Evening Flag – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Provia
The film simulation that Fujifilm calls “standard” is Provia, but of all the color options, Provia is my least favorite. For the most part, I prefer the other film simulations instead. In fact, the only recipes that I’ve created that use Provia are Agfa Optima 200 and Cross Process, both of which are great in their own way. The problem with Provia is that it’s somewhat boring. And it doesn’t resemble the film that it’s named after. The Astia film simulation looks more like real Provia film, and the Provia film simulation more resembles Astia film. Weird, huh? Well, I decided that Provia needed a little more of my love, so I created a new recipe for it.
This Provia recipe reminds me of Fujifilm Fujichrome Sensia 100, although that is strictly coincidental, as I wasn’t attempting any specific film look, just a general analog aesthetic. Fujichrome Sensia 100 was a general-purpose slide film that was discontinued about 10 years ago. It was a popular choice for cross-processing, although that’s not the look you find here. There were three different generations of the film, and each looked very slightly different. I shot a little of the second version of Sensia back in the day, but I usually preferred Velvia or Provia film. This recipe’s accidental resemblance is a happy accident.
Autumn Tree Branches – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Provia
The white balance required for this recipe is Warm-White Fluorescent, which is also known as Fluorescent Light 2 or Neon 2. It’s the second fluorescent white balance option underneath cloudy/shade. It’s a bit unusually to select this in daylight, but it works in this case.
Provia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +2
Color: 0
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: +1
Grain Effect: Weak
Color Chrome Effect: Off
White Balance: Warm-White Fluorescent (2), -1 Red & -3 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Provia film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:
Lost In Thought – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Summer Is Over – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
The Last Yellow Leaf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Abscission – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Leaves of Autumn – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Autumn Sun – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Autumn Tree Trunk – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Neighborhood Snowfall – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Baseball Boy – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Cottonwood Fall – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
See also: Film Simulation Recipes
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Richie, any thoughts on creating effect of what Eggers did with The Lighthouse?
Amazing b&w film!
https://nofilmschool.com/lighthouse-robert-eggers-blaschke-interview
Thank you for sharing! That is amazing. I would suggest Acros Push-Process using Acros +G. That can’t be too far off.
thanks Ritchie… I will try it…
You are welcome!
Big master, agreed with u, provia is boring, but your setting is great
thx u for sharing it
You are welcome! I’m glad that you like it.
I tried and my result ended in these settings. For me it looks quite good even if it’s still some off. Try it.
JPEG Quality Normal
Acros Green
DR400%
Sharp -4
NR -4
Grain Strong
HTone +4
STone +4
CCR Strong
BW Tint -1
WB 4200k
WB shift R-8 B-1
I’ll have to try these settings. Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate it.
I feel like this is an underrated recipe because it uses provia, but you’ve found some amazing settings for it. I mostly started using this because I found that it looked well if I was using my camera to take video, but I’ve actually really started to like it. I’ve found that changing provia to astia softens it just a little bit and looks the closest to Fuji superia 200 that I’ve been able to get on a trans-iii. the greens are still slightly off though. I feel like this might be a good starting point though for xtrans iii superia recipes.
Interesting! I’ll take a look at it. I appreciate the feedback and suggestion! I’m glad that you like this recipe.