I want to give a big “Thank You” to all those who tuned into SOOC, a new live video series with myself and Fujifilm X PhotographyNathalie Boucry. I appreciate your participation and kindness! I’d love to know what you thought of it.
If you missed the show, you can watch it above. It takes a couple of minutes for it to start. It’s an hour-and-a-half long, and I hope there’s something interesting or helpful in there that you’ll appreciate. Tune in next month, August 12, for the next episode!
Wrong Way Shadow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Silver Summer”
The Fuji X Weekly app is free, yet becoming a Fuji X Weekly Patron unlocks the best app experience! One benefit of being a Patron is you get early access to some new film simulation recipes. These early-access recipes will eventually become available free to everyone in time, including this new one. In fact, many early-access recipes have already been publicly published on this blog and the app, so now everyone can use them. Patrons help support Fuji X Weekly and, really, without them there would be no app. So I want to give a special “thank you” to all of the Patrons!
This new Patron early-access recipe is called “Silver Summer” and is compatible with the Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, and X-E4 X-Trans IV cameras. It’s not modeled after any specific film, but it definitely has an analog aesthetic. It does have some unintentional similarities to Lomography Cine 200, but it’s definitely not an exact match. I really like how this one looks, and I think some of you will really appreciate it, too!
If you are a Fuji X Weekly Patron, it’s available to you right now on the app!
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Silver Summer” film simulation recipe:
Bee on a Thistle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Lily – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Tree Branch and Creek – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Old Trolley Building – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”
This Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe came about after the Kyle McDougall Portra-Style comparison article. These settings are an attempt to get closer to Kyle’s preset aesthetic. Some film simulation recipes are good for everyday use, while some are good only in the right situations. This is one falls into the latter category, I think. This recipe isn’t for everyone or every situation, but for some people in the right situations, this recipe will be greatly loved! I think it looks best in sunny daylight, but can produce interesting results occasionally in other lighting situations, too. Thank you to Ryan for helping out with this!
One film can have many different looks depending on how it’s shot, developed, and scanned or printed. This Kodak Portra 400 Warm film simulation recipe is an alternative aesthetic. Portra 400 was introduced by Kodak in 1998, and was redesigned in 2006 and again in 2010. As the name implies, it’s intended for portrait photography, but can be used for many other types of photography. It’s similar to Portra 160, but with more contrast, saturation and grain. Believe it or not, ISO 400 was considered “high ISO” by many photographers back in the film days, and Portra 400 was one of the absolute best “high ISO” color films ever made.
If you like my other Portra recipes, you might like this one, too. It uses Clarity, which slows down the camera considerably—I hope that Fujifilm speeds this up with a firmware update at some point. This recipe is only compatible with the latest Fujifilm X-Trans IV cameras: the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, and X-E4. This was a Patron early-access recipe on the Fuji X Weekly App, so if you are a Patron you’ve had access to this Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe for awhile—there’s now a new early-access recipe in its place, so be sure to check that out!
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -1 Shadow: -2 Color: +2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off White Balance: 5500K, 0 Red & -7 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Kodak Portra 400 Warm” film simulation recipe:
Dumpster, Truck – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Beer & Wings – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Bright Yellow House – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Western Structure – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Turn of the Century – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Train Bridge – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
New Holland – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Food Field – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Sunlight in the Forest – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
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!
Nathalie Boucry is an official Fujifilm-X Photographer from Johannesburg, South Africa, who specializes in corporate event, portraiture, and lifestyle photography. She’s also an official Instax Ambassador. Nathalie is the creator and host of the Tame Your Fujifilm educational series.
SOOC is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm and Fuji X Weekly. It will be a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different film simulation recipe. It will be a fun and educational experience where we will not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions. This is an interactive program, which means that we need your participation! Mark your calendar and be sure to tune in!
You can find Episode 01 below, but in order to interact, you’ll want to jump onto YouTube or Facebook, where you can leave comments, some of which will be incorporated into the show. The broadcast will begin at 10 am Pacific Time, 11 am Mountain Time, 12 pm Central Time, and 1 pm Eastern Time. Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you can join us. See you this Thursday!
Help us get the word out, and share this post or the video above on your social media channels! I appreciate your support, and I look forward to hearing from you on Thursday!
I can’t tell you the details yet, but a number of big things are in the works here at Fuji X Weekly! They’ll be announced in the coming days, weeks, and months. I’m extremely excited about all of these different “things” that are coming. I wish that I could provide you with more details, but just know that I am working very diligently behind the scenes to get them finished, and as soon as I’m able I will be making the announcements of what they are. Each will unfold differently, but I think you’ll really appreciate them, and they’ll be very beneficial to the Fujifilm and photographic community.
While I’m here, I want to say “thank you” to you! This community is something special. Really, the photographic continuum is being shaped by you, much more than you likely realize. I’m honored to be a part of it, and it’s really a privilege to be able to facilitate it whenever and however I can.
If you don’t already, I encourage you to follow Fuji X Weekly on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Because I’m so busy, I don’t always get to post as frequently as I’d like, but I will definitely share these different new things with you when they’re ready—you won’t want to miss when they’re announced!
Fujifilm offers a free RAW photo editing software that’s unique called X RAW Studio. What’s unusual about X RAW Studio is that it relies on the camera that captured the image to do the editing. It’s like in-camera RAW editing, but on your computer, and the camera must be tethered. I wrote about it back in 2017. I don’t use X RAW Studio very much myself, but some of you use it regularly and it’s an important part of your workflow process. It’s an interesting tool that Fujifilm provides at no cost, so it’s definitely worth trying if you’ve never done so before.
Below are some articles and videos that I found on the internet that discuss X RAW Studio. Hopefully something here will be helpful or interesting to you. If you know of an article or video that I missed, feel free to post it in the comments. Enjoy!
Nikon is about to announce a new retro-SLR-styled APS-C mirrorless camera: the Zfc. It has some similarities to the Fujifilm X-T30, X-T4, and X-T200 (and also the Olympus OM-D), while not being exactly like any of them. According to NikonRumors, this camera is the Nikon Z50, just in a retro body inspired by the Nikon FM and Df cameras. The Z50 has a 20-megapixel sensor, and, as far as I know, is well regarded yet unexciting. This new body design will certainly create some excitement!
You might notice the Zfc has a shutter knob, exposure compensation knob, and ISO knob on the top of the body (much like the X-T4). There’s also a PASM switch. I can’t help but wonder, if Nikon had included an aperture ring around the lens, would the PASM switch even be necessary? I feel like Nikon went 90% there, but just didn’t push themselves all the way. Of course, they know their audience far better than I do, and they have far more experience in camera design than I.
With this camera, I believe that Nikon is specifically targeting the Fujifilm market. I’m not sure if they’re trying to lure Fujifilm photographers to Nikon, or simply attempting to stop Nikon shooter from leaving for Fujifilm, or maybe both, or perhaps those moving on from Micro 4/3. I have no idea how successful they’ll be at this, but I do think the Zfc will get some attention, something Nikon desperately needs. It seems like they’ve produced a lot of rather ho-hum products as their customers have jumped ship for other brands.
What Nikon doesn’t have that Fujifilm does are Film Simulations and Film Simulation Recipes. That’s not to say that Nikon’s JPEGs are junk (because I’m sure they’re not), but there’s nothing in the photographic world that rivals what Fujifilm and Fujifilm shooters (that’s you and me!) have created. While Nikon’s new exterior camera design is great, if they really want to compete against Fujifilm they need to recommit to the camera-made JPEG and do something just as radical inside as they did with the body. After all, photography is both about the picture and the experience, and I think the Zfc is an attempt to improve the latter (for certain people) while not addressing the former. I like this step that Nikon is taking, and I think it would be great if they continued down that path, but I’d be surprised if they did. We’ll see. Nevertheless, the Nikon Zfc is indeed a lovely looking camera.
I love road trips! Given the choice to drive or fly, I’ll pick drive every time. Unfortunately, when I’m trying to get somewhere by car, I’m often trying to get there, wherever “there” is, and I don’t spend enough time enjoying the in-between. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously stated, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Dan Eldon shortened it to, “The journey is the destination.” What makes a road trip special is not where you’re going, but the experiences along the way.
This photoessay series is entitled The Journey is the Destination, and includes pictures of those in-between places. Each article in this series will have a different theme. This one is called Lodging Locations, and it features photographs captured at sleep stops while on some adventure somewhere. I’m usually pretty eager to photograph when on road trips, so even moments of rest get the attention of my camera lens.
One challenge with this particular article is that it includes hotels, campgrounds, family houses, and AirBnBs. With such diverse sleeping arrangements, it’s difficult to create a consistent set (not to mention that I used many different film simulation recipes to capture these over several years). Each of the images in the post were captured while at a lodging location of some sort. I don’t like this set as much as the first two, but nonetheless I hope that you find some enjoyment or inspiration from it.
Color:
Daisies at the Dock – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Agfa Vista 100” – 7/8/2020
Boy, Fishing – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Agfa Vista 100” – 7/8/2020
What Fujirumors has so far reported on the new version is that it will be in the same body as the GFX100S, which means that it will also have IBIS, it will have the same sensor as the GFX-50S and GFX-50R, and it will cost only $4,000 (and $4,500 when bundled with the upcoming GF35-70mm lens). That’s stunning!
Even though it’s an older sensor, I really appreciate how the GFX-50S renders pictures, particularly in shadows. I don’t mind that the camera won’t include a brand-new sensor. What I hope is that it includes a new processor, preferably the one inside the GFX100S. If the GFX-50S is a GFX100S, except with an “old” 50-megapixel sensor instead of a new 100-megapixel sensor, for only four thousand dollars, that’s unbelievable! It will be a hit, I have no doubts about it. I might have to get one myself.
It should be mentioned that, for most people, there’s not a big advantage of GFX over Fujifilm X. Yes, GFX produces lovely pictures that are a pixel-peeper’s dream, but unless you print very large, crop really deeply, and/or need that extra dynamic range in the shadows, Fujifilm X cameras will serve you very well for a whole lot less money.
I love my Fujinon 90mm f/2 lens! It’s nothing short of incredible. From an image quality point-of-view, it’s my favorite Fujinon lens (granted, I haven’t tried them all), although the focal length can be a bit challenging. It’s also somewhat big and heavy. I love the lens nevertheless, and really appreciate the images captured with it.
I noticed that the majority of the Fujinon 90mm f/2 reviews are older. Most were published four, five or six years ago. My review is almost two years old. For this Fuji Features article I thought that I’d share some more recent reviews and videos for the lens, which I found with a simple Google search. If you are considering it, maybe this will be helpful. Also, if you know of an article or video that I should have included, feel free to share it in the comments.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
According to Fujirumors, the next Fujifilm APS-C camera will be the X-H2, which won’t be released until early 2022, and it will have a new sensor that’s capable of 8K video. Not a whole lot else is known about it at this point. What will the new sensor be? What specs will it have? Absolutely nobody outside of Fujifilm has any idea, so it’s a fun opportunity to wildly speculate. To be clear, I have no inside information. This isn’t a rumor. What I’ll discuss below is a bad guess at best. I just thought it would be fun to talk about the possibilities.
The assumption is that the next sensor will be X-Trans (X-Trans V), which is logical—most likely it will be. I don’t know what would differentiate X-Trans V from X-Trans IV. The theory is that because Fujifilm has been developing sharper lenses with more resolving power, they’re preparing for a higher-resolution sensor (in fact, they’ve said as much). But how much more? 28-megapixel? 30? 32? 36? 50? Nobody knows, but don’t be surprised if it’s 36-megapixels. Unless you crop steeply or print largely, that extra resolution won’t do much for you. I personally wish that Fujifilm would focus less on megapixels and focus more on other advancements, but that’s just my opinion.
It’s possible that the new sensor inside the X-H2 won’t be X-Trans, or at least not a Sony X-Trans. Fujifilm has partnered with Samsung to create the ISOCELL technology that Samsung uses in their cellphone cameras. In an oversimplified explanation, ISOCELL allows pixels to more accurately capture light, which means that smaller pixels act more like larger pixels. Samsung uses ISOCELL in conjunction with Pixel Binning (“Tetracell”), a technology that uses a group of pixels to act as a singular larger pixel for improved dynamic range and high-ISO performance. This technology allows tiny cellphone sensors to perform better than they should. Why can’t this be applied to larger sensors? Remember when Samsung used to have a highly-acclaimed 28-megapixel APS-C sensor before their NX camera line went suddenly defunct? Maybe Fujifilm and Samsung will partner to bring some of Samsung’s innovative sensor technology to Fujifilm cameras.
I’d be surprised if Fujifilm included a Sony Bayer sensor in the X-H2, but it’s possible. Anything is possible. More likely, if Fujifilm were to move on from X-Trans, the sensor would have to have some unique marketing aspect to it. Fujifilm X cameras are the only cameras with X-Trans sensors, and all other current cameras use Bayer (except for some Sigma models). X-Trans has some advantages and disadvantages, but more importantly it’s unique, which Fujifilm takes advantage of, both in terms of technology and marketing. There’d have to be something especially special about a non-X-Trans sensor for Fujifilm to suddenly abandon what has brought them this far.
Now imagine this: a Fujifilm X-H2 with a 144-megapixel ISOCELL and Pixel Binning sensor, that “normally” captures 36-megapixel images, with the option to capture 144-megapixel images in good light and 9-megapixel images in very low light. That would stir a lot more attention than an ordinary 36-megapixel Bayer sensor, and would also have some advantages over it. It would certainly make headlines!
The way it would work is that under most conditions the camera would capture a 36-megapixel image that would perform, in dynamic range and high-ISO, similar to the 26-megapixel X-Trans IV sensor. When the ISO is set to 320 or lower, the camera would have the option to capture a full 144-megapixel image (with the limitation of DR400 not available). Of course, Fujifilm lenses, while exceptionally sharp, cannot resolve that much detail, so you’d likely get details more in line with 50-megapixel cameras (maybe more, maybe less, depending on the lens). The camera would also have the option at higher ISOs—perhaps ISO 3200 and above—to capture extraordinarily clean 9-megapixel images (and perhaps 1080p video). I know that 9-megapixels are hardly anything to get excited over, but think of this as being sort of like the Sony A7S, which has only 12-megapixels, but is highly regarded for its low-light capabilities. So, yeah, the picture might only have 9-megapixels of resolution, but it was captured at ISO 25,600 and looks as clean as ISO 800. Maybe pixel-shift could even be incorporated into this somehow.
There would be a whole host of issues if Fujifilm incorporated Samsung’s technology into the X-H2, most notably the RAW files. I don’t think my suggestion is likely, but since anything is possible, I thought that I’d wildly speculate, and this is as wild of a speculation as you’ll likely find on this topic. It will definitely be interesting to see what Fujifilm comes up with, and as soon as I know something, I’ll be sure to share it and my ideas about it with you.
United Carrier – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Expired Slide”
United Carrier – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Expired Slide v2”
I set out to recreate the look of expired slide film. Perhaps expired is the wrong term, because the aesthetic that I was after is more like mishandled slide film—not stored correctly or developed promptly. Maybe it passed its expiration date because it sat in a drawer for so long, or maybe it was in a hot car for a couple of hours, but, whatever the reason, it definitely doesn’t look right.
Why would I want to create this look? Because it’s an interesting vintage aesthetic that was somewhat common in the film era. While most people would not want this outcome, interestingly enough, there are some film photographers (a.k.a. Lomographers) who do this kind of thing on purpose specifically because they want this look. The two film simulation recipes below are for those people seeking something different. Neither of these will likely be anyone’s “go-to” recipe, but if you want something that’s a bit unusual, these are ones to try.
The film simulation recipe called Expired Slide was actually the second one, as I created (what I now call) Expired Slide v2 first. I liked the original settings, but thought that it might be a bit too much, so I toned it back slightly. I posted examples of both recipes to Instagram and let you guys decide which one was best. The Expired Slide recipe won hands-down, but there were some who passionately preferred Expired Slide v2, so I’m posting both. The only difference is the white balance (and shift), otherwise they’re identical. Expired Slide has more of a red-orange cast while Expired Slide v2 has more of a red-purple cast. Both recipes (as of this writing) are only compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4 cameras.
Expired Slide:
Forest Flowers – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: -1 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -2 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 5500K, +7 Red & -2 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Limited 4404 – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Free – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Free Signs – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Construction Crane – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
10:45 – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Red Fence – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Tulip Blooms – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Dark Payette Lake – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Mossy Trunk – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Expired Slide v2:
Caterpillar – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: -1 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -2 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 5000K, +8 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Red Barn – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Jump Pad – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Stack of Buckets – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
The Oaks – Ogden Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Lake Marina – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Two Dogs Swimming – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Jon Fishin’ – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Log in the Water – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Payette Lakeshore – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
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!
I love road trips! Given the choice to drive or fly, I’ll pick drive every time. Unfortunately, when I’m trying to get somewhere by car, I’m often trying to get there, wherever “there” is, and I don’t spend enough time enjoying the in-between. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously stated, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Dan Eldon shortened it to, “The journey is the destination.” What makes a road trip special is not where you’re going, but the experiences along the way.
This photoessay series is entitled The Journey is the Destination, and includes pictures of those in-between places. Each article in this series will have a different theme. This one is called Time to Eat, and it features photographs captured at food stops while on some adventure somewhere. I’m usually pretty eager to photograph when on road trips, so even breakfast, lunch or dinner gets the attention of my camera lens.
You won’t see any pictures of my food—that’s not the point of this article—these are simply photographs that I captured at these restaurant stops. If I had started out with this series in mind, I probably would have approached it a little differently. Still, when placed together, these otherwise unrelated images tell a story. I hope that you enjoy!
DPReview listed their Top 5 Best Fujifilm Film Simulations in the video above. I think it’s great that they’re highlighting Fujifilm’s great JPEG options and give light to some of the film simulations. While I’m sure that they made adjustments to the stock settings, I feel like they haven’t discovered the joy of film simulation recipes, and are mostly using the stock settings. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, because out-of-the-box the different film simulations are great, but with some tweaking you can achieve all sorts of different looks. I think it’s something that they’d really appreciate, if they only knew.
I went on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App (available for iOS and Android) and filtered by Camera and Film Simulation. If you are a Patron on the App, you can filter the recipes by camera model or sensor, and by film simulation or color/b&w—the best app experience is reserved for Patrons. For this experiment, I chose the Fujifilm X100F and Classic Chrome. There are 15 different options, each with a different aesthetic (Vintage Kodachrome didn’t fit on the screenshot list). Those are just the X-Trans III recipes that use Color Chrome. If you don’t filter by camera or sensor, there are 45 recipes that use Classic Chrome (and over 150 total recipes)!
I know in the video they say that Classic Chrome is “gross” but perhaps it’s only because they haven’t used the right film simulation recipe. It could be that one of those 45 mentioned above produces a look that they’d love.
I don’t want to rehash DPReview’s video, so instead I will list some of my personal favorite recipes, organized by Film Simulation (they’re not ranked), which you’ll find below. There are so many to choose from, and narrowing it down is a tough task, so obviously not all of my favorites made the list. There are so many Classic Chrome and Classic Negative options that I love, so those two were especially difficult to decide what to include below. Hopefully you’ll find this this exercise helpful, or at least fun, and maybe discover a new recipe to try.
No Credit Tires – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Sepia”
Now it’s your turn! Which of these film simulation recipes do you like best? Which recipes that I didn’t include are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!
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!
I love road trips! Given the choice to drive or fly, I’ll pick drive every time. Unfortunately, when I’m trying to get somewhere by car, I’m often trying to get there, wherever “there” is, and I don’t spend enough time enjoying the in-between. Ralph Waldo Emerson famously stated, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Dan Eldon shortened it to, “The journey is the destination.” What makes a road trip special is not where you’re going, but the experiences along the way.
With that in mind, I’ve started a new photoessay series entitled The Journey is the Destination, which will include pictures of those in-between places. Each article in this series will have a different theme. This first one is called Getting Gas, and it features photographs captured at gas station stops while on some adventure somewhere. I’m usually pretty eager to photograph when on road trips, so even quick pitstops get the attention of my camera lens.
Most of these pictures were captured in small towns. You’ll see a lot of trucks. If I had started out with this series in mind, I probably would have approached it a little differently. Still, when placed together, these otherwise unrelated images tell a story. I hope that you enjoy!
I’ve never sponsored a video before. I never thought that I would. Companies sponsor videos, and I’m just a guy posting his camera settings on a blog, so why would I do this? For a couple of years I’ve wanted someone to sponsor me, but here I am, sponsoring someone else’s content.
My hope is that this sponsorship simply gets the word out. Hopefully it will reach some new people. Why is this important? Why might it be “worth it” to do this?
First, I appreciate Andrew and Denae’s YouTube channel. They’ve been publishing solid content for years. Their channel has been helpful to many photographers, and especially Fujifilm photographers. I’m very happy to support them, because I want Andrew and Denae to continue to create great content. It’s good for the Fujifilm community.
Second, the film simulation recipes that I’ve published on the Fuji X Weekly blog and the Fuji X Weekly App are having a real impact on photography. I was speaking recently to an official Fujifilm X-Photographer, and she explained to me how the film simulation recipes are opening up photography to people who are intimidated by photo editing software, or don’t have the time (or maybe the desire) to learn it, or perhaps don’t have the resources to obtain it. There are people who are photographing with Fujifilm cameras using recipes who otherwise would not be photographing. That’s amazing! Besides that, people are having a lot of fun with them—I often get messages or comments stating how the recipes have made photography a more enjoyable experience. People also tell me how they’re more productive since using these camera settings, as it saves them time. These are great things! Recipes are having a positive effect on real people across the world. It’s a real honor to impact photography in these ways.
While many people in the Fujifilm community are familiar with Fuji X Weekly and film simulation recipes, there are also many who aren’t. I want to reach those people, and maybe have a positive effect on their photography. I hope they’ll find something helpful on this website and the app. By sponsoring Andrew and Denae’s video, I’m supporting their work, which is helping people, and I’m bringing awareness to what’s going on over here, which is helping people, so it’s a win-win.
If you’re a company who’s interested in sponsoring me, I’d love to hear from you. If it’s a win-win situation for the Fujifilm community, I’m sure we can work something out. For everyone else, I hope that you enjoy Andrew and Denae’s video about the Fujifilm X-E4, which you’ll find at the top of this article—if you’re thinking about buying that camera, you’ll find some good advice that might help you decide.
Payette Lake Between Trees – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
I recently visited Ponderosa State Park just outside of McCall, Idaho. It was a dreary day—off-and-on it drizzled rain from the grey overcast sky—with cool temperatures. This might be my favorite weather conditions, and was perfect for a hike through the forest with my Fujifilm X100V, which has some weather sealing, so it’s fine that it got a little wet. I loaded the camera with my Fujicolor Pro 400H film simulation recipe and headed down the trail through the tall trees.
Ponderosa State Park sits on a peninsula on Payette Lake in the middle of Idaho. It’s heavily forested and green. The lake is very clear. As I was exploring, it felt like Ponderosa could be a National Park and not a State Park. It’s missing a headliner feature that would propel it into National Park status, and that’s fine because it wasn’t crowded, so I enjoyed the feeling of being in a National Park without all of the people. At some points it seemed like I had the place all to myself.
The Fujicolor Pro 400H recipe delivered a great analog-like aesthetic on this outing. It captured the scenes how I wanted it to. This recipe does great in sunny conditions, but it also does well on overcast days, like this one. It was a wonderful time for photography, and it was also great to just be in nature, enjoying the sights, sounds and scents of the forest. Enjoy the pictures!
Evergreen Trunks – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Mossy Trunk – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Deer In The Forest –Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Broken Down – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Fallen – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Trail #1 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Trail #2 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Trees & Pond – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Curved Trees Over Pond – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Lily Marsh #1 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Lily Marsh #2 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
V Tree – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Trees & Lake – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Rain Clouds Over Payette Lake – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Lakeshore – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Above Payette – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
The last Fuji Features article was about Monochrome, so this one is about color—more specifically, Kodachrome. For those who don’t know, Fuji Features is a weekly series where I Google some topic related to Fujifilm and post what I find. Each week has a different theme, and this week it’s Kodachrome.
Below you’ll find a bunch of articles and videos that are about using one (or more) of these recipes. I’m sure that I missed a few, so if you know of something that I failed to include, please post a link in the comments.
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1 -“Yosemite Velvia”
On a recent trip to Yosemite National Park, my daughter, Joy, created a new film simulation recipe for X-Trans II cameras, which I’m calling Yosemite Velvia. Joy has made two X-Trans I recipes, Superia Xtra 400 and Winter Blue, but this is her first for X-Trans II. On this trip I let her use my Fujifilm X-T1 camera, and I told her that she could use whichever settings she wanted—this recipe is what she came up with.
I asked her why she chose these settings. She told me that she wanted the pictures to be colorful but without too much contrast. She decided on the Shade white balance because the forecast was for overcast sky, although it ended up being mostly sunny; however, she liked how it looked, so she stuck with it. Besides photographing in Yosemite, she also used these settings in Reno, Nevada.
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1 -“Yosemite Velvia”
This film simulation recipe is compatible with all Fujifilm X-Trans II cameras. You can use it on X-Trans I and Bayer sensor cameras, too, but the results will be a little different (feel free to try, though).
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: -1 Shadow: -2 Color: +2 Sharpness: -1 Noise Reduction: -2 White Balance: Shade, -2 Red & -2 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured by Joy on my Fujifilm X-T1 using this “Yosemite Velvia” film simulation recipe:
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1
Photo by Joy Roesch – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X-T1
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