Agfa Scala | FUJI X WEEKLY

Agfa Scala — Fujifilm Recipe for X-Trans V Cameras

*Faded Highway Shield* – Williams, AZ – GFX100RF – Agfa Scala

Back in 2018, one year after starting Fuji X Weekly, I published my Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe, which was intended for X-Trans III cameras (like the X100F that I was using back then). It was the 15th Fujifilm Recipe published on this website, and the third black-and-white. It’s been a long-time personal favorite; however, I never updated it for the newer cameras. Earlier this year, I decided that this Recipe was long overdue for a refresh, so I set out to make a new iteration. I started from scratch, trying many different adjustments, but ultimately came back to those 2018 settings, with only minor changes.

Agfa introduced Scala 200 in 1992 (renamed Scala 200x shortly thereafter). It was the only commercially available black-and-white slide film ever made (although you could make slides from any B&W film, if you wanted to). It used a proprietary development process known as AP-44. I didn’t shoot much Scala personally, only a few rolls. What was great about it is that you had a finished photo straight from the lab. With black-and-white negative film, the darkroom printing process played a major role in the finished picture; Agfa Scala removed that requirement. Obviously, the intention was that you’d project the pictures onto a screen, which we don’t do anymore (most film you see today are scans). In 2005, Agfa discontinued Scala, as well as the chemicals for the AP-44 development process. The last roll of Scala that I shot couldn’t be developed, unfortunately. Adox introduced a new Scala slide film, called Scala 50, in 2019; however, it’s a different emulsion with a different development process. Interestingly, the old Agfa Scala 200x could be processed in the new chemistry, but with slightly different results.

*Route 66 in Rural Arizona* – Seligman, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5 – Agfa Scala

Scala was known for deep blacks and glowing highlights. It had a much smaller dynamic range than black-and-white negative film. Like color slides, you really had to nail the exposure, as there was very little leeway for underexposure or overexposure. If you got it right, the results were great; if not, there wasn’t much forgiveness. The film was extremely fine-grained for being ISO 200—it was sharp and looked beautiful when projected. This Agfa Scala Recipe mimics the film pretty well. The camera’s histogram can be very helpful to prevent overexposure. This Recipe is compatible with most fourth-generation and all fifth-generation cameras (as well as newer GFX models), which includes 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, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.

Film Simulation: Acros (including +Ye, +R, or +G)
Monochromatic Color (Toning): WC 0 & MG 0 (Off)
Dynamic Range: DR100
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, 0 Red & 0 Blue
Highlight: +4
Shadow: 0
Sharpness: +1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E5, X-T5 and GFX100RF:

*Buick in B&W* – Seligman, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Truxton Gas Station* – Truxton, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Rural Mailboxes* – Antares, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*End of the Road* – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Herbie on Route 66* – Antares, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Tom’s Orlando Motel* – Truxton, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*God Bless America* – Kingman, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Ranchero* – Antares, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Frontier Motel Restaurant* – Truxton, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Welcome RT 66* – Williams, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Arizona American* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Happy for Lunch* – Kingman, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bougainvillea Growing Over Backyard Wall* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Monochrome Bougainvillea* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Coyote Pass* – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Apartment Row* – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Church Steeple* – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Flagstaff Station at Night* – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

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My Fujifilm X100F Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Kitchen – Waco, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

I love the Acros film simulation that Fujifilm included in their X-Trans III cameras. It’s the closest thing to actual film that I have ever found in a digital camera. I made two different Acros recipes for my X100F: original recipe and ~~Extra Crispy~~ Push-Process. I love both; however, I find myself using Acros Push-Process more than my “standard” settings just because it’s more dramatic. I will sometimes adjust each recipe to taste, depending on the situation.

What’s interesting about black-and-white film photography is that all the different film options look fairly similar, yet people have their one or two film stocks that they absolutely love. The differences in contrast, dynamic range and grain aren’t typically wildly different. Black-and-white films are more alike than not alike, but there are indeed differences, sometimes very subtle, sometimes quite noticeable. What is more unique to each film is what can be done in the lab, as each film will respond to different development techniques differently. There’s a lot that can be done in the darkroom to set apart the films from each other. In fact, one film stock could have many different looks, depending on what exactly you do with it.

This film simulation recipe was made by just messing around with the settings. I found something that I liked so I shot with it for awhile. The more I used it the more I liked it. As I was shooting with it, I kept having this feeling that it resembled some film that I’d used before, but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly which one. After a few weeks I finally figured it out: these settings produce results similar to Agfa Scala.

Taos Tourist – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Agfa Scala was a black-and-white slide film. It was unusual in that it was a reversal film and not a negative film. Most black-and-white films are negatives, and most reversal films are color. If you shot a lot of slides, this was an intriguing choice. I used it a number of times. The last roll of Scala that I shot couldn’t be developed as it required a special process that had been discontinued (it’s my understanding that there is a lab in Denver that can now develop Scala). There were people who really loved Scala, and there were people who really did not, mostly because it wasn’t a negative film. Since it was a slide, there wasn’t a whole lot one could do to manipulate the look it produced.

It was quite by accident that I created an Agfa Scala film simulation for my Fujifilm X100F. I’m glad that I stumbled upon it, because it produces excellent results. Interestingly enough, it only looks subtly different than my original Acros recipe, and I think that real Acros and real Scala also produce similar results, and the small differences are, to an extent, accurately replicated in the two recipes. It was a happy accident, and sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

Acros (Acros+Y, Acros+R, Acros+G)
Dynamic Range: DR100
Highlight: +4
Shadow: 0
Noise Reduction: -3
Sharpening: 0
Grain Effect: Weak
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photos, all straight-out-of-camera JPEGs captured using my Fujifilm X100F Agfa Scala Film Simulation recipe:

Two Towers – Dallas, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Santuario de Guadalupe – Santa Fe, NM – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Cafe Flowers – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Monochrome Silos – Waco, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Storm Shelter – McKinney, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Truck Stop – Bowie, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Ex Lover – Amarillo, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Semi & Dinosaur – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Grain Hoppers – Westlake, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

BNSF Alliance Yard – Haslet, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Kitchen Camera – Waco, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Apples To Apples – Haslet, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Forgotten Sandals – Princeton, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Flower In The Pond – Princeton, TX – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

Apple Tree Fence – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Agfa Scala”

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