My 5 Favorite Film Simulation Recipes that use Acros
Provia — Velvia — Astia — Classic Chrome — PRO Neg. Hi — PRO Neg. Std — Classic Negative — Nostalgic Neg. — Eterna — Eterna Bleach Bypass
There are 20 different film simulations on the new Fujifilm X100VI. Since there are likely many newcomers to Fujifilm who aren’t all that familiar with the various film sims (and Film Simulation Recipes), I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss each one in more detail, and offer my personal favorite Recipes for each. The new Reala Ace film simulation will be excluded from this because there aren’t many Recipes available for it yet. Also, I’m combining the four Acros film sims into one article (this one!), and the four Monochrome film sims (and probably Sepia, too) into another (the next one).
The Acros film simulation is modeled after Neopan Acros black-and-white negative film, which Fujifilm introduced back in 1952. Neopan Acros came in three ISOs: 100, 400, and 1600. Neopan Acros was briefly discontinued in 2018, and reintroduced in 2019 as Neopan Acros 100 II. Curiously, the new version is actually manufactured by Harman (the parent company of Ilford), although it behaves quite similarly to the original. Acros is one of the most analog-like film sims, and one of my absolute favorites. One unique aspect about it is that it has built-in Grain that increases with the ISO. For grittier pictures, simply use higher ISOs. If you are unsure what the +Y, +R & +G filter options do, I wrote about it here.
While there are a number of Acros-based Film Simulation Recipes, which produce a variety of results, there’s only one that I use regularly: Kodak Tri-X 400. It’s always programmed into at least one of my cameras. I often tell people that it is my all-time favorite Film Simulation Recipe, and if I could only ever use just one Recipe for the rest of my life, it would be Kodak Tri-X 400.
The five Film Simulation Recipes below are my favorites that use Acros as the base. Everyone has different tastes, so you might like other ones more. I count 22 Recipes in the Fuji X Weekly App that use Acros, so you have some choices. But, if you are unsure which Acros Recipe to try, let me suggest picking one from my list below.
#1:
Not only is this, by far, the most popular black-and-white Film Simulation Recipe, it’s also my personal favorite. I use it all of the time, and it’s an easy one to recommend for you to try. There’s compatibility with X-Trans III, X-Trans IV, and X-Trans V cameras.
#2:
This Recipe has some similarities to Kodak Tri-X 400, so—unsurprisingly—it is quite excellent, too. It has compatibility with X-Trans IV (except the X-T3 & X-T30) and X-Trans V.
#3:
This used to be my favorite B&W Recipe before Kodak Tri-X 400. You have to be careful with the exposure, and watch the highlights carefully so that they don’t clip. It’s compatible with X-Trans III and the X-T3/X-T30; for use on newer cameras, set Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome FX Blue to Off, Grain size Small, and Clarity 0.
#4:
This is the original B&W Recipe published on this website, and one that helped convince me that camera-made JPEGs can actually be good. It’s intended for X-Trans III cameras, but can also be used on the X-T3 and X-T30.
#5:
This is the newest B&W Film Simulation Recipe. It’s actually quite excellent—I personally like it a lot—and is a good alternative to the ones above. It’s compatible with X-Trans IV (except the X-T3 & X-T30) and X-Trans V cameras.
See also:
How To Add Film Simulation Recipes To Your Fujifilm Camera
Why Film Simulation Recipes are BETTER than default Film Simulations
Why Shooting JPEGs Is So Popular
Find these Film Simulation Recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly App!