Fujifilm X-A5

The X-A5 is a compact mirrorless camera Fujifilm released in 2018. It measures 117 x 68 x 40mm and weighs 361g, so it slips into a small bag without much thought.

Those dimensions make it a natural choice for travel, family days out and everyday photography, when heavier kit would get left at home. The Fujifilm X mount lets you swap between lenses as your interests grow.

Owning it means composing on the rear screen, since there is no built-in viewfinder, and keeping it sheltered, as it has no weather sealing.

A 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor sits at the heart of the stills output, with the EXR Processor II handling the data. That resolution leaves room to crop and supports large prints, while the format keeps body and lenses reasonably sized.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 200 to 12800, so the setting can be raised for dim interiors and dropped for bright days. The top shutter speed of 1/4000 second handles most daylight work, though very wide apertures in strong sunshine may push against that ceiling.

Burst shooting tops out at 6fps, a maximum rate suited to candid moments and gentle action rather than fast sports. The autofocus system offers 91 points, giving many positions for an off-centre subject.

There is no stabilisation built into the body. In low light, a faster shutter speed, a higher ISO or a tripod helps limit blur from camera shake.

The X-A5 records 4K video, a resolution that leaves room to crop or reframe footage before sharing it online. Files are written as MPEG-4 or MOV.

Frame rates reach up to 60fps, which renders motion more smoothly than standard rates when you want a fluid look for action or camera movement.

A timelapse function is built in, so you can set the camera to capture a sunset or drifting clouds frame by frame, with no extra gear required.

With no in-body stabilisation, handheld smoothness depends on the lens and your own technique. A tripod or other solid support keeps the camera still, and it suits the locked-off framing that timelapses need anyway.

Composition happens on the 3-inch LCD, a touchscreen with just over a million dots. Placing a focus point is a quick tap, and the display flips out for waist-level, overhead and self-framed shots.

Lighting options are flexible for a small body. The built-in flash handles quick indoor fill, while an external flash unit can add more power when needed.

Wi-Fi is built in, so the camera can connect wirelessly. There is no Bluetooth, so there is no low-energy link quietly maintaining a pairing between shoots.

No weather sealing means the X-A5 should be sheltered from rain and dust, and there is no built-in GPS, so any location tagging would need a phone or separate device.

Photos and video both land on a single SD, SDHC or SDXC card. With no second slot, there is no in-camera backup, so carrying a spare card matters for shoots you cannot repeat.

The NP-W126S battery is rated at 450 shots, a figure best treated as a guide rather than a promise. Actual endurance depends on how the camera is used, so consider packing a spare battery for longer shoots.

The battery does not charge over USB, so you cannot top it up from a laptop or power bank mid-shoot. That makes carrying a second battery a sensible addition for busy days.