Big Sky Over Yellow House – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S – “Provia 400”
This film simulation recipe was a failed attempt to create a certain look, but I liked the results anyway. It reminds me of Fujichrome Provia 400, but it isn’t intended to mimic that film, it just looks a little similar by chance. As Lefty Gomez said, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” This Provia 400 recipe was indeed a lucky discovery.
Provia 400 is a color reversal (slide) film that actually dates back to 1980. It was originally called Fujichrome 400 Professional D, and had a couple emulsion updates before Fujifilm renamed it Fujichrome Provia 400 in 1994, Fujichrome Provia 400F in 2000, and Provia 400X in 2006. With each emulsion change the aesthetic of the film evolved slightly, which isn’t uncommon. This recipe might be closest to the 400X version. Fujifilm discontinued ISO 400 Provia in 2013.
This film simulation recipe is intended for GFX-50S and GFX-50R cameras. I assume that it will also work on the GFX100 and GFX100S, but I’m not certain of that. Additionally, it is compatible with X-Trans IV; I tried it on my Fujifilm X-T30 and it looked pretty close, only ever-so-slightly different. On newer X-Trans IV cameras, which have some different JPEG options, consider setting Grain size to Small, Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak, and Clarity to -2.
Provia/STD Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +1 Shadow: +2 Color: +4 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Sharpening: -2 Noise Reduction: -4 Grain Effect: Strong White Balance: Fluorescent 2, -2 Red & -2 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Sample photographs, all camera-made JPEGs, captured with a Fujifilm GFX-50S using this Provia 400 recipe:
Reeds & Birds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Three Wood Poles – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Cattails & Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Fallen Down – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Boat Ramps Are Built – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Muddy Shore – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Bridge Over Shallow Water – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Closed Red Door – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Red Can Topper – Weber Canyon, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Tree & Cold River – Weber Canyon, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Hastings Cutoff – Weber Canyon, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
Reflection on the Cold Wet Road – Weber Canyon, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
The Android version of the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes app is almost finished! It will be in the Google Play app store very soon! I’m not sure exactly when (it depends on how quickly Google takes to review it), but for certain the wait is almost over. With any luck, it will available to those with Android phones within a few days, hopefully no more than a week. There could, of course, be some unforeseen delays. The moment I know, I will definitely let you know, so stay tuned!
Dark Sunset over Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Creamy Color”
There are some film simulation recipes that just have a special look—the “it factor”—and this “Creamy Color” recipe is definitely one of those! I didn’t make it; this one was created by Immanuel Sander, who also created the Nature Neon recipe. Immanuel was kind enough to allow me to publish his recipe on the Fuji X Weekly blog, and he also gave me permission to include some of his wonderful photographs in this article. Thank you, Immanuel, for creating and sharing this recipe! I encourage you to follow him Instagram.
Immanuel created a great YouTube video for this recipe that you should watch. It’s very inspirational—well done!
“It’s a rather emotional recipe for me,” Immanuel explained. “The recipe works very well in bad weather and dreary colors. Foggy weather or rainy days are perfect for such silent pictures.” I think it also works well around sunset and on partly-cloudy days. The results from this Creamy Color film simulation recipe can be fantastic! Because this recipe requires Classic Negative, Clarity and Color Chrome FX Blue, it’s only compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, X-S10 and the upcoming X-E4.
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +4 Shadow: +4 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -4 Clarity: -5 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 8700K, +4 Red & +6 Blue ISO: up to ISO 5000 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured with this Creamy Color film simulation recipe:
Immanuel Sander
Photo by Immanuel Sander
Photo by Immanuel Sander
Photo by Immanuel Sander
Photo by Immanuel Sander
Photo by Immanuel Sander
Photo by Immanuel Sander
Ritchie Roesch
Last Light on a Pine – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Country Fence in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Faded Negative”
I’ve created a number of film simulation recipes that require double exposures, including Faded Color, Vintage Color Fade, Faded Monochrome, Faded Monochrome for X-Trans II, Split-Toned B&W, and Bleach Bypass. These recipes are a little more difficult to use, and, because they require further explanation, you won’t find any of them on the Fuji X Weekly app. This one, called Faded Negative, won’t make the app, either (perhaps there will be a way to include them on a future update). These double-exposure recipes aren’t for everyone, but some people love them because you can create a great vintage look that you’d never expect to get straight-out-of-camera. I know that this Faded Negative film simulation recipe will be greatly appreciated by some of you.
To use this recipe, you’ll need to first select “Average” under “Multiple Exposure CTRL” in the Shooting Menu. What’s great about this particular double-exposure recipe is that the only change you will need to make in the settings between the first and second exposure is exposure compensation (many of these require more adjustments than just exposure compensation). You want the first exposure, which is the scene you are capturing, to be bright, and the second exposure, which is a green piece of construction paper, to be a little darker. You can control how much “fade” there is by the second exposure—the brighter the exposure, the more fade there will be.
What makes this recipe work is the second exposure of a medium-green piece of construction paper. You want this exposure to be out-of-focus. If it’s in-focus, you’ll get the texture of the paper in the image, which is perhaps something you want, but probably not. You can manually focus a blurry image, or if you just hold the paper closer to the lens than the minimum focus distance, the paper will be blurry even with autofocus.
Me, with an X100V and green paper, photographing with this recipe. Photo by Joy Roesch.
This is what happens when the second exposure is in-focus instead of out-of-focus.
No photograph will last forever. Some films are more prone to fade than others, and some prints are more prone to fade than others. Faded pictures are a reality of photography. While some people would consider faded images to be a negative thing, there are others who appreciate the aesthetic, and want to incorporate it into their art. This Faded Negative film simulation recipe is for those who want to achieve that look straight-out-of-camera. This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, X-S10 and the upcoming X-E4.
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +3 Shadow: +4 Color: -2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: 0 Grain Effect: Weak, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Auto, +4 Red & -6 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 1/3 for the 1st exposure, 0 to +1/3 for the 2nd exposure (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Faded Negative film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Reeds & Blue Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Faded Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Pine Snow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Blackberry Leaves in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Winter Road – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Snow Covered Wagon – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Dark Forest Sunlight – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jon Riding Shotgun – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Faded Negative”
Polaroid Presto Girl – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Analog Cameras – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fake Plant – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tulip on a Table – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Shelf Greenery – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Broken Barn – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Winter Forest Fence – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Snow on a Wood Fence – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch – “Winter Blue”
I handed a Fujifilm X-M1 to my 13-year-old daughter, Joy—gave her a brief tutorial on how to use the camera, and let her have at it. Attached to the camera was a Pergear 10mm f/8 Fisheye lens, which is challenging to use, but can also be rewarding. I thought that maybe the lens would be too difficult for her, but it turns out that I had nothing to worry about, as she did great with it.
I had my Provia recipe programmed into the camera, but Joy changed the settings, making up her own film simulation recipe. I asked her why she chose her settings, and she answered that snow looks nice with lots of blue, so she wanted to create a blue-look. When I asked her what she would name the recipe, she replied, “Winter Blue.” It has sort of a Fujichrome 64T aesthetic, but really it’s too warm for that, so maybe it loosely resembles if you used that film in conjunction with a warming filter? I don’t know how well this recipe might do in other conditions, but it certainly looks good on a blue-sky winter day.
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch – “Winter Blue”
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -1 (Medium-Low) Shadow: 0 (Normal) Color: -2 (Low) Sharpness: 0 (Normal) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: Daylight (“Fine”), 0 Red & +2 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured by Joy using her Winter Blue film simulation recipe on a Fujifilm X-M1:
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-M1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Joy Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch – “Jon’s Classic Chrome”
I handed my Fujifilm X-T1 to my 11-year-old son, Jonathan—gave him a brief tutorial on how to use the camera, and let him have at it. My XF10 Classic Chrome film simulation recipe was programmed into the X-T1; to my surprise, Jon made a few small adjustments to it. He increased Dynamic Range to DR400, moved the White Balance Shift to +4 Red, and set Sharpness at 0. I’m not sure why he made those specific changes, but the results are pretty good, and I’m very proud and impressed by the pictures that he captured with the X-T1 using his settings!
My opinion is that this recipe has a ColorPlus feel to it. It could be close to Kodacolor, Portra 400, or Ultramax—it definitely has a Kodak color negative vibe; however, I think Fujicolor C200 might also be in the neighborhood. Whatever film it might be close to, it’s got a great analog-like aesthetic that’s easy to love. Great job, Jon!
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch – “Jon’s Classic Chrome”
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +1 (Medium-High) Shadow: +2 (High) Color: +1 (Medium-High) Sharpness: 0 (Medium) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: Auto, +4 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured by Jon on my Fujifilm X-T1 using his Classic Chrome film simulation recipe:
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Fujifilm X-T1 – Farmington, UT – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
The Fuji X Weekly app is free, yet becoming a Fuji X Weekly Patron unlocks the best app experience! One benefit of being a Patron is you get early access to some new film simulation recipes. These early-access recipes will eventually become available free to everyone in time, including this new one. In fact, a couple of the original early-access recipes have been publicly published on this blog and the app, so everyone can use them now. Patrons help support Fuji X Weekly and, really, without them there would be no app. So I want to give a special “thank you” to all of the Patrons!
This new Patron early-access film simulation recipe is called “Fujicolor NPH” because it is inspired by that film. Actually, I was attempting a Fujicolor Pro 400H recipe. I have a couple already: Fujicolor Pro 400H for X-Trans III and Fujicolor Pro 400H Overexposed for X-Trans IV. I don’t think either are 100% accurate to the film; perhaps no recipe is, but some are closer than others. I really like this new version I made—I believe it’s closer than the X-Trans III recipe, but it’s not a perfect match. I actually think it’s closer to Fujicolor NPH 400 film, which was the predecessor to Pro 400H. Those two emulsions were nearly identical, with only some small differences, so this new recipe does well at mimicking both, but in my opinion it’s slightly closer to NPH 400.
If you are a Fuji X Weekly Patron, this new Fujicolor NPH film simulation recipe is already on the app!
Weber River in Winter – Weber Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Fujicolor NPH”
Honey Salmon – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Fujicolor NPH”
These two recipes aren’t actually new, they’re just new to the app. I’ve created so many different film simulation recipes over the last few years, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of them all. Right now there are 135 different ones on the app! The two that I just added were somehow overlooked. By request, they’re now included on the app.
Let’s take a look at these two new (yet old) film simulation recipes!
Pointing Towards the Sky – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
My Kodacolor film simulation recipe is quite popular as it produces a great vintage-analog aesthetic that’s easy to love. Kodacolor film has been around for a long time—the name was first used by Kodak in 1942—and many different emulsions have had this brand name on it. Interestingly, Kodacolor was the first color negative film intended for making prints.
Stephen Shore shot a lot of Kodacolor, mostly Kodacolor-X and Kodacolor II, but also likely the original Kodacolor, Kodacolor 400, and Kodacolor-VR. While Shore did shoot 35mm film, he is most known for his medium-format and large-format photographs. Something I learned is that medium and large format Kodacolor film is more saturated than the 35mm emulsion. The only difference between the original Kodacolor recipe and the Stephen Shore Kodacolor recipe is that Color is turned up a little, otherwise they’re identical.
Smiling Jonathan – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
When Fujifilm introduced the Eterna film simulation on the X-H1, I received several requests to create a recipe that mimics it for cameras that don’t have Eterna. At the time, there weren’t many example pictures captured with Eterna, yet I made an attempt anyway, but it turned out to be inaccurate. Once I had a chance to use Eterna, I created this Faux Eterna recipe, which is much closer to the film simulation.
I’ve been wanting to create a new Velvia recipe for awhile now. The previous version is bold, but sometimes produces too much contrast. This recipe is actually a little closer to my original Velvia recipe, but with even less contrast yet with more saturation. This Velvia v2 recipe doesn’t closely mimic any specific version of Velvia film, yet it still retains an overall Velvia-like aesthetic.
Velvia is a high-saturation, low-ISO color reversal (slide) film introduced in 1990. I’ve shot many rolls of it, mostly the original ISO 50 version, but also the “new” Velvia 50, Velvia 100F and Velvia 100 emulsions. Of those films, this recipe is probably closest to Velvia 100, but not exactly like it.
Brown Reflection – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Velvia v2”
This film simulation recipe is intended for the Fujifilm X-T30 and X-T3 cameras. If you have “newer” X-Trans IV cameras, you might consider Color Chrome Effect Blue set to Weak, Grain set to Weak and Small, and Clarity set to +2 perhaps. If you have an X-Trans III camera, which doesn’t have Color Chrome Effect, you can still use this recipe, but the results will be slightly different. Those with GFX cameras can also use this recipe, and it will look very close but not exactly the same.
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: -1 Shadow: -1 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: 0 Grain Effect: Weak Color Chrome Effect: Strong White Balance: Auto, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs, captured using a Fujifilm X-T30 with this Velvia v2 film simulation recipe:
March Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Reeds in Evening Light – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Water Under The Bridge – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Muddy Water – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Ducks in the Shallow Water – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Flying Seagull – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Evening Gull – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Utah Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Evening Cloud Over The Ridge – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Grass, Pond & Mud – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
I recently decided to create a compact kit for Fujifilm X cameras (specifically, the upcoming X-E4)—something that is versatile yet can fit into a small bag, that’s convenient for travel. An important part of this kit will be pancake lenses. It didn’t take me long to discover that there aren’t very many of these lenses available for Fujifilm cameras. There are only two Fujinon pancakes: the 27mm f/2.8 and 18mm f/2. There aren’t a whole lot of tiny third-party lenses, either. The Pergear 10mm F/8 Fisheye, which was released just a few weeks ago and retails for only $79, is an inexpensive ultra-wide pancake option that I knew I needed to try.
At 2/5ths of an inch thick, the Pergear 10mm F/8 Fisheye lens isn’t much bigger than the Fujifilm body cap. It’s super small and lightweight. I doubt there are many lenses available that are thinner than this one. It appears to be mostly made of metal and the build quality seems pretty solid. It has five elements in four groups. The minimum focus distance is about one foot, and manual focusing is done via a small lever on the bottom-front of the lens. On Fujifilm X cameras, the 10mm focal-length is full-frame-equivalent to 15mm.
Legendary photographer Weegee coined the phrase, “F/8 and be there.” Due to its fixed f/8 aperture, the Pergear 10mm F/8 Fisheye epitomizes this saying. You literally can’t do much more than “f/8 and be there.” This allows the lens to be so small, but it also limits its usefulness; it’s not a good option for low-light situations.
Pergear calls this a “fisheye” lens because there’s a lot of barrel distortion, which isn’t unusual on such wide-angle lenses. It reminds me a lot of SuperView on GoPro cameras, if you’re familiar. Straight lines won’t be straight, which you can either fix in software or try to use creatively.
I found the Pergear 10mm F/8 Fisheye lens to be sufficiently sharp in the center—not Fujinon prime tack-sharp, but sharp enough nonetheless. There’s some noticeable corner softness and vignetting. I did spot chromatic aberrations in extreme contrast areas. This isn’t the greatest glass, but, considering the price, it’s surprisingly decent.
Due to its focal length, fixed aperture, and barrel distortion, this is a challenging lens to use. It’s not for most situations; however, it can be used to capture some dramatic and creative pictures in the right situations. If you embrace the challenge you’ll surely be rewarded. I found the Pergear 10mm F/8 Fisheye fun to use—more enjoyable than I expected.
There are definitely better ultra-wide-angle lenses (both Fujinon and third-party) that you could buy instead of the Pergear 10mm; however, you won’t find any as inexpensive or as small as this one (at least I didn’t find any). That combination of size and value make the Pergear 10mm F/8 Fisheye an intriguing option. If you plan to shoot ultra-wide often, this isn’t likely the lens for you, unless you really appreciate how it renders pictures. If you think it would be fun to occasionally use a 10mm lens but don’t want to spend a bunch of money or make room in your camera bag for a bigger option, this Pergear lens is certainly worth a try.
This review contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated a small amount if you make a purchase using my links. Amazon $79
Example photographs using the Pergear 10mm f/8 Fisheye lens on my Fujifilm X-T1:
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
There are five Fujifilm cameras that you should never, ever own. Don’t even think about it! These cameras have qualities that are downright awful. If you should buy one, you’ll certainly regret it. How do I know? Because I have personally used all five of these Fujifilm cameras, and trust me, you should never own one. Ever. They’re the worst!
What are these five foul Fujifilm cameras? What makes them so bad? Read on to find out!
Never judge a book by its cover. The X-E1 might be one of the most stylish cameras ever made, but on the inside you’ll find sluggish low-light autofocus and an unbearably antiquated menu. Where’s the focus joystick? There isn’t one. You won’t find any film simulations with the name Classic in it, either. The camera is almost 10 years old, which in digital terms is ancient. It received plenty of criticism when it was brand-new, and cameras weren’t nearly as good back then as they are now, so it must be especially awful when judged by today’s standards.
Besides, are 16 megapixels really enough? I mean, we’ve got 100-megapixel cameras now! Nobody is making cameras nowadays with such low resolution. They’re all going to laugh at you with a measly 16; that’s barely enough for social media posts, and not nearly enough for pictures of fluffy the cat. If you’re serious about photography, you need more resolution than this camera has. Lot’s more.
It’s best to avoid the Fujifilm X-E1, even though you can find it sometimes for super cheap. You get what you pay for, so it’s better to spend as much money as possible on your gear. The more you spend, the more successful you’ll be, or at least the more successful other people will assume you are. Remember, perception is reality.
Barn by the Tetons – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X-E1
Snake River Fog – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X-E1
Fujifilm X-A cameras are essentially cheap X-E copycats. You can buy Lucky Charms or you can buy Marshmallow Mateys; they might look similar, but do they taste the same? No. The X-A3 might resemble an X-E3, but don’t be tricked! X-E is X-Trans, yet X-A is Bayer, which might as well be Sony, and Sony isn’t Fujifilm.
When you judge books by their covers you are usually right. The X-A3 has a lot of plastic on it, and plastic cameras are basically toy cameras. No serious photographer would ever use a toy camera, because toys are for kids. The X-A3 might as well be a Holga or Diana; unfortunately, the Fujifilm model doesn’t have any of that lo-fi sugary goodness that attracts lomographers. This camera sits in a weird spot: too cheap on the outside to be loved by real photographers, too good on the inside to be loved by hipsters.
Feeling Blue – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3
La Sal Through Mesa Arch – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3
The X-M1 is an X-E1 trapped inside the body of an X-A1.
What happens when you combine the worst parts of an X-E1 with the worst parts of an X-A1? You get this Frankenstein camera. Fujifilm took all of the bad points of #4 and #5 on this list and mixed them together in what can best be described as a mistake. There’s a reason why Fujifilm never made an X-M2.
Trust me, you’ll regret putting a charged battery inside this camera to bring it to life.
Vibrant Autumn – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Lit Autumn Leaves – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
The XQ1 is a pocket zoom. Remember those? They were all the rage eight years ago. Were is the keyword. Nobody uses cameras like this anymore. It was trendy for a time (not necessarily this particular model), but they’re just not cool anymore.
Besides, it has a 2/3″ sensor. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s X-Trans II, and produces results similar to the much larger and heavier and more expensive X-T1, but the sensor is so itty bitty. A postage stamp looks large in comparison! Nobody will suspect you’re a photographer if you use it—they’ll just ignore you as an out-of-town tourist or an out-of-date amateur. What’s the point in being a photographer if nobody knows it just by looking at you?
Reaching Leaves – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm XQ1
Logs in the Lake – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm XQ1
#1 – Fujifilm AX350
“Changing the film simulation is pretty much all you can do….”
The AX-what?! This pocket point-and-shoot is a camera you likely don’t remember, because it’s entirely forgettable. Intended for the tenderfoot, the AX350 was made obsolete by the cellphone. You might find one at a thrift store for the same price as a cup of coffee. Maybe a friend or relative has one in the back of some junk drawer or at the bottom of a storage box in the attic. If you find one, just leave it be. If someone offers to give you theirs for free, politely decline. Not even those who it was made for want it, and neither should you.
If you had to choose between this camera and your cellphone camera, you wouldn’t choose this one. I mean, what kind of image quality could you possibly get from such a cheap, amateurish, old, obsolete piece-of-junk? It’s best that the AX350 remains a forgotten relic of a time long past, the good ol’ days when only expensive DSLRs were capable of capturing good pictures, and you knew who was a pro (and who wasn’t) by the gear they carried.
Green Summer Leaf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm AX350
Red Trike – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm AX350
This, of course, is satire. You probably figured that out awhile ago. I’m poking fun at negative articles and videos with titles like: The Absolute Worst Camera, Cameras You Should Never Own, Top Cameras To Avoid, The Most Hated Camera, Things I Hate About This Camera, Why I’m Disappointed With My Camera, Why I’m Selling My Gear, etc., etc.. Negativity is popular, and titles like those get views.
Any camera in the hands of a skilled photographer is a capable photographic tool. As Chase Jarvis coined, “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” Do the best you can with what you have, and you’ll be surprised at the results. It’s more important to have photographic vision than expensive gear. It’s better to invest in experiences than new things.
All five of the cameras mentioned above—the X-E1, X-A3, X-M1, XQ1 and AX350—are fully capable artistic tools. Even the AX350 can produce beautiful results. There’s nothing wrong with using any of them. No matter what your camera is, it’s plenty good enough. Spend less time worrying about the gear you own, and spend more time considering what you can create with it.
There’s a new Patron early-access film simulation recipe on the Fuji X Weekly app! It’s called Vintage Negative and is based on some old photographs that someone shared with me. If you’re looking for an aged analog aesthetic, this recipe might be for you! It’s compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, X-S10 and the upcoming X-E4.
The Fuji X Weekly app is currently only available for iOS, but progress is being made on the Android version. I think it’s not that far from being finished. As long as there are no unforeseen delays, it will be available by March 1st, hopefully sooner. The app is free, and some features and functionality can be unlocked by becoming a Patron, which is a great way to support what’s going on here. There’s some wonderful stuff in the works, and I can’t do it without you. I want to give a big “Thank You” to all of the Patrons for your support!
One of the perks of being a Fuji X Weekly Patron is that you get early-access to some new film simulation recipes. This new Vintage Negative recipe is one of those Patron early-access ones. It will eventually become available to everyone once a new Patron early-access recipe replaces it. There were seven of these recipes on the app, but I’m increasing that to ten. So far, two of the original early-access recipes have been made available to everyone, but eventually they all will, including this one. My cameras’ custom presets are chocked full of upcoming recipes and various experiments.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, be sure to download the Fuji X Weekly app—it’s free! You can get early access to the Vintage Negative film simulation recipe by becoming a Patron.
Water Tower – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Vintage Negative”
Troller Square – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Vintage Negative”
Yellow House Evening – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Vintage Negative”
The upcoming Fujifilm GFX100S has a brand new film simulation called Nostalgic Negative. Even though this camera hasn’t even been released yet, I’ve had many requests to create a film simulation recipe for it. That’s a tough challenge because there’s so little about Nostalgic Negative that’s known and very few sample pictures floating around the internet.
Back when Eterna was new—before I had a chance to try it myself—I made a faux “Eterna” recipe, and it turned out to be not particularly close. Even though it didn’t faithfully mimic Eterna, it’s one of the more popular recipes on this website. When Classic Negative first came out, I made a faux “Classic Negative” recipe, and even though it also turned out to be not particularly close, I’ve had several people tell me that it’s their favorite recipe. There’s two important points to this: 1) this “Nostalgic Negative” recipe will likely turn out to be an inaccurate facsimile to the real Nostalgic Negative film simulation and 2) there are people who love it anyway. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into what Nostalgic Negative is and how you can achieve a similar aesthetic on your Fujifilm X camera.
Watch and Jewelry – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Nostalgic Negative”
Fujifilm stated that the Nostalgic Negative film simulation is based on “American New Color” photography of the 1970’s. They studied photographs by William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Joel Sternfeld and Richard Misrach in order to create it. Eggleston and Sternfeld largely shot on Kodachrome—II and X in the early 1970’s, 25 and 64 in the late ’70’s—while Shore shot mostly Kodacolor, and Misrach shot a lot of Vericolor. All of those are Kodak films, but with different aesthetics. These four photographers had different styles and different darkroom processes, and they each had a unique look; the commonality that Fujifilm found was an “overall atmosphere based on amber.” That’s a basic explanation of what Nostalgic Negative is.
I didn’t count, but I’d estimate that I found about 20 examples of the Nostalgic Negative film simulation on the internet. I noticed that there were some large discrepancies between the pictures, as some looked much different than others. I wondered if the default settings were used on some images and not others, and if some of them weren’t straight-out-of-camera but had received some level of post-processing. I also wondered if Nostalgic Negative behaves similarly to Classic Negative in that the aesthetic changes a little depending on the exposure. There’s a lot of uncertainty to what exactly the new film simulation looks like. Overall, I think you can expect something along the lines of Eterna gradation, the Classic Chrome color palette (however, with a warm shift), and vibrancy a little beyond Astia. Low-contrast, high-saturation and warm is a quick synopsis of Nostalgic Negative.
Reflected Red – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Nostalgic Negative”
Interestingly, there are some already existing film simulation recipes that come close to Nostalgic Negative. My Eterna recipe (and there are versions for X-Trans II, X-Trans III and X-Trans IV cameras) is almost identical to one of the aesthetics that I found in the sample pictures. The contrast is likely slightly too high in those recipes, but it’s very close. For some other sample pictures, I thought that the Kodachrome 64 recipes (the X-T1 recipe, the X-T30 recipe and the X100V recipe, but especially the X100V version) are pretty darn close. For some other pictures, the Kodak Vision3 250D recipe looks quite similar, while this Kodacolor recipe looks close to some others. I think that my Kodak Gold, Kodachrome II, Kodak Ultramax (both for X-Trans III and X-Trans IV), Kodak Ektar, Kodak Portra 800, Kodak Portra 400 (both X-T30 and X100V), Kodak Portra 400 v2 (both the X-T30 recipe that’s only available right now to Patrons on Fuji X Weekly App and X100V), and Polaroid (although perhaps increase Color) have some similarities to Nostalgic Negative. If you have an X-Trans II, III or IV camera, you already have some options that are in the neighborhood of this new film simulation, so don’t fret that your camera doesn’t have it. You’ll just have to decide which option you like best.
Speaking of your camera not having Nostalgic Negative: it’s not coming to X-Trans IV, in my opinion. Fujifilm said, “For Nostalgic Negative, Fujifilm needs a large sensor. It can’t be implemented simply to APS-C. Fujifilm needs time to develop Nostalgic Negative for the APS-C system.” To me, that’s code-speak for, “Expect it on X-Trans V cameras.” Of course, Fujifilm hasn’t announced that sensor yet, so they can’t talk about it, but that’s where I would expect to see it.
I don’t know if this new recipe that I created will turn out to be accurate to Nostalgic Negative. Most likely not, but I hope that you like it anyway. I chose Clarity -5 because that’s the best I could do for imitating the gradation of Eterna, but feel free to use -4 or -3 if you feel that -5 is too much for your tastes. On cameras that can adjust by .5, I would consider setting Shadow to -0.5 instead of 0. This recipe is only compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, X-S10 and (the upcoming) X-E4.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: -1 Shadow: 0 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: 0 Clarity: -5 Grain Effect: Weak, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Auto, +3 Red & -5 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new “Nostalgic Negative” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Red Soccer Ball – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Suburban Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Sky & Garages – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
JP Elect – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Bear in the Snow – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Boy & Bear – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
RedBrick Building – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Waiting Girl – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
City Fountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Last Light Through Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Mirror Image – Orem, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Window Light on Chair – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Joshua’s Space – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
X-T1 on a Shelf – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Film Drawer – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Colorful Pens – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Garage Globe – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jon’s Hands – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Evening Park Joy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Rainbow Rays – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Autumn Sun – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
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Fujifilm recently announced the 102-megapixel medium-format GFX100S. This camera is already making big waves because of the the high-resolution sensor and because of the “small” price-tag of “only” $6,000 (body only). A lot of people are talking about this upcoming camera—in fact, I visited a local camera store, and the GFX100S was a hot topic that was being discussed by those in the store.
Back in June I published an article, Shrinking Camera Market: What Fujifilm Should Do In 2021 & Beyond, and I suggested that Fujifilm should make a camera like the GFX100S (although I said it should be rangefinder-styled). I think it’s a good move for Fujifilm, and this camera will be highly successful. Already preorders have apparently exceeded expectations, and you might have to exercise some patience if you want to get your hands on one and you didn’t preorder on the day it was announced.
I don’t have a lot of experience with GFX cameras. Fujifilm recently loaned me a GFX-50S, which is four-years-old now and surely about to be discontinued. I’m grateful to have been give the opportunity to briefly try a GFX camera—a dream come true, really! For the most part the benefit of medium format is only truly realized if you crop really deeply or print very large. Still, I hope to one day try the GFX100S myself, although it won’t likely be anytime soon, and will likely only happen if Fujifilm lets me borrow one for a few weeks. The GFX100S, even though priced very low for what it is, is still significantly outside of my budget. I’m sure many of you can relate.
The GFX-50S that Fujifilm sent me has been used by so many other photographers. If you’ve read reviews of this camera or watched YouTube videos about it, you’ve probably seen this exact camera before. It’s difficult to know precisely who has used it—there are a lot of people who have reviewed it and probably a couple different bodies floating around—but I know for certain that Julien Jarry is one because he put a sticker on the bottom. Well played!
Julien is a talented photographer and videographer, and a friend of mine. I had the pleasure to photograph with him this last summer out at Antelope Island State Park, and you’ll notice him in a couple of pictures in the Kodak Portra 400 v2 film simulation recipe. It’s an honor to use the same gear that Julien used.
If someday Fujifilm loans me a GFX100S, you know that I’ll publish several articles about it on the Fuji X Weekly blog, and create some film simulation recipes, too! It might be a long time before that happens, if it ever happens. I hope it does, and I will be grateful for the opportunity, because I’m certain that the GFX100S is an amazing camera.
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The reason why we—and by “we” I mean mostly Amanda—created this short film was to test the Pergear 50mm f/1.8 lens for video. I already published a review of the Pergear lens for still photography, but I thought this lens might be a good inexpensive option for cinema. I needed to put it to the test.
Amanda recorded A.M. Flight on her Fujifilm X-T4 with a Pergear 50mm f/1.8. All of it was handheld, no tripod or gimbal was used. The 50mm focal-length, which is 75mm full-frame equivalent, is telephoto, and camera shake is exaggerated because of this. The X-T4 has in-body-image-stabilization (IBIS)—the X-S10 and X-H1 are the only other two Fujifilm X cameras with IBIS—and even with the stabilization there’s still a fair amount of shakiness to the clips. We recommend the use of a tripod or gimbal to help reduce shake; if your camera doesn’t have IBIS, a tripod or gimbal is a must with this lens.
The Pergear 50mm f/1.8 is all manual, which means you’ll have to manually focus. A.M. Flight has a lot of fast movements in the film, and nailing focus manually proved to be very difficult; this lens might be better suited for projects that don’t have quickly moving objects. The focus ring is smooth, a positive for sure! The aperture ring is click-less, which is great for video because you can change the aperture while recording a clip, either increasing or decreasing the depth-of-field.
The f/1.8 aperture is fast, but the depth-of-field is shallow (making nailing focus even more difficult) and image quality isn’t the best when wide-open. It was nice to have f/1.8 as an option when filming in dark locations, but it’s definitely better to stop down a little (at least f/4 is you can) to maximize image quality whenever you can.
When light hits the lens just right, there’s something special about the results. There’s a particularly nice quality to some of the video clips, thanks to the Pergear lens. There’s a certain character that you just won’t find in most modern lenses; if that’s something you want in your video, this lens is for you.
The Pergear 50mm f/1.8 lens is challenging to use for video because it is all manual and because it doesn’t have any stabilization. Cameras with IBIS, like the Fujifilm X-T4, make it a little easier to use, and it’s possible to get away with not having a tripod or gimbal, but if you don’t have IBIS you’re going to want to do something to stabilize the clips. This lens is not the most ideal option for video, but if you are on a tight budget or want the special character that this lens can give you, it’s a good one to consider.
This review contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated a small amount if you make a purchase using my links. Amazon $79
