Just saw this thread and wanted to chime in. I went through a similar hunt last month trying to find a Fujifilm X-T5 Mirrorless Camera Body for under $1400. Retail sales are pretty rare since they still sell well at the $1699 MSRP, so used or refurb is definitely your best bet. I ended up tracking prices on MPB and KEH daily. KEH occasionally lists Excellent condition bodies right around $1380, but they sell out almost instantly. The 40MP sensor is a massive upgrade from the X-T3, especially for cropping, but keep in mind you might need faster cards to handle the file sizes. I had to pick up a SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB UHS-II SDXC card because my old UHS-I cards were bottlenecking the buffer during burst shooting. If you cant find an X-T5 in budget before your trip, look at a used Fujifilm X-T4 Mirrorless Camera Body. You lose the 40MP resolution and get the flip-out screen instead of the 3-way tilt, but the IBIS and battery life are solid. Those are going for around $1100 now. Another technical alternative is the new Fujifilm X-T50 Mirrorless Camera Body which shares the 40MP sensor, though the single card slot and smaller EVF might feel like a downgrade coming from the X-T3.

Had a bit of time to think about this and wanted to share a few technical things you should keep in mind before pulling the trigger, especially with that Tokyo trip coming up. First off, finding a Fujifilm X-T5 Body under $1400 is tough but doable if you stalk the official Fujifilm refurbished store. They restock randomly, usually mid-week, but you have to be fast. If you go the used route through sites like MPB or KEH, make sure to ask about the shutter count. Even though mirrorless shutters last longer, you still want to be careful. Also, since you are going to Tokyo, you might be tempted to just buy it there tax-free. Be super careful with that tho. Japanese market Fuji cameras sometimes have locked language menus, and the warranty wont be valid back home. Another thing to budget for is storage. That 40MP sensor creates massive files. I would suggest getting a fast card like the Lexar Professional 1667x 128GB SDXC UHS-II because older, slower cards will bottleneck your buffer when shooting raw. TL;DR: Watch the official Fuji refurb site weekly, or buy from KEH/MPB. Avoid buying in Tokyo due to warranty risks. Budget for faster UHS-II cards to handle the 40MP files.

> finding a Fujifilm X-T5 Body under $1400 is tough but doable if you stalk the official Fujifilm refurbished store. Yeah, spot on. If you grab one, just be careful about the buffer clearing times when shooting raw. That 40MP sensor generates massive files and the write speed matters more than you think. Make sure you check the firmware version immediately after unboxing, too. Sometimes the older refurbs sit on launch firmware which had some focus hunting issues that were patched later. I would suggest updating that first thing before you land in Tokyo so you dont miss any shots while troubleshooting. Just keep an eye on your card write speeds, or the camera will lock up during burst sequences.

I went through this recently when my old gear failed. I ended up buying a refurbished unit from an official outlet, and honestly, I am so satisfied with how it turned out. Here is what I learned from my purchase:

• The unit arrived looking brand new, no scratches at all.
• It came with a full manufacturer warranty which gave me peace of mind.
• My current setup works well and I have had zero complaints so far.