Red Tricycle – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
I used to shoot film. I don’t much anymore, but I was one of those crazy holdouts that refused to go digital when it seemed as though everyone else had. Eventually I succumbed, and I’ve been shooting digitally for awhile now. One thing that I appreciate about Fujifilm cameras is that they produce images that are a little more film-like and a little less digital-esque than other camera brands. This shouldn’t surprise anyone as Fujifilm started out as a film company. On Fujifilm cameras one will find many great film simulation options. The most recent addition is Eterna, which is modeled after their motion picture films, but it can be made to resemble color negative film. What I appreciate about film is it has character that’s often lacking in digital cameras.
While Eterna was a motion picture film, it was also made and sold in limited quantities for still photography. A Fuji X Weekly reader recently purchased and used an expired roll of Eterna and shared one of the pictures. Using expired film is always an interesting endeavor because you don’t know exactly what you’ll get. Depending on the film, how long it has been expired and how it was stored, the results can vary significantly. The picture that the Fuji X Weekly reader shared had a purple color cast, which is a common trait of expired film.
There are many reasons why an analog picture might have a purple color cast, not just because the film expired. If the film was exposed to too much heat (such as left in a hot car) the pictures might have a purple cast. If a print or slide isn’t stored correctly it could turn purple over time. I’ve seen cross-processed film produce a purple color cast. You can even buy purple film. While I’ve called this recipe “Expired Eterna,” it’s not necessarily meant to exactly mimic expired Eterna film, but to produce an analog film look that could have turned purple for any number of reasons, including but not limited to being expired.
American Debt – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
You might notice that I didn’t include an ISO setting in this recipe, and that’s because you can use any ISO you’d like. I got interesting results all the way up to ISO 25600. In fact, you might use an ultra-high ISO on purpose to get a certain look that you can’t get at a lower ISO. Trying this recipe at different ISOs is a fun experiment. It’s also interesting to see the results you get from different exposures, whether slightly overexposed or underexposed. Expired Eterna is a fun recipe to play around with, and I enjoyed pairing it with vintage lenses.
Eterna
Dynamic Range: DR100
Highlight: +4
Shadow: +4
Color: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Grain Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Weak
White Balance: Auto, +5 Red & +5 Blue
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:
Bloom Purple – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Pink Paper Flower – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Sunlight Through The Tree – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Backlit Leaf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Rural Evening – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Country Trees – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Cottonwood Trunk – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Little Flowers & Stone – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Rosebud – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Country Foot Bridge – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Boy Behind Chain-Link – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Orange Cones – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Reaching Rosebud – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Sycamore Leaf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Dusk Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Mountain View Evening – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Spring Sky Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Sunset Whisper – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Dramatic Sky Behind Tree – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Bright Storm Clouds – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Grey Tree – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Disk Girl – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Jo In A Hat – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Wearing Grandpa’s Hat – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Lady’s Sun Hat – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Girl Climbing Bleachers – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Number of Intersecting Lines – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
One Through Six – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Parked RV – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
American Suburb – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Light Flag – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Green Spray Bottle – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Curious Kitchen Curios – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
High ISO:
Cirrus Clouds – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna” – ISO 12800
Sycamore Sky – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna” – ISO 12800
Cottonwood – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna” – ISO 12800
Cottonwood Cotton – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna” – ISO 25600
Old Wheelbarrow – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna” – ISO 25600
“Expired Eterna” for X-Trans III:
Bottle Vases – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Expired Eterna”
Alternate recipe using PRO Neg. Std instead of Eterna.
I know that not every Fujifilm camera has the Eterna film simulation. Right now Eterna can only be found on the X-T3, X-T30, X-H1 and the GFX line. For those who don’t have it, I’ve made an alternative recipe that produces similar results using PRO Neg. Std. I found that Shadow set to 0 isn’t quite strong enough, but +1 is too strong, so pick whichever you like better. While the results aren’t 100% identical, it’s still a pretty close match. You do have to drop the exposure by about 1/3 stop compared to using Eterna. I hope that this is useful for some of you.
PRO Neg. Std
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +1
Shadow: 0
Color: 0
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Grain Effect: Strong
White Balance: Auto, +5 Red & +5 Blue
Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to 0
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I love the results. The trick is to use the presets according to the subject which I think you do really well.
I appreciate your comment. Glad that you like it!
I can tell that you’re enjoying your X-T3. Love the images.
I’m immensely enjoying the X-T30, but honestly, it’s 97% the same camera as the X-T20. X-Trans IV has some cool features, but X-Trans III is essentially the same. Unless video capabilities or speedy autofocus are important to you, there’s not a huge advantage to the new generation. That being said, I’m having a lot of fun with the new camera.
Many thanks for this new recipe. Will try it soon…
I switched recently from xt20 to xt30 and i like very much the new features…
Just to share with you, i found that leaving Sharp 0 and NR to 0 on the xt30, has about the same effect of respectively +1 and -2 on the xt20… do you agree? In any case i use -4 NR on any of my film simulations at any iso… which has the same effect of something like “-5” on the xt20. Some visible noise, but great colors, details and saturation even at 12800iso!
Keeping an eye on your blog
Cheers
You are welcome! That’s not exactly the same as I have found. To my eyes Fujifilm increased how heavy handed it is applying both noise reduction and sharpening. I think -4 NR on the X-T30 is equivalent to about -2 on the X-T20, particularly at the higher ISOs. The good news for the sharpening is that it’s improved, it’s higher quality, and it doesn’t produce the weird artifacts that you might find on the X-T20 when turned up too high. I appreciate the feedback!