Episode 06 of SOOC was today! I want to thank everyone who tuned in and participated! It was a long show, but I hope a good one. If you missed it when it was live, you can still catch it above.
SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different film simulation recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
In this month’s episode we discussed the Cross Process film simulation recipe, and we took a look at your wonderful pictures captured with this recipe. We also introduced the next recipe: Kodak Gold 200. I look forward to seeing your pictures captured with it!
Red Freightliner – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Kodachrome 64 – Frame 05
Back in the film days, most of the cameras I had were fully manual. No auto or semi-auto modes. No autofocus. Manual everything. In the digital age, modern cameras are pretty good at taking care of some tasks for you. You can afford to be a little lazy and still get the shot with ease. It’s a marvel of modern camera technology!
Nowadays I mostly shoot in Aperture-Priority (with Shutter and ISO set to A), or occasionally Shutter-Priority (with Aperture and ISO set to A). Only on rare occasions do I manually select shutter, aperture, and ISO. It’s not uncommon that I manually focus, especially if I’m using a vintage lens, but most of the time I’m allowing the camera to autofocus for me. It’s just easier. But sometimes easier isn’t better. It’s good to stay in photographic shape, and to challenge yourself from time-to-time.
I decided to challenge myself yesterday to this: shoot 36 frames (like a roll of film) with the same film simulation recipe, using manual everything. Manual aperture. Manual shutter. Manual ISO. Manual focus. The camera I chose was the Fujifilm X100V, and I loaded it with my Kodachrome 64 film simulation recipe. I headed out right at sunrise.
This was my experience.
Note: this was a Creative Collective article, but now it is available to everyone.
Before I get to the photographs, I want to briefly point out why a camera like the X100V is so great for this exercise: you don’t need to dig through any menus to change anything. It’s all clearly marked on knobs and switches on the body. The aperture ring is on the lens, as is the focus ring. A switch on the side activates manual focus. The shutter is controlled by a knob on the top, and the ISO is controlled by a ring around the shutter knob. It’s as close to a film experience as you can get from a digital camera. Yet you have modern tools, such as focus assist and histograms, to help you get it right. Of course, the same thing could be said for many Fujifilm models, and not just the X100V.
One other technical note I’d like to point out is that I had a 5% CineBloom filter attached to the lens, which only makes an extremely subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless. I figured it was worth pointing out.
I’m going to jump right into the pictures, then I’ll end with a little commentary about this experience. Here we go!
Frame 01:
ISO 320, f/11, 1/250
Frame 02:
ISO 320, f/5, 1/500
Frame 03:
ISO 320, f/6.4, 1/500
Frame 04:
ISO 320, f/4.5, 1/500
Frame 05:
ISO 320, f/4.5, 1/500
Frame 06:
ISO 320, f/4.5, 1/500
Frame 07:
ISO 320, f/9, 1/125
Frame 08:
ISO 320, f/9, 1/125
Frame 09:
ISO 320, f/9, 1/125
Frame 10:
ISO 320, f/9, 1/125
Frame 11:
ISO 320, f/9, 1/125
Frame 12:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 13:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 14:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 15:
ISO 320, f/9, 1/125
Frame 16:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/125
Frame 17:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/125
Frame 18:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/125
Frame 19:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 20:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 21:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/125
Frame 22:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 23:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/125
Frame 24:
ISO 320, f/13, 1/125
Frame 25:
ISO 320, f/13, 1/125
Frame 26:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/250
Frame 27:
ISO 320, f/10, 1/500
Frame 28:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/640
Frame 29:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/640
Frame 30:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/640
Frame 31:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/640
Frame 32:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/640
Frame 33:
ISO 320, f/6.4, 1/800
Frame 34:
ISO 320, f/6.4, 1/500
Frame 35:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/250
Frame 36:
ISO 320, f/8, 1/250
This was a fun photographic exercise! I thoroughly enjoyed going all-manual and shooting 36 frames with the same film simulation recipe to mimic the good ol’ film days. I’d recommend this project to anyone, and I encourage you to give it a try, too.
Since I hadn’t shot fully manual all that much in the last few years, I really found myself out of practice. There’s more to mentally consider with each frame.
On one hand, I wasn’t always focusing in on why I was using the settings I did. I believe that I needed to think beyond, “Is this correctly exposed?” And consider more, “Which specific settings would be best for this exposure?” These things used to come more naturally to me, and it’s because I was doing it all of the time. I practiced it frequently back then. Now that I almost always let the camera sort some of it out, full manual takes more intentional thought, and I didn’t always do that. For that reason, I really believe I could benefit from doing this project on a regular basis.
On the other hand, going all manual slowed me down a little, which made me capture better pictures—at least a little—or perhaps more simply, I got the picture I wanted without snapping three-to-five exposures to do it. In most cases, I captured only one image, as I tried hard to get it right the first time. I couple of times I didn’t, so I made a second attempt. Normally I’m a bit lazy, using the spray-and-pray method to ensure I got a good exposure. It’s quick and easy to snap several pictures of the same thing, and choose later which one is best; however, it’s even better to make just one exposure and have confidence that it’s good.
You might notice that I used ISO 320 for all 36 exposures. I decided at the beginning that I was going to stick with one ISO because in the film days that’s what you had to do. I selected ISO 320 because that’s the lowest ISO available for the Kodachrome 64 recipe.
It was a partly-to-mostly overcast day, but at sunrise the sunlight was pouring out between the clouds. For that reason I started out with a faster shutter speed, but soon the sun disappeared behind the clouds, which allowed me to slow it in order to use a smaller aperture. Later the sun peaked through again, and I increased the shutter speed. Often the light changed between shots, and I used small aperture adjustments to get a correct exposure. I didn’t always get the exposure as correct as I would have liked, which was a result of not making the necessary adjustments with the rapidly changing light conditions (basically, not paying as close of attention to everything as I should have).
20 years ago when I shot real Kodachrome film, if I got back from the lab five or six slides out of the whole roll that I was really happy with, I’d call it a success. So, with that same standard, I’d call this excursion a success. My five favorite frames are 05, 06, 08, 19, and 21. Which frames do you like the best? Let me know in the comments below.
I hope you give this challenge a try! It’s a great way to keep yourself in photographic shape. I discovered that I’m not in as good of shape as I thought I was, so I’m going to keep practicing, and I’ll do this challenge again very soon.
In this “SoundBite” (as we’re calling it) from Episode 05 of SOOC, Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I discuss how digital noise and faux grain affect an image on Fujifilm cameras. This is a short snippet from the show, and it gives you an idea of the type of content that’s found in a SOOC broadcast.
If you’ve never watched, SOOC is a monthly live video series that’s interactive. It’s a collaboration between Nathalie and I. We discuss film simulation recipes, camera settings, and answer your questions. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow. Episode 06 is this Thursday, December 09, at 9 AM Pacific, 12 PM Eastern. Be sure to tune in!
I want to give a big “Thank You” to everyone who tuned in to Episode 05 of SOOC, a collaboration between myself and Fuji X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry. This video series is live and interactive, so I’m especially grateful to all who participated! You are the ones who make these episodes great!
In the video above are the viewer’s photographs, captured using the Agfa Optima 200 film simulation recipe, that were shown during the show. It’s a short clip, so be sure to watch! I love seeing your pictures, and I’m honored that you submitted them for us to view.
The SOOC Episode 06 “recipe of the month” is Cross Process. Shoot with that recipe, and upload your pictures here to be featured in the next video! Episode 06 will be on December 9 (this Thursday!) at 9 AM Pacific, 12 PM Eastern, so mark your calendars, and I look forward to seeing you then!
Follow the Bird to Salt Lake – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
I recently took my Fujifilm X-H1 camera to downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, loaded with my Cross Process film simulation recipe, to do some creative urban photography. Attached to the camera was a Fujinon 18mm f/2 lens, which I find to be a good focal-length for cityscapes and street images.
For those who don’t know, cross-process is an analog technique where film is developed in chemistry intended for a different emulsion type. Most commonly, it is E6 slide film developed in C41 color negative chemistry, although it is certainly not limited to that. The results of cross-processing can vary wildly, but usually there’s a strong color shift, and an increase in contrast and grain. It’s a fun way to get bold pictures!
My Cross Process recipe isn’t intended to model any specific film, but is more of a generic cross-processed aesthetic; however, there are some similarities to Velvia, Provia, Sensia, Elite Chrome, and others. Considering that Fujifilm doesn’t have a “cross process” film simulation, the fact that this look can be achieved in-camera without the need for editing is really quite amazing! It’s an enjoyable recipe for unusual results.
For those following the SOOClive YouTube video series, Cross Process is the current recipe-of-the-month. Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I will be discussing this recipe, including showcasing your pictures captured with it. Be sure to tune-in this Thursday, December 9, at 9am Pacific Time, 12 PM Eastern! I hope to see you then!
In the meantime, this article is a photoessay of 14 photographs captured in downtown Salt Lake City with a Fujifilm X-H1 camera using the Cross Process film simulation recipe. Enjoy!
1. Know Where It Goes – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Hotel & Crane Reflected – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Contrail – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Last Light on the Lofty Building – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Leaning – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Yield on Flashing – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Wreath Behind Glass – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Crane Reflection – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Trees in the City – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
A Corner Downtown – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Lift – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Escalator Collecting Leaves – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Caution: Tree – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
I share this video with you for three reasons: 1) it’s really good, 2) this website and the Fuji X Weekly App are mentioned in it, and 3) it’s definitely the coolest video that I’ve ever been highlighted in. So be sure to watch it! Also, big thanks to GxAce for the shout-out! You should check out his channel, for sure, because he has many intriguing videos.
The Snap Chick YouTube channel recently published a video where they compare actual Kodak Tri-X 400 film with the Kodak Tri-X 400 film simulation recipe. It’s a very fascinating video! If you’re looking for something to do, give it a watch—it’s about 15 minutes long. Definitely worth your time.
Large Stone & Tall Grass – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1 – “Vintage Kodacolor”
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, many early-access recipes have already been publicly published on this blog and the App, so now everyone can use them. 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 recipe is called Vintage Kodacolor. I was inspired by some old Kodacolor puzzles that I stumbled across (did you know that Kodak made jigsaw puzzles?). I’m not completely certain which Kodacolor film was used for these puzzles—possibly Kodacolor II—or how much the printing process affected the aesthetic, or even how much the colors have faded and shifted over time. Whatever the case, this recipe does a pretty good job emulating it, and produces a warm vintage-like aesthetic that’s easy to appreciate. There’s some similarities between this and my Kodacolor II 126 recipe. This “Vintage Kodacolor” recipe is fully compatible with all X-Trans III cameras, plus the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30. Those with newer X-Trans IV cameras can use it, too, but you’ll have to decide on Grain size.
If you are a Fuji X Weekly Patron, it’s available to you right now on the App!
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Vintage Kodacolor” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-H1:
Vintage Phragmites – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Evening Reeds and Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Three Brown Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Don’t Approach the Great Blue Heron – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Safe Zone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Sunset Through The Grass – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Evening Light on the Wood – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Flowers No More – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Metal Door – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Cardboard Architect – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Holiday Horse Rider – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
The Winter Solstice is fast approaching, and for those like me in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and the nights are longer. I find this to be a good opportunity for after-sunset or pre-sunrise photography, but there aren’t very many film simulation recipes for X-Trans III cameras that are specifically intended for this situation—in fact, there’s only one: CineStill 800T (although several others will still do well enough). So I set out to create another night film simulation recipe, because it’s good to have choices.
Unlike the CineStill 800T recipe, I didn’t model this one after any specific film, although it has some fairly close similarities to Fujicolor NPL 160 Pro Tungsten color negative film, which Fujifilm produced from 2000 through 2004. NPL 160 was specifically made for long exposures under artificial light. While I didn’t intend to mimic that film, you wouldn’t know it based on just how close of a match it is. I never used NPL 160 myself, as it wasn’t available in 35mm format, but I did some research on it for this article. It was available in 120 film (also, 4×5 sheets), which could be captured in three ratios (depending on the camera), including square, but 3:2 wasn’t one of those options. You could use 3:2 like I did, or more accurately shoot in the 1:1 ratio, or crop after-the-fact to whatever shape you prefer.
Blue Light Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1 – “Fujicolor NPL 160 Tungsten”
This Fujicolor NPL 160 Tungsten recipe is compatible with all X-Trans III cameras, so if you have a Fujifilm X-Pro2, X100F, X-E3, X-T20, X-T20, or X-H1, this recipe is for you! It’s also compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30—simply set Color Chrome Effect to Off, and limit the maximum ISO to 6400. For those with newer X-Trans IV cameras, consider using Grain size Small and Clarity set to 0 or even -2. Those with a GFX 50S and GFX 50R can use this recipe, too, although it will look very slightly different. For night photography, I most commonly set exposure compensation to -1/3 or 0, and for daylight photography I most commonly set exposure compensation to +1/3 to +2/3.
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: 0 Color: -2 Sharpening: -1 Noise Reduction: -4 Grain: Weak White Balance: Fluorescent 3, -6 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 12800 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Fujicolor NPL 160 Tungsten” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-H1:
Sunset Afterglow on Building – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Waffled – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Christmas Tree Outside A Mall – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Lights Wrapped Around A Trunk – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Girl at a Lighted Fountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Survivor – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Headless Lampshade – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Stored Clothes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Crowd Around the Tree – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
German Night – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Krampus – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Christkindlmarkt – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Carolers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
ZCMI – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Soaring Over a Neighborhood – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
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!
Episode 06 of SOOC is this Thursday, December 9, at 9am Pacific Time, 12 PM Eastern! Please note the new time.
For those who may not know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different film simulation recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow. This is an interactive show, so we not only need you to tune in, but your participation is essential to making the episode great.
This month we will discuss the Cross Process film simulation recipe (a fun one, for sure!), as well as look at your photos captured with it—upload your pictures here to be featured in the next video! We’ll also introduce the next recipe. We have a lot of great things planned, and I know you’ll appreciate this one. Episode 06 will be on December 9th, so mark your calendars, and I look forward to seeing you then!
First, I want to give a big “Thank You” to everyone who participated in yesterday’s survey! To say that I’ve been overwhelmed (in a good way) with the response is an understatement. You all really came through in a big way, so thanks!
Which Fujifilm camera sensor generation do most of you have? I was really surprised by the results. Let’s dive in!
1. 51% of you own an X-Trans IV model – 19% own either on X-T3 or X-T30 – 17% own an X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, or X-T30 II – 15% own an X-Pro3 or X100V 2. 22% of you own an X-Trans III model – The X-H1 represents 20% of all X-Trans III cameras (there were six models) 3. 13% of you own an X-Trans II model – Nearly 1/4 of those are models without Classic Chrome 4. 7% of you own an X-Trans I model 5. 5% of you own a Bayer model – About 2/3 have a 24 MP camera 6. 2% of you own a GFX model – About 2/3 own a newer model
What can be learned from all this data? Well, it’s easy to draw conclusions, but not necessarily easy to draw the correct conclusions. I think it demonstrates that Fujifilm has been growing in popularity over the years. Also, those with “newer” models (say, X-Trans III and X-Trans IV) are more likely to use film simulation recipes than those with older models (or Bayer or GFX), possibly because there are more JPEG options; however, that’s kind of a tricky statement, because there are more recipes for X-Trans III and newer, and less for the other models. If there were more recipes, more people would likely use them. So there’s a bit of truth on both sides of that coin. I think the most surprising statistic is that nearly 1/5 of you own either an X-T3 or X-T30—Fujifilm sold those two models like hotcakes! I didn’t realize that so many of you had one of those two models.
If you are looking at this and thinking, I have a low-percentage model, so I guess there’s no hope for new recipes—don’t despair! I plan to make new recipes for as many camera models as I can. With that said, 41% of you own either an X-Trans III or X-T3 or X-T30 camera, and that large segment hasn’t received nearly enough new recipes over the last year. There have been just nine new recipes in the last 12 months for the X-T3 and X-T30, six of which are also compatible with X-Trans III. Of those, two are Patron early-access recipes on the Fuji X Weekly App. So I definitely need to do a better job in the coming year of creating new recipes for the X-T3, X-T30 and X-Trans III.
Whatever you Fujifilm camera is, I hope to publish more film simulation recipes for you, so be on the lookout for those in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Pal2Tech posted a video today discussing the noise performance of various film simulations when using high-ISO photography on Fujifilm cameras. I like the videos from this channel, as they’re always entertaining and educational. I’ve learned several things myself, so I definitely recommend following him if you don’t already.
I wanted to mention this particular video (which you’ll find above) specifically because I think it misses the point on high-ISO photography. Or several points, really. I do still recommend watching it—I found it interesting, personally—and I appreciate the effort put into it. But I want to add my own commentary, so here we go!
The first point that’s missed is that Fujifilm’s digital noise doesn’t look like typical noise from digital cameras. Fujifilm’s programming makes it appear more organic, a little more film-grain-like, and much less hideous than that from other brands. So having some noise in an image isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Digital noise can actually be more than just “not bad” but can actually be a positive thing, and you might be missing out by avoiding it.
Which brings me to point two: in the digital age we’re too often striving for “perfect” images with its squeaky-clean aesthetics. In my article No Edit Photography: 7 Tips To Get The Film Look From Your Digital Photos, I stated, “Perfect pictures can be perfectly boring.” And, “Creativity is rarely born out of perfectionism.” Avoiding digital noise is ok, I suppose, but never at the expense of things that are more important.
Point number three (for those keeping track) is that digital noise (from Fujifilm cameras) can actually make your digital pictures appear less digital and more film-like (that’s tip six in that article I linked to in the last paragraph). In fact, my Ilford HP5 Plus Push Process film simulation recipe purposefully uses a minimum ISO of 25600, and it looks shockingly good when printed! If you’re striving for “perfection” and you are pixel-peeping at 300% magnification, noise might bother you a little. Otherwise, the “imperfection” of it can be incorporated beautifully into your art.
The simple takeaway is this: don’t be afraid to get a little noisy. Don’t worry so much about squeaky-clean pictures, but embrace the messiness of photography, and worry about the things that actually matter (like storytelling). Don’t be afraid to shoot at high-ISOs. Certainly if you are limiting yourself to below ISO 3200 for Acros, Classic Negative, and Eterna Bleach Bypass, you are missing out on some lovely pictures (you’ll find an example of each below). It’s ok to pixel-peep, but just know that nobody outside of some photographers care what an image looks like when inspected so closely, and most people who view your pictures won’t be impressed or unimpressed by how an image looks at that magnification, because they only care if the picture as a whole speaks to them in some way.
I want to know what camera sensor generation is inside your Fujifilm camera. Why? Because I want to be more helpful to you, the Fuji X Weekly audience, when creating new film simulation recipes. I don’t currently have every sensor generation—right now, it’s GFX and Bayer that I don’t own (you never know when that changes), but, since I was gifted an X-H1, I now have every X-Trans option at my disposal. In the coming year I want to focus more on what is beneficial to you, and in order to do so I need to know what you own.
If you have a spare moment right now, help me out by taking the short survey below:
Thank you!
Let me know in the comments what your favorite Fujifilm model is that you own, and what Fujifilm model is the one you’d love to own someday but currently don’t. For me, the favorite model that I own is the X100V, and the one I’d love to own someday is the X-Pro3.
Dark Cloud Over The Dark Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Ilford HP5 Plus Push Process” film simulation recipe — ISO 25600
When it comes to ISO, how high can you go? On your Fujifilm camera, how high is too high? 3200? 6400? 12800? 25600?
This article will explore the topic of high-ISO photography on Fujifilm X cameras. Can you bump it more than you think? Will it look good printed? How does it compare to film? Those are the questions that this post intends to answer.
Note: this was a Creative Collective article, but now it’s available to everyone.
This all started by accident. Two accidents, actually. The first one was back in 2019 when I mistakenly chose ISO 51200 instead of Auto-3 ISO on my Fujifilm X-T30, which happily turned into the Ilford HP5 Plus Push Process film simulation recipe. The second accident was similar, and happened in July of this year. I have the front wheel of my Fujifilm X-E4 set to adjust the ISO (because the camera doesn’t have an ISO dial), and I mistakenly pushed it and unknowingly set the ISO to 51200! I snapped what I thought could be a wonderful picture while at an aquarium. A couple of minutes later I realized my mistake—and I initially panicked, because the opportunity came and went. Then I remembered the Ilford HP5 Plus Push Process recipe, which requires a minimum ISO of 25600, and I knew that I could RAW reprocess in-camera the picture with that recipe, which is what I did (except that I set Grain to Weak and Small instead of Strong). You can see the photograph below:
The results, honestly, are pretty darn impressive. Seriously, this is ISO 51200! I remember back in the film days that ISO 400 was considered to be high-ISO—that’s what the “H” stands for in Fujicolor Pro 400H. ISO 3200 was crazy high, and only for extreme situations or the truly brave. The fact that I use ISO 3200 on any of my Fujifilm cameras—going back to X-Trans I—and don’t even think twice about it is a testament to the advancements of digital technology. It’s truly amazing! And it’s not uncommon to go even higher than that. But would my ISO 51200 picture look good enough when viewed larger than internet and social media sizes? Would it look good printed?
With color photography, on X-Trans I & II cameras, I like the results up to ISO 3200. On X-Trans III cameras I like the results all the way to ISO 12800. On X-Trans IV cameras I like the results up to ISO 6400. Black-and-white is another story, though. On X-Trans I & II I like the results up to ISO 6400. On X-Trans III & IV, you can max it out. While some digital cameras are known for their high-ISO performance, and ISO 51200 is no big deal, going that high on an APS-C sized sensor is nothing short of incredible! Fujifilm does not get enough press for just how miraculous this is.
Wanting to see how the aquarium picture would look printed, I sent it off to the lab. I also printed the Dark Cloud Over The Dark Mountain photo because it was captured at ISO 25600 and I was curious how it would compare to ISO 51200. For the fun of it, I also printed a picture captured on actual Ilford Delta 3200 film. I had the lab make 8″ x 12″ prints of all three images.
I captured some images of the prints, which you’ll find below. It’s hard to tell anything by looking at them on the web, so I want to talk about them. First, all three pictures appear good printed at the 8″ x 12″ size. The lab seemed to print the aquarium picture a little darker than I had expected—by maybe 1/3 stop. That was disappointing, but otherwise the quality was good, and I wouldn’t have any issues displaying these on my wall. I think all three could have been printed larger. I suspected that 8″ x 12″ would be the largest that I’d want to print an ISO 51200 exposure before it would degrade, but after examining the print, I do believe it would look fine even larger, perhaps 12″ x 18″. The ISO 25600 exposure could probably do well printed at 16″ x 24″ and maybe larger.
The obvious thing about the ISO 3200 film picture is the size of the grain. It’s huge! This was 35mm film, so the grain from Ilford Delta 3200 in 120 format wouldn’t appear quite so large. This brings up a point about Fujifilm’s faux grain and the digital noise, which is a little film-grain-like on Fujifilm cameras, that I’d like to mention: the size of it is more like medium-format than 35mm. This isn’t universally true—low-ISO films often had extremely fine grain. Generally speaking, however, even with Grain set to Strong and Large at a high-ISO, it’s not going to be anywhere close to the size of 35mm ISO 3200 grain, and not ISO 1600, either, and maybe not even ISO 800. Medium-format film is much larger, so the magnification isn’t nearly so much when printed, and the grain appears finer, and a lot of times I think Fujifilm cameras produce a grain-look that’s more similar to that.
Let’s look at the prints!
Like I said, there’s not much that you can really tell by looking at these pictures of the prints. It’s something you have to view for yourself. If you’ve captured an ultra-high-ISO picture on your Fujifilm camera, try printing it, so that you can see for yourself the surprisingly good quality. I think you’ll be shocked at just how usable these supposedly unusable ISOs actually are.
And that’s the point of this article. Is ISO 51200 or even ISO 25600 ideal? No. If you are after optimal image quality, my advice is to keep the ISO at and below ISO 800. But if a little graininess doesn’t bother you, and you’re not planning on pixel-peeping or printing posters, the photographs captured at these ridiculously high ISOs are sufficiently good. In fact, their graininess and softness actually gives them a more analog-like feel.
While I made the mistake of accidentally shooting at ISO 51200, you might try using high-ISOs on purpose, especially for black-and-white photography. If you are not comfortable going as high as these pictures, start off with something higher than you normally go. For example, if ISO 1600 is your typical max, try ISO 3200. If ISO 3200 is your typical max, go to ISO 6400. And so on. How high can you go? The sky is the limit! Actually, ISO 51200 is the limit, because that’s as high as the camera will go, but you get the point.
I got a big holiday surprise in the mail yesterday: a fan of this website gifted me a used Fujifilm X-H1 camera! Whoa. And thank you so very much!
He wanted me to have it because he knew that I didn’t currently own any X-Trans III cameras. This was such a generous (and thoughtful) gift. It most certainly made my Christmas merry!
I have already put it to use. The picture below was captured this morning using a new vintage-like film simulation recipe that I’m working on. I have to test it out more and maybe tweak it a little, but if all goes well it should be published sometime this month, so be on the lookout for it.
Pink Rose Blossom – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Ektachrome E100GX”
It’s now December, and the holiday season has officially begun! At least at my house it has. I thought it would be fun to look back at November, and see what the most viewed articles were. I have two categories: most viewed in November and most viewed that were published in November. It’s a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless. I’ll finish up with a third category: pointing out some posts that seem to have been overlooked—maybe you missed them.
The Fuji X Weekly App originally launched on iOS one year ago today! Later, in the spring, it launched on Android. And, less than a week ago, an update was released that made it even better! There’s more coming, too, that will further improve the App. I’m always adding new film simulation recipes, and it’s approaching the 200 mark rather quickly.
It’s been an amazing 12 months!
The Fuji X Weekly App has been downloaded over 180,000 times! Now, some people might have the App on more than one device, or they switched devices and downloaded the App more than once. So I’m not sure how many individuals have downloaded it, but it is absolutely mind-blowing that it has been downloaded that many times! There are about 45,000 active users (meaning, individuals that have used the App at least once in the last month). By far, the vast majority of people use the free version, yet the best App experience is unlocked by becoming a Patron, so if you’re not a Patron, you’re missing out on some great features. Also, Patrons help support the App and other great things within the Fujifilm community. Without the support of Patrons there would be no App, so I want to give a big “Thank You” to all the Fuji X Weekly App subscribers!
If you own a Fujifilm camera, you should have the Fuji X Weekly App on your phone and/or tablet. If you don’t, download it for free today!
