There’s a feature on most Fujifilm cameras that few use—you might not even be aware that they exist—called Advanced Filters. Fujifilm introduced it in 2013 with the X100S and X20 models. With the exception of a few early models, your Fujifilm camera has Advanced Filters—find it on the Drive Dial or Drive Menu (depending on the specifics of your model). For older models, Advanced Filters are JPEG only; however, on newer models, you can save a RAW file in addition to the JPEG.
So why are the Advanced Filters so obscure and not widely used? Worse, why is it actually detested by some who have tried it? Well, the short answer is that Advanced Filters aren’t “advanced” at all, and are probably the most gimmicky and sometimes cringy thing Fujifilm has included in what are otherwise sophisticated cameras. My personal opinion is that some of the Advanced Filters aren’t half bad, and some are indeed bad and definitely out-of-date; none are especially good (although a couple have potential). Below I’ll briefly explain what each one of the Advanced Filters do. Also, this will serve as an open letter to Fujifilm, with suggestions on how to improve this feature for future cameras.
Here we go!
Toy Camera
Fujifilm describes this Advanced Filter as “a retro toy camera effect”, which is to say that it is roughly modeled after a Holga or Diana film camera aesthetic. The Toy Camera Advanced Filter is ok, but the big issue—and this is a problem with all the filters—is that it cannot be customized. You get what you get, and what you get is mediocre. I have used Toy Camera several times over the years because I like the idea, but I’m always a bit disappointed in the execution.
Fujifilm could make the Toy Camera filter much better by allowing it to be customizable. First, you should be able to choose any film simulation to use with it. Second, the vignetting should be adjustable, such as Weak or Strong, with the current amount being the Strong option. You should be able to add Grain (Weak or Strong, and Small or Large). Soft Focus—which we’ll talk more about in a moment—should be merged into Toy Camera, with the options of Off, Weak or Strong (Strong being the current Soft Focus, and Off being default). You should be able to adjust the contrast: Low, Standard, and High. Finally, Fujifilm should allow you to use any White Balance that you’d like, so that you can control the tint.
Miniature
This filter adds blur to the top and bottom of the frame, similar to using a tilt-shift lens. When you are photographing from an elevated vantage point, this Advanced Filter can give the illusion that the subject is a miniature model. It’s better to use an actual tilt-shift lens to get this effect, but if you don’t own one, this is an easy way to approximate it.
The Miniature filter, along with many of the others, are modeled after photography trends that were popular 15 years ago. By the time Fujifilm introduced Advanced Filters in 2013, these trends were already on their way out. Now, eleven years later, they’re very dated. While I don’t have any issues with Miniature being included, I also don’t think anyone would mind of Fujifilm axed it, or replaced it with something different entirely. How about a filter that gives an Aerochorme-like infrared aesthetic?
Pop Color
Pop Color is my favorite Advanced Filter; however, it suffers from the same problem that they all do—it cannot be customized. The solution for Fujifilm is quite simple, actually: make Pop Color the next film simulation. Obviously it wouldn’t be called Pop Color; instead, Fujifilm should call it Fortia, as it resembles Fujichrome Fortia 50 film. Perhaps they’ll need to fine-tune some aspects of it in some way in order to make it a film simulation—whatever it is that they need to do, I believe that Pop Color absolutely should graduate from Advanced Filters into the film simulation list as Fortia.
High Key / Low Key
There’s nothing especially special about the High Key and Low Key Advanced Filters—both can be easily replicated using the Provia film simulation. You might occasionally use these two in lieu of having a Film Simulation Recipe programmed into C1-C7 with a similar look, but I don’t believe many people are doing that. Instead, you could use Recipes like Bright Kodak or Low Key for better results.
Fujifilm should replace these two Advanced Filters with something else entirely. How about a split-tone effect? Select any of the film simulations, have three-to-five different split-tone options (highlight and shadow with a different tints), plus have grain and contrast options for further customization.
Dynamic Tone
“Dynamic tone expression is used for a fantasy effect,” is how Fujifilm describes it. What it reminds me of is HDR photography with aggressive tonemapping, which was all the rage 15 years ago despite being hideous. This is one that Fujifilm should definitely axe, in my opinion. They could replace it with something like a high-contrast effect, where you can choose any film sim, but where the contrast is stronger than Highlight and Shadow set to +4 (Dynamic Range, White Balance and Grain should be customizable).
Soft Focus
This is kind of like setting Clarity to -20 and Sharpness to -10 on your Fujifilm camera. Obviously that’s not possible, but it it were, Soft Focus is what it would look like. Aside from being much too strong generally speaking, Soft Focus should be integrated into the Toy Camera filter instead of being standalone. A better Advanced Filter might be a faded effect similar to my Film Simulation Recipes that utilize double exposures like Faded Color, Vintage Color Fade, Bleach Bypass, and Faded Monochrome.
Partial Color (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple)
The six Partial Color filters are the Monochrome film simulation (with everything set to factory defaults), but with one color recorded (either red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple—the singular color is the Provia film simulation). This is another effect that was popular 15 years ago, and I’m sure very few utilize it in 2024. If Fujifilm wants to keep Partial Color, they should allow it to be customized similar to how I described for the other effects; however, I doubt that many would miss it if Fujifilm got rid of it entirely. I think a cross-process filter would be much more interesting—perhaps like cross-processed Velvia, with deep contrast, vibrant colors, pronounced grain, and shifted hues. Something along the lines of the picture below, which is actual cross-processed Velvia 50 film.
To conclude, your Fujifilm camera has something called Advanced Filters that are rather mediocre at best and cringeworthy at worst. Pop Color is my personal favorite—it’s the closest your camera can get to straight-out-of-camera Fujichrome Fortia 50—and it should be made into a film simulation so that it can be customized with Grain, Color Chrome Effects, Highlight, Shadow, etc., etc.. Most of the Advanced Filters should be replaced with something else entirely, and I think I offered a number of good suggestions for that (for those keeping score, that’s Aerochrome, Split-Tone, High Contrast, Faded, and Cross Process, plus an improved Toy Camera). If you find yourself bored one day, perhaps try out some of the Advanced Filters for yourself—Pop Color is my recommendation if you’re only going to try one; otherwise, just know that you’re not missing out on much. If you are Fujifilm reading this, I would suggest working right away on new-and-improved Advanced Filters for the next generation of Fujifilm cameras.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Fujifilm X-T50 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T50 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T50 in charcoal:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex
About 10 or 15 years ago someone created a mostly black and white photo but with a London bus in red. Since then it’s become a massive cliche and London is awash with souvenirs for tourists featuring red buses, red post boxes and red phone boxes. (Sometimes all three!) We really don’t need Fujifilm making it easy to create even more.
I only heard of Fortia recently, and apparently it was only available in Japan, and only for a year or two. It’s not a simulation I’d use but I’m surprised Fujifilm haven’t built it in to any of their cameras. I assume that as it was so short lived it wasn’t successful. It might even have got a negative reaction from the public and become a bit of an embarrassment to the company. I’d be interested if anyone knows anything about how it was perceived in Japan.
The soft focus is to me the most interesting, and the only one I might possibly use, but like you said it needs to be improved. At least it’s better than the Ricoh you wrote about a while ago!
The long-standing rumor about Fortia is that it was originally a mistake, a bad batch of Velvia that was accidentally too vibrant. Instead of trashing it, Fujifilm sold it as a limited batch (in Japan) for the cherry blossoms. Twice later they also sold Fortia in limited batches for the cherry blossoms, although it apparently was a little different than the original batch. I believe cost was one factor why it was never a big commercial success; it also could be that Fujifilm figured each Fortia sale would otherwise have been a Velvia sell, so the two emulsions were only competing against themselves.
Well Ritchie, for a change I do not agree with you that Fujifilm should axe the Advanced Filters and they are gimmicky or else.
Since I migrated to Fuji and the X-T1, I love to use the Advanced Filtres. They became part of my standard creative workflow.
Especially the Pop (which I we share the like), Dynamic and Partial Blue (for my forest B&W photography – well where I am blue pure sky is not happening very often).
For the others, well yeah could be more interesting…
So I would miss them a lot if the desapear like the possibility of taking a shot with 3 different film simulationd at the same time.
However, I fully agree that with the computing power we can get out of the current cameras, ther are indeed out-dated and should be fully customisable.
Like the not having the possibility to do more than 3 film simulation shots and those begin dependent of the settings.
Which is a hell when you hot a film simulation / highly customised. The 3 shots should get complete independent and customisable settings out of the custom banks.
With the firmwares extended and expended over tjosec20 years with the numerous film simulation we get and full custom banks setting saving (,too much in fact now as every is 7x time duplicated so you need to register 7 times your manual lens for example), it is really a shame those 2 features I use a LOT have never been reworked / updated.
So my message would be to Fuji :
Don’t axe the Advanced Filtres, but please expend them, tweak them to make them better and more fully customisable. As they can be used very creatively !
(See SOOC, A Celebration of Fujifilm JPEGS – Issue No. 3 – October 2019, link on my name)
I don’t take issue that they’re included; hopefully Fujifilm improves them (I don’t think they’ve touched them since 2013). There’s no harm in the Advanced Filters being there, especially if they’re actually used by people (I only hear people hate on them… glad to know it’s not everyone 😀).
As for Film Simulation Bracket, I would love a C1-C7 Bracket… that would make a lot of sense, I think.
Thank you for sharing the link to the Zine—I enjoyed it very much!
https://issuu.com/james.posilero/docs/sooc_-_issue_3_-_oct_2019
Thank you very much Ritchie. Glad you like this old publication 😃
Well as usual hate has more voice power and counts than the love ones…
But we are a very few.
And it’s a clear matter of taste.
A C1-C7 braketing option replacing the current braketing one would be indeed awesome and a more than welcome change.
But as you wrote no updated there since it came out like the Advanced Filters…
With the body generation evolution, we can clearly sadly see no code evolution.
Simple copy-paste / code reused over the next generation on and on.
And with all the comments on AF side (with reasons) + recent bug, Fujifilm and it’s small firmware team need to focus (sic !).
So I fear Fujifilm will never update the code (time, human ressources, budget and willingness)…
May be wrong if they continue to invest as they seems to do now on recipies and the rest graviting around their film simulations (the dedicated dial appeared on the X-T50 finally along your acknowledgement).
I may continue asking for such code updates 😉
They should definitely hire a few more people to make the firmware team a little more robust. It seems as though they’re currently stretched too thin.
Sorry for the huged typos, was forced to comment between 2 work critical activities and cannot edit once published. I Wanted to comment asap as Advanced Filters usage is a HOT topic for me since a very long time. Like SOOC jpeg…
I love all these. I use them pretty frequently on my X70. It’s a fun way to play with fun compositions and try things. I actually like how stark the effects are, because they are great inspirations.
I’m glad that there are some people who use and like them. Thanks for the feedback!
Many camera manufacturers introduced this kind of thing but didn’t introduce ‘real’ daily use simulations like Fujifilm did. It was original era Instagram filters built into your camera. I find them a bit cringe on a professional camera, but each to their own.
I remember my Pentax DSLR back in 2009 had some of these same type of things. Back then the trends were still popular, so I suppose it made sense, although for certain no “professionals” were using them. I can understand Fujifilm’s inclusion of these Advanced Filters on X-Trans II in 2013 (although they were late to the party, the trends were already diminishing quickly by that time); however, they should have revisited Advanced Filters with each sensor generation, making improvements or changes. Seriously, the X-H2s, X-T5, etc., all have these, which are unchanged from 2013 (and were already a bit “dated” back then). It definitely is in desperate need of a refresh.
I’ve never used any of these filters for the reasons you’ve already stated the filters done by Olympus had a couple of good ones the soft focus was subtil and gave a good effect but it was impossible to change to b&W they also had a grainy film filter that was b&W and slightly customisable maybe one or two others but as you say filters have to be well thought out useful and customisable otherwise don’t bother Fuji generally do quality but the filters are definitely could do better
They’re unchanged from 2013, so it’s something way overdue for a refresh. We know that Fujifilm can make them good, so it’s time (well beyond it, actually) for them to do so, in my opinion.
I’ve always like miniature mode. I hope they DON’T axe it because it is very fun and I am not in the market for a tilt shift. It works best from very high vantage points. I just wish you could control the colors more.
If they keep it, they should definitely improve it and make it customizable.