which cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons, we are excited to share archival correspondence and never-before-seen proofs that will give visitors a behind-the-scenes insight into the process of creating such unforgettable royal portraits.”

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from May 17 to October 6.

Visitor information and tickets can be found at www.rct.uk or +44 (0)30 3123 7301.

SC church to unveil Harriet Tubman sculpture commemorating raid freeing 700 slaves

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Sculpture

The raid made Tubman, known as the Moses of Her People, the first woman ever to lead a major military operation in the U.S., according to the Smithsonian.

Sod cut at Derry’s Harbour Square for new Factory Girls sculpture

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Sculpture

The Factory Girls sculpture will celebrate local shirt factory workers and the significant role they played in the city and district’s cultural, heritage and economic history

Archeology is buzzing about this rare relic of a female ballplayer at a Chicago museum

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Sculpture

Ancient artifacts depicting women are often interpreted as symbols of physical beauty or fertility. But ancient women also spiked balls and severed heads.

Hobolite debuts the Iris: A new lens on light

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Photography

New Hobolite Iris small continuous LED light for photographers inspires creativity through its vintage camera design, unique optical modifiers, aperture ring and playful colored gel filters.

Hobolite, a pioneer in continuous LED lighting equipment for content creators, announces the launch of its latest innovation, the Hobolite Iris. The Hobolite Iris is a small portable continuous LED light for photography and content creation that features optical modifiers and colored gel filters that spark creativity and joy in the art of visual storytelling. With its stylish retro camera design, weather-resistant aluminium body and versatile optical modifiers — including a functioning aperture ring — this new bi-color portable light elevates the artistic process through innovation and the playfulness of creativity.

Features

The Hobolite Iris stands out with its sleek IP54-rated aluminium body, wrapped in an attractive vegan leatherette, making it an ideal companion for both indoor and outdoor use. Its unique aperture ring empowers photographers and content creators to adjust from a focused beam to a wide glow, to light stories with precision and style — anywhere and anytime.

The Iris features remarkable color accuracy, with a color range from 2700K to 6500K and high CRI and TLCI ratings of 96+, ensuring that colors are rendered true to life. With the introduction of innovative optical modifiers, a magnetic accessory system, and a built-in battery, the Iris further enhances the experience of shaping moments with light, allowing for extended creativity without the need for constant recharging.

The new Hobolite Iris light is available in two kit options to optimize creativity, right out of the box. The Iris Standard Kit contains the Iris light, Adjustable Lens, Frosted Dome, USB cable and stylish protective pouch. The adjustable lens offers versatility with a range from 20 degrees to 45 degrees, complemented by enhanced brightness capabilities that provide a 6x brightness boost for exceptional illumination.

The Iris Creator Kit comprises all the elements featured in the Standard Kit, and features an Aperture Ring, Gel Filters, Magic Lens, Fresnel Lens f/28mm, Adjustable Lens and Frosted Dome.

Price and Availablity

In addition to the Iris LED lighting kits, Hobolite has also introduced accessory kits for photographers who require additional sets of the modifiers and filters featured in the Creator Kit. Iris Optical Modifier Kit comprises the Fresnel Lens F28mm, Aperture Ring, Magic Lens and is priced at $199.00AUD, while the Colored Gel Filter Essential Pack comprises four gradient color gels inserts priced at $119.00AUD.

The Hobolite Iris Creator Kit and Standard Kit are priced at $399.00AUD and $199.00AUD respectively and are available starting May 24th at www.hobolite.com and through authorized retailers.

The art we own

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Photography

Leaders in the federal government have always known art conveys information. Early on, Congress commissioned John Trumbull to create four paintings about the Revolutionary War that still hang in the U.S. Capitol. When a photograph still had to be fixed on a glass plate negative with chemicals, the first federal photographer, John Wood, photographed the government as it was being built.

Fujifilm X-T50 vs Fujifilm X-T5 – Which is Better?

May 16, 2024 By Admin in Photography

Although they share a lot of the same core specifications and features, there are some important differences between the mid-range XT50 that was released in 2024 and the flagship XT5 from 2023.

So we’re bringing you this in-depth Fujifilm X-T50 vs X-T5 head-to-head comparison to help you choose between these two mirrorless cameras.

You can also read our detailed Fujifilm X-T50 review and Fujifilm X-T5 review to find out exactly what we think of each camera.

Sensor

Fujifilm X-T50 vs X-T5 - Head to Head Comparison

The image sensor used in the new X-T50 is exactly the same as the one found in the X-T

They both have a 40.2 megapixel X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor, with HR standing for High Resolution.

This is a BSI (back-side illuminated) sensor design that has more of a focus on detail and resolution than out-and-out speed.

It also allows both the XT50 and XT5 to record 6K video, surpassing previous generation models which could only record up to 4K video.

They also share the same X-Processor 5 image processor, so both models will therefore provide exactly the same image quality as each other.

Pixel Shift Multi-shot

The X-T5 became the first ever X-T series Fuji camera to feature the special Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode when it was released in 2023, which delivers 160 megapixel images for the ultimate quality when detail really matters.

Previously only seen on the company’s GFX-branded medium-format cameras, in the Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode the camera records 20 frames, shifting the sensor by 0.5 pixels between each frame.

The resulting images are automatically combined into one DNG RAW file, which can then be output to a desired file format using suitable RAW processing software.

Sadly, despite having the same image sensor and processor, the new X-T50 does not offer this feature at all.

ISO Speed

The new X-T50 and the X-T5 both have a base sensitivity of ISO 125, which can be expanded down to ISO 64 and up to ISO 51,200.

Video

The X-T50 offers the same video features and performance as the X-T5 – both are equally good choices if you have any interest in movie-making.

They offer a highest video quality rate of 6.2K/30p with a modest 1.23x crop, recorded in 4:2:2 10-bit internally.

Both cameras also support up to DCI 4K/60p recording without applying any crop, and both can shoot 1080/240p slow-motion footage.

They offer the latest F-Log 2 profile with up to 14+ stops of dynamic range.

Combined with a compatible HDMI recording device from Atomos or Blackmagic Design, 12-bit RAW video output can be recorded as Apple ProRes RAW or Blackmagic RAW.

They have a digital zoom function that uses the camera’s 40.2MP sensor to deliver up to 2x of digital zoom with little to no loss in resolution when recording video in 4K.

Autofocus

The new X-T50 has exactly the same hybrid autofocus system with phase detection and and contrast detections points as the more expensive X-T5.

In the Single point AF mode there are up to 425 selectable AF points arranged in a 25×17 grid. Alternatively, the camera can be set to 117 points in a 13×9 grid, and the size of the points can also be varied.

In addition to Single point AF, there’s Zone AF which allows the AF points to be selected in 3×3, 5×5 or 7×7 groups, and Wide/Tracking AF.

Both cameras can automatically detect animals, birds, cars, bikes, planes and trains thanks to the X-Processor 5’s AI deep learning capabilities.

Thanks to the 40 megapixel sensor, they also offers a large number of PDAF points (3.3 million).

Both cameras can focus down to an incredible -7EV in low-light.

Burst Shooting

Both models can shoot at up to 20fps when using the electronic shutter, with a 1.29x crop applied.

There is one key difference though. While the X-T5 provides 15fps continuous shooting speed when using the mechanical shutter, the X-T50 is limited to just 5fps.

It does have a much larger buffer though when using the mechanical shutter – 1000+ JPEG or compressed RAW frames versus 119 on the X-T5.

Shutter Speed

Both cameras offer an impressive fastest shutter speed of 1/180000 sec for the electronic shutter.

This allows users to leave the aperture wide open in very bright conditions such as a sunny beach or a ski slope, or to capture a split-second motion.

Body and Design

The X-T5 implements all of the traditional dials and controls that Fuji users have come to know and love, including the classic Fujifilm ISO, Shutter Speed and Exposure Compensation dials on top of the camera.

The X-T50 take a similar approach with three dials on the top-plate, but one of them is the brand new dedicated Film Simulation dial which replaces the drive mode dial. This is a first for the X-T series, providing quick access to selected simulations plus three user selectable modes.

Featuring a new rounded design, the X-T50 is significantly smaller and lighter than the flagship X-T5.

The XT5 weighs 476g body only or 557g with a battery and memory card fitted.

The XT50 weighs 389g body only or 438g with a battery and memory card fitted.

IBIS

IBIS is included for the first time on an X-Txx series camera, so both the X-T50 and X-T5 feature 5-axis in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) that delivers up to 7 stops of in-body image stabilisation.

Viewfinder

The X-T5 has a very good 3.68M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.80x magnification, 100fps refresh rate and a built-in eye sensor.

The EVF on the XT50 is slightly inferior, with 2.36M-dot resolution, 0.62x magnification, 100fps refresh rate and a built-in eye sensor.

LCD Screen

One of the biggest differences between these two cameras is the action of the LCD screen.

Fujifilm implemented a 3-way tilting LCD on the X-T5, saying that it better matched its more stills-focused nature.

The screen on the new X-T50 has an even simpler 2-way tilting design which makes it less versatile, especially for video use.

The resolution of the screen on both cameras is 1.84M-dots, making it the highest-res screen of any current Fujifilm APS-C camera.

Memory Cards

The X-T5 has dual memory card slots, utilising two UHS-II SD card slots housed in a dedicated compartment on the side of the body.

The smaller X-T50 only has a single UHS-II SD card slot that’s located on the bottom of the camera inside the battery compartment.

Battery Life

The X-T5 uses the larger-capacity NP-W235 battery, which provides up to 740 shot battery life in economy mode.

The X-T50 uses the smaller-capacity NP-W126S battery, which only provides up to 390 shot battery life in economy mode.

Both cameras can also be powered and charged via a USB-C connection, which is useful if you’re out and about and have a compatible power-bank to plug the camera into.

Battery Grip

Perhaps somewhat controversially, both the new X-T50 and the X-T5 do not support a vertical battery grip (there are no contacts on the bottom of either camera).

Fujifilm say this is based on market data for the previous models which showed that the majority of owners did not buy one.

Instead you can buy the optional MHG-XT5 metal hand grip if you feel than the body on its own is too small, but this only applies to the X-T5, as no hand grip has been released for the X-T50.

Price

The Fujifilm X-T5 is priced at £1699 / $1799 body-only in the UK and USA respectively.

The newer Fujifilm X-T50 is priced at £1299 / $1399 body only.

Conclusion

The new Fujifilm X-T50 uses exactly the same 5th generation 40-megapixel sensor and image processor as the X-T5, so it essentially provides the same stills, video and auto-focus performance – you’d really be hard-pressed to tell the differences, if any, between them.

Offering a similar classic retro styling and control layout to the X-T5, the X-T50 is also both smaller and lighter and has the handy new Film Simulation dial, whilst costing some £400 / $400 less than its big brother.

On the flip-side, the X-T50’s LCD screen has more limited 2-axis movement, the electronic viewfinder is lower in both resolution and magnification, there’s no 160mp Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode, continuous shooting is much slower when using the mechanical shutter, the battery life is much smaller, there’s only one memory card slot housed more inconveniently in the battery compartment, and no optional hand-grip at all.

So what do you think? Would you choose the new X-T50 or the flagship X-T5? Leave a comment below!