Early this year Fujifilm asked if I would make a brand-new Film Simulation Recipe to be unveiled at Fujikina Copenhagen. I created three Recipes that I thought could be good candidates, but only one would be selected to be the very first Fujifilm Recipe to be introduced at a Fujikina event. I used all three extensively on an adventure through southern California, and, after reviewing the pictures, one emerged as the obvious winner. That Recipe, which I called Copenhagen Negative, was first revealed a week-and-a-half ago (on my birthday!) in Copenhagen. After returning home, I published it on this website and added it to the Fuji X Weekly App.
The other two Recipes—the ones that didn’t win—are also very good. I published them already, well before Fujikina. Even though I like one best (and used it a ton), I also had the other two—Avalon Ace and Vivid Chrome—programmed into my cameras, and used them occasionally, too. If I had never invented Copenhagen Negative, and it was between Avalon Ace and Vivid Chrome, I would have been happy unveiling either at the event, but between those two, I would have gone with Avalon Ace. In other words, Avalon Ace placed second and Vivid Chrome placed third, but they are all good in their own way.
I thought it would be fun to compare the three Recipes that were intended for use in Copenhagen—Copenhagen Negative, Avalon Ace, and Vivid Chrome—using images that were created in Denmark. Did I choose the winning Recipe wisely? Was Copenhagen Negative actually the best of the three options for European travel photography? Let’s find out!
The three pictures above were captured using each individual Recipe, while the examples below were reprocessed in-camera to show all three Recipes using the same exposure. I chose three very different light situations to better gage how the Recipes perform: bright midday sun, evening sun peeking through overcast sky, and sunset. Take a look:
In the first set above (the windmill photo), all three Recipes do a great job. Each brings its own character to the image, and I’m happy with each. It’s difficult for me to choose a winner, but I’d give a slight edge to Avalon Ace. In the second set (Kultorvet from a second-floor window), Copenhagen Negative has the right character for my tastes (and is the winner), but Avalon Ace is really good, too; however, Vivid Chrome is clearly third. In the last set (the bridge photo), it’s a tough call between Copenhagen Negative and Avalon Ace, but I’m leaning towards Avalon Ace, while Vivd Chrome is in a close third. What do you think? Which of the three pictures in each set above do you prefer?
Of all the photos that I made of my trip to Denmark, I used the Copenhagen Negative Recipe by far the most, and I’m really happy with how those images turned out. If I had used Avalon Ace instead, I think I would have been happy, too. Vivid Chrome seems to work really well in some situations and only so-so in others, so it’s more of a now-and-then type Recipe rather than for every picture.
Left: Vivid Chrome Recipe; Top Right: Avalon Ace Recipe; Bottom Right: Copenhagen Negative Recipe
Interestingly, each of these three Recipes has a film-like character to them, but they each have a different aesthetic. Vivid Chrome is in the general ballpark of Fujichrome Velvia 100 (although not a faithful facsimile), so it’s more like slide film. Avalon Ace was inspired by some film scans of Kodak Gold and Portra that were captured in Denmark (by a different photographer), so it has a negative feel. Copenhagen Negative is a variant of Avalon Ace, but with more of a Fujicolor Superia aesthetic. None are a perfect match for a specific emulsion, but the analog aesthetics of each are easy to appreciate.
If I were traveling to Europe again, I would consider programming all three of these Recipes into my C1-C7 Custom Settings presets. That leaves four other slots available for other Recipes. Actually, on my Fujifilm X-E5, I had these set to FS1, FS2, and FS3, which meant that each C1-C7 slot was available for other Recipes. These three are great options for many subjects and situations, so you don’t need a lot more—perhaps a B&W Recipe like Kodak Tri-X 400, a nighttime option like CineStill 800T, and fill in the rest with whatever are your go-to favorites.
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