Fujirumors just posted today that Fujifilm is working on “a dial that lets you choose an era-inspired look for your images.” This will be for some upcoming camera. It sounds like this new dial might be similar to the Film Dial, except instead of Film Simulations (and Film Simulation Recipes on FS1/FS2/FS3 for the X-E5 & X-T30 III), it will be aesthetics that mimic specific eras of photography, presumably something like 1950’s, 1980’s, etc.. So not a Film Dial, but a Film Era Dial.
My best guess is that this will be on the next X-Pro camera, which Fujifilm is working on. I suspect that this camera will be the next model that Fujifilm announces, and it will come early next year. This is simply the first of many rumors we can expect for the X-Pro4 (I’m predicting that it will be called X-Pro5) over the next few months. This is merely speculation, of course, and I have absolutely zero inside information. I do know that Fujifilm wants to do something unique and unexpected with the next X-Pro (they’ve said so a few times now), and this would certainly qualify as that.
I can only guess how the Film Era Dial might work, but it will likely be similar to the Film Dial on the X-E5. Perhaps it will have nine or ten or eleven “eras” plus an Off position. These eras, which will likely be divided by decades, will probably be similar to Recipes, except designed by Fujifilm and not customizable. In this way it could be more like Advanced Filters, which aren’t customizable—you get what you get—but probably more refined and sophisticated, something you’d definitely want to use (in other words: built-in—but not customizable—Recipes). Maybe it’s also a bit X half-ish, with the idea being that it’s super easy to get great retro-like looks straight-out-of-camera. If that’s all true, I’m disappointed to not have been invited to be a part of the creation process; however, I do trust that Fujifilm will do an excellent job with it.
So what does “Film Eras” look like on Fujifilm cameras? It can be different things, but I do have an idea. For example, Sepia prints were popular in the 1920’s; Faded Monochrome gives a nod to really old B&W prints; Vintage Kodachrome mimics an early version of Kodachrome film; Vintage Agfacolor has a 1950’s look; 1960’s Chrome resembles pictures found in magazines during that era; 1976 Kodak is similar to some Joel Meyerowitz photographs from the mid-’70’s; Kodacolor has a distinct ’80’s vibe; Kodachrome 64 was an extremely popular (and iconic) film in the 1990’s; Fujicolor Superia 800 has a 2000’s disposable-film-camera quality; Kodak Portra 400 v2 mimics a Portra 400 aesthetic, a popular film in the 2010’s; and the new Reala Ace film sim has been called the “negative for the new era” so it makes sense to use a Recipe like Fujicolor Film for the 2020’s. I could make probably four or five unique lists like this that demonstrates “photography through the decades” aesthetics using my different Film Simulation Recipes.
1920’s
1930’s
1940’s
1950’s
1960’s
1970’s
1980’s
1990’s
2000’s
2010’s
2020’s
I like the general idea of a Film Era Dial, and if anyone can pull it off it’s Fujifilm. I’ll reserve my full judgement until it is released, presumably on the upcoming X-Pro5 early next year. I don’t anticipate it being perfect; the Film Dial isn’t perfect, but it is good, adding aesthetic versatility if you know how to get the most out of it (tune into SOOC Live this coming Monday, as this will be the topic of our conversation). I wonder if the Film Dial will be unique to fifth-generation cameras, and the Film Era Dial will be unique to sixth-generation models. Time will tell.
If you like the idea of the Film Era Dial, you don’t have to wait for it. Simply program into your C1-C7 Recipes for different decades. I gave you some ideas above; perhaps this could turn into a series of articles. Maybe I can give some specific recommendations for each era. What do you think? Is a Film Era Dial a good idea? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I don’t see the point when you can just program the rear dial on most any Fujifilm camera to just press and scroll through your custom recipes easily and quickly. The implementation of the new dial on the X-E5 is terrible.I can’t scroll unless I take the camera away from my eye which means I can’t see them as I scroll. Please Fuji, leave it off.
I use the rear command dial the same way. For anyone wondering, it’s:
Menu -> Wrench -> Button/Dial Settings -> Function (Fn) Settings -> R-Dial -> Select Custom Setting.
As far as the Film Dial on the X-E5, my recommendation is to put Recipes into FS1/FS2/FS3. Even if you don’t use it for anything else, use it for that. You could have it as the Tri-X Recipe with each of the three slots using a different filter (+Ye, +R, +G). You could program three nighttime Recipes. Maybe three that you wouldn’t use all the time, but occasionally it’s valuable to have them available to you already programmed into the camera. I think you’ll find it at least somewhat useful if you use it like that.
If I had a vote, I’d like to get off any „Film simulation dial“ at all! On all Cameras. All!
The X-E5 might be the most valueable. Nice design, mostly hidden. All other dials are way to prominent. It is not a dial I need to use 20 times a day. I would use it once in a while – and as „Form follows Function“, there is actually NO NEED at all for a „Film simulation dial“. ISO, Shutter, (Apperture), Exposure compensation. DONE. Please Fujifilm, stick to you roots!
Personally, I find the Film Dial to be useful. I understand that not every feature is utilized by every user. For example, some people keep the Shutter Dial in A all of the time. I probably do that 85-90% of the time myself. On something like the Film Dial, even if I keep it set to C (Off) 90% of the time, I find it useful occasionally, especially since you can program three Recipes into it (on the X-E5 and X-T30 III). For me, the Film Dial (and added three Recipes) was THE big selling point; without it, I probably wouldn’t have purchased the camera. But, again, I totally get that not every feature is for every person.
Like the Film Sim Dial, it’d appeal to those who don’t want the hassle of learning how to program recipes. But, even more gimmicky than said FSD. X-Pro is too serious a camera for this kind of thing.
The Film Dial can be used in-conjunction with Recipes:
https://fujixweekly.com/2024/05/16/fujifilm-x-t50-film-dial-settings-14-new-film-simulation-recipes-yes-14/
https://fujixweekly.com/2025/03/28/universal-negative-14-fujifilm-x100vi-x-trans-v-film-simulation-recipes-yes-14/
It adds quite a bit of aesthetic versatility to the camera. For the X-E5 and X-T30 III (hopefully it eventually is retroactively added to the X-T50 and X-M5), there is also the option for three additional Recipes. In other words, for those using Recipes, the Film Dial can be a wonderful thing.
As far as how “gimmicky” a Film Era Dial may or may not be, it’s up to Fujifilm. They could certainly produce a highly gimmicky thing, like some of the so-called Advanced Filters; or it could be extraordinarily great, like maybe the 10 or so best Recipes that have ever been made, except that you don’t have to program them into your camera. Or anything in-between. It’s hard to pass judgement at this early stage. If Fujifilm had involved me, I certainly would ensure that it isn’t gimmicky; I have no idea who is involved, so there is a chance that it could be—it’s just too early to know.
Regarding the X-Pro, I might agree even one week ago. But not after this:
https://fujixweekly.com/2025/11/12/cinematic-atmospheric-photographs-why-fujifilm-is-so-popular-right-now/
When the X-Pro3 is the camera of choice for K-Pop mega stars (and assuming a small percentage of their fans), it’s not just a serious camera for serious photographers, it’s additionally a fun camera for the snap-shooter. If even one half of one percent of this K-Pop mega star’s fanbase is influenced to buy an X-Pro, that would make it the most-sold X-series camera of all time. Making the camera more appealing to people like that could generate massive sales, and the addition of a Film Era Dial (which you don’t have to use if you don’t want) could very easily do that.
I’m torn over this one. On the one hand I like film simulations and your recipes while on the other I like the old idea that you pick just a small core of films and really get to know how and when they work best. And of course those two things are not incompatible: you and Fujifilm have given us choices and we can decide how many or few to work with. But with each new camera release the menus and dial implementation change so that it becomes quite confusing to acclimatize, and add to that some recipes are given names that reflect a certain film stock but don’t use the film simulation of that name: your Reala Ace recipe for example, which uses the Classic Negative simulation. (I have read and appreciate your reasoning behind that though and no doubt that appealing idea of ‘memory color’ (aka Fujifilm licence to improve?) comes into it. That particular example is quite complicated to follow — an extreme example maybe.
Anyway I will be very interested to see what a new X-Pro brings and really hope that model will be a success.
About the naming: why do you expect it to be a 5 rather than 4? I know Fujifilm skipped 4 with the S-Pro DSLRs — apparently for the number’s bad luck associations in Japan — but they’ve had X-T4 and X-E4. Nikon didn’t skip from F3 to F5, nor from D3 to D5 and so on.
Fujifilm sometimes skips 4 because (as you have said) it’s considered bad luck, similar to the number 13. Fujifilm skipped 4 with the S Pro and X-A series; to an extent the X-M series (it also skipped 2 and 3), and even a weaker argument is the X00 line, which never got an X40. I think Fujifilm might to an extent blame the “flop” of the X-T4 on the numbering (sales were sluggish compared to expectations, which is why the X-T3 was sold side-by-side). In my opinion, it’s about 50%-50% whether they’ll skip the number 4 for the X-Pro and go straight to 5. Heads or tails? I pick tails. Hopefully in a couple of months we’ll know.
That’s a good point. I hadn’t stopped to think that the decision could have come as a result of a turn-off choice of naming with the X-T4 (possibly because as a ‘rangefinder’ supporter I have never spent time getting to know the X-Ts). As you say, let’s hope we get an X-Pro after Christmas. Talking of the X00 series I loved the X30 and wish I had kept it. Fujiiflm even provided a lens hood for it. Dinky little camera and very good despite the tiny sensor.
I think an updated X30 would sell well. They could potentially use the 1″ sensor of the X half.
Hands off the XPro, Fuji! Keep it classy and timeless!
I’m not sure what that means. After all, the backwards-mounted rear LCD was super controversial on the X-Pro3, and there’s a good chance it will not be on the next X-Pro. In my opinion, in addition to having C1-C7, and in addition to having Advanced Filters, also having an Era selector seems like it could be a major hit, as long as Fujifilm “keeps it classy and timeless”. I certainly believe that they could pull it off, but they could also screw it up—time will tell if it’s genius or not.