I’m excited to announce a new feature in the Fuji X Weekly App: sending Recipes straight from the App to your camera! This will make Film Simulation Recipes much more accessible because it removes the necessity to manually program them into your camera’s C1-C7 Custom Settings presets. I’ve been working on this for about a year-and-a-half now, and I believe it will transform and significantly improve the Fujifilm experience for many people. There’s a lot that I need to discuss regarding this, so let’s dive right in.
The new feature is called App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol (ATC RTP), and it uses something called Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP), a standardized camera-to-software communication system that’s been utilized by all major camera brands for over 25 years. Fujifilm uses PTP for X RAW Studio and other programs. I was able to create the ATC RTP using publicly available information from both Fujifilm and the Fujifilm community, combined with lots of trial-and-error, plus a little assistance from AI.
Using PTP is generally considered very safe; however, there is a small inherent risk in unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported programs. While there’s not a lot that can go wrong with PTP, there is a minor chance of adverse affects, especially if not handled carefully by the developers. To mitigate those risks, we built-in many safeguards and heavily tested it (I tried my best to break my Fujifilm cameras using ATC RTP, and couldn’t—don’t attempt that yourself, though). I’m extremely confident in the safety of this feature, but I want to be upfront and transparent about the inherent precariousness. It’s better to lay out all the cards so that you can make an informed decision that you are comfortable with, and it’s important to me that you’ve read this disclaimer before connecting your camera to the App. If you do decide to use ATC RTP, it’s an experimental feature, and it is at your own risk. I do believe that this is about as safe as possible from an unofficial program, and I doubt you’ll find another option with as many safeguards or as heavily tested before release. Still, like with any new software feature, I do anticipate some bug reports, and hopefully they’re all very minor (be sure to let me know if encounter any, no matter how small).
Very importantly, connecting your camera to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported program may void your camera’s manufacturer warranty. Fujifilm confirmed this with me. I tried very hard to obtain a license from Fujifilm so that it wouldn’t risk voiding your warranty, but ultimately that didn’t work out (they told me that they only give licenses to large companies “like Adobe”). While that significantly delayed the release of this feature, if I had been able to obtain a license, that would have made the wait worthwhile. Since I was not able to get a license, using the ATC RTP may void your camera’s warranty. Manufacturer warranties vary from country-to-country, and warranty laws vary from region-to-region, so read your specific warranty information very carefully, and research the laws that apply specifically to you. Some people are better protected than others; however, even if your warranty is technically voided, it’s possible that Fujifilm may decide to honor it anyway (or not realize it was voided) should something fail on your camera. It’s up to you if you want to take that risk, but my recommendation is to wait until after your camera’s warranty has expired (one or two years after purchase for most, but up to five years, just depending) before connecting to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported programs (pretty much any software that connects to your camera that’s not from Fujifilm or a major brand like Capture One or Adobe), including the Fuji X Weekly App. Whether you connect today, wait awhile before doing so, or never use this feature, that is a personal choice based on what you are comfortable with, having been well informed (and I hope you appreciate that I’m not keeping this secret from you). I have connected all of my compatible cameras to the Fuji X Weekly App, including my brand-new GFX100RF, but that was my own decision based on my personal confidence in the App’s programming and in Fujifilm’s quality.
With all that out of the way, let’s talk about how this new feature can transform your Fujifilm experience. What ATC RTP does is push Recipes from the Fuji X Weekly App to your camera’s Custom Settings presets (C1-C7 for most cameras, C1-C6 for some, and C1-C4 for others). You can pick a single Recipe, and choose which Custom Settings slot to send it to, or—if you are a Patron subscriber—you can create and send sets of Recipes. No more manually programming them into your camera! This makes saving Recipes in your camera extremely simple, and changing them a breeze. You can also do it with your Custom Recipes, not just the 400+ Fuji X Weekly Recipes. Sending a Recipe from the App to your camera is completely free—use it as often as you’d like, as many times as you’d like. Going one-at-a-time, you can fill up your C1-C7 pretty quickly. Sending multiple Recipes at once is reserved for Patrons, and I included three Recipe Sets—Starter, Street and Travel—to get you started (with more to come). I have not yet figured out how to send Recipes to FS1-FS3 on the X-E5, so those will still need to be set manually.
Not every Fujifilm camera is compatible, but most newer ones are. Specifically, as of this writing, you can use the ATC RTP with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX50S II, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. Presumably all new cameras released in the future will also be compatible, but I won’t know for certain until they are available to test. Unfortunately, older models (such as X-Trans I, X-Trans II, X-Trans III, X-T30 and X-T3, X-series Bayer, and the first few GFX models) are not able to connect to the Fuji X Weekly App.
There are a bunch of important notes, so let’s work through them. First, as of this writing, the ATC RTP is only available on iOS [Edit: it’s now available on Android!]. Second, you need a USB-C (2.0 or 3.0) cable that is no longer than 4.9 feet (1.5 meters), preferably a good quality one. If ATC RTP is not working, try a different cable. Also, Lighting cables don’t work, but I’ve had reports that Lightning-to-USB-C adapters do work. Third, you need to make sure that your camera’s Connection Mode is set to USB RAW CONV./BACKUP RESTORE. This is found in the Network/USB (Connection) Settings section of the Menu. Next, you might need to set the USB Power Supply/Comm Setting to SUPPLY OFF/COMM ON (or just OFF, depending on your model), although most of the time AUTO seems to work. The USB-C cable needs to be connected to both the camera and the phone (try reconnecting if the App doesn’t recognize that your camera is connected). Your camera must be powered on for this feature to work (the camera’s screen will go dark when connected). Do not power off the camera or phone or disconnect the cable during a Recipe transfer. ISO and Typical Exposure Compensation are not transferred via ATC RTP, and should be set manually. Also, Video Recipes are not included in this feature.
It’s possible to get error messages after a transfer. If the camera rejects a setting, it will either be left unchanged or set to a default, which is a safeguard, and you’ll be notified. Some common settings that will get rejected are Dynamic Range and Clarity. Since Dynamic Range is ISO dependent, if the ISO is set lower than the minimum for the Dynamic Range (for example, DR400 with ISO 200), the camera will reject it. To fix it, increase the ISO and either try again or set Dynamic Range manually. Since Clarity is dependent on the Drive mode, if you are in burst (Continuous Low or Continuous High), HDR, etc., and not Still Image (a.k.a. Single or S), it will reject Clarity set to anything other than 0. To fix it, set the camera’s Drive mode to Still Image (S) and either try again or set Clarity manually. If you’ve never saved Custom Setting presets into your camera before, you may encounter some errors on the initial Recipe transfer, especially with the PASM models that require shooting modes to be set. You will need to fix the errors in the camera, such as selecting a shooting mode and adjusting the ISO within each preset, plus selecting the correct Dynamic Range setting. Within Custom Recipes, any free-form text must be spelled correctly in English in order to work; otherwise, use the dropdown menus. Also, for any Custom Recipe Sets that you create, make sure that the selected Recipes are compatible with the camera you are transferring to (if not, you will receive error messages when transferring).
That was a lot to lay out, but I hope you can appreciate why it all needed to be said. If the Fuji X Weekly App on your iPhone didn’t automatically update, be sure to manually do it now. You may also want to update your iOS version if it’s old. To begin using the App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol to send Recipes directly to your camera, tap the camera-with-arrow icon at the top of the Recipe list page or at the top of any Recipe within the Fuji X Weekly App. You’ll have to agree to the TOS and select OK a number of times. If you are a Patron, to create Recipe sets, tap the three dots at the top-right of the Recipe list page and select Manage Recipe Sets. I think many of you will really love this new feature, and it will transform your Fujifilm experience. Right now it’s only available on iOS, but it will be on Android pretty soon, too, so stay tuned!
Find more than 400 Fujifilm Recipes in the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
🔥🔥🔥 Bravo Ritchie et merci !!!
Thanks so much!
Wow! This is a great update! Please, hurry up with Android… 🙏
I will work on it as quickly as possible 😎
congrats on the launch, great addition!
Thanks!
My big congratulations Ritchie 👏
This is a game changer feature! 👌
Compared to what is doing other brands now, very welcome one for Fuji (which Fujifilm should propose).
So I’m glad that FujiXWeekly (app) is offering this feature ahead.
I’m on Android, so I will have to wait. But let’s see how goes the iOS version 🤞
Fujifilm should have some sort of wireless transfer using the X App. I suggested it to them, it would be great if they did it.
Indeed Ritchie they should!
To be discussed again for example over the next Fujikinas 😉
This new feature could be the reason to load the app. Until now it was more comfortable for me to use X-Raw Studio.
A question remains: My iPhone has a lightning connector, does it work?
I think it should still work. I don’t have a lightning connection iPhone to test it on (didn’t even think about that, actually). Let me know if it does or doesn’t.
Hello Ritchie,
Good job! I am happy for this even if … I can’t use it … still with my XE3. So I want to ask: is this great feature only possible on new models fourth+ generation, does something technically prevent to access settings on older models or it simply does not worth to make it work with them?
But perhaps I may upgrade some day 🙂
Cheers!
-michael
I think it’s possible for X-Trans III + X-T3/X-T30, but I was definitely not able to get it to work during testing. There’s something different about how those cameras interact with the code. My plan is to circle back to them once the Android version is out, and hopefully at some point I can make them compatible.
You sort of hinted this was coming. I have to say I’m really impressed with the way you implemented this, especially the recipe sets. I was waiting and had not yet tried any of the newer apps that have rolled this out and I’m really glad I waited
I appreciate your kind feedback, Jeff! 😎
Congratulations! I’ll soon try it out!
Thanks!
Works like a dream! It is also helpful that it indicates when a recipe does not work for the camera to which you want to transfer it!
I’m glad that is working well for you!
HI from Finland Ritchie! Super! Great job. I’ll try it ASAP! Thank you and all the best.
Regards, Michael. Helsinki. Finland
Thank you!
Hi Ritchie, amazing job can’t wait to use this. Can you confirm whether it will work via lightning plug iPhones direct to usb c?
Currently not having any luck with that on a ip12.
Cheers
Alastair
I’ve had a couple of reports that Lightning cables don’t work. I didn’t test it with Lightning cables because none of those who tested have an iPhone that uses Lighting cables. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it, but so far it looks like it must be USB-C to USB-C. Sorry.
Someone reported that it works with a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter.
Congrats! Definitely, this should be the present and the near future of Fujifilm cameras. I suppose Fuji, if they’ve finally understood the power of film recipes, will implement something similar officially in the next-gen X-6.
Anyway, I think you deserve some recognition from Fujifilm. You’re probably the person who has contributed the most to film recipes and helped make them so popular and recognizable. At the very least, I think Fuji should authorize you to do this, especially considering that they’ve invited you to their events and recognized your work. Well… companies. 😅
I’m hopeful that Fujifilm will do something to better integrate. Honestly, wireless transferring from the X App to the camera would be most ideal. I offered to assist them.
Wow, this is quite an accomplishment!
Thanks!
That’s such a welcome update!! I installed it immediately and love it. If you allow me to suggest one feature for a future update, is the ability to rename the recipes before uploading them to the camera. As a general preference I like to rename your Reala Ace to “Fujicolor Reala Ace 100”, or the Pacific Blues to the name of the photographer it was inspired by..
Well done and keep up the magnificent work!
I appreciate your kind feedback! I’ll look into that feature request.
Wow, this sounds like a real game changer! Thanks for all the fantastic and inspiring work!
I appreciate your kindness!
Very cool, was able to use it with my X-S20 successfully. This is a lot easier than manually entering.
I was able to connect my 13 mini with the camera using a Lightning to USB-A adapter that I had from a while back, and setting the USB power supply setting to off as described in the troubleshooting. I couldn’t get it working with the Lightning to USB-C cable that I have, but it is possible with Lightning with that adapter.
The only issue I ran into is that the recipe set feature does not work. When I tap on Choose Recipe Set in the camera connection view, the app crashes. I tried going into Manage Recipe Sets from the main view, but it crashed when I saved the first set and now when I try to go back to the Manage Recipe Sets screen, the app crashes immediately. I’m on iOS 18.7.8.
Great report! Thank you.
Two things:
The Lightning to USB adapter is a great tip, I’m so glad it worked.
The other issue has to do with iOS 18 or older. If you update the iOS it will work; otherwise, I have a fix, and I’m just waiting for Apple to approve it (hopefully sometime today, but maybe tomorrow).
I appreciate your comment!
This feature is really great ! Thanks and kudos for all your hard work—I’d been on the fence for a while, but now I’m becoming a Patron !
I appreciate your kind support!