Fujifilm X-M5 camera launch date gets teased alongside build quality concerns

Rumours of an upcoming Fujifilm X-M5 have been kicking around the rumour mill for a while now, with the camera mostly looking like a cheaper, somewhat stripped-back version of the Fujifilm X-S20 (curr. $1,299 at Amazon) hybrid APS-C camera. 

Now, a new leak claims that the more affordable Fujifilm X-M5 will launch in October, although they don't specify any specific dates beyond that. According to the post by Federation of Independent Photographers on Weibo, who claims to have handled the new Fujifilm camera, there are some concerns of the build quality. 

"I just saw Fuji's new XM5 real machine. It is estimated that it is still made in Thailand. I feel that the workmanship is not very good. It will be released next month.

Update: It is an engineering machine model. No wonder it feels a bit loose. There are unusual color matching, which is quite coquettish." - via Weibo (machine translated)

Now, admittedly, the sample that the leaker was supposedly able to lay hands on was a pre-production engineering sample, meaning there were likely still kinks to work out before the actual camera enters production. However, there is something of a consensus in the community that Fujifilm's Thailand-produced cameras aren't quite as well-assembled as the ones that come out of Japan, although the final build quality remains to be seen in October when the final version is released. 

As a refresher, the Fujifilm X-M5 should have the following specifications: 

• 26.1 MP APS-C X-Trans BSI CMOS 4 sensor
• X-Processor 5 image processor
• 4K 60 fps; 6.2K open-gate, cropped 4K 120 fps video
• 425-point hybrid AF
• Seven-stop, five-axis IBIS
• Frame.io camera cloud integration
• 20 film simulation modes with a film simulation dial
• 3.0-inch 1.62 m-dot variable-angle touchscreen
• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity