How Popular is Fuji X Weekly?

Millions of people have visited this website in 2023, and the year isn’t even over yet!

I never imagined that Fuji X Weekly would grow so popular—I’m shocked by it, actually. It’s a real honor to be helpful to such a large number of photographers across the world, and I feel like I’m only getting started. It’s amazing to me just how far this thing has come, and I can’t wait to see where it all goes.

I’ve been digging through the Fuji X Weekly website analytics, which I do from time-to-time (but probably not nearly as often as I should), and I discovered a few interesting points. Some of you might find this intriguing, too, while others might not (and I apologize for that). For those who are interested, let’s dive into the stats!

During the month of October two milestones were reached: 1) near the beginning of the month, Fuji X Weekly total page views for 2023 exceeded that of 2022, and 2) by the end of October, Fuji X Weekly surpassed two million unique visitors!

Page views is a pretty straight-forward statistic. Between the homepage, blog page, blog posts, Film Simulation Recipe articles, etc., etc., etc.—across the entirety of the Fuji X Weekly website—all of the various pages have been viewed a total approaching 9,000,000 (last year was just over eight million; this year is on track to top 10 million). That’s an absolutely unbelievable number to me! In 2023, I’m averaging 4.3 page views per visitor, which (from what I can tell) is a good number. I’ve read that 3-4 page views per visitor is average. One person might only ever open one article, while someone else might view seven, and between the two of them they had eight page views, with an average of four. Some websites—such as many e-commerce—have more page views per visitor, while some have less, and some much less. There are several very popular photography websites (I won’t mention them by name, but trust me that they’re highly recognizable) that average less than two page views per visitor.

Surprisingly, the more convoluted statistic is unique visitors. Near the very end of October, Fuji X Weekly surpassed two million unique visitors. Or did it? What constitutes a unique visitor, anyway?

If you visit this website from the same device multiple times, you’ll typically be counted as only one visitor. There are some exceptions, depending on your security settings, how often you delete cookies, if you change internet providers or move to a new home, and things like that—but, by-and-large, if you visit this website (say) 20 times over the year, you are counted as only one unique visitor. However, if you use multiple devices—say, your desktop, laptop, work computer, cellphone, and tablet—you could be counted as five unique visitors. Unless, that is, you are logged into your WordPress account (if you have one) on each of those devices, then you’ll only be counted once and not five times. It’s impossible to know how many unique visitors there actually are, since it’s likely that many people are being counted more than once. I cannot know just how many are being counted more than once, or how many times they’re being counted. For sure, two million different people have not visited Fuji X Weekly so far in 2023, but whatever the real number is, it’s still a heck of a lot.

Captured with a Fujifilm X-T5 using the 1970’s Summer Recipe

Let’s talk bounce rate, which is the number of people who visit a website only once, and view only one page, and never come back (they bounce). The average bounce rate across all websites is about 40.5%, but it varies significantly based on website type. Blogs, for example, are in the highest category, with an average bounce rate of 65%. My bounce rate is 50%, which is really good for the type of website that it is. It means that half of the visitors read only one article and leave, never to return. They probably followed a link from some other website or a social media post, or Fuji X Weekly came up in a Google search, and they either found exactly what they were looking for and had no need for further reading, or (more likely) they weren’t all that interested in what was published, so they left. That accounts for one million visitors (and, in turn, one million page views), which leaves the other million as people who are either repeat visitors, or someone who visited just once but viewed more than one article before leaving. For that second group of one million, they averaged almost eight page views per person.

Of that one million who didn’t bounce right away, it’s impossible to know just how many are repeat visitors, or how many were counted more than once (one individual counted as multiple unique visitors). As best as I can tell from the data I could find, making some assumptions based on averages, I believe that around 500,000-ish people have visited Fuji X Weekly in 2023 more than once, and around 80,000-100,000 are regular readers. Someone who is a “regular reader” isn’t necessarily someone who reads everything that’s published, but perhaps checks in every now and then (probably opening many of the Film Simulation Recipe posts that pertain to their particular camera model, but maybe not a lot of the other content). Those who read the majority of the articles published on this website is a much smaller number, around 4,000 to 5,000 I think. Those who read literally everything—the true diehard fans—is likely less than 500, and maybe as little as 200.

We started with millions—two million, to be exact—which is an impressive number; however, we dwindled that down a whole bunch. First to one million, after subtracting those who quickly bounced; then to 500,000-ish, for those who likely visited more than once this year; next to 80,000-100,000, which is the rough number of those who do (at least somewhat) regularly read this website; then to 4,000-5,000, for those who are enthusiastic, and read much of what’s published; and finally to as little as 200—the truly devoted followers of Fuji X Weekly, who read literally all of the articles. Of those numbers, I’m most happy by the smaller ones. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am by those who visit this website often—you are why I continue to publish content and new Recipes frequently. Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, you really mean a lot.

You might be curious which pages and articles have been viewed the most on Fuji X Weekly so far this year. For the top five, the homepage is obvious the most-viewed, followed by the X-Trans IV Recipe page, then the Film Simulation Recipe page, then the X-Trans III Recipe page, and finally X-Trans V Recipe page. The most-viewed article is How To Add Film Simulation Recipes To Your Fujifilm Camera. The top five Film Simulation Recipe posts (in order from most to least viewed) are Kodachrome 64, Kodak Portra 400 v2, Kodak Portra 400, Vibrant Arizona, and Vintage Kodak. Aside from the one already mentioned, the top five non-Recipe articles (in order from most to least viewed) are A $400 Alternative to the Fujifilm X100V, X-E4, and X70, Report: Fujifilm X100Z to be Released in Early 2024, Which Film Simulation Recipes, When? — Part 1, How to Solve Fujifilm’s Cam Remote App Not Connecting to iPhone, and Let’s talk about the upcoming Fujifilm X100Z. Film Simulation Recipe articles tend to get a lot more views than the non-Recipe posts.

I’m not really sure how to conclude this, but just to say one more time a big “Thank you!” to everyone who visits this website, reads the articles, maybe shares them with others, and perhaps is even a Creative Collective subscriber. I also want to express my great appreciation to those who have downloaded the Fuji X Weekly App (and/or the Ricoh Recipes App and RitchieCam App), and especially to those who have become Patrons. This wouldn’t continue to exist without your support. I really appreciate you!

Reala Ace + 3 More Recipes!

Luxury Among Palms – Laguna Hills, CA – Fujifilm X-T5 – Reala Ace Recipe

Today’s SOOC Live broadcast was wonderful. Thank you to everyone who tuned in and participated—you all make it great!

We discusses the new Reala Ace film simulation, and talked at length about my Reala Ace Film Simulation Recipe. The Reala Ace Recipe is for X-Trans V cameras, and not everyone has one of those cameras, and even if you do, you might prefer a different option, so Nathalie Boucry and I offered three similar Recipes as alternatives. Specifically, we suggested Fujicolor Reala 100, Fujicolor Superia 100, and Fujicolor 100 Industrial. Watch the video below to learn more.

There are two Fujicolor Reala 100 Recipes—one for X-Trans IV (excluding the X-T3 and X-T30), and one for X-Trans V. Likewise, there are two Fujicolor Superia 100 Recipes—one for X-Trans IV (excluding the X-T3 and X-T30), and one for X-Trans V. The Fujicolor 100 Industrial Recipe is just for the X-T3 and X-T30; however, simply ignore Color Chrome Effect to use it on X-Trans III (it will look very similar, and only slightly different), or for newer cameras, set Grain size to Small, Color Chrome FX Blue to Off, and Clarity to 0.

While you are here, the long-overdue Viewers’ Images slideshow from the previous broadcast was finally published. You can watch it below. There are some really great pictures by you all, so you’ll definitely want to take a look. Thanks to everyone who submitted photographs!

Some pictures from today’s show:

Reala Ace Recipe
Fujicolor Reala 100 Recipe
Fujicolor Superia 100 Recipe
Fujicolor 100 Industrial Recipe

Where Nikon Went Wrong with the Zf

I have to admit that the announcement of the Nikon Zf has given me G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). The camera looks stunning! And it seems to be nicely equipped, spec-wise.

There are some who will say that the 24mp sensor is unimpressive—and, yes, it’s not—but it’s all that most will ever need. Some cars have a powerful turbocharged V8, but do you really need it? It might be a whole lot of fun on occasion, but not likely a necessity, unless you’re towing something heavy or maybe on a raceway. That fuel-efficient V4 is a lot more practical, and probably plenty for your purposes. Similarly, the 24mp sensor in the Zf is more than enough resolution, unless you plan to crop deeply or print posters. On Fujifilm, I actually prefer the 26mp X-Trans IV sensor to the 40mp high-resolution X-Trans V sensor, just because more resolution is more cumbersome and can create storage issues, and I simply don’t need that much resolution. I think, for most people and purposes, the 20mp to 30mp range is ideal, and 24mp to 26mp seems like a sweet spot. More than that is overkill for the majority of photographers.

The problem, though, with the Zf is fundamental: there’s no aperture ring on Nikkor Z lenses. Because the lenses don’t have an aperture ring, Nikon was forced to include PASM. Just like the Zfc, the Zf has a shooting mode (a.k.a. PASM) switch, which enables and disables the knobs on top of the camera. For example, if the switch is set to A, the shutter knob doesn’t do anything, and is there only for looks. Of course it makes sense that it does this, but if designed correctly, the step of moving the switch to the correct position in order to activate the knob so that the shutter speed can be adjusted is unnecessary. Also, it’s unintuitive. No aperture control on the lens means that it can’t be set when the camera is powered off. Oftentimes, when I am photographing a scene, as soon as I see what it is that I’m going to capture, I have an idea what I want the aperture to be, and I’ll set it even before I power on the camera. Can’t do that on the Zf or Zfc. Just like the Zfc, the Zf makes the most sense when used in Manual mode, and especially when paired with a third-party lens with an aperture ring.

If you want the full Fujifilm experience, you’d better get a Fujifilm, as the Zf won’t deliver that. The Zfc couldn’t match it, and the Zf won’t be able to, either. That doesn’t mean the Zf isn’t an excellent camera, because I’m certain that it is very good, maybe one of Nikon’s best ever (I’m saying this having never used it personally). I would certainly love one myself, just because I’m a sucker for beautifully designed digital cameras that look and handle retro-like. I think the Fujifilm X-T5 and Nikon Zf will be compared very closely by reviewers and YouTubers, and, in my opinion, the X-T5 wins for several reasons, including size, weight, price, JPEG output/Film Simulation Recipes, and user experience (no PASM); however, the Zf will have strengths that beat Fujifilm, so it depends on what’s most important to the user as to which one wins, as I think they’re very comparable. If you’re in the Fujifilm system, you’re not likely to jump ship for the Zf, but if you’re in the Nikon system, the Zf will be quite tempting, and maybe it will convince you to stay with Nikon instead of switching over to Fujifilm, if you were considering that.

I want the Nikon Zf, but $2,000 could fund a nice weekend getaway somewhere. I think experiences matter much more than gear, and oftentimes it’s better to invest in using what you have in an epic way than to buy something new and miss out on the adventure. G.A.S. is an unfortunate problem, especially when combined with F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out); however, the best way to overcome it is to accept that what you have is plenty good enough—simply use it to the best of your ability whenever the opportunities come, and see what happens.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X-T5 in black:  Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:  Amazon  B&H  Moment
Nikon Zf:  Amazon   B&H
Nikon Zfc:  Amazon   B&H

Will there be a new Fujifilm X camera announced in September?

Fujifilm will be announcing some new gear on September 12; Fujirumors is reporting that it will be GFX cameras and lenses, including a GFX100 successor (which, apparently, wasn’t the GFX100S), GF 55mm f1.7, GF 30mm f/5.6 tilt-shift, and GF 110mm f/5.6 tilt-shift. A rumor has floated for awhile now that two X-series cameras would be released in 2023. The first was the X-S20. What will the second be? And will it be announced in September?

We know that the X100V replacement won’t come until next year, so which one will be next? There’s been a lot of speculation that it could be the X-Pro4 because it’s long overdue; however, if it is, something would have likely already leaked about it, so I’m marking it as unlikely. How about an X80? Fujifilm absolutely should release this camera, but I think that ship has sailed in their minds, and it’s not even on the list of potential future models. X-A8 or X-T300? Those lines have been discontinued, so no. It’s much too soon for an X-H3 or X-T6 or X-S30. What does that leave? The X-E5 or X-T40 (which they might call X-T50). Let me give a few quick reasons why I think it will and won’t be each of those models.

Evening Charge – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X-E4Kodak Portra 400 v2

It will be the X-E5 because the X-E4 was a hot commodity just before being surprisingly discontinued (presumably so that manufacturing efforts could be diverted to the X100V). It was backordered everywhere and even sometimes selling for more than MSRP. There’s still quite a demand for it, but so very little supply. It was strange that Fujifilm axed an in-demand model, but if they were preparing to release a successor, it makes a lot more sense.

It won’t be the X-E5 because Fujifilm will probably only offer one base-level camera going forward (due to shifting markets), and between the X-T00 and X-E lines, it’s more likely the X-E that’s not renewed. Besides that, historically, the X-E line comes at the very end of a sensor generation, not towards the beginning or middle.

Wearing Grandpa’s Hat – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Kodacolor

It will be the X-T40 (or X-T50) because this line is long overdue for an update. The X-T30 was released over four years ago. The X-T30 II was an extremely minor upgrade, mostly just a firmware update that should have been given to the X-T30. Both the X-T30 and X-T30 II have been discontinued, so it makes sense that a new version is about to come out. Besides, the X-T00 line has been a good seller for Fujifilm, and the current lineup is in desperate need for a camera of its class.

It won’t be the X-T40 because the X-T30 II was released only two years ago. While it sold well, it wasn’t as in-demand or trendy as the X-E4. Aside from that, Fujifilm is clearly focusing more on higher-end models, and not entry-level.

Tunnel Silhouette – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm GFX-50S – Classic Negative Industrial

What’s my opinion? I think, if an X-series camera is announced on September 12, it will be the X-T40. I don’t think the X-T40 will likely be a major upgrade, so including it on the same day as the GFX150 (or whatever the new GFX camera will be called) makes sense. Just as likely, no X-series models will be announced on September 12; perhaps the next camera will be the X-Pro4 in November (that’s just speculation, I have zero inside information).

The X-T40 will probably be the exact same thing as the X-T30 II, except with the X-Processor 5, which brings improved autofocus and video specs, along with the Nostalgic Neg. film simulation. I suspect that it will have the same X-Trans IV sensor and the same NP-W126S battery, and be 95% the same camera. I don’t think it will be revolutionary; however, it will be Fujifilm’s sub-$1,000 option, which I think is still important to offer. Don’t be surprised, if Fujifilm does decide to eventually release an X-E5, that the X-T00 and X-E lines aren’t available at the same time. In other words, they might manufacture the X-T40 for a year or two (depending on how it sells), and then discontinue it as they prepare to release the X-E5. Once that’s been on the market for a year or so, it’ll get discontinued in time for the next X-T00. I think Fujifilm sees these two models as competing against themselves to some degree. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if one of these two lines was simply (and quietly) discontinued.

Indoor Blooms – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3Fujicolor Superia 800

In my opinion, I think Fujifilm has been secretly working on the X-Pro4, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it was released in November (like the X-T5 was last year). I think it would make a ton of sense. They’ll probably readdressed the rear screen somehow. I do believe it will have the 40mp sensor, and don’t be surprised if it is the first X-series camera with the XPan aspect ratio as an option. This would be a smart move, I think, and it would fall within Fujifilm’s shift towards focusing more on higher-end cameras and less on lower-end.

What do you think? Will an X-series camera be announced on September 12? Which model will it be? What do you hope for? Let me know in the comments!

Fujifilm Film Simulation Patches!

Fujifilm just introduced a new product: film simulation patches!

These 2″x2″ embroidered iron-on patches are a great way to share your love of film sims to those around you. Put them on your camera bag, backpack, jean jacket, etc.. There are 11 of them: Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, PRO Neg. Hi, PRO Neg. Std, Classic Negative, Eterna, Monochrome, Acros, and Sepia. Find them on Fujifilm’s online store. Not sure why Eterna Bleach Bypass and Nostalgic Neg. didn’t make the cut, other than these patches resemble the small “box-top” screen on the back of the Fujifilm X-Pro3, and those two film sims aren’t available on that model.

I think they’re really cool. I ordered a couple, and plan to iron them onto my travel camera bag. They’re not exactly cheap at $10 per patch (or all 11 for $79.50, which is actually a significant bulk discount), but I think it’s a fun way to show your love of film simulations. I also think it’s fascinating that film sims are now so prominent—in large part due to the popularity of Film Simulation Recipes—that Fujifilm is merchandising them. I’d love to see them do more of this type of thing.

Exciting: Fujifilm Film Simulations just got real with these embroidered applique patches, in 11 different designs. Digitally recreated, based on historic film stocks, our Film Simulations are now available in all-new physical form. These quality, machine-embroidered patches can be heat-applied to fabric surfaces, from clothing to backpacks. Are you a bold Velvia fan, or an admirer of the timeless Acros? Grab either one separately, or the both of them if you can’t make up your mind. Love them all? We don’t blame you! Get ’em while the iron’s hot!

—Fujifilm

Problems with the Fuji X Weekly Website — A Message from the Webmaster

“I seem to have trouble loading your site and posting comments… Most comments never got through.”

-TheCameraEatsFirst

I’m not a web designer. I’m not an IT expert. I’m not a programmer. Yet, here I am, playing each of those roles.

I’m a photographer. That’s what I want to spend as much of my time as practical doing. I’m also a writer to an extent, which is something else that I enjoy doing. The Fuji X Weekly website is my outlet for both. I like helping other photographers, and am truly honored that my Film Simulation Recipes have had such an impact on so many and even the industry at large—it’s far more than I ever imagined!

Sometimes, though, I have to set my camera down, and be the Fuji X Weekly webmaster. Who came up with that name, anyway? Webmaster sounds so dramatic. Was it on Peter Parker’s shortlist, and after a coinflip he went with Spiderman instead? Surely it was an IT guy—his office was probably in a dark corner of a basement and he felt really under-appreciated for all his hard work maintaining some large company’s website—who coined the term, so that he might get more respect and maybe a pay raise.

Arizona Sunbeams – Glendale, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – 1976 Kodak

When I first enrolled in college many, many years ago, I didn’t really know what I wanted my career to be. A lot of adults advised me to major in a technology field, like coding or engineering. So that’s what I did. In the very first semester I took this class called Computer Basics, which was mostly about how to use Word and PowerPoint and the internet, which was fairly young at that point—DPReview wouldn’t launch for several more months, and Ken Rockwell wasn’t even on the scene yet. The final project for that class was to write a simple DOS program, something like if you prompt it to answer 1+1 it would give you 2. I struggled so much, and passed the introductory-level class with a C. The very next semester I changed my major to photography.

Problems with the Fuji X Weekly website have been ongoing since it first launched on August 21, 2017. I’ve had to learn how to design a website, and to an extent how to code. I was suddenly a webmaster. I didn’t feel much like the master of the web, and I still don’t. I’ve learned so much about it over the years; however, I’m far from an expert. Mostly, I limp along, and hope that Google has the answer to whatever problems I’m trying to solve. YouTube University has been invaluable!

Lately, though, the problems have grown. It started several months back when I needed to upgrade hosting, because I was pushing the upper limits of the plan I was paying for. Unfortunately, what should have been a seamless switch wasn’t, and I was suddenly experiencing both small and big issues. Next, because my expenses expanded—for both the website and apps—I brought back ads, but through a different company that promised a better experience. That’s been a huge headache, and it hasn’t exactly gone well. I’m fighting to get the ads to be minimal, unobtrusive, relevant, and appropriate (yet cover the expenses)—it’s been a battle, and we’re still not there. I’m on the fence on how I’ll move forward with this. I’ve almost pulled the plug several times on the ads—and I still might—but I’m hoping to get it right at some point soon. I appreciate your patience with this.

Dramatic Sunset behind Saguaro – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – 1976 Kodak

Some of the website problems are definitely significant. Probably the biggest one is that some people are experiencing an error, and the page won’t load. The message is “too many attempts” or “too many redirects” or something like that. I haven’t found the root of this issue, but clearing the cache and cookies has sometimes resolved it (so try that if you’re experiencing this problem). I don’t know why some people get this error while most don’t, or why clearing the cache is sometimes the fix. If any of you know the answer, please reach out to me, because I’d love to fix it.

Another issue that just recently came to my attention is that a lot of comments aren’t coming through. There are two aspects to this. First, I moderate the comments. Someone who has never commented before, or who has included a link to a website, will often get flagged for moderation. I get a lot of troll and spam comments that I don’t want published because it ruins the experience for everyone, so moderating these are important. This is my website, so I have the authority—and, really, obligation—to do this. Comments held for moderation haven’t changed as far as I can tell. The second aspect is that WordPress will flag obvious spam comments as spam. I get probably 100 of these type of comments each day, sometimes much more than that. Unfortunately, many non-spam comments are getting flagged as spam for some reason. I dug through the spam folder, and found intermixed with all the spam comments a handful of clearly not-spam comments, some by regular readers who have commented many times before. There are so many spam comments that it’s not practical to go very far back looking for the few non-spam that got flagged, but I know that I need to dig through it daily now. I’m really sorry if your comment didn’t come through. I don’t know why this happened or even when, but hopefully I’ll be able to find and approve all of the non-spam and non-troll comments going forward.

Are there other issues that I’m not aware of? I hope not, but I’m certain there are. Whenever I put on my webmaster cap, I do my best to fix them, but I cannot fix what I’m not aware is broken. If you’ve experienced some sort of issue, don’t hesitate to let me know—it’s greatly appreciated whenever someone does. And if you know how to fix the problem, please share with me the answer! I might technically be in the IT field, and I’ve certainly learned a heck-of-a-lot over the last six years, but I’m still in over his head on some of this stuff. Besides, I’d rather be out with my camera, capturing photos for next Film Simulation Recipe—especially during golden hour, when the light can be magical.

Travel: Central Coast of California “En Plein Air” — w/Ken Rockwell & Dave Wyman — Day 2

Splash – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor 100 Gold

Day 1

Day 2 — June 6, 2023 — Morro Bay, San Simeon & Cambria

This was our first full day at the ocean. My wife and I decided to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to explore Morro Bay, followed by the elephant seals north of San Simeon, and finally Moonstone Beach in Cambria on the way back down. This area is just incredible, and is one of my favorite sections of coastline in California!

Did you know that there are wild zebras near San Simeon? There are! Actually, they were once part of William Hearst’s private zoo, but they escaped (were released?), and now live wild in the coastal hills below Hearst Castle. Sometimes you can spot them from the highway. We were fortunate to find a few; while they weren’t very close, I was able to photograph a couple of them with my 90mm lens. I would have loved to visit the castle on this trip, but it just didn’t work out this time.

The weather was cool and overcast. It was fairly poor light for photography. A couple of times the sun did briefly try to peek through, but it mostly remained drab all day. Still, this area is stunning, so there were many photographic opportunities—in fact, the potential for great photography always exists no matter the time and location, and it is up to the photographer to find it.

Playing with Waves – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400 Recipe

The camera gear that I used on Day 2 (you can read the entirety of the gear that I brought with me in my Ultimate Travel Compact Camera Kit article) was a Fujifilm X100V with a 5% CineBloom filter, a Fujifilm X-E4 with a Fujinon 90mm f/2 lens, a Ricoh GR III, and a Samsung ST76 digicam. The X100V was utilized the most and the X-E4 + 90mm was second most. The GR III and Samsung digicam were barely used, while everything else remained in the camera bag on this day.

For Day 2, the Film Simulation Recipes that I used on my Fujifilm cameras (which can be found in the Fuji X Weekly App) were Kodak Tri-X 400Kodachrome 64, Kodak Ektachrome E100VS v2The Rockwell, Urban Dreams, Fujicolor 100 GoldSuperia Premium 400Pacific Blues, Expired Velvia, and Xpro ’62. On the GR III, I used the Monochrome Film Recipe (which can be found in the Ricoh Recipes App) for the entirety of the trip, treating the camera as a monochrome-only model. On the Samsung ST76 I used the Retro filter.

The photographs below are in order of when they were captured. The picture at the top of this article, Splash, fits in-between Wave Crash on Rock and Picture-in-Picture. The second image, Playing with Waves, fits in-between Beach Play and Self Portrait. Despite the drab weather, I was able to get a few good shots (interspersed between some so-so images)—with four more days still to go (including with Ken and Dave), there would be many, many more photographic opportunities to come.

X Leaves – Pismo Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Urban Dreams
Two Stacks – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Urban Dreams
Bay Boats – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Urban Dreams
Sea Weed – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Dena’s Boat – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Expired Velvia
Fender – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Rock Veiled by Poles – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Sub Sea – Morro Bay, CA – Ricoh GR III – Monochrome Film
Happy Boat – Morro Bay, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Urban Dreams
Notice – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodachrome 64
Penal Code – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodachrome 64
Better View – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodachrome 64
How Thou Cow? – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodachrome 64
Cows & Zebra – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodachrome 64
Zebra Below Castle – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodak Ektachrome E100VS v2
Yellow Coast – San Simeon, CA – Samsung ST76 – Retro filter
Blossom Cliff – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Yellow, Green & Sea – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Blooms Above Waves – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Pacific Blues
Yellow Cliff – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Pacific Blues
Protect our Wildlife – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Urban Dreams
Resting – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Kodachrome 64
Yawning – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Fighting – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Watching – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Biting – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Elephant Seal Beach – San Simeon, CA – Samsung ST76 – Retro filter
Seals – San Simeon, CA – Ricoh GR III – Monochrome Film
Coastal Flowers Reaching – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Two Rocks – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Patch of Yellow – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Pacific Blues
Seaside Cliffs – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Premium 400
Colorful Cliffs – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Green Shrub – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Wave Crash on Rock – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Picture-in-Picture – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – The Rockwell
Rocky Coast – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Xpro ’62
Rocks in the Water – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Xpro ’62
Cloudy Coast – San Simeon, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 90mm – Xpro ’62
Purple Beach Blooms – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Premium 400
Hillside Blossoms – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Premium 400
Shark & Stick – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Beach Play – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Self Portrait – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400
Alligator Log – Cambria, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400

Day 3Day 4, Part 1Day 4, Part 2Day 5, Part 1Day 5, Part 2Day 6

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X100V — Amazon   B&H  Moment
Fujifilm X-E4 — Amazon   B&H  Moment
Ricoh GR III — Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujinon 90mm f/2 — Amazon   B&H   Moment

12 Frames: Desert Photography on Kodachrome 25 — Fujifilm X-T5 + Fujinon 18-55mm F/2.8-4 + Special Guest!

Green Hills – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe

A couple days ago I met up with Raymond from Leigh & Raymond Photography (formally The SnapChick) to do some desert photography. They have mentioned this website and the Apps on their YouTube Channel a few times, as they are big fans of Fujifilm cameras, Fuji X Weekly, and Film Simulation Recipes. Leigh and Raymond live in Arizona, and now I do as well, so we were able to finally meet—at least Raymond and I—for some photography.

I was actually very nervous for several reasons. First, I’m an introvert, and meeting new people always makes me a little apprehensive. Second, Leigh and Raymond are big names in photography. They have been successful YouTubers for many years. They are well connected within the industry. It’s kind of like meeting an actor, musician, or sports star. Third, Raymond does ultramarathons; while I might make a special effort to get to Dairy Queen if Blizzards are half off, I’m definitely not doing normal marathons let alone the David Goggins kind—and we were scheduled for a hike through the desert. I wasn’t sure what it would entail, or how intense this adventure might get.

It turns out that I had nothing to worry about. Raymond was super nice. The hike was easy and relatively short—definitely something someone with my “skills” and “experience” (or lack thereof) could accomplish. We had a great time. It was really good to meet up for some desert photography.

Raymond and I — Captured with RitchieCam on my iPhone

I used my Fujifilm X-T5 and Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens for this outing. I chose and programmed into the camera my Kodachrome 25 Film Simulation Recipe because I thought it would do well in this scenario (which I’ll get to in just a moment) and because I’m converting this Recipe for the X-T5. You see, X-Trans V renders blue more deeply on some film simulations, but the fix is simple: if an X-Trans IV Recipe that uses Classic Chrome, Classic Negative, Eterna, or Eterna Bleach Bypass calls for Color Chrome FX Blue set to Strong, change it to Weak on X-Trans V, and if it calls for Color Chrome FX Blue set to Weak, change it to Off. The Kodachrome 25 Recipe calls for Color Chrome FX Blue set to Strong, so I adjusted it to Weak on my X-T5.

I decided that the Kodachrome 25 Recipe would be good for this scenario because of its characteristics. Kodachrome 25 film had low contrast (for slide film), slightly subdued saturation, and true-to-life (yet Kodak-warm) colors. It was regarded as the sharpest, most fine grained emulsion on the market, and was a popular choice for commercial photography. With an ISO of 25, some found this film to be challenging to use, so the higher-ISO Kodachrome 64, which had a little boost in contrast and saturation, was a more common option. Still, plenty of Kodachrome 25 pictures graced the pages of publications such as National Geographic and Arizona Highways, and I wanted to replicate that classic aesthetic for my desert images. It was forecasted to be overcast with perhaps some peeking sun, and the Kodachrome 25 Recipe does well in that weather—not too warm or cool, and not too much or too little contrast.

If this had been film, I would have shot two rolls of 24-exposure Kodachrome 25 (yes, it was by chance exactly 48 exposures). Of course, Kodachrome has long been discontinued, so shooting with this Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm camera is probably the closest you can get to shooting with the emulsion. The Kodachrome 25 frames in this article are my 12 favorites from that desert outing with Raymond. I hope you enjoy!

Rock Ridge – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Raymond Photographing Flowers – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Flowers in the Dry Desert – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Remnants of a Tree – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Prickles – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Sharp Friends – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Cholla Arms – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Dead Saguaro – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Old Saguaro – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Tall Cactus – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe
Morning Trail – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodachrome 25 Recipe

Find this Film Simulation Recipe and over 250 more on the Fuji X Weekly App!

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X-T5 in black:  Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:  Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 + 18-55mm in black:  Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 + 18-55mm in silver:  Amazon  B&H  Moment
Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4:  Amazon  B&H  Moment

I Have A Fujifilm X-T5!

Wow! It’s been crazy the last several days. Fujifilm released the X-T5 on the 17th. Not everyone got their orders.

Let’s back this up. Amazon apparently listed the X-T5 too early on announcement day. By contract, everyone is supposed to go live no earlier than a certain time, but Amazon jumped the gun. I preordered an X-T5 on Amazon because I had reward points that I wanted to use. When the 17th came around, some people received their preorders that day. For others it shipped that day, and arrived in the next day or two. For me? Nothing. Those who ordered on Amazon were left in the dark. What I didn’t know is that Fujifilm decided to punish Amazon for their sins and not give them any cameras to sell; sadly, only Fujifilm photographers who ordered through Amazon were actually punished. Is it Amazon’s fault? Yes. Is it Fujifilm’s fault? Sure—they could have done something else to teach Amazon a lesson, while still allowing people to receive the cameras they ordered. Is it my fault? No. Is it your fault? No. But you and I didn’t get our gear when others did. I know this is a first-world problem, and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter, but it is something that many people have experienced.

Amazon is a huge company, and Fujifilm sales are a tiny drop in a massive bucket. If Fujifilm stopped selling to Amazon altogether, it wouldn’t hurt Amazon in any way, shape, or form. I get that Fujifilm has to hold them accountable. I get that it wasn’t fair to their other retail customers. But let’s be real: crap rolls down hill. Who ended up with the crap? Me. You, if you, too, ordered through Amazon. Fujifilm’s customers are who got punished, not Amazon. I’m sure Amazon gave two seconds to this situation, and hasn’t cared one iota since. When they get their cameras, they’ll sell every single copy, and it will have such a small impact on the bottom line that you need a powerful magnifying glass just to see it. Those trying to be patient with their Amazon preorders might have to be extremely patient—I’ve heard that it might be sometime in January before orders are shipped. I don’t know that for a fact, but it’s what I have heard, and it may or may not be true—I hope it isn’t true.

So how did I get my X-T5? I called around to local camera stores, and I found one in stock. Luckily, Foto Forum in Phoenix had a body-only copy, plus one bundled with the 18-55mm f/2.8-f/4 kit zoom. I purchased the one with the lens. If you are still waiting for yours to ship, maybe call around to local camera stores to see if they still have an X-T5 in stock, and if so purchase from them instead.

That’s my story. What about you? Did you buy a Fujifilm X-T5? Did it arrive or are you still waiting?

People have already begun asking me for my impressions on this camera. I think a number of you are waiting to learn a little more about it before spending so much money. It’s way too soon to provide you with anything valuable. I’ll tell you my way-too-soon initial impressions, but please take them with a large grain of salt. I’ve only barely begun to use the camera and really haven’t had a chance to properly test it. I’ll give a full review later.

First, let’s talk about megapixels. Do you need 40? If you crop deeply, print posters, or just love to pixel-peep, then maybe. But if you don’t crop deeply, don’t print posters, or don’t pixel-peep, then you definitely don’t need 40mp—it’s way overkill. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to negatively affect the speed of the camera or even the file transfer speed when using the Fujifilm Cam Remote app. Unfortunately, it does take up more space on the SD Card, phone/computer, and storage, and uploads to my cloud storage are noticeably slower. There’s pluses and minuses to 40mp; I don’t anticipate the pluses coming in handy for me very often. For some of you, though, it is an important upgrade.

I haven’t put the autofocus improvements to the test whatsoever, but through three days of shooting, I haven’t noticed it being any more snappy than my X-E4. The only thing I noticed is that face detection locked onto a face that was far away, which I wouldn’t expect to happen on my X-E4. Since I wasn’t trying to photograph the person, it actually wasn’t a positive thing, but I can see this being an improvement. I haven’t even attempted continuous tracking or anything like that yet, so I can’t speak of it.

I was really excited for HEIF, but discovered that it disables Clarity. That’s disappointing. No HEIF for me, since I use Clarity a lot. Speaking of Clarity, I was also very disappointed that it isn’t any faster on the X-T5, and the Storing pause is identical to X-Trans IV. Fujifilm should have spent some time speeding this up, in my opinion. Oh, and somehow I keep bumping the drive switch, and accidentally switching to CL or HDR, both of which disable Clarity—I’ll have to figure out how to not bump that switch.

While the X-T5 is smaller than the X-T4, and just a little bigger than the X-T1 and X-T30, it is definitely heavy. Seems like a similar weight to the X-T4—not sure if it is or isn’t, but it’s hefty. I personally prefer the weight of the X-T1 or X-T30, but if you use large lenses a lot, you might appreciate the solid base of the X-T5.

The reason that I purchased the Fujifilm X-T5 is because this camera has the new Nostalgic Neg. film simulation. What do I think of it so far? If Eterna and Classic Chrome had a baby, it would be Nostalgic Negative. It has some similarities to both of those film simulations, with soft gradations in the shadows similar to Eterna and with some Eterna-like colors (particularly the warm colors), and with contrast, saturation, and an overall palette more similar to Classic Chrome. I’m not a huge fan of default straight-out-of-the-box Nostalgic Neg.—I was actually initially disappointed—but with some adjustments it can become magical. I love it! Nostalgic Neg. is another analog-esque film sim from Fujifilm that’s sure to become a classic. Expect some recipes soon!

I don’t have any other observations yet. I hope to do some more serious experimentations soon, and when I do I’ll share those impressions with you. In the meantime, here are some straight-out-of-camera Nostalgic Neg. pictures that I captured with my Fujifilm X-T5:

Two Ducks – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
311 – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Caution: Nature – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Believer – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Cat Clock – Prescott, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Dusk Blazer – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Spiderweb Rocks – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Don’t Shoot – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Warning – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Golden Light Chair – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Red & Gold – Prescott, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Going Out of Business – Prescott, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Hyundai – Prescott, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Short Train – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Around the Bend – Arlington, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Lakeview – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Log on the Lake – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Private Dock – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Can’t See the Forest – Lynx Lake, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Irrigation Mist – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X-T5 in black:  Amazon  B&H
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:  Amazon  B&H

Hallelujah! Fuji X Weekly is Now Ad-Free! No More Annoying Ads!

A Sub Above the Dumpster – Pasadena, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Nostalgic Print

I couldn’t take it anymore, so I turned off the advertisements on Fuji X Weekly. They’re gone. You’re welcome. Oh, and I’m sorry that you had to put up with them for so long.

Why did I do this? Why did I even have ads in the first place? To answer the second question first, there’s a real cost to running this website and doing the things I do. The ad revenue (which isn’t much—it’s amazing how little you actually get from ads, much less than many of you likely imagine) helps to pay for it. It basically covered the cost of web hosting and domains and stuff like that—not only for Fuji X Weekly, but Ritchie’s Ricoh Recipes, RitchieCam, RithieRoesch.com, and the Community Recipes page, too. I discontinued the ads for two reasons: the company facilitating the ads cut their payouts in half (which is crazy unfair), and the ads were just soooo annoying anyway—I hated having them. It was time for them to go!

Unfortunately, when you run a website, you sometimes have to do things that you don’t want to because you have your own expenses that must be covered. The ads were helpful in covering those expenses, but not something that I liked having. In fact, in my very first post, I optimistically proclaimed, “I’m not placing advertisements on this website.” That lasted a little while (although, at the time, WordPress placed their own ads on this site because I was utilizing their free plan back then), but as this website grew, so did the expenses of running it. I hoped that someday another revenue stream would eventually be enough that I could turn the ads off. That never really materialized, but lately Amazon affiliate purchases have increased (thank you for using my links for your purchases!), so I’m using that as my excuse: affiliate revenue is now paying for the expenses of keeping this thing up and running. I’m hopeful that the ads are gone for good.

It’s long overdue, and I’m glad that I finally did it: Fuji X Weekly is now free of annoying ads! This should make the experience of this website noticeably better. I’m sorry that you had to put up with them for so long, and I hope you celebrate with me that they’re finally gone. Hallelujah!

Rediscovering Old Photos of Forgotten Americana — An Interview with Legendary Photographer Troy Paiva

Chinook With a Limp
Essex, CA, 2002
Photo by Troy Paiva

If you already know who Troy Paiva is and have seen his wonderful night photographs, then you are well aware of how important his work has been to the genres of light painting, urban exploration, and Americana photography. If you don’t know who Troy is… well, you will soon be initiated, and you can thank me later. “Every once in awhile an artist bursts forth with such a profound impact on a genre of art that it forever alters its course,” photographer Ken Lee stated in a Photofocus article. “Troy Paiva is one such artist.”

What Troy is most known for is nighttime light-painted photography of abandoned, forgotten, or neglected roadside Americana. He visits abandoned buildings and old junkyards and even airplane boneyards during full-moon darkness, capturing long-exposure images using artificial lights to add pops of color that aren’t naturally there. His striking pictures have been displayed in art galleries and museum exhibits, and printed in magazines and books, including a couple of Stephen King covers.

The Star in the Window
Rhyolite, NV, 1997
Photo by Troy Paiva

My introduction to Troy Paiva came through an unusual book: Weird Arizona. He was a contributor to it (plus some of the other books in that series), and it had a little Route 66 writeup by Troy that included a picture of an abandoned gas station with a strange red glow on the ceiling. Later, I found Troy on Flickr, and even corresponded with him briefly on the location of one of his photographs. I’ve been a big fan of his photography for over a decade; however, he’s been doing this whole light-painting thing since the late-1980’s, well before I stumbled across his fantastic images.

I interviewed Troy recently, and I’m very excited and honored to share it with you. This is a very important article, because I’m certain that many of you can relate to it—I know that I can! Perhaps, like me, you have piles of old slides and/or negatives stored in a box somewhere. Nobody ever sees those pictures. What do you do with them? They can’t be any good, can they? Are they worth the trouble to dig through and scan? Will anyone care about them if you do? Are they even worth keeping? What will eventually happen to them if you do nothing? Those are questions that Troy Paiva recently wrestled with, and I think his answers are both fascinating and inspiring.

Salton City Trailer
Salton Sea, CA, 1992
Photo by Troy Paiva

FXW: Troy, I love your photography—your pictures and your process! I noticed that you have been revisiting your old analog images lately—daytime photos from the late 1980’s, 1990’s, and early 2000’s. What made you dig out your old slides?

Troy: Earlier this year I bumped into a set of my images on Flickr—The Mojave Carhenge from 1992—that I had scanned ages ago. They looked bad, with low resolution and converted to B&W. I wanted to find those slides and rescan them, but I put it on the back burner. Later, I needed to re-up on the long-dormant software for my film scanner to do something for a friend, so I used that opportunity to finally dig out those slides—scanning and processing them using 2022 software and skills.

I was surprised by how my perception of those pictures had changed over the course of 30 years—how old and rare and cool the cars in it were. It was weirdly timeless, like it could have been shot in 1982 or even ’72. I put them on Facebook and I got a response that supported these feelings. I looked through a few more boxes of early ’90’s daytime slides—pictures that even I hadn’t seen since the early ’90’s—which seemed to generate the same level of surprise. It didn’t take me long to realize that I should keep going. 

Welcome to Nephi
Nephi, UT, 1996
Photo by Troy Paiva

FXW: What camera gear did you use back then and what do you use now?

Troy: I’ve always shot with Canon cameras. In the early ’90’s it was a ’60’s vintage FX, an all-manual (broken) match-needle relic for night work, and A-1’s for metered shooting. I switched to the T90 in the late ’90’s—it was a great night shooting camera. I had several running different films. I used the FX forever, right up until 2004. Digitally, I went from the 20D to the 60D to the 6D. Once you night-shoot from a knee-high POV with a swivel screen, you never go back! All the film cameras were used—cheap. I’m pretty cavalier with equipment, and night photography has a way of wrecking and breaking your gear anyway.

In the ’90’s my lenses were constantly changing. All of them were purchased used, and lots of 3rd party junk. They’d fall apart, or get stuck on f/2.8 forever—especially the wide lenses from the early ’90’s, which were loose and wiggly in your hands and the focus fell off hard in the corners—and I’d buy another one for $25 at the flea market. All part of the character of the work: shooting junk with junk.

I used a mix of Ektachrome and Fujichrome, and a little Agfa, too. I would shoot with whatever slide film was on sale.

The Islands of Yucca
Interstate 40, AZ, 1996
Photo by Troy Paiva

FXW: What drew you to your subjects back then?

Troy: A lot of the signage imagery stems from my MCM graphic design background. At the time I was working as a designer at Galoob Toys, making Micro Machine-sized gas stations and car washes. I was already obsessed with abandoned roadside long before I ever got to Galoob, and taking pictures of it—day or night—was a natural part of the headspace I occupied.

N’
Fresno, CA, 1995
Photo by Troy Paiva

FXW: What is your process for digitalizing your slides? What challenges have you encountered?

Troy: I’ve had a Nikon IV ED film scanner since about 2001, which I’ve always used to scan my night work to put online. After moving into the digital era (in 2005), it sat largely unused. There was even a long period where it was unusable because Nikon stopped updating the software. Luckily, 3rd party software appeared at some point—I use the one from VueScan. The raw scans are not even close to right, but good enough to get them into Photoshop where I use MANY tools to make them presentable: masked sharpening/noise (grain) control, major HSB adjustments, white and black point shifts—the whole bit. Some also require perspective adjustment, cloning scratches out, creative cropping. Some mix down in a few minutes, some take a half hour to pull together.

The Yuma Cabana
Yuma, AZ, 1995
Photo by Troy Paiva

FXW: What differentiates your daytime pictures from your night ones? What is surprising about it?

Troy: My daytime work was more about scouting locations to potentially come back and work later that night. Many of these subjects would have been impossible to do with my full moon technique because they’re bathed with sodium vapor streetlights. Or sometimes I’d get chased back to the car by dogs or some nut racking a shotgun. In many cases, the day shots are the only record.

The daytime work always took a back seat to my experimental night work, so I rarely showed it to anyone. It just sat in storage for 25, 30 years. Occasionally I’d pull some night work for a fresh scan, completely ignoring the daytime work. Why? I wish there was some smart-sounding “I was consciously playing the long game” answer, but, apparently, I was playing it unconsciously.

It’s a part of my photography that longtime followers of my night work have never seen. It mirrors it in many ways, yet doesn’t fall into the trap of having the “light-painted night” aspect take over what the picture is about. They are just “normal” pictures of things, and that makes them easier to conceptually digest.

Also, I’m still scanning. There’s a lot I haven’t even looked at yet. I am intentionally not going through everything at once. I grab a few boxes, or all the work from one trip—cull, scan, and process. Only then do I look at the next few rolls. The picture of my slides (below) isn’t even all of it—there are about 10 carousels full, too. A lot of it is personal things of no interest to anyone but me. Several boxes have nothing worth scanning, but some… every slide gets an “Oh, wow!” when I put it on the light box for the first time.

Troy’s old film slides, mostly from the 1990’s.

FXW: What did you discover through this project?

Troy: I discovered a body of work that almost feels like someone else shot it! Sometimes memories come flooding back as I look through them; for others, it’s, “Where was that again?”

My MO was to specifically shoot the once-loved things that looked like they were on their way out. Most of it was abandoned and heavily weathered, steeped in Wabi-Sabi feelings of accepting loss and finding beauty and nobility in decay. It turns out that my hit rate was good: it seems like 90% of these subjects are now irrevocably changed or just gone. I perform Google searches on most of the sites—looking for them on street view, images, etc.—and in many cases, there doesn’t appear to be any other “intentional” pictures of them made before they disappeared. I’ve run across a couple of motel signs where the only other picture that I could find is in the John Margolies collection in the Library of Congress. It seems like everybody shoots this kind of stuff now, but in the early ‘90s, it was rare and—frankly—kinda weird. 

I haven’t parsed out what any of it means. I’m still in the middle of the scanning project, so I’m not ready to sit back and figure out what to do with it yet, except share some of it online and get it seen.

Mom’s Motel
Fresno, CA, 1995
Photo by Troy Paiva

FXW: How important is it to revisit your old pictures?

Troy: Once I started to see how much of this rare imagery I had, I began to think of Vivian Maier and Charles Phoenix. Imagine finding this motherlode of daytime and weird night photography of the long lost American roadside in a dumpster behind a Salvation Army! If I didn’t scan and share it, someday when I die that mountain of boxed slides would either end up in the dump, or a thrift store to be found and exploited and re-contextualized by someone else. The 99.9% reality is that it would most likely end up in a landfill, never to be seen by anyone. Once I realized what I was sitting on, I didn’t want any of that to happen.

Time has a way of making ALL pictures better. They’re a record of a moment in time. That moment often seems inconsequential when it happens, but someday you may not be able to experience anything like that moment again because the place or people are gone, and the picture suddenly takes on different meanings that were hidden before. Ever notice when you look at really old magazines you tend to gloss over the articles and spend most of your time looking at the advertisements? The things we don’t think are important or historic now have a tendency to be the ones that end up being more interesting later.

Liquor For Health
Yuma, AZ, 1995
Photo by Troy Paiva

I want to give a very big thanks to Troy Paiva for taking time out of his busy day to allow me to interview him and publish his words and photographs on Fuji X Weekly. Thank you, Troy! Many of these pictures have been shared on his social media pages, but a couple of them have never been published before, and you’re the very first (aside from Troy and now myself) to see them! To say that I feel honored is such an understatement.

My hope is that this article has encouraged you to take another look at the pictures you captured years and years ago. Maybe they have a different meaning today than the last time you saw them. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to do your own project similar to Troy’s. It could be time to dust off that old scanner, or even buy a new one. I think this article also illustrates that the photography you’re doing right now is important, even if it doesn’t seem so at the moment. Keep at it, and in time you’ll see the significance of the pictures you captured today.

Please visit Troy Paiva’s website: LostAmerica.com. Find him on Facebook and Instagram. Buy his six books on Amazon: Lost America, Light Painted Night Photography: The Lost America Technique, Night Vision, Boneyard, Night Salvage, and Junkyard Nights (seriously, pick up one or more of those books—you’ll be glad that you did!).

More of Troy Paiva’s daytime photography:

Have a Cuppa Kofa at Ern’s
Parker, AZ 1994
Photo by Troy Paiva
Silver State Bowl
Hawthorne, NV, 1994
Photo by Troy Paiva
The Smelly Mirror
Bombay Beach, CA, 1992
Photo by Troy Paiva
Barstow Texaco
Interstate 15, CA, 1992
Photo by Troy Paiva
Virgies West
Gallup, NM, 1992
Photo by Troy Paiva
The Squirt Fade
White Sands NP, NM, 1991
Photo by Troy Paiva
The Pigeon
Convair 880, Mojave, CA, 1991
Photo by Troy Paiva
MMM, Diesel
Interstate 15, CA, 1990
Photo by Troy Praiva
The Astro Burger 
Kramer Junction, CA, 1990
Photo by Troy Paiva
Truxton Garage
Route 66, AZ, 1989
Photo by Troy Paiva
Yard Sale 
Monument Valley, AZ, 1989
Photo by Troy Paiva

All photographs © Troy Paiva

Instagram is Dying — For Photographers

Instagram is a dying platform for photographers.

Still shocking to me, I’ve gotten a lot of followers on the Fuji X Weekly Instagram account over the last two years: over 25K right now! I topped 10K followers on May 11, 2021, and 25K on July 9, 2022—it has grown 150% in roughly 14 months. That’s amazing, and all thanks goes to you! I never thought that was possible.

When I reached 10K followers I signed up for a business account. While it certainly has its benefits, it also has one huge negative: Instagram wants me to pay them money to show you, my followers, my posts. They purposefully hide your content from your own followers—if someone seeks it out they will find it, but it won’t show up in their feed—unless you pay Instagram a fee. My engagement dropped in half the instant I signed up for the business account. You might think that engagement—likes, comments, shares, etc.—would have grown at the same rate as the followers, but not so. The average post at 25K has a similar engagement as a post at 10K prior to signing up for a business account. While my followers have increased by 150%, my engagement has only increased by 100%—back to where it was before Instagram cut it in half.

Instagram is a great place to feed your envy. There are people whose pictures suck that have 100K or more followers and are basically earning an income from Instagram. There are people who capture amazing pictures who have less than two hundred followers. I’ve seen both of those circumstances personally, and maybe you have, too. Now I’m not the world’s greatest photographer by any means. I see many, many photographers who are more talented than I who have fewer followers, and I also see the opposite, too. Nobody’s self-worth should come from Instagram, and the followers and engagement (or lack of it) don’t actually mean anything. Unfortunately, it’s more of a popularity contest than anything else; however, Instagram is a good way to connect with others across the world.

Once upon a time Instagram was the place to see wonderful photographs. You could find a lot of inspiration. It still is, but less so now. Why? Instagram (which is owned by Facebook/Meta) recently claimed that engagement in still photographs is down nearly 50% over the last two years, so that’s why they’re focusing on video. I call B.S. on this.

I know two things: Instagram will hide your content if they want to, and Instagram (Meta, actually) doesn’t like competition. Whenever a new social media app comes along that Meta perceives as a threat, they buy it; if they can’t buy it, they make their own version of it to incorporate into their own apps. Right now that competition is TikTok, and since Meta can’t buy it (I’m sure they tried at one point), they’re becoming “TikTok” in order to win—at the expense of you, the photographer.

I believe that Instagram has put into place algorithms to suppress still photography and simultaneously push video content (Reels, as they call it). Then they say that still photography is dying and video is booming, so they need to be video-centric. They’re paying people money to publish videos. I’m not a video guy myself, but by far my most popular post on Instagram is a Reel, with triple the engagement of my most popular still-photography post. Is it because you all are more interested videos, or because Instagram wants you to be more interested in video? In my opinion they’re trying to transform their app into TikTok, which means that photography needs to take a back seat.

You can still be successful on Instagram as a photographer. Since Instagram is pushing Reels so hard, you might consider using those to show your pictures (instead of a traditional post, or in addition to it). I’m personally not a fan of what Instagram is becoming, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful. A lot of people have discovered my Film Simulation Recipes through Instagram. I’ve made a lot of connections (I get about 50 DMs on IG each day!), and even made some friends. There are definitely still some positives.

I do think the time is ripe for an Instagram-alternative for photographers. I know that many have tried, and no one has really succeeded. I don’t know what its unique shtick should be, but there has to be something that sets it apart. Money is obviously an obstacle, because everyone wants a free app, but an app like that would be expensive to produce and maintain. I don’t have the solution, but I do know that an opportunity exists right now for someone who thinks that they might have the solution.

Now it’s your turn! Do you like or dislike how Instagram is evolving? Would you try an Instagram alternative if there was a good one? Is there a current app that you prefer to Instagram and why? Let me know in the comments!

Be sure to check out my Apps!

The Disappearing Entry-Level Camera

Fujifilm X-T200 — Fujifilm’s last entry-level camera?

I commonly get asked advice on camera gear. Most often it is which Fujifilm camera to buy, usually by someone who is trying to get into the system—either as a first “serious” camera or switching brands, typically because they want to try Film Simulation Recipes; however, I occasionally I get asked by someone (that knows that I’m “into photography”) who is looking for an entry-level camera for themselves or their teenage kid. If it’s for themselves, it’s because Johnny’s 5th birthday is coming and they want better pictures, or they’re about to take that epic vacation they’ve been saving up for and want to capture the memories. If it’s for their child, it’s because their kid has shown some interest in photography and they want to foster that. Either way, the basic entry-level model is what’s needed.

Whenever I ask about budgets, I usually hear something like, “Under $300.” Sometimes $500 is the upper limit. I’ve been told $150 before. Almost never is it $1,000. In the past the advice I gave was to buy a used entry-level DSLR, like the Nikon D3200, for example, which could often be found somewhere close to the budget—super easy for the novice, yet advanced enough that a budding photographer could learn on it. Later, I would suggest something like the Fujifilm X-T100 or X-A5, which were affordable mirrorless options (and, of course, Fujifilm). Nowadays it’s harder to make a recommendation because the entry-level camera is basically gone.

Those who are “serious” tend to know that they have to spend more to get a quality camera. Much of the time you get what you pay for; however, sometimes these entry-level models were surprisingly good—I was impressed by the image quality of the Fujifilm X-T200, for example. Those who are after quality will typically skip the entry-level and go for a mid-tier option or higher. Those who want a cheap introduction will be satisfied with a low-budget camera. A lot of people—mostly those who would never consider themselves a “real photographer”—used to buy these cheap cameras in droves, but now they don’t.

Hidden Church – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X-T200 – “Golden Negative

The reason they don’t is largely because of the cellphone. The camera technology on your phone is beyond good enough for most people and purposes, and it keeps getting more and more impressive. You don’t need a bulky, inconvenient, complicated, and expensive DSLR to capture Johnny’s 5th birthday. You don’t need an interchangeable-lens camera to photograph that epic vacation. Your phone is more than capable of delivering stunning pictures that can be instantly shared. Yes, you could spend a grand on a camera and lens, you could lug it around, you could take classes or watch videos on how to use it since it’s all so confusing, and you could download a bulky photo editing program onto your computer—or just pull out your phone and let its smart technology handle it all for you with just one tap.

It wasn’t long ago that the cellphone killed the pocket point-and-shoot. Now it’s also killed entry-level interchangeable-lens cameras. While I think cellphone camera technology can be (and could continue to become) appealing to “serious” photographers, I don’t think it will have a big impact on higher-end cameras. The market is shrinking from the bottom up—not the top down. If anything, there is an increased demand for mid and high end models. But the lucrative point-and-shoot and entry-level markets are pretty much all dried up.

What does this mean? There are several things. First, those hoping to find a cheap camera will have to get an older model, because less and less are new ones being made. I definitely don’t mind using “old” gear, but others don’t always feel the same—five-year-old tech is practically obsolete and 10-year old definitely is (in some people’s opinions, not mine). Fujifilm’s last entry-level cameras—the X-A7 and X-T200—were discontinued shortly after their release, due to sluggish sales. Right now the mid-tier X-E4 is their lowest-level model, and it is certainly not a “low-end” camera. Other brands have been discontinuing their entry-level options, too. If you want a “real” camera, you’ll need to get a “serious” camera; otherwise, stick with your cellphone.

iPhone 11 with Moment 58mm lens

I think the affect on those with a budding interest in photography will be profound. Either you will learn on a cellphone (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), or you’ll pony-up for a mirrorless—those who cannot afford the mirrorless model either won’t have their interest fostered and it will fade, or will learn photography differently—good, bad, or indifferent, this will shape the future of photography in some way. Change always has some impact on the future, but we won’t know exactly what it is until we get there.

Another impact that the disappearing entry-level will have on the camera industry is that money must be made somewhere. Camera companies have to make up for the lost revenue. While the trend in tech is that things become cheaper over time, I think we’re already seeing that the top-end is not getting cheaper. It won’t just affect the top, but that is what’s most affected currently it seems; I suspect that it will have an impact across all brands and all tiers to varying degrees. Fujifilm is lucky because their Instax line is still extremely popular and profitable.

The flip side of the coin is that the cellphone camera market is (and has been) booming. Whether it is Apple or Android, the camera capabilities of your device likely had a significant impact on your decision to buy. How many lenses does it have? How much resolution? What kind of computational tricks can it do? The more people spend on cellphones, the more the technology marches forward, and the better the cameras become. It’s really quite amazing what the little telephone/computer/camera in your pocket can do!

Photo by Amanda Roesch using the RitchieCam App on an iPhone 13

Obviously those advancements mean opportunities. I took the opportunity to create the RitchieCam App to bring simplified and intuitive one-step photography to your iPhone. My wife took the opportunity to do some underwater photography—something that she wouldn’t have done with an interchangeable-lens camera, but her iPhone 13 handled it swimmingly well. What that opportunity is for you depends on you—there is an opportunity for certain, you just have to find it and make it happen.

Yes, the entry-level camera is disappearing, and will soon be gone. Much like CDs, Blockbuster, and one-hour photo labs, cheap interchangeable-lens cameras are a thing of the past. It will have an impact on photography, but whether that’s positive or negative depends on your perspective. And I do think there are both positives and negatives. Certainly camera manufacturers have been concerned for some time—if there’s a lesson to be learned, perhaps it’s to do more to bring the mobile photography tech advancements to “real” cameras, too. Those wanting a bottom-end camera are seeing their options disappear. Those hoping cameras will become cheaper as they become better will likely be disappointed, at least for a time. That might look bleak, but I also believe that photography has become more accessible.

How has photography become more accessible if it isn’t becoming more affordable? The phone-in-your-pocket is only getting better, and is being taken more seriously. There’s a reason why the pocket point-and-shoot and entry-level interchangeable-lens cameras have succumbed to it. Many more people have access to a decent camera, and the pictures are easily shared across the world—more pictures are being captured now than ever before, and that’s a huge understatement!

Captured with a Fujifilm X-E4 using the Fujicolor Natura 1600 recipe.

Fujifilm cameras have made post-processing unnecessary. I don’t know how many of you truly understand the impact of this—I have a front-row seat, and I’m just beginning to grasp the magnitude of it. Learning Lightroom and Photoshop have been a prerequisite barrier to becoming a “serious photographer” for years; however, not everyone in the world has access to photo-editing programs, not everyone has a desire (or the time) to learn them, and not everyone enjoys sitting at a computer for hours (or has the time). A lot of people have been on the outside looking in, but now they don’t have to be because the barrier has been removed (thanks to Fujifilm cameras and Film Simulation Recipes). For others, it’s just a fun way to do photography, and has made the process of creating pictures more enjoyable.

Some who are just learning photography, who’ve maybe only used their cellphones previously, are buying Fujifilm cameras and using recipes and getting good results out-of-the-gate; if they had to edit their pictures, they would still be stuck on the software—they’d be making less progress and having less fun. Some who are experienced pros and have been in the business awhile have found that using recipes on Fujifilm cameras has simplified their workflow and made them more productive, while not sacrificing quality delivered to the client (true story I’ve heard several times).

Camera makers don’t like seeing a previously profitable market segment disappear, and that makes them worry about the future. Those wanting to buy a low-budget camera are finding it harder and harder to find. Things are shifting and changing within the photography and camera world. Yet, whether you just want some decent snaps of Johnny’s birthday or are just starting out in photography or are a seasoned pro—or anywhere in-between—there are great opportunities for you right now. The obstacles in your path have never been smaller.

Download the RitchieCam App for iPhone here.
Download the Fuji X Weekly App for iPhone here, and Android here.
Also, check out Ritchie’s Ricoh Recipes! Oh, and there are now recipes for Nikon Z, too.

Weathering Thunderstorms

Last night’s storm as captured with my Fujifilm X-E4.

Arizona gets summer thunderstorms. If you are not from this region you might be surprised to learn that on average one-in-five days are rainy in Phoenix during the months of July and August. The thunderstorms come suddenly and can be intense. Flash flooding is common in the desert. They call this Monsoon, which roughly translates to stormy season or perhaps more simply weather or season, depending on who you ask.

One of these Monsoon thunderstorms hit the house hard last night. The wind was strong, the rain was pouring, and the streets turned into streams. Things toppled over in the yard. Branches broke off of trees. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. It was kind of scary for a few moments.

I snapped a high-ISO image of the mayhem from safely inside the house. I used my Fujifilm X-E4 with a Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 lens, which isn’t the greatest low-light combo, so I used a window frame to help stabilize the camera for the 1/5 second exposure. I had my Nostalgic Print Film Simulation Recipe programmed into the camera; however, after the fact I thought it would look better in black-and-white, so I reprocessed the RAW file in-camera to the Kodak Tri-X 400 recipe.

I photographed this still-wet blossom today with my X-E4 and Fujicolor Pro 400H recipe.

I went to bed while the storm was still raging, but when I awoke this morning all was calm. It was a peaceful morning. The sun was shining. The wind was still. Birds were chirping. Everything seemed normal, except for what needed to be cleaned up—a task that didn’t take long—and I was able to enjoy the moment while sipping a cup of coffee.

This made me think of life. Sometimes the metaphoric storms rage, and it can be kind of scary. But once these storms-of-life pass—and they will pass—we can enjoy a moment of peace. The sun will shine again. The flowers will bloom. I think it’s important to take in the calm that comes after the storm. It’s inevitable that more storms will come; perhaps they’re easier to weather when we can remember the calm that comes after. Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Yeah, you might have some junk to clean up, but then take a moment to appreciate the peaceful morning.

Storm brewing behind a Palo Verde in 2019, captured with a Fujifilm X-T30 and Velvia recipe.

This article doesn’t have much to do with photography, but I hope that it is encouraging to some of you nonetheless. If there is a way to make this more photography-related, it is this: no matter if it is stormy in your life or a peaceful morning, get your camera and capture pictures. Expressing yourself through your images can be therapeutic, and there are many valuable lessons that could be learned.

Even though they can be scary, Monsoon thunderstorms are necessary for life in Arizona. They provide much-needed water to a parched land. They produce cooler temperatures on scorching days. The land becomes more lush and green in its wake. Similarly, your personal storms-of-life, although they’re awful to experience, can make you stronger and better, and perhaps are what will propel you forward to whatever is waiting for you tomorrow.

I Got it WRONG — How to Use the Nikon Zfc the Right Way!

Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4

I was wrong about the Nikon Zfc.

I wasn’t wrong about everything, actually. The Zfc is indeed surprisingly large and heavy—since it’s large and heavy it should have a grip, but it doesn’t. The camera feels too plasticky. It has an unnecessary PASM switch. The Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 lens that it came with is pretty pedestrian—plus it doesn’t have an aperture ring (none of Nikon’s Z lenses do, unfortunately). The Zfc is a little overpriced. It’s a camera that is easy to be disappointed with, and I believe a missed opportunity for Nikon. I was right about all of that.

Where did I get the Zfc wrong? How I was using it. This is a camera that begs to be used with a manual third-party (or vintage) lens, and with the PASM switch set to M. Forget that crummy Nikkor lens! Buy a cheap “nifty fifity” from China instead. Then use the Zfc as an all-manual camera. Viola! It suddenly makes sense!

Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4

I purchased a TTArtisans 35mm f/1.4 for about $85 (stay tuned for a full review), and I’m much happier with it than the 28mm f/2.8. It has nothing to do with the focal length of the Nikkor lens or its maximum aperture. My favorite Fujinon lens is the 27mm f/2.8—that Fujifilm pancake is great! The Nikon version is not. The TTArtisans lens is much better than the Nikon lens that came with Zfc—it’s both optically superior and has more character. More importantly, though, it has an aperture ring.

Using the Zfc in full-manual without an aperture ring just doesn’t make sense. Using the Zfc in Aperture-Priority without an aperture ring doesn’t make sense, either. Using an aperture-ring-lens on a PASM camera isn’t particularly natural in my opinion, unless you set it to M and treat it like an old-school film camera—that’s what I did with my Zfc! It works on this camera only because it has shutter and ISO knobs—I control the exposure triangle with physical controls.

Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4

This! This is how to use the Nikon Zfc—the right way—all manual. No auto anything. The Zfc is unique in that, even though it has PASM, it also has physical controls that are activated by being in the correct mode (in this case, manual mode). When you do this, the shooting experience is similar to manually shooting with a Fujifilm X camera—this is the closest to the traditional Fujifilm experience that I have found outside of using a Fujifilm camera. If you don’t mind attaching a non-Nikkor lens and shooting full-manual, the Zfc is actually an alright camera. Yes, it’s still short of what it could have and should have been, but at least I found how I can enjoy using it.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Nikon Zfc — AmazonB&H
TTArtisans 35mm f/1.4 — AmazonB&H

Example photographs, captured with my Nikon Zfc plus the TTArtisans 35mm f/1.4 lens, using some of my Nikon Z Film Simulation Recipes:

Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Analog Film” Film Simulation Recipe
Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Analog Film” Film Simulation Recipe
Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Vintage Color” Film Simulation Recipe
Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Aged Analog” Film Simulation Recipe
Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Aged Analog” Film Simulation Recipe (increased exposure)
Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Aged Analog” Film Simulation Recipe
Nikon Zfc + TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 + “Vintage Color” Film Simulation Recipe

Is Fujifilm Losing Its Soul?

After the announcement of the Fujifilm X-H2S, which has a PASM dial instead of the traditional dials of the X-H1, many people asked, “Is Fujifilm losing its soul?” I’ve had a number of Fujifilm photographers tell me that they believe so, and some have inquired if I believe so, too. What’s my opinion? Is Fujifilm indeed losing its soul?

Fujifilm has already lost its soul. It’s done gone. Elvis left the building awhile ago. The design decisions during development of the X-H2S are simply the manifestation of that lost soul.

What was this “soul” that Fujifilm lost? How can a company even have a soul?

A whole book could be written on this topic, but to summarize in a short sentence, Fujifilm’s philosophy for their X-series cameras was analog-inspired innovations with a focus on the photographer’s experience (both while using the camera for photography, and as customers of the brand). This was their soul. That philosophy, which seemed to be clearly understood, is what drove the camera department of the company (remember, Fujifilm’s main business is not photography nowadays). From the design decisions to the Kaizen firmware updates and everything in-between, this philosophy oozed out—it was both obvious and attractive, and is why Fujifilm was suddenly successful, quickly overtaking other brands, including iconic Nikon.

Fujifilm didn’t need to have a photography department at all, but they decided that, even if it was a bust, they’d still fund it and keep it going, because photography had been such an important part of their company’s heritage, and had been an important aspect of Japanese culture. They were merely the caretakers of this thing that was bigger than themselves. That’s how they looked at it, anyway, and it was noticeable and refreshing.

Somewhere along the line, however, Fujifilm began to view this differently. The photography division needed to be built bigger. It must grow. It must become more profitable. It must gain more marketshare. It must become as big as—or bigger than—Canon and Sony. I think there are actually two competing sides within Fujifilm (and maybe this battle has been taking place for awhile now): one is profit-first driven, and the other is nurture-first driven. The side I would like to see win is the latter, but the side that seems to be winning is the former.

Where this lost-soul has most obviously manifested itself is Kaizen, or the lack of it. This is a word that I hadn’t heard of until I owned a Fujifilm camera. It’s something that attracted a lot of people to the brand. It means continuous improvement—making something better over time, even though it was already purchased. Why? Part of it is duty (what you are supposed to do), and another part of it is that it creates loyalty, because it shows the customer that you care about them, and not just their money. That care will cause the customer to overlook shortcomings, because the caring is more important to them in the whole scheme of things. And long-term loyalty is more valuable to the company than short-term gains. I don’t know the exact timeline of when Fujifilm stopped caring (or, more accurately, began caring less about their customers in favor of caring more about profits), but it seems to be during the development of X-Trans IV. That’s when the profit-first people seemed to first get an upper hand on the nurture-first people. I don’t know for sure, though. What I am confident in is that, as X-Trans V rolls out, the profit-first philosophy is the current mantra of Fujifilm’s photography division—it’s Fujifilm’s current soul, unfortunately.

Am I overreacting? After all, the X-H2S is just one camera, right? There are two points that I’d like to make. First, Fujifilm removed the traditional dials on the X-H line in favor of PASM. For Fujifilm, PASM cameras are intended to attract new customers who are not interested in or are otherwise intimated by the traditional controls of their other X models. They don’t put PASM on cameras that they intend to market to their current customer base. The X-H2S is their top-of-the-line “flagship” model, the first X-Trans V… and it’s not for you. It was never intended for you. Screw you! It’s for them. Those guys with their Sonys and Canons, that’s who it’s for. We give our best to them. Our current customers who have been so loyal over the years will have to be happy with the crumbs that fall from the table. Second, X-Trans V is rolling out, while the X-T3 (their all-time top-selling model) and X-T30 are still on an island, and the X-Pro3 and X100V (premium models) don’t have as good of JPEG features as the X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II (mid or lower tier models). That’s shameful, in my opinion. Take care of your current customers first before working so hard to bring in new customers. Fujifilm is making their customer base less loyal, which will only hurt them in the long run. Nurture first.

If you build it, they will come. Fujifilm built it and they came; however, not enough for the profit-first people. They want more, but they’re barking up the wrong tree. Instead of becoming Sony in order to attract current Sony users who are unhappy with their gear (how does this makes sense to anyone?), Fujifilm should double-down on what makes them unique. What’s special about Fujifilm? Analog-inspired innovation and the photographer’s experience—that’s what’s special, or at least it used to be. There’s one other thing that’s unique, and that’s community. Fujifilm didn’t build it—instead it was built around them; however, they have not done nearly enough to embrace it and engage it. In fact, at times they’ve been standoffish to it. That needs to end, because community is Fujifilm’s greatest asset, yet they seem unsure of how to engage it, so they do so halfheartedly and from a “safe” distance.

I didn’t mean to write a negative article. When I sat down at the computer, I had no intention of typing out this post; however, it’s something that has been circling inside my mind for a few weeks now, so I suppose that it was inevitable. I really hope that it doesn’t make you feel angry towards Fujifilm. This article’s aim is to, on the off chance that this is actually read by Fujifilm, inspire reflection and perhaps even change, and secondarily put into words something that maybe you have felt but weren’t sure how to express. Perhaps this is somehow therapeutic. For me it feels good to say, even though it is negative, and I hope that getting it out in the open will somehow produce something positive.

Deal Alert: Fujifilm X-T3 WW Discounted

Fujifilm just discounted the X-T3 WW, which is an X-T3 without a battery charger (USB charging only). The X-T3 used to be Fujifilm’s flagship model until the X-T4 was released two years ago, but they still offer it brand-new because it is a best-selling model, even outselling the superior X-T4. The X-T3 WW is one of the absolute best bargains available today, but now (through June 5th, apparently) the X-T3 WW is an even better bargain! If you’ve thought about buying one, it’s a really good time to do so.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

The Fujifilm X-T3 WW body-only is $100 off, now only $999.95! Amazon B&H
The Fujifilm X-T3 WW + 18-55mm kit is $200 off, now only $1,299.95! Amazon B&H

A few months back I published an article, Best Fujifilm Cameras Under $1,000, and the X-T3 WW was listed as “Best Value Just Above $1,000,” but now that it’s on sale it would be my best value recommendation for $1,000 or less. The X-T3 also made it to number three on my 10 Most Important Fujifilm X-Trans Cameras list.

Thoughts on Apps & App Development

Since I have three apps now—Fuji X Weekly, Ricoh Recipes, and RitchieCam—I’ve been asked by several people for advice on app development. I’ve also been meaning to discuss some of the things I’ve learned, because it’s interesting, and maybe it’s useful information to a few of you. I’ve hesitated to write this as it might seem like a boring topic—perhaps even controversial or offensive at times—and unrelated to Fujifilm, but I truly hope that by the end there’ll be something for you. I write from real-world experience, but I’ve also researched this fairly extensively over the last year-and-a-half (including reading several books on the topics), so I’m not making this stuff up.

I have received a lot of criticism over the pricing structure of my apps. There are three options: free, freemium (the app is free, but there’s a fee for some features), and premium (not free). Within freemium and premium are three options: one-time fee (to unlock everything), à la carte fees (pay individually for this or that), and subscriptions (reoccurring monthly or annually).

One-time fees used to be the most common, but are much less so now. Why? Apps used to be popular for a season, then the next trend would make them irrelevant, so the life cycle of apps was typically pretty short, usually two years or less. Nowadays apps have a much longer lifespan—often a decade or even indefinitely—so the one-time fee model makes no sense. You wouldn’t buy a vacuum cleaner and expect it to be up-kept and improved upon by the manufacturer for years to come—not without additional fees, anyway—but people expect that from apps and software. Apps that use this model are abandoned as soon as new customers become less frequent. There are numerous apps in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store right now that succumbed to this fate. In my research I came across countless apps that hadn’t been updated in years, where the most recent review was two years old, and it was begging the developer to update the out-of-date app. This model is good for short-term projects, but is not good if you want an app to be around for years and years to come, because as soon as the financial motivation dries up, the app is neglected and abandoned.

The apps that use à la carte fees are often gaming and dating apps. You pay to unlock something, such as a level redo, puzzle hint, or something like that. This can be affective, but you have to be careful because if not done tastefully it can come across as scammy. People don’t like paying “hidden” fees around every corner.

So that leaves us with the subscription model, which is a win-win, and allows the app to continuously improve into something greater over time. This is best-case for the developer because it ensures continuous resources, and best-case for the customer because it ensures the app will improve regularly over time and not be left abandoned. More and more apps are going this route, and it is now the most common model. It’s all rainbows and roses except for one thing: many people don’t like subscriptions in general, and some people passionately oppose it with all their heart, as if it were some great evil.

Premium apps are good if you can get the word out. It can be tough to gain traction, because most people don’t want to pay for things, so they won’t buy it. That’s why freemium is often preferred. Here’s the thing, though: 95% of people will use the app for free, and only 5% will subscribe—it’s actually more like 8% on Apple and 2% on Android (yes, this is true!). Apple users are much more likely to spend money on apps than Android, but either way we’re still talking about small percentages. That also means that 95% of people will pass on premium apps. With freemium, for 95 people who are using it for free, they’ll tell others, which will lead to 20 new users, and one of those will subscribe. That’s why a lot of developers choose freemium over premium—it’s a little easier to gain the traction you need to be successful.

Now let’s talk about free apps, or even the “free” aspect of most freemium apps. There are two sayings: there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and if you aren’t the customer than you are the product. Both are true. In addition to all of the time I put into creating, maintaining, and improving apps, there’s a real cost that I pay out of pocket. In fact, each time one of my apps is opened on your phone, I am charged an extraordinarily small fee, which does add up. Just because you are not paying, doesn’t mean someone else isn’t paying on your behalf. That lunch might be free to you, but it isn’t free.

If you aren’t willing to be the customer, app developers turn you into the product. They sell you ads or—much worse—sell your data. Ads are annoying, but a lot of people are willing to put up with them in exchange for something being free. For app developers, unless you have millions of users, ad revenue doesn’t add up into anything more than pocket change. The real money is in data harvesting. Companies want to serve personalized ads that are highly affective, and they need to know everything about you in order to do this. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry because it works, and, because of this, you unknowingly spend much more than the cost of an app subscription. That’s the cost of being the product.

Here’s the creepy part. If I were to harvest data with, say, the RitchieCam app, I could know so much about you. If I have access to your GPS, I could know where you live, and, comparing that with Zillow, I could know more-or-less how affluent you are. I could track where you work, and, referencing Google maps, could know what industry you are in. I could know where you shop. I could know where you eat out at. I could know where your kids go to school. Since I have access to your camera and library, I could deduce the size of your family, your family’s genders, who your friends are, if you have pets, I could read the text on your screenshots. I could do all of this and so much more. Rest assured that I do not collect or sell any data whatsoever, which isn’t particularly common, because I’m leaving money on the table. Most free and freemium apps are indeed collecting and selling your data, because there’s no free lunch, so they’ve turned you into the product for profit.

What I have said might sound farfetched, but it isn’t. In fact, what I pointed out was really just the tip of the iceberg. You have apps on your phone right now—apps that you regularly use and trust—that go well beyond what I described in the previous paragraph. Have you ever talked about something out-loud and five minutes later see an ad for it? Ads are highly personalized and targeted because your apps know so much about you, and companies pay big bucks for that knowledge, because it means even bigger bucks—your bucks—become their profits.

Again, I want to make it clear that none of my apps collect or sell data. It’s to my own detriment that I do this, but I do it for you because you deserve it, and it’s the right thing to do, even if it is rare. On my apps, you are never, ever the product. I “pay for your lunch” for you if you are using the apps for free, and I happily do that.

You might be surprised to hear this, but I am told frequently that I do not give enough away for free. I am told that I am selfish and greedy because I have the audacity to charge “so much” for things. I am told that my approach is wrong. I am sorry if you feel that way, but I deserve something for my work, right? Trust me, I’m not rolling in the dough or becoming wealthy from this. I have enough to put food on the table, a roof over my head, and take trips sometimes (adventures are often more worthwhile investments than gear), but I couldn’t go out and purchase a GFX system right now. This is to say that the perception of my compensation is often exaggerated and misunderstood—I’m doing alright, but if I were indeed greedy and selfish I could be doing better. The accusations are hurtful because they’re untrue.

There’s a lot that can be debated on what exact paths are the best paths. I chose the freemium model after much research and advice from others with experience within the industry. Some might disagree with that decision. I chose not to turn those using the apps for free into products. Some would say that’s leaving money on the table, and everyone else is doing it anyway. I chose the subscription prices for a reason—I’ve received a lot of criticism from that, and many “Monday morning quarterbacks” tell me that I got it all wrong, although the books I’ve read and those I’ve spoken with within the industry tell me that I am where I should be (I “got it right” thanks to all the research that wen’t into the decisions to begin with, but there’s always different paths and varying philosophies). As Abraham Lincoln stated, “You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.” In other words, nothing that I do will make everyone happy, but I hope that many people find my apps to be helpful and worthwhile tools. I hope that most of those who subscribe find it to be worth their money, and that they don’t feel ripped off or swindled—that they’re good values for what they deliver. Not all will feel that way, though, and that’s just the way it is.

For those wanting to create an app, you have to know that, no matter how much research you do, and no matter how much of your heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears you pour into it, there are some who won’t like it and some who will criticize your decisions. Mean and hurtful things will be said about you. You can’t make everyone happy, and you have to know that and accept that, but if you do what you believe is right—especially if you’ve done extensive research—you’re going to make some people happy just for the fact that you did it. The tricky part is figuring out how to maximize happiness and minimize the dissatisfaction, while also being fair to yourself, because you deserve satisfaction and compensation for your time, money, and hard work that you poured into it. It’s definitely a difficult and precarious balancing act that has to be regularly analyzed and addressed, and perhaps adjusted if needed.

I know this lengthy article has nothing to do with the regular content of this website, but I hope it is helpful for a few of you, and that most of you got something out of it (even if it is simply awareness of what your apps are doing behind the scenes). I didn’t write this as any sort of complaint or “woe is me” statement, because I don’t mean it that way whatsoever. I am quite happy with what I’m doing, and I know that it is helpful to many of you—it is even having an impact on the photography continuum, something I never imagined would happen! I’m really honored and blessed to be a part of this. I’m extraordinarily flattered and humbled if I’ve impacted your photography in some small way. It really is my pleasure to do all that I do for the Fujifilm community. With all of that said, I think it is important to be authentic, which means being vulnerable, and sharing this information is one way to do that. Perhaps somehow this was a meaningful article for some of you, and maybe it was worth your time today to read, even if it wasn’t about Fujifilm cameras.

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Fujifilm X-Trans IV Film Simulation Recipe: Serr’s 500T

11th Street – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V – “Serr’s 500T”

Back in May of 2021, a really cool video by Serr (Instagram, YouTube) appeared on YouTube called Fujifilm Film Simulation Recipes That Will Make You Stop Shooting RAW. It features three Film Simulation Recipes: two by me—LomoChrome Metropolis and Xpro ’62—and the third was my Bright Summer recipe slightly modified. If you haven’t seen the video, be sure to watch it! Anyway, Serr contacted me recently to share a Film Simulation Recipe that he created, which was inspired by ISO 500 Tungsten motion picture film. I gave his recipe a try and really liked it! Serr gave me permission to publish his recipe on this website and the Fuji X Weekly App.

If you are searching for a good blue-hour and nighttime Film Simulation Recipe, this is one you should try! I used it recently in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Astoria, Oregon, and was impressed with the results. I invite you, if you will be photographing after dark anytime soon, to give this recipe a try—you’ll be glad that you did! I suspect that this will become a favorite recipe for some of you.

Night Statue – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Serr’s 500T”

This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. For those with an X-T3 or X-T30, you can use this recipe but you’ll have to ignore Grain size and Color Chrome FX Blue—the results will be slightly different, but pretty close. Those with X-Trans III cameras will additionally have to ignore Color Chrome Effect. Because Clarity is set to 0 in this recipe, I used a 5% CineBloom filter on my X100V for these pictures—alternatively, you could set Clarity to -2 and get similar results.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR-Auto
Highlight: -2
Shadow: -1
Color: -1
Noise Reduction: -2
Sharpness: -1
Clarity: 0
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: 3200K, -1 Red & +4 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using “Serr’s 500T” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Dairy Maid – Warrenton, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Cold Nights – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V
Magic Fork – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Salmon – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Walking Tadziu – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V
Street Reflection – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Stop Do Not Enter – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Night Shoes – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Night Vacuums – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
CocoLove – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V

Find this film simulation recipes and over 200 more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!

Fujifilm X-Pro3 (X-Trans IV) Film Simulation Recipe: Old Ektachrome

Approaching Mesa Arch – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3 – “Old Ektachrome”

I was asked to recreate the aesthetic from a frame of a classic movie. I don’t know which movie, but only that it was shot on “Eastmancolor” film, which is a brandname for many different motion picture films and processes going back to the 1950’s. In fact, Eastmancolor Negative, better known as ECN, is still the development process used for today’s motion picture film. It’s unknown which film was used for the frame I was shown, but I did my best to recreate it on a Fujifilm X-Pro3.

After using these settings for several days, I decided that it really reminds me of old Ektachrome color reversal film, perhaps from the 1970’s. Ektachrome was known for fading rather quickly, with some color shifts if not stored well. Aside from some faded slides from my grandparents, most of the Ektachrome I’ve seen from this era have been in classic photography magazines. I don’t know how faithfully this recipe mimics old Ektachrome film, but it definitely has the right “memory color” for me. I hope that you like it, too.

Abandoned Ferris Wheel – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3 – “Old Ektachrome”

This “Old Ektachrome” film simulation recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. This recipe isn’t compatible with the X-T3 or X-T30, but if you disregard Color Chrome FX Blue, disregard Grain size, and use a diffusion filter in lieu of Clarity, you’ll get similar results.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +2
Shadow: +1
Color: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: -4
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: Daylight, +3 Red & +2 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Old Ektachrome” film simulation recipe on a Fujifilm X-Pro3:

Blue Roof – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Old Carnaval Ride – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Too Late To Ride – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Early Blossoms – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Potted Plant – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Desert Snow – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Rock & Half Arch – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Cave & Juniper – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Snow in the Desert – Arches NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Sign Stickers – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
Red Rock Tree – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3
View Through Mesa Arch – Canyonlands NP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3

Find this film simulation recipes and over 200 more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!