There are some great deals on a few Fujifilm cameras currently at Amazon. As you may know, I’m an Amazon affiliate partner, which means that I get a small kickback from Amazon whenever you order something through my links. Nobody pays me to write the content you find on this blog, such as my film simulation recipes or my review of the Fujifilm X-T30. If you find these articles helpful and you want to support this website, ordering something that you were already intending to purchase using my links is a great way to be a part of this. I would never want to pressure anyone into buying anything, so please only order something if you were already planning to do it. I hope that making you aware of these sales is a service to some of you.
The X-T30 lens bundle deal is pretty nice. I ordered mine with the 35mm f/2 (review coming soon). The X-T2 body for only $900 and the X-T20 body for only $500 are just incredible bargains! If you were considering a new body, I’d go with one of those because you’re not going to find a better value. I have no idea how long these deals will last.
Eterna is beautiful. Fujifilm’s most recent film simulation, Eterna, has a lot of potential for creating lovely color negative film aesthetics. Even though it has the lowest contrast and lowest color saturation of all the different film simulation options, I suspect that it has significant potential for mimicking many analog looks. It has a film-like feel to it.
Real Eterna was a motion picture film. You’ve likely seen movies and television shows captured on Eterna and didn’t even know it. While Fujifilm invented and intended the Eterna film simulation for video use, which it is quite good for, they made it available for still photographs on X-Trans IV cameras, such as the Fujifilm X-T30, as well as GFX cameras and the X-H1. Unfortunately, if you don’t have one of those cameras you can’t use this recipe. [Update: if your camera doesn’t have Eterna, you can use this alternative (click here)]
I wasn’t trying to mimic the look of any particular film when I invented this recipe. I was just playing around with the settings and really liked what I found. It has an analog feel to it. Initially the look reminded me of something from Nik Anolog Efex. As I used these settings, I found myself getting interesting results. Depending on the lighting and exposure, I was achieving different looks, despite using the exact same settings. Sometimes the results remind me of overexposed Fujifilm 400H, sometimes pushed-process Fujifilm Superia 400, sometimes underexposed expired Superia 800, and sometimes Superia 1600. Occasionally it doesn’t resemble any of those films. It’s not supposed to look like any specific film, yet it often does, but results vary.
Gathering Raindrops – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
I have always included a typical exposure compensation in my different film simulation recipes, but I didn’t do that this time because you get different results with different exposures. You can select -1 exposure compensation and you can select +1 exposure compensation, or anything in-between, and achieve various looks. You have to play around with it and decide what you like. Also, while I have Auto-ISO set to ISO 6400, I really feel that the best results are found at ISO 3200 or lower. You’ll have to decide how high you want to go with the ISO. For those using this on the X-H1, which doesn’t have Color Chrome Effect, you’ll get very similar results but it will be slightly different.
Eterna Dynamic Range: DR100 Highlight: +4 Shadow: +4 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: +2 Grain Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Weak
White Balance: Auto, +5 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Below are all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Eterna Film Simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30 camera:
Fake Plants For Sale – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Light Lens – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Trapped Inside – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Franklin – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Taste On Sale – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Jarred Pig – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Neon Dragon – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Neon Reflection – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
25th Street & Lincoln Avenue – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Help Fuji X Weekly
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
This was my first full week using the new Fujifilm X-T30 camera. Any time that you have a new camera it’s pretty hard to put it down, so I had no trouble capturing images each day this week. I made a lot of exposures! Many of these photographs you’ve likely seen before in other articles, so there’s not a lot here that’s new, and for that I apologize. Hopefully you enjoy this set, anyway.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Snowfall in Downtown Park City – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Monday, March 25, 2019
Lunch With An Old Friend – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Two Pots – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Eastman Kodak 8mm Brownie Projector – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Film In Black & White – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Friday, March 29, 2019
Fresh Neighborhood Snow – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Is this camera for me? That’s the number one question those searching the web for camera reviews are hoping to find the answer to. Usually you wait until the bottom of the article to find the reviewer’s opinion. To save you time, I’m placing my answer to the question right at the top: the Fujifilm X-T30 is indeed the camera for you! Or, really, any of the X-T00 series, which also include the X-T10 and X-T20. These cameras combine the right design, features, usability, image quality, build quality, size, weight and price to be appealing to anyone, no matter your skill level. This could be a great option for a beginner’s first interchangeable-lens camera, and this could be a great option for a pro’s take-anywhere camera or backup body. This series is the Goldilocks of cameras, and it is no wonder that it’s Fujifilm’s best-selling line. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s move onto the rest of the review.
The Fujifilm X-T30 is a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera with design inspiration from classic film-era SLRs. It has an APS-C sized 26-megapixel X-Trans IV sensor. The advantage of X-Trans, aside from not being susceptible to moire pattern distortion, is that it contains more green-light sensitive sensor elements (which is where luminosity information comes from) than an equivalent Bayer-pattern sensor with the same pixel count. Because of this, X-Trans has a slightly higher apparent resolution, a larger dynamic range, and better high-ISO performance than a Bayer-pattern sensor. Of course, “slightly” is the key word in that last sentence, but every bit counts, so it’s worth mentioning for those who might not know. X-Trans takes more processing power, and the big challenge that Fujifilm has faced is heat dispersion. This new X-Trans IV sensor, which is back-side illuminated, runs cooler, and that allows Fujifilm to crank up the speed of the camera. Quickness is the advantage the new sensor.
I want to make my point-of-view for this review clear, which is probably a little different than most. I’m an experienced Fujifilm user and a JPEG shooter. That’s the lens from which my opinions are coming through. There are things about the X-T30 that other reviewers might focus on that I won’t, and there are things that I will talk about that might not get much attention from others. You can expect this review to be a little different than many others that you’ll find on the internet. Hopefully this will be useful to some of you, as I suspect there are others with a similar point-of-view as myself.
This last weekend I went to Moab, Utah, and made almost one thousand exposures with the Fujifilm X-T30. I kept about 25% of the pictures. The time it took me to post-process the trip, from reviewing to editing to transferring to storing the images, was less than three hours total. That’s actually quite amazing, and it’s all thanks to Fujifilm’s wonderful in-camera JPEG engine. Before using Fujifilm cameras, I used Sony and Nikon for a little while and shot RAW. With those cameras it would have taken me a minimum of eight hours to finish post-processing that amount of exposures. Five years ago I had a Sigma Merrill camera that would have taken me eight hours to finish only half of the exposures! I’m thrilled with all of the time that I save by using Fujifilm and shooting JPEGs.
Red Mesa – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Red Rock Castles – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
One thing that I have noticed with the X-T30, and I have not seen much discussion on this, is the improved sharpening that the camera is applying to JPEGs. Fujifilm has programmed a better sharpening algorithm into the X-T30 than the X-T20. On X-Trans III cameras, such as the X100F, X-Pro2 and X-T20, all of which I have used, I felt that +2 was the highest Sharpness setting that one should use, and even at +2 there were occasionally artifacts and weird side-effects of over sharpening. Eventually I settled on 0 as my standard Sharpness setting for those cameras. On the X-T30, which has the new X-Trans IV sensor and processor, I can go all the way to +4 Sharpness, and I’m not experiencing artifacts or weird side-effects. Besides that, the amount of sharpening that’s being applied at each setting is slightly more heavy-handed on X-Trans IV than on X-Trans III. For example, at +1, it’s noticeable to my eyes that the X-T30 is applying a slightly stronger amount of sharpening to the file than the X-T20, yet without negative consequence. The outcome is a crisper, more detailed picture. I wonder if this stems from the collaboration between Fujifilm and Phase One.
Between the improved sharpening and the extra 2-megapixels of resolution, JPEGs from the X-T30 appear more crisp, rich and detailed than those from the X-T20. There’s a noticeable difference. I saw it but didn’t say anything about it to my wife (who is the actual owner of the X-T20), and when I showed her some of the pictures that I had captured with the X-T30, she spotted it pretty quickly and commented, “This is more clear than what I get with my camera, like I’m actually there!” The out-of-camera JPEGs from the X-T30 remind me of post-processed RAW files from a Sigma Merrill captured at low ISO, which is saying a lot if you know anything about the Sigma Merrill cameras. I would bet that the JPEGs from the X-T30 can hold their own against post-processed RAW files from older full-frame cameras like the Nikon D610, or even newer full-frame cameras like the Canon 5D IV. I’m not going to do any side-by-side comparisons, but simply state that I believe the X-T30 delivers fantastic JPEGs that go beyond anything from any other APS-C camera (except for the X-T3, which it is equal to since they share the same sensor and processor).
Horse & Girl – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Massive crop from the above photo. I printed this crop and it looks surprisingly good.
So far I have only made a few prints from X-T30 exposures, but I do believe that 24″ x 36″ prints will look great even when viewed up close, and 40″ x 60″ prints will look good at a normal viewing distance but will show a some softness and pixelation when viewed up close. It seems like, if you use ISO 800 or less, set Sharpness to +4, set Noise Reduction to -4, use a sharp prime lens and don’t crop, the sky is the limit for printing sizes. The photographs from the X-T30 look great even when you pixel-peep.
While Fujifilm has clearly improved sharpening on the X-T30, I don’t feel the same about noise reduction, specifically at the higher ISOs. At ISO 3200 and below there’s no difference in noise between the X-T20 and X-T30, but above that there is, and I prefer the X-T20 when it comes to high-ISO color photographs (for black-and-white it doesn’t matter). In fact, I don’t really like ISO 12800 for color images on the X-T30 (which I found usable on the X-T20) as there are blotchy colors that just don’t look good. However, for grainy black-and-white photographs I find that ISO 25600 is good on the X-T30, which I didn’t find usable on the X-T20. My opinion is that high-ISO has worsened by one stop on the X-T30 for color photographs and improved by one stop for black-and-white.
Bolsey Brownie – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – ISO 25600
Church Seats Empty – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – ISO 12800
The X-T30 has several new JPEG features, including D-Range Priority, B&W toning, Eterna Film Simulation and Color Chrome Effect. They are all good tools for better achieving your desired look in-camera. I don’t know if any of them are particularly useful to the RAW shooter, but for the JPEG shooter you might appreciate these new features. I will give a short synopsis of each, but you can click on the links above for a more detailed explanation.
D-Range Priority is essentially a step beyond DR400. It produces a flat image to help combat high contrast scenes. The options are Weak, which might remind you of DR400 with both Shadow and Highlight set to -2, and Strong, which is appropriately titled. In very harsh lighting situations, this allows you to maximize the dynamic range of the sensor for your JPEGs beyond anything Fujifilm has offered before. It works, but it requires the right situation to work well. I’ve actually used it more than I thought I would, but it is definitely an every-once-in-a-while type thing.
Green Tree On Red Cliff – Dead Horse Point SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – D-Range Priority Weak – captured in harsh midday light.
Clouds Over Canyonlands – Dead Horse Point SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – toned +1 warm
The ability to tone your black-and-white images, either warm or cool, is a highly welcomed feature. I love it! It’s something I suggested awhile back, and now Fujifilm has included it on the X-T30. This is one of my favorite new features of the camera!
Eterna is the lowest saturated and lowest contrast color film simulation option on the X-T30. It’s the antithesis of Velvia. It has a lovely quality to it, but requires the right subject and light to be effective. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with it.
Eating Crackers – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
North Window Arch – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Color Chrome Effect Strong
Color Chrome Effect, which can be enabled for any film simulation, deepens the shade of bright colors so as to retain tonality. It’s intended for highly saturated scenes and pairs well with Velvia. There are two options, Weak and Strong, and they’re both pretty subtle, especially Weak. It’s a neat trick, but it’s not a big difference maker for many photographs.
For those who use camera-made JPEGs, the X-T30 is a better camera than the X-T20. Between the improved sharpening and the new features, I appreciate the results more on this camera than the old model. It’s not a night-and-day difference, but there is indeed a difference! Since the image is whats important, I’m thrilled with the upgrade. Fujifilm already had the best JPEG engine in the business with X-Trans III, and X-Trans IV is even better.
Dead Desert Tree – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Rock Castles – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
There are, of course, other changes, some of which are improvements and some are not. The focus joystick on the X-T30 is nice sometimes, but so is the D-Pad on the X-T20. I’m still undecided which I prefer, but I’m leaning towards the D-Pad. The best setup is both a joystick and D-Pad, but you’ll have to go with a higher-end model, such as the X-T3, to get that. The location of the Q button, which is now on the thumb grip, is also nice sometimes, and not so nice other times. I have accidentally pushed it more than I can count, but on the flip side it’s easy to find without looking.
What everyone has been talking about regarding the X-T30 is focus speed. It’s fast! It’s much quicker in dim-light situations than the X-T20. Fujifilm has improved focus tracking and facial recognition, as well. The X-T30 is undoubtedly better at auto-focus, but I never found the X-T20 to be lacking in this department. If your subject or style requires super quick auto-focusing, the X-T30 is the camera for you. If not, then the improved auto-focusing is more gee-whiz than anything that’s especially practical.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the X-T30 and X-T20 is video capability and quality. The X-T30 is a highly capable video camera that can be used by serious videographers. I’m not a video guy myself, so this upgrade doesn’t matter much to me, but for those who might use this camera for video, it’s a pretty big deal. If that’s you, you will definitely want to choose the X-T30 over the X-T20. I made a short test video just to demonstrate the quality.
There’s a lot more that I could talk about. I could discuss all of the different menu changes. I could give a rundown of everything on the stat sheet. I could add some graphs that show this or that. However, that’s not my style, so I won’t bore you. I want to give you my impressions of actually using the camera. In real world use, the Fujifilm X-T30 is an impressive little camera. Is it as good as the X-T3? No, but it’s not very far from it, and yet in a smaller, lighter and less expensive package. Is it better than the X-T20? Yes, in most regards, it is better, but is it worth the upgrade? If you already own an X-T20, unless you just need the improved video or auto-focus capabilities, I would not recommend upgrading. Use the money for a new lens or a photographic adventure instead. Are you trying to decide between the X-T20 and X-T30? If you rely on camera-made JPEGs, need super fast auto-focus, or shoot a lot of video, the X-T30 is the camera to get, otherwise save yourself a little money and buy the nearly as good X-T20.
Desert River – Dead Horse Point SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Water & Stone – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
To conclude, the Fujifilm X-T30 is a rare Goldilocks camera that anyone could be happy using. It’s not perfect, as no camera is, but it is very good. It has a lot of attractive features and delivers beautiful images. It’s a great example of just how far camera technology has come! The X-T30 has a very reasonable MSRP of $900 for the camera body. I have no doubt that it will be successful for Fujifilm, just as the X-T10 and X-T20 were before it. If you decide to buy the X-T30, I’m sure you’ll be quite happy with it. You can purchase the Fujifilm X-T30 from Amazon by clicking here, which helps to support this website. I hope that you found something in this review that has been useful to your camera purchase decision.
Below are example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using the Fujifilm X-T30.
Color
Balance Rock Evening – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Castles To The Sky – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Red Hill – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
River Colors – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fresh Neighborhood Snow – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Snowfall In Downtown Park City – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Castle Spire – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Rock Balanced – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
B&W
Monochrome Mesa – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Two Pots – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Collecting Rain – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Piano Wire – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Microwave – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
It’s Lit – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Storm Beyond The Frozen Lake – Echo Lake, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
White Tree – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Help Fuji X Weekly
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
Something that Fujifilm introduced on the X-T3 and included on the X-T30 (and is also found on the GFX line) is Color Chrome Effect. This is not a new film simulation, but an effect that can be added to any film simulation. What exactly is this new feature? How does it change your photos?
The inspiration for Color Chrome Effect came from one of Fujifilm’s films: Fortia 50. Fortia was a short-lived color reversal (slide) film that was basically Velvia on steroids. It had more saturation and more contrast than Velvia 50, which is saying a lot because Velvia is known for its saturation and contrast. What the engineers at Fujifilm did to create Fortia was deepen the color shades so as to retain tonality in highly saturated areas. That’s essentially what Color Chrome Effect does.
Take a look at these pictures to see how Color Chrome Effect changes the image:
Color Chrome Effect Off
Color Chrome Effect Weak
Color Chrome Effect Strong
I don’t think that Color Chrome Effect is actually adding saturation or contrast (if it is, it’s only a little), but by deepening the colors and retaining color gradation, it appears to be doing just that. It’s a neat trick, especially when you have bright colors in a scene. It’s definitely useful, and I find it pairs with the Velvia film simulation particularly well. I like to also use it with Acros+R when shooting landscapes with a blue sky.
There are two Color Chrome Effect options: Weak and Strong. I like Strong more, but occasionally it is too strong, so I will go with Weak instead. I find that Weak looks nice with Classic Chrome, and so I have been using it with that film simulation. Each picture and shooting situation should be looked at individually to determine if Color Chrome Effect will benefit the photograph, and if Weak or Strong is the better choice.
While Color Chrome Effect is a slick feature, it’s not a game-changer. It’s not something that I imagine I will use with every image, but more when the situation calls for it. And perhaps the beauty of this effect is the subtle way it changes a picture. There’s not a dramatic difference between Off and Strong, let alone Off and Weak or Weak and Strong. I appreciate that. I’m still trying to decide how Color Chrome Effect might change any of my film simulation recipes. Once I figure that out I will let you know.
Below are some photographs I captured using Color Chrome Effect:
Snowfall In Downtown Park City – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Red Mesa – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Red Hill – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Balance Rock Evening – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
North Window Arch – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Rock Castles – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Monochrome Mesa – Castle Valley, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
One great new feature found on the Fujifilm X-T30, which first appeared on the X-T3, is the ability to tone black-and-white photographs in-camera, either warm or cool. Back in the days of film, in the darkroom you would dip your prints into certain chemicals to tone them. You could make them warm or cool or any number of different colors, including split toning, depending on the exact process and chemicals. I’m glad that Fujifilm has finally created the option to tone black-and-white photographs in-camera.
The reason you might want to tone a photograph is to add emotion to it. A warm image will give a different feel than a cool image. It’s part of the nonverbal communication of the photograph. In the days of film there may have been other benefits, such as archival, but that won’t apply to a digital image. I used sepia quite frequently myself, both for the warm tone and the archival benefit.
The X-T30 has the option to tone from +1 through +9 for warm, and -1 through -9 for cool, with 0 being not toned. I find that +9 and -9 are both much too much, and that +5 and -5 are the limits for my tastes. I think that plus or minus one is often enough, and plus or minus two is more than plenty for most pictures. Subtlety is often preferred when it comes to black-and-white toning. Below is an example of +5, 0, and -5:
Toned +5 (warm)
Set to 0 (not toned)
Toned at -5 (cool)
It’s easy to see how toning an image changes how it feels. It’s also easy to see that plus or minus five is quite pronounced, and you can imagine how going beyond that would be even more so. My opinion is that the beauty of the toning that Fujifilm offers on the X-T30 can be found in the weaker application of it, such as plus or minus two or less. But everyone has different tastes, so you might prefer different settings than me.
Below are a few more examples of toned black-and-white photographs that I captured with the X-T30.
Snow Falling Gently On The Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Wasatch Rain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Storm Beyond The Frozen Lake – Echo Lake, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Piano Wire – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Filmed In Black & White – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Last week’s theme was black-and-white, and this week continues that theme. One thing you might notice is that my new Fujifilm X-T30 has begun to appear. It’s been a blast to use, as I’ve been trying out the new features. I’m sure you’ll see a lot about this camera on this blog over the coming weeks. I will try to not make it “all X-T30 all the time” so that there’s something for everyone.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Hat – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Monday, March 18, 2019
Stair Railing – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Black & White – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Pillow – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Fujifilm X-T30 Camera – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
The X-T30 has Fujifilm’s latest film simulation: Eterna. The only other cameras that have Eterna are the X-H1 and the X-T3. This film simulation mimics the look of actual Eterna film, which was a motion picture film that also had a very limited run for still photography. You’ve likely seen movies and television shows that were captured on Eterna and just didn’t know it. I’ve never shot this film myself, so I have no personal experience with it.
I was quite excited to try the Eterna film simulation. It is the lowest contrast and lowest saturated color film simulation that Fujifilm offers, kind of the antithesis of Velvia. It definitely has a cinematic quality to it. It makes lovely pictures that have a softer feel, but I think it requires the right lighting and the right subject to really work. Below you’ll find a few images that I created using the Eterna film simulation. At some point, once I’ve played around with it more, I’ll make a film simulation recipe that uses Eterna.
Johanna Eating A Cracker – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
What Do You Want? – Layton, UT – Fujifim X-T30 – Eterna
Empty Church Pews – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Eterna
Last year I made an Eterna film simulation recipe, but one that doesn’t use Eterna. Instead, it uses PRO Neg. Std, and it’s designed for X-Trans III cameras that don’t have Eterna. It’s “Eterna” for those who don’t have Eterna. It was a guess, since I had not used the actual film or the film simulation, but had only seen some samples online. Now that I’ve had a chance to use the Eterna Film Simulation, I can say that it was close but not quite right. Below you’ll find my updated faux “Eterna” film simulation recipe:
PRO Neg. STD
Dynamic Range: DR400
Hightlight: +2
Shadow: -2
Color: -3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: 0
Grain Effect: Weak
White Balance: Auto, 0 Red and 0 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3
Here’s a comparison of real Eterna and fake Eterna:
Eterna Film Simulation
Faux “Eterna” using PRO Neg. Std
I debated about the Highlight setting. I feel that +2 is too much but +1 is not enough (if only there was a +1.5 option). I went with the brighter option, but +1 is a legitimate choice, so you’ll have to decide which you like better. I also debated on the Color setting, as -3 is almost not saturated enough, but I felt that -2 was too saturated, so there’s another choice that you’ll have to make. Another thing I went back and forth on was the White Balance Shift, as I think -1 Blue or even +1 Red and -1 Blue could be justified, so there’s another thing to consider. There are different settings that can be fine-tuned to taste, but I think overall this is pretty close to actual Eterna for those who don’t have Eterna.
Since my Fujifilm X-T30 arrived last week, I have been trying out all of the different new features, and over the coming days I will be sharing with you my findings. Today I will discuss D-Range Priority. This new feature first appeared on the X-H1, then the X-T3, and now the X-T30. I’m sure it will be included in all future X-Trans cameras, such as the X-Pro3 and X100V, which might be released before the end of the year. I wasn’t sure exactly what D-Range Priority is, how it works, or how to best use it, so I was eager to try it out. And I made some interesting discoveries.
The manual doesn’t give a lot of information on what exactly D-Range Priority is, except that it reduces contrast when activated. When you select D-Range Priority, you no longer have control of the Dynamic Range (DR) setting, Highlight and Shadow. You get what you get, which is a lower-contrast image. There are three D-Range Priority options: Weak, Strong and Auto (as well as Off). I’m not sure exactly how this might effect RAW, as (thanks to Fujifilm’s excellent camera-made JPEGs) I haven’t post-processed a RAW file in over a year (with the exception of using the in-camera RAW conversion to reprocess some images). For the JPEG shooter, D-Range Priority applies a flat curve to help control blown highlights and blocked shadows in high-contrast scenes.
D-Range Priority Strong
The best way to think about D-Range Priority is an extension of the Dynamic Range settings. You have DR100, DR200, DR400, and now D-Range Priority Weak and D-Range Priority Strong. D-Range Priority Auto selects either Weak, Strong or Off, whatever the camera thinks it should be. I haven’t tried Auto, so I can’t comment on how well it does or doesn’t work. The only times that you’d want to use D-Range Priority are those rare circumstances when DR400 isn’t enough, and you need to squeeze a little more dynamic range out of the camera (again, this is for JPEGs, as you could make these same adjustments yourself from an underexposed RAW file in software).
The first D-Range Priority test that I conducted can be seen below. I captured a scene with a little bit of contrast in it and applied the two D-Range Priority options. As you can see, the DR100 version could use a little boost in the shadows, but D-Range Priority Weak is slightly too flat and D-Range Priority Strong is much too flat. This is a case where using DR200, or simply adjusting Shadow down a notch, probably would have been sufficient.
DR100
D-Range Priority Weak
D-Range Priority Strong
I did another test, this time with a higher contrast scene. This is a case where you might actually benefit from D-Range Priority. The first image shows what DR400 looks like (Pro NEG Hi, with Highlight and Shadow at 0), the second shows DR400 with Shadow and Highlight at -2, the third shows D-Range Priority Weak, and the last image shows D-Range Priority Strong. You might notice that D-Range Priority Weak has only subtly less contrast than DR400 with Shadow and Highlight set to -2. There’s a clear difference between using DR400 and D-Range Priority Strong, but you can almost achieve D-Range Priority Weak by using DR400 and setting Shadow and Highlight to -2. I can’t imagine you’ll encounter all that many situations where DR400 isn’t enough, but you might and Fujifilm has given you the option to go beyond it when you need to.
DR400
DR400 with -2 Shadow & -2 Highlight
D-Range Priority Weak
D-Range Priority Strong
I wondered what exactly the camera is doing when I select D-Range Priority. As I said, the DR setting, Shadow and Highlight are no longer adjustable when D-Range Priority has been activated. I didn’t find the answer, but I do have a theory. I believe that Fujifilm programmed a very flat tone curve that it applies to D-Range Priority images. It’s the same curve whether you use the Weak or Strong option. For D-Range Priority Weak I believe that it is applying this flat curve to a DR200 setting, and for D-Range Priority Strong it is applying the same curve to a DR400 setting. There’s no option to adjust Shadow or Highlight because the curve has already been set. That’s what I think is going on, but I have no proof. It’s just a theory.
Whatever the technical mumbo-jumbo might be, the practical aspect of D-Range Priority is that in very high contrast scenes, this setting might help you achieve the look that you want in-camera. I did one final test, where I used some very normal settings and made an image that’s not particularly good, and I also used D-Range Priority to create a more usable (but perhaps still not very good) image of the same high contrast scene. This is the type of situation where this new option is beneficial. It’s not something that I suspect anyone will use every day, but it’s good to know that it’s there when you need it, however infrequent that might be.
The theme of this week’s photographs is black-and-white. And mountains. Oh, and they were all captured with a Fujifilm X-T20. And I used a Fujinon 50-230mm lens for all of them. This was a good week photographically speaking, and I could have chosen a few different themes (or no theme at all), but this one stood out to me for some reason. I hope you enjoy!
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Cloud Over The Wasatch Ridge – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Monday, March 11, 2019
Helper Locomotive – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Wisp Above The Wasatch – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Misty Mountain Monochrome – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Lifting Morning Mountain Mist – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Friday, March 15, 2019
Cold Canyon – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Strongs Peak Behind The Rocky Hill – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
My brand-new Fujifilm X-T30 showed up at the door yesterday evening, a whole day early. That was a pleasant surprise! I haven’t had a chance to use it a lot yet, but I have made some exposures and have some quick impressions that I wanted to give ahead of the full review and host of other articles that will begin to appear in the coming weeks and months. I know that some of you are interested in this camera and are eager to learn more about it.
The first thing that I noticed, which is the only real change to the body, is the focus joystick. This has been well-publicized and I don’t want to talk too much about it now, but I will say that there are both positives and negatives to this setup. I don’t love it or hate it. It is what it is, I guess. I know that I’ll get used to it quickly and I won’t even think about it anymore. I did want to mention that the placement of the Q menu button on the thumb grip, which is similar to how the X-E3 is designed, is a bit frustrating, as I have accidentally pressed it a number of times already.
I have not yet used the X-T30 for video, but between the impressive stat-sheet and extended menu options, it is clear that Fujifilm designed this camera to be a more serious option for videography. If you do a lot of video, the X-T30 is clearly an upgrade over the X-T20.
Warm Light On A Cold Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
I wasn’t anticipating being overly impressed with the improved auto-focus system because I never found the X-T20 to be lacking in this area. It was plenty sufficient for my photography. However, the X-T30 is noticeably faster and tracks moving objects better, in the small tests that I have put it through so far. There’s a definitely a difference, and if you need fast auto-focus, the X-T30 is the camera you want to get. I would say that all-around the new camera is snappier than its predecessor.
If you shoot RAW, Fujifilm included several new features that won’t matter to you whatsoever. But if you shoot JPEG, these new features will help you get the polished look you want right out of camera. One is Color Chrome Effect, which I’ve been impressed with right from the start. It deepens colors and makes them more vibrant. It’s something that I want to play around with more, and it might be a feature that I use routinely. Another is toning black-and-white images, making them either warm or cool. I really appreciate this new addition and I’m glad that Fujifilm included it on the X-T30.
There are a number of other new things. The camera’s menu is noticeably longer. There’s a lot that I have yet to try. Heck, I’m still trying to set up the camera! While the outside of the X-T30 is quite similar to the X-T20, the inside has a lot of additions. I’m impressed with what I’ve seen so far. This new model is an upgrade over the previous one, no doubt about it, but if you don’t shoot video, don’t require a super fast auto-focus system, and don’t rely on camera-made JPEGs, there’s not a lot here to justify choosing this camera over the X-T20. For me and my photography, I can immediately see the benefit of the X-T30. It’s a darn good camera, and I’ve only just begun to use it.
Snow In The Bowl – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Strongs Peak In The Distance – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Surviving Succulent – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Neon Red – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Wasatch Rain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Wasatch Front In March – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
I try to carry a camera with me wherever I go because you just never know when a photographic opportunity might present itself. One recent example of this was dinner. Specifically, my family and I ate out at a local Japanese restaurant called Kobe Teppanyaki, which was a fun and delicious place. Because I had a camera with me, I was able to capture a few photographs of the experience, a couple of which turned out decently enough.
The camera I used was a Fujifilm X-T20. I sometimes like to use vintage lenses, and I had an Asahi Auto-Takumar 55mm f/2.2 attached to the front of the camera. This is one of my all-time favorite lenses, as it produces lovely images. The dark environment proved to be challenging. It’s a restaurant, and people move pretty quick to get their work done. The lens is a manual focus lens, and nailing focus with a large aperture is not an easy task. The added challenge is that I had my one-year-old daughter in my lap, so I was one-handed photographer much of the time. Still, I managed to capture a few pictures that I’m happy with.
I received an email last night that my Fujifilm X-T30 is on its way! The tracking information states that it will arrive sometime on Friday. Needless to say, I’m excited! You can expect many articles in the coming weeks and months regarding this camera and the X-Trans IV sensor.
If you didn’t pre-order, you might have a hard time getting this camera right away. Amazon has a limited quantity left, and they’re currently on back-order for the prime lens bundles (which, by the way, I understand that this great discount won’t last much longer). The charcoal version will be released on June 30.
A few days ago my wife and I visited one of our favorite places nearby: Antelope Island State Park. I captured a bunch of images, but one frame (and only one frame) showed something strange. I’m not sure what it is. There are some unusual dark vertical lines on the right side of the frame. Take a look at the photo above to see for yourself.
The camera I used was a Fujifilm X-T20 and the lens was the Fujinon 50-230mm zoom. It was near sunset and the hill at the bottom-right is hiding the low sun. There were some distant clouds and plenty of haze. Below are a few other pictures captured near this same location and near this same time.
Distant Sailboats – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Frary Evening – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Rocky Bluff – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Buffalo Point Puddle – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Citrus Sky – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Low Sun Over The Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Afterglow – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Vibrant Salt Lake Glow – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
The weird lines only appear in that one frame, and I didn’t notice them when I made the exposure. It wasn’t until later when reviewing the pictures at home that I noticed the lines. I’m really unsure what it is. Was it how the light from the setting sun was interacting with the haze? Is it something with the camera’s sensor? The shutter? I guess I’m wondering if this was a natural phenomenon or a gear issue, and if it was a gear issue, what specifically happened to cause this.
Here’s a closer look at it:
What do you think it is: natural or gear, and if gear, what caused it? Have you ever seen something like this in your photographs? I’d love to get your feedback!
As has been the usual since pretty much the beginning of this project, I had a couple of photographically productive days and a couple of days where I barely squeaked by. What I’m appreciating are the longer days, now that winter is coming to a close. The extra minutes of daylight are a huge asset to my photography. I look forward to the photographic opportunities that await me in the spring.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Wasatch Ridge In Late Winter – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Monday, March 4, 2019
Dex Knows It’s Obsolete – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm XF10
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Silver Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Process E-4 – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Thursday, March 7, 2019
A Fujifilm Camera – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Friday, March 8, 2019
Japanese Cook – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Soft Wasatch Evening – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
I doubt that anyone with any position of influence within the Fujifilm corporation reads Fuji X Weekly, but I’m writing this open letter to Fujifilm on the off chance that someone who can enact change within the company will find and read this. There is one piece of feedback regarding Fujifilm cameras that I have received far more than anything else. By “far more” I mean probably 10-1 this one thing verses everything else combined. It’s a landslide! I feel that perhaps the only reason Fujifilm has not addressed it is because they are unaware that there is a big demand from their users for this thing.
What is this thing that I’m talking about? The ability to save white balance shifts with each custom preset in the Q menu. If you select Auto-White-Balance for each of your presets, whatever the one white balance shift that’s been selected is applied to every preset. But, if your presets are anything like my film simulation recipes, each one likely requires a different white balance shift. Every time that you change to a different custom setting, you have to also go into the menu and change the white balance shift. It adds extra steps and button presses. You should be able to save a unique white balance shift with each preset in the Q menu.
Please, Fujifilm, update your cameras to allow each custom preset to have a white balance shift saved with it. This would save your customers time and frustration and otherwise make using Fujifilm X cameras a more enjoyable experience. It’s a little thing, but it would be a big deal to a lot of people. It really doesn’t seem like it would take much effort to update the firmware to allow this. It should be a fairly simple software change that your programmers could handle with relative ease.
I really hope that someone at Fujifilm reads this and takes these words into consideration. I’ve been saying this for probably a year-and-a-half or more, and I’ve not been heard. Perhaps this open letter will be more visible. The reality is that this will likely be unseen by those who could bring about this change, so I’m not holding my breath. But it’s good that I do what I can do, which is use my voice on this blog, to make a long-shot plea to get this one issue fixed. Maybe, just maybe, it will work.
There are some fantastic deals on Fujifilm gear currently at Amazon. For instance, the upcoming X-T30 is currently available for pre-order bundled with one of three f/2 prime lenses for a ridiculously good price. The X-T2 bundled with a vertical power grip is an insanely good price. There are some other great deals, too. Check them out!
I’m an Amazon Affiliate partner. Nobody pays me to write the articles you find on this blog. One way that you can help support Fuji X Weekly, if you were already planning to purchase one of these items through Amazon, if you use my links, I will get a small kickback from Amazon. I appreciate everyone who has already done so!
This week had a few days that were a real struggle to capture even one image. The real hero was the Fujifilm XF10, which was used for five out of the seven pictures below. Without that camera, this week would have been a failure. Because it is small and lightweight, it’s easy to carry around with me. Sometimes having a camera–any camera–is much more important than what the gear is.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Underwood Typewriter – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm XF10
Monday, February 25, 2019
Night Escalator Ride – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Shopping Cart Return – Roy, UT – Fujifilm XF10
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Kitchen Window Birds – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Zenit-E Photography – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm XF10
My wife, Amanda, is as creative as she is talented. Her interest in photography is fairly recent. Since moving to Utah nearly three years ago, we’ve spent as much time as we can exploring the beautiful region. We’ve been to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon and even lesser known places like the Bonneville Salt Flats, Sundance, and Mirror Lake, to name a few. There are so many amazing locations all around, and it’s been great to experience many of them in person. I think that this is one reason why she has developed an interest in photography. And because she is both creative and talented, she’s picked up on it pretty quickly.
One of our favorite places nearby is Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake. It’s a strangely beautiful location, and unique in many ways. We find ourselves out there fairly frequently. It’s a place we love to take a drive to, and when the weather is nice we like to go hiking. It’s great place to explore, and it seems to always offer interesting photographic opportunities.
Photo by Amanda Roesch
Last week, while I was busy with other things, Amanda took our kids out to Antelope Island. It was a rare winter day where the weather was especially lovely. It was a great day for an outdoor adventure! They decided to hike the Buffalo Point Trail, and, being a super-mom, she managed to successfully get to the top and back with four kids, and they all had a great time. It’s wonderful that they had the opportunity to do this, and I’m sure the memories they created will last a long time.
Amanda brought with her on this adventure her Fujifilm X-T20 camera. While managing to keep the kids safe, which is not always an easy task, especially when it comes to our five-year-old son, she somehow also managed to photographically document their adventure. She made some really nice pictures! I was particularly proud of her photographs, so I wanted to share them with you.
B&W Film With Colored Filters – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Fujifilm has included on X-Trans III and IV cameras four Acros Film Simulation options: Acros, Acros+Y, Acros+R, and Acros+G. I’ve been asked a few times to explain the differences between these options. On my Acros Film Simulation recipes I never mention which one to use, I only say to use any or all of them, so that has left some confusion on what’s the best choice. Which Acros Film Simulation should you choose?
With real black-and-white film, you can use colored filters to manipulate the shades of grey. Since there are no colors, the film interprets colors between black and white. You can change how the film interprets the color, and what grey you get, by using different filters. Take a look at the graphic below to see an explanation of how different color filters change the grey on black-and-white film.
You cannot use colored filters on your X-Trans camera to achieve this same effect, so Fujifilm has given you three “filter” options for Acros: +Y, which simulates the use of a yellow filter, +R, which simulates the use of a red filter, and +G, which simulates the use of a green filter. You might notice that, in black-and-white film photography, there are more options than you are given on your X-Trans camera, but at least you have some choices.
While these different “filter” Acros options simulate the look of using filters, the actual results aren’t a 100% match. The manipulation of grey is not nearly as pronounced as using colored filters on film, and it’s not exactly the same shift, either. One thing that can help achieve desired results is using the white balance shift in conjunction with the different Acros options. It takes a little extra thought to figure out how adjusting the color balance will change the way the film simulation interprets the color in grey, but it can be worth the effort.
To help you understand what the different Acros Film Simulation options are doing to different colors, I made an image in color and re-processed it in-camera using all four Acros choices. Take a look!
Fujifilm X-T20 – Velvia
Acros
Acros+Y
Acros+R
Acros+G
The differences between the different Acros Film Simulations might not seem immediately obvious, but take a closer look. Notice that the red paint is a little lighter and the blue paint is a little darker in the Acros+R image. However, in the Acros+G image the red paint is darker and the blue paint is lighter. These small manipulations in the shades of grey are what the different Acros options provide.
How do you use this information in a practical way? When should you consider using the different Acros Film Simulations? When would you want to change the shade of grey of a particular color? It’s really difficult to give generalized answers to those questions because what works for one person and one photograph may not work for another. You really must think in grey and consider how contrast will work in an image, and how to best achieve that using the different Acros options.
Monochrome Mountain Majesty – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20 – Acros+R
A common example of when Acros+R might work well is in landscape photography where the sky is a deep blue. You can turn the sky dark grey or even black, which will create dramatic contrast against clouds or a snow-capped peak. Acros+R will lighten reds, so sometimes in portraits it can lighten a face, but it can make lips blend in, which might be bad. Acros+G, which darkens reds, can sometimes work well for dramatic portraits.
There is a lot to consider when it comes to choosing the most appropriate Acros Film Simulation for a particular circumstance. You have to know what each one will do, and decide what shade of grey you want the different colors to be, in order to make the right selection. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but it’s not too hard to figure out with practice. My suggestion is to try them all in different situations, and study the differences closely to better understand what each one does.
