A couple of days ago I saw that Fujifilm is releasing a limited run special-edition of the GFX100RF, designed by fashion designer, producer, and artist Hiroshi Fujiwara, called the GFX100RF Fragment Edition. It looks pretty much the same as a regular GFX100RF, except with smoother leather and a different engraving on the top plate. There’s also a few accessories, including a strap, lens hood, and more. The GFX100RF Fragment Edition will only be available in Japan. It’s pretty cool, I guess.
I didn’t think much of it until yesterday, when a reader emailed me to take a closer look. Aside from a couple of physical changes, there is one internal change to the camera. The Monochrome Film Simulation was removed, and in its place is a custom black-and-white Recipe called FRGMT BW created by Hiroshi. It’s Acros with “stronger grain, tweaked highlight and shadow tone curves, reduced sharpness, less noise reduction, more clarity, and a bit of positive exposure compensation.” This Recipe, instead of being found in C1-C7, is in the Film Simulation Menu.
This is quite interesting. First, before we let this fact slip by, the Recipe includes an exposure compensation boost, which currently isn’t possible to program. You have to adjust the exposure manually, which makes sense, but Fujifilm just demonstrated that they have the ability to include an exposure adjustment within a Recipe. Is this something we’ll see in the future? Perhaps so. Fujifilm also demonstrated that it’s possible to replace a Film Simulation with a Recipe. Maybe you don’t use PRO Neg. Std or Eterna Bleach Bypass or Sepia—wouldn’t it be nice to replace the ones that you don’t use with a Recipe? Or maybe you replace all of the Film Simulations in the Film Simulation Menu with Recipes? There’s a lot of room for customization, and Fujifilm just showed us that it’s possible for them to do it.
I think this is also an indication of what’s to come regarding the future of the Film Dial or Film Era Dial. I suspect that Fujifilm will open up the Film Dial to allow Recipes for all of the positions, and not just FS1/FS2/FS3 (on the X-E5 and X-T30 III, anyway). I suspect that the Film Era Dial will be hard-set Recipes designed by Fujifilm (or photographers they have partnered with), similar to FRGMT B&W. This is speculation, of course.
I don’t want to read too much into this. It could be a one-time thing, and we’ll never see anything like this again. Nothing may come of it, other than this one special-edition model sold only in Japan. But it is intriguing to consider what it could possibly mean for future models.
So for those wondering what the FRGMT B&W Recipe is, well, here you go! It’s found on Fujifilm’s webpage for the GFX100RF Fragment Edition.
Film Simulation: Acros
Grain: Strong / Large
Highlight: +4
Shadow: +2
Sharpness: -4
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +5
Exposure Compensation: +1/3
Obviously not every setting is included, so let’s take a guess on the blanks. Most likely it is Dynamic Range Auto, White Balance Auto (0R & 0B for the WB Shift), Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome FX Blue Off, Toning Off (WC 0 MG 0), and ISO up to 12800 (based on one of the sample pictures). So if you’re interested in trying it yourself, you absolutely can. In fact, here are a few of my photos, which look pretty good, reprocessed on my Fujifilm X-E5 using the FRGMT B&W Recipe (choosing DR200 in lieu of DR-Auto).
I’ve already loaded it up on my X100V. I’ll test it out this weekend.
Awesome! It’s a contrasty and grainy look that’s easy to love.
Whoa that’s a pretty cool partnership from Fujifilm and indeed very interesting that did not only tweak the external but also made an internal change.
Much more interesting than what is doing another very famous brand.
Having the RF, I would have pretty much like to have such an edition. The X100VI special edition is very nice but only esthetic one (which I emulated thanks to a nicely done sticker to put on the lens cap, quite cheap vs the price tag to pay and the crazy prices found on the marketplace of the VI special edition).
Here there is definitely a + and as you wrote Ritchie, what Fujifilm is capable to do.
I’m even wondering why they did not done it before. The hardware has such potential, that is with this Fragment Edition, limited by the firmware, aka programmation (IT/algorithms part).
The Etherna film camera is a brilliant exemple, but here Fujifilm team worked very hard and tweaked very heavily to get to the outstanding results they produced.
I’m even wondering if such work, opened their mindset along their grasp of the recipe principle.
As you stated, the potential of possiblilties is just enormous as well as the ground it cover, more so expend.
I can only wish with such partnership, Fujifilm continue to experiment as they do and continue in the path of producing special / wild things and do put them in production like here and with X-Half not letting them rot in their labs / museum.
Price tag wise such experiment, is a totally other debat (but for the moment still not the creasy price asked for special editions that can do another very famous brand).
Thank you Ritchie for bringing to our attention this special RF and the recipe. I’m happily surprised that Fujifilm gave it out. Other brands would have simply said -“if you want to use it, buy the camera!”.
I’m very satisfied to use Fujifilm gear knowing this.
I will definitely try out this recipe on my RF as the image results look gorgeous. I like very much the aesthetic it produces. Thanks for sharing it.
I think there’s definitely potential for future collaborations with other people/companies. This could be just the tip of the iceberg. I think a Bewaremyfuji special edition X-Pro with a double-exposure Recipe built-in would be super cool. I would be really happy to do one myself, too, but I think Fujifilm is a little afraid that I’d include a Kodak brand name or something in it 🤣. Of course, I wouldn’t want it to be super expensive, either, especially if some stickers could essentially accomplish the same thing.
I was very surprised to see Fujifilm share the Recipe. That’s a very positive thing, because (as you said) they very easily could have said “buy the camera if you want it so bad.” I also think it’s super cool that such a renown designer/artist has created a Recipe (!!) for Fujifilm cameras.
As always, I appreciate your input. Thank you!
Very welcome Richie!
Your suggestion of a Tom’s (BewareFuji) X-Pro4 special edition with a double-exposure recipe built-in would be indeed extra super cool 😎👍
I would love to see one too.
About your own, well indeed Fuji needs to grow up still and accept/ grasp other film brand name.
But it is also branded nales, so even if they accept them, there is the royalties to pay, etc…
So might make it all this rather difficult.
But having cool Kodak, Agfa and Ilford built-in receipes would just awesome along your name as an edition.
In 10 years time ? (If we count the time they accepted you).
At least Fuji is in the good path.
1) putting in place a dedicated dial
2) accepting the recipe concept
3) you and all of us doing recipes
4) updating their dial to store fully extra recipes
5) opening to partnership, replace a built-in film simulation by a recipe one
6) sharing the recipe (still whoau 🥹)
So what will be 7) ???
Yeah, they’re definitely moving in the right direction. I’m very curious about 7, 8, etc.—it will be fascinating to see.
Indeed. Cross fingers they continue and expand.
Interesting! Will it land on the fujixweekly app?
That’s a great question. It’s not my Recipe, so I would definitely first want permission to do so. I would need it from Fujifilm, perhaps from the Fragment brand and Hiroshi Fujiwara, too. It’s something that I would love to do. I’ve already reached out to some people to see if it’s possible, but most likely the answer is no. It’s probably too steep of a hill for me to climb, so to speak. But, for sure, I will try.
I think it would be a smart move for “them” to allow you to host it in the app and the blog, anyway
I hope they do 😀
I appreciate your encouragement!
I think so to like @rederik75: would be a smart move from them 🤞
Well as Patron of the app, I already stored it as ‘my’ own recipe 😉
So done on my part 😁
Awesome! 😀
Thanks so much for this. I’m really into monochrome photography since I shot with your Classic B&W, very exited to try out this one!
Definitely give this one a try. I like grainy and contrasty B&W personally, and this Recipe does just that.
i want to know,which fujifilm camera hold its value/even ++ the value beside x100 series?
That’s hard to know, as it’s very difficult to predict the future. I wouldn’t have guessed when I purchased my X-E4 new at the time of announcement, that it would later go up in value pretty significantly. Ultimately it comes down to supply and demand. The models that will hold their value best are the ones that too few copies were manufactured vs those who want to own one.
i mean right now,which current model beside x100 hold its value or even ++ the value?
so x100 xe4 and xpro2 as far as i know,is there anything else?
I like this. Definitely something like pushed B&W look that I enjoy on film. Clarity +5 is the most interesting part here. I don’t think I’ve seen much recipes with clarity cranked up that high
It definitely has a pushed quality to it. Very contrasty but not over-the-top.
The only Recipe I have with +5 Clarity is The Rockwell. I have a few with +4, but that’s the only one that’s fully maxed out.
I just loaded up the FRGMT recipe and tested this out and the results are stunning. Super sharp and nicely austere. Perfect. This has the possibility of being one of my favorite recipes.
It seems like a really nice one. I appreciate the feedback!
by the way i will fix my question,which fujifilm camera experiencing price/value hiking (othen than x100) ?
I don’t think any camera is currently seeing a value increase. The X100VI, X100V, and X-E4 are the only ones that I know of that saw their used value increase over the MSRP, which has more-or-less stabilized. The X70 (and maybe the X100F, too) has maintained its value (it seems to commonly sell near its MSRP all these years later).
My best advice is to not think of cameras as investments in gear, but investments in self. If they hold their value or even gain value, that’s the cherry on top I guess. But the main investment is what you do with it—the photos you make, the experiences you have, the memories you make. If the value of the camera drops all the way to zero, it will still have been worth it.
now i have ricoh gr iii and xe4 but i need to sell one of it,your opinion which one should i sell?
They are very different cameras for very different purposes. Me, personally, would sell the GR III well before the X-E4. I appreciate (and own) both cameras, but I have much more of a love for the X-E4 than the GR III.