Someone pointed out something interesting to me: the new DJI Osmo Pocket 4 has “Film Tones” that take close inspiration from Fujifilm. Specifically, CC Film and NC Film are “Fuji-inspired” (as DJI puts it), and are obviously similar to Fujifilm’s Classic Chrome and Classic Negative Film Simulations (apparently, CC Film more so than NC Film). These are intended to give a finished look straight-out-of-camera.

First, as Oscar Wilde famously stated (or maybe he didn’t, it’s apparently debatable), “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” That’s not a dig on DJI, but simply noting that 1) Fujifilm’s Film Simulation are both great and popular, and 2) someone’s approximation of it will never be quite the same as the real thing (but maybe it doesn’t need to be). If something is successful, there will be copycats—sometimes close copies and sometimes more of an “inspired by” situation. I’m not sure what type of copyrights and trademarks Fujifilm may have for (say) Classic Chrome, or if DJI infringed on it, but my guess is that legally speaking, it’s all ok (I’m not an attorney, though).

Above left: Classic Chrome Film Simulation (Classic Color Recipe); Above right: Classic Negative Film Simulation (Pacific Blues Recipe)

I personally don’t take issue with DJI copying Fujifilm; however, maybe they should have been more discrete about it. As Albert Einstein famously stated (or maybe he didn’t, it’s apparently debatable—a theme in today’s post), “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” Flaunting it is a little brash. Call it Chrome Color Film and Negative Color Film and don’t mention that it’s trying to emulate Fujifilm’s Film Simulations. Or, the other option is to be upfront and honest about the origins and intentions, giving Fujifilm credit for the inspiration. I like that better, actually. And maybe there’s a point to it.

The problem when you use multiple camera brands to record clips that will be included in the same video is that they look different. With enough grading, you can get them to be similar enough, but that’s a lot of work. Now imagine that you have an X-H2s or X-S20 or some other Fujifilm camera, and you’re using the Classic Chrome Film Simulation to record clips (so as to reduce or eliminate color grading) for a YouTube video; you also have the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 for some clips, and on it you’re using the CC Film Tone. In that situation, you’re going to spend less time in software because all of the clips are going to have a similar aesthetic out of the camera.

So, if you’re a videographer that uses Fujifilm cameras and Film Simulations, you might find the new DJI camera to be an intriguing option for certain situations, as a companion to your larger gear. Perhaps that’s their point: not necessarily to convince people to buy their camera instead of a Fujifilm model, but as a potentially complimentary tool for Fujifilm photographers. At least that’s my take on it. The addition of Fujifilm-like profiles is appealing to me as a Fujifilm photographer; however, at least for the time being, the DJI camera is not available in the US.