Last year, Reggie’s Portra, which uses Classic Chrome, was the number one most popular Fujifilm Recipe on Fuji X Weekly, and it’s on track to be number one this year, too. The creator of that Recipe is Reggie Ballesteros (website, YouTube, Instagram), and he just recently published a new Recipe based on Classic Negative called Reggie’s Superia. The two of us talked recently, and he was super kind to allow me to publish his Recipe on this website and in the Fuji X Weekly App—thank you for creating Reggie’s Superia and sharing it with the community!
Reggie Ballesteros, also known as Reggie B, created his famous Recipe nearly five years ago, and I published it on Fuji X Weekly four years ago. It’s steadily grown in popularity thanks to its versatility—it’s one of those Recipes you can use in pretty much any situation. Reggie told me that this new Recipe is not intended to replace Reggie’s Portra, but is an intentional expansion, providing an alternative aesthetic that’s more Fujicolor-like instead of Kodak-esque. He was inspired to create Reggie’s Superia after many requests for his take on the Classic Negative film simulation from the Fujifilm community.
The problem that Reggie found with most of the Classic Negative Recipes he has tried is that they tend to be calibrated for street or landscape photography, and not for portraiture, especially across a range of skin tones. He designed his Recipe specifically to retain depth and richness in melanated skin while simultaneously embracing a film-forward look. Reggie’s Superia is intended to be moodier, grainer, and more contrasty than his take on Portra, prioritizing character and emotion over tonal preservation or strict color accuracy. He told me that it is best suited for directional light, where the photographer consciously chooses to lean into highlights or shadows, oftentimes allowing either very dark shadows or slightly blown-out background highlights as part of the aesthetic.
The Fuji X Weekly Recipe that’s probably the most similar to Reggie’s Superia is Fujicolor Superia 100, but the two are notably divergent in a number of ways. 1-Hour Photo might also be considered somewhat similar. Actually, if Fujicolor Superia 100 and 1-Hour Photo had a baby, it might roughly be along the lines of Reggie’s Superia. If you like those two Recipes, you are highly likely to appreciate this one, too. I used Reggie’s Superia pretty extensively on a trip across Texas, and I really liked the results.
You’ll find the parameters to Reggie’s Superia below, but please watch the YouTube video above first, which explains a lot more about the Recipe, how to use it, and even how to program it into your camera. Once you’ve watched it, then come back for the Recipe parameters. Reggie’s Portra is designed for fifth-generation X-series cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III, as well as the latest GFX models; however, you can use it on fourth-generation cameras (except the X-T3 and X-T30), too, with slightly different results (most notably, the color blue will render a little less deeply)—Reggie says not to worry about the small differences, and just go for it.
Film Simulation: Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR-Auto
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong
White Balance: Auto, +1 Red & -3 Blue
Highlight: -2
Shadow: -1
Color: +1
Sharpness: -2
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: 0
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using Reggie’s Superia Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5 & X-T5:
Comparison:
Find this Film Simulation Recipe and over 400 more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
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-E5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-E5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira