If the Fujifilm X-T6 launches with this one feature, I’m going to be the first in line

When I ditched my DSLR for mirrorless, Fujifilm’s colors and retro dials won me over. But as a photographer still carrying around two slightly dated X-T4 bodies in my kit, there’s one feature that I really hope to see in the Fujifilm X-T6: a leap forward in autofocus performance.

Fujifilm hasn’t given any indication yet when or even if a Fujifilm X-T6 is coming. And to be 100% clear, camera launches don’t come with the same amount of predictability as, say, the iPhone updates. But with the X-T4 launched in April 2020 and the X-T5 in November 2022, we’re getting close to the 2.5-year age gap between the last two models. Similarly, the X-T3 launched in September 2018, and the X-T2 in 2016.

The Fujifilm X-T5 made a big jump forward in resolution, stepping up to a 40.2MP sensor. This is why, if the Fujifilm X-T6 is coming, I don’t think it needs another resolution bump. What I most want to see, instead, is improvements in the camera’s autofocus system.

Fujifilm is more known for its colors and retro charm than speed, but when I first tried the X-T5, I thought there were a few instances where the autofocus system struggled with those extra pixels and didn’t perform quite as well as my X-T4.

Now, Fujifilm has steadily launched several autofocus updates via firmware since then – and users have reported significantly better autofocus. This has me exceptionally hopeful for the Fujifilm X-T6. I don’t need sports-level performance as a wedding and portrait photographer, but I need a camera that can still lock focus on a dark dance floor and I need a camera that can use eye-AF on a squirmy toddler. Fujifilm’s steady pace of firmware updates has me hopeful that the X-T6 will be just what I’ve been looking for. If the X-T6 has the autofocus of the higher-end X-H2 series but the size and retro dials of the X-T5, then I’m expecting great things.

Of course, I could play devil's advocate here and say that, if that firmware is good enough, then Fujifilm might not need to update the X-T5 just yet. The Fujifilm X-T5 is already one of our favorite Fujifilm cameras, and I would expect that the current 40.2MP sensor and the X-Processor 5 would be replaced first in the pricier X-H series. I would love to see the stacked sensor of the Fujifilm X-H2s come to Fujifilm’s higher resolution 40.2MP sensor, but I would expect such a change to come to the X-H series first before the X-T series.

Of course, the autofocus isn’t the only reason that I didn’t update. The other reason is cost. I’m more likely to update on every other model rather than buy a new camera every time one is released. But with the X-T4 in my bag, I’m going to be much more tempted once the camera that I have is two generations old. The other obstacle factoring into the cost is that older lenses don’t perform as well with the higher-resolution sensor, so I suspect I would want to update at least one of my lenses along with the body.

With the firmware updates and sensor and processor inside the X-T5 still being current hardware, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Fujifilm X-T6 doesn’t come in 2025. It’s probably better for my budget if an X-T6 doesn’t come this year. But, if Fujifilm does update the series, improved autofocus is at the very top of my wish list.

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