White Boat at Nyhavn – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Copenhagen Negative
People often ask me why I think Fujifilm Recipes have become so popular. The answer seems obvious: they produce beautiful pictures. That’s certainly part of it, but I don’t think that’s the whole story. After years of creating hundreds of Recipes and talking with photographers from around the world, I’ve come to believe that what we’re really drawn to isn’t just the look, it’s how Film Simulations and Recipes change the experience of photography itself.
Photography has become increasingly complicated over the last few decades. Pick up a vintage film camera and you have three controls: aperture, shutter, and focus. ISO is determined by the film. If you developed your own film, that required learning a skill and access to special equipment; however, if you had a lab do it for you (and photo labs used to be everywhere), that simplified things significantly. Pick up a modern camera, and there are buttons and controls all over the body, and things become even more complex when you dig into the menu. Editing software, which is the modern equivalent of the darkroom, can be overwhelming, with nearly unlimited possibilities for photo manipulation, a skill that’s quite different than operating a camera. That’s all incredible, but it can also be intimidating and exhausting. Sometimes endless choice is less like freedom and more like work. The more complicated cameras and software get, the less enjoyable it can become. But Fujifilm offers an alternative approach, should you wish to use it.
Choosing a Fujifilm Recipe is a little like loading a roll of film into a camera, except that on most Fujifilm models you can have up to seven loaded at any given time, and you’re not limited to 24 or 36 frames—it’s unlimited. Once you’ve set the Recipes, you stop worrying about all the other possibilities, and simply photograph with what’s available to you. Interestingly, limiting your options often feels more freeing than having unlimited choices. It’s one of those wonderful paradoxes: less is more, and fewer options can actually make you more creative. As Pablo Picasso advised, “If you have five elements available, use only four. If you have four elements, use three.”
There is something deeply satisfying about seeing a finished photograph immediately. It’s not too dissimilar to the magic of instant film photography. Ansel Adams coined the term one-step processing to describe this, where the second step—the development step—is no longer required. “The effect of one-step processing on both amateur and professional creative photography has been revolutionary,” Adams stated. When the picture appears in the EVF or LCD and it already looks the way you envisioned, that’s exciting. It makes you want to keep photographing, which creates momentum. Instead of thinking, “I’ll fix it later in post,” you’re thinking, “Let’s make another picture!” That’s a completely different mindset.
Recipes encourage photographers to see differently. For example, if I choose a Recipe with warm colors and soft contrast like Kodak Portra 400 v2, I naturally start looking for scenes that fit it. If I’m using a dramatic B&W Recipe like Agfa Scala, I begin noticing shadows, texture, and shape. What I photograph and how I photograph it change depending on the Recipe I’m using. The camera hasn’t changed, but the way I’m seeing the world has. In other words, Fujifilm Recipes are creative tools that influence the entire photographic process.
Then there’s nostalgia. Whether you shot film for decades or were born long after its heyday, certain colors and tones feel familiar. They remind us of family photo albums, vacation snapshots, old magazines, classic photography books, maybe movies we grew up watching, or even our memories of how something looked and felt. Fujifilm has done something remarkable by bringing those visual memories into the digital age by way of Film Simulations, and Recipes build further on that foundation by recreating classic analog aesthetics.
Joshua Tree Hotel – Kingman, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Agfa Ultra 100 v2
There’s one final aspect that’s worth mentioning: community. I think there’s an especially deep desire right now for personal connections; while it may seem odd that camera settings would bring people together, they do. Real life connections have been made because of the Recipe community. In my experience, this is the kindest group in all of photography, chocked full of super nice people who are eager to help. In a sense, community is the recipe.
Photographers love Fujifilm’s Film Simulations and Recipes because they make photography accessible, enjoyable, less time consuming, and for how it changes the photographic process. They encourage us to spend less time behind a computer and more time behind the camera (and maybe even with other photographers). They remind us that creativity often flourishes within limitations, not despite them. And perhaps most importantly, they help us focus on what drew many of us to photography in the first place: the simple joy of making pictures.
I’m hesitant to write this review, because the Fujifilm X half is paradoxical. There’s a lot about it that’s conflicting. You can say this aspect of it is great for a certain group of people, but this aspect of it is not. This might be the most unique digital camera ever made, so it’s going to get a lot of attention, but also a lot of criticism. Trying to figure out who will most appreciate the X half (also called X-HF1) has been an intriguing endeavor.
To be completely transparent, it’s important for me to tell you upfront that Fujifilm sent me an X half to keep. Yea! Thank you, Fujifilm. I didn’t pay a dime for the camera. But I did have an X half preordered, so I was planning to spend money on one. I’m doing my best to not let my impressions be colored by Fujifilm’s kind generosity.
There are a few things that are unique about X-HF1. The headline is the vertically-mounted 1″ sensor. As far as I know, this is the very first camera to have a vertical sensor, all others are horizontal—that is, aside from cellphones. A lot of people—younger people especially—tend to photograph vertically on their cellphones, so it was just a matter of time before a camera would have a tall sensor. The X half is revolutionary because it’s the very first. I suspect there will be more in the future, and Fujifilm won’t be the only brand. Speaking of 1″ sensors, the name is a bit misleading. The surface area of a so-called 1″ sensor is the same as old 1″ Vidicon vacuum tube television cameras. So the name (“one inch”) has to do with the tube size of TV cameras from the ’50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s, and not the dimensions of the sensor.
The inspiration for the X half—and where the name comes from—are half-frame film cameras, like the Fujica Half, Olympus Pen, Kodak H35N, and Pentax 17. These cameras use half of a 35mm frame for each picture, orientated tall. Some medium-format cameras also are natively portrait orientated. Cameras that capture vertical photos are not new, but they are new in the digital age. Of course it has to be said that the X-HF1’s sensor isn’t half the size of a full-frame sensor, or even half the size of APS-C; no, the X half‘s “half” is not a mathematical term, but simply a nod to analog half-frame cameras. The 3:4 aspect ratio is also the same as half-frame cameras.
Like a half-frame film camera, the X half is capable of creating diptychs, which are two frames side-by-side combined into one image. You can do this easily in-camera using the Frame Advance Lever, or after-the-fact using the new X half app. It’s a heck-of-a-lot of fun, but I imagine that the novelty will wear off after awhile. While it will put a (customizable) bar in-between the two frames, I wish it had the option for a boarder around the whole image like in the examples above, which was done using a third-party app. Maybe Fujifilm will add this feature to the X half app in the future.
The X-HF1 is as minimalistic as it gets in the X-series. The menu has been simplified and streamlined, and a lot of settings have been left out. You cannot use Film Simulation Recipes with this camera, only the stock Film Simulations and Filters. Not all of the Film Sims made the cut, but most of them are there: Provia, Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome, Reala Ace, Classic Negative, Nostalgic Negative, Eterna, Acros (include +Ye, +R & +G), and Sepia. I would rather have Eterna Bleach Bypass over Sepia, but it’s a good group overall. There are a whole bunch of Filters (called Advanced Filters on other X-series cameras), some of which are borrowed from the Instax Evo cameras. My favorites are Pop Color, Light Leak, Expired Film, and Retro. These cannot be used in addition to Film Simulations—it’s one or the other, and not both. The list of Filters is quite long, and I don’t have an interest in most of them, so I wish that you could customize which ones are available, to make it easier to find and select the ones you actually want to use.
Above: Pop Color Filter
Above: Light Leak Filter
Above: Expired Film Filter
Above: Retro Filter
Pop Color is reminiscent of Fujichrome Fortia. I’d actually like to see it graduate to Film Simulation status. Light Leak, as well as filters like Halation and Vignette, should become JPEG options on other X-series cameras, that can be added to any Film Simulation. Expired Film and Retro should be added as Advanced Filters. Of the three Expired Film options, Green and Neutral are my favorites.
The only customizations that are available are Grain, Portrait Enhancer (which I believe is just Smooth Skin Effect renamed), White Balance (but no WB Shift), and Long Exposure NR. One cool thing is that these are also applied to the Filters, and not just the Film Simulations—I’d love for that to make its way to other X-series cameras. Beyond that, the Film Simulations and Filters cannot be customized to achieve various looks, which is a real bummer for someone like me who uses Recipes extensively.
Top left: Weak / Small Grain. Top right: Strong / Large Grain. Bottom: Actual Ilford Delta P3200 film
I enjoy a little grain in my photos. It adds texture that’s been common in photography for much of its existence. The X-HF1 has faux grain, with four options: Weak/Small, Weak/Large, Strong/Small, and Strong/Large. Grain set to Weak/Small on the X half is a little more pronounced than Strong/Large is on (for example) the X100VI. I wish that there was a less strong option than Weak/Small, because it’s borderline too much; however, since there’s not, I used it almost exclusively. Strong/Large is a bit ridiculous, and is reminiscent of the grain of ultra-high ISO films like Ilford Delta P3200. If you want to achieve an Ilford Delta P3200 look, the X half isn’t far off at all when Grain is set to its maximum parameters.
Another word about Grain is that it slows the camera down, much like Clarity on other X-series cameras. I found this to be odd, and my theory is that when Grain is applied, so is Clarity (maybe -2). I tried to prove this, but couldn’t, so I might be completely wrong. I have another theory that—for Film Simulations, at least, and maybe for Filters—Color is increased as exposure is increased, and is reduced as the exposure is reduced. I also tried to prove this, but got mixed results, so I’m not certain if this is how the camera is programmed, or just a natural effect of over and under exposure.
Above: Classic Negative
The camera seems to apply a heavy-handed noise reduction, and then a heavy-handed sharpening to compensate. I would love to have some control over this, as it’s not my favorite approach. It might be necessary, though, since the X-HF1 has a Bayer sensor instead of X-Trans. One benefit of X-Trans that doesn’t get discussed enough is that it allows noise to be more easily identified and controlled; Fujifilm uses this to make it more film-grain-like, and less of a nuisance. Since this is a Bayer camera, it might require a little stronger noise reduction.
Another benefit of X-Trans is that it has more green pixels (55%, compared to 50% on Bayer), which allows for more luminosity information. This provides a little more dynamic range and high-ISO capabilities. On the X half, dynamic range is quite limited. I would say it’s roughly comparable to DR100 with Highlight and Shadow set to +0.5 on other X-series cameras. It’s fairly easy to clip highlights and/or block up shadows, and is a little like slide film in this regard. Since this camera is JPEG-only (no RAW), you have to be very careful about the exposure.
Above left: ISO 1600. Above right: ISO 4000
I found that I prefer ISO 400 and below on the X half, reminiscent of Sigma Merrill cameras, which has a similar limitation. In a pinch you can go higher, especially if the picture will only be shared to social media, but I tried my best to keep the ISO at or below ISO 400 whenever possible. Because the maximum aperture of the lens is “only” f/2.8, when the sun goes down it can be very challenging to use the camera.
The X-HF1 does have a built-in flash, albeit not a great one. It doesn’t have a hotshoe, only a coldshoe. Flash photography is, unfortunately, not ideal on this camera, which is too bad, since it has a leaf shutter. If Fujifilm someday makes a second version, I hope that it either has a proper flash or a hotshoe (or both), as this current setup is mediocre at best. I kept the flash off most of the time.
Above: Flash photography on the X half
One really cool feature is called Film Camera Mode. You select either 36, 54, or 72 shots, and you are dedicated to that mode until you’ve completed your “roll of film”—which is whatever Film Simulation you chose. I do wish that 24 was an option, as it takes awhile to finish a roll. You cannot review the photos until they’ve been “developed” in the X half app. In this mode, the X-HF1 functions similarly to point-and-shoot film cameras from the 1990’s. You have to use the Frame Advance Lever in-between shots. It’s a ton of fun, but also challenging, because you have no idea if you correctly exposed, focused, or even if you framed it well. I kept forgetting to take the lens cap off, too. My daughter coined the 72 shot roll as the 72 exposure challenge. I’d love for that to become a community-driven trend, where people post their best frames from their 72 exposure “roll” on social media, with the hashtag #72exposurechallenge.
It would be nice if you could use the various Filters in this mode, and not just the Film Simulations. ***Edit: I was on a pre-production firmware; however, after updating to the latest version, I can now use Filters in the Film Camera Mode. Yea! Sorry for the confusion.*** Another thing I’d appreciate is that whatever ISO you have selected is carried over to the Film Camera Mode. Unfortunately, you only get Auto ISO up to ISO 12800, which is totally unusable whenever it goes that high. Fortunately, your Grain and White Balance settings are carried over, so be sure to set those before starting.
Above: X half contact sheet and various frames
Once you develop your “roll” in the app, you get a contact sheet. It would be great if you could long-press on a frame, and it would give you the option of saving that frame with the sprockets, or that frame plus the one next to it (on either side, unless it’s the end of the strip), or the whole strip. Instead, you have to crop the contact sheet in order to accomplish that. But I’m a huge fan of the contact sheet in-general, it’s a really cool idea.
Overall, I enjoyed using the Film Camera Mode, but I found myself not using it as much as the regular shooting mode because you have to be in the mood for it. One of the challenges that I appreciate about the X-HF1 is finding the “right” Film Simulation or Filter, combined with the “best” White Balance, to convey the mood of the scene most appropriately. The X half is so simple that a three-year-old could use it, but to get the most out of it requires thinking a little more deeply about things that are easily taken for granted. It’s been one of the most simple yet most challenging cameras I’ve ever used—the paradox I mentioned in the opening sentence.
Fujifilm X half – Acros Film Simulation
The X half is capable of recording video, but it’s very mediocre. Someone will use it creatively just to prove the point that it can be done, but I think Fujifilm probably should have just left off video, which would have made an interesting statement. Or else, maybe do a faux 8mm thing with sprockets and light leaks and such—that would have been really cool. Food for thought for the next iteration, if there is one someday.
Who should consider buying this camera? I think there are a few obvious answers. First, the X-HF1 has a foot in both the X-series and the Instax world. For those unaware, Instax is bigger than X and GFX combined. I talked to a bunch of people—probably close to ten—who own an Instax camera yet don’t own any X-series model, and they were all highly interested in the X half. Six different people told me that it’s the only Fujifilm camera they want, aside from Instax. The X half is an obvious bridge into the X-series for these folks. Also, some people who shoot point-and-shoot film cameras but are tired of the cost of film will find this to be an intriguing option. At $25 to $50+ per roll (including development and scanning), it won’t take long for the X half to pay for itself. The X-HF1 is sort of like a digital 110 camera, and almost lomography-esque, so it’s not difficult to see the appeal. Third, digicams are all the rage right now among younger people, and this camera can be considered in that category, too.
Above: Various pictures captured with the Fujifilm X half
What about current X-series photographers? What about someone like me? The camera is a blast. It’s so much fun. But it’s a toy. It’s not a serious camera for serious photography (I’m sure someone will use it in a serious way just to prove the point that it can be). It’s great for casual snapshots. I used it extensively during nearly three weeks of travel, and it was my most-used camera during that time, even more than my Fujifilm X100VI. I have so many more pictures that I could share, this is only a small sampling. It’s so easy to always have on you, and I would rather use the X half than my iPhone, if only for the tactile experience and Fujifilm colors. If you think you’d enjoy it, it’s probably worthwhile to get. If you wonder why anyone would buy it, it’s probably not for you, and it’s easy to move on.
The biggest criticism is going to be the price. In America, the X half is a steep $850. Across the rest of the world, it’s roughly equivalent to $700 USD. Unfortunately, this was the first camera to include the new tariffs in the price (although Canon and Nikon have just implemented some price increases, and Sony will soon, too), so it’s a bit shocking. Some people will say it should be $200 or $300, and that’s highly unrealistic—just absurd and not even close to any level of reality. Some will say it should be $500, and I’d agree with that if it were pre-Covid; however, there’s been a lot of inflation since then. I believe that $650 to $700 is a fair price. $850 is a little much, but that’s largely not Fujifilm’s fault; hopefully the tariff situation will get resolved soon, and Fujifilm can drop the price to where it should be. I don’t know if that will happen, though, and if the camera sells really well at its current price, there may not be a reason to reduce it.
Above: Various diptych pictures captured with the Fujifilm X half
The last thing that I want to address is the inability to use Film Simulation Recipes with this camera. Recipes are a pretty big thing in the Fujifilm world—the brand-new X-E5 actually uses the word “Recipe” in the camera menu. I appreciate excellent straight-out-of-camera results. While I would love to be able to customize the looks more in the X half, you can still get good picture aesthetics with the limited tools available in the camera. The photography continuum has been leaning towards less editing for a few years now, and this camera is just a natural and seemingly inevitable expression of that.
There’s a lot to like about the Fujifilm X half, and a lot that can be questioned. You have to accept the camera for what it is and forgive it for not being what it’s not; otherwise, it might grind on your nerves. But, for certain, the camera is very enjoyable, and it offers a unique shooting experience not found anywhere else. If you want the X half experience, you have to have an X half. But that unique experience will not appeal to everyone, and maybe not even to most X-series photographers. I do believe this camera will be quite successful, and will bring many people into the X-series fold, mainly from groups that the camera industry has largely ignored. This will be the first X-series camera for a number of people, and someday some of those people will upgrade to a more premium model, perhaps an X-M5, X-E5, or X100VI. I think all of that is very good. It’s quite obvious to me that the Fujifilm X-HF1 will be a trendy camera, especially among younger photographers, and you’re soon going to see X half pictures all over TikTok and Instagram.
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Half Moon Over Central Park – New York City, NY – Fujifilm X100VI – Kodak Gold Max 400 Expired
This new Film Simulation Recipe came about after someone shared with me some photographs they captured with a roll of long-expired Kodak Gold Max 400 film. Kodak introduced this color negative emulsion in 1987 under the name Kodacolor VR-G 400. Later, they renamed it GC 400, Gold 400, Ultra Gold 400, Gold Max 400, Max 400, Max Versatility 400, then Ultramax 400, which is still available today. Over the years the emulsion has been updated a few times, but it is still essentially a 1980’s Kodacolor film.
Even though the roll was long-expired, it looked pretty good. Sometimes expired film has a much different aesthetic than a fresh roll, and sometimes it’s only subtly different. In this case, it seemed more muted and grainy than Ultramax 400, and with a little different color cast, but overall not overtly divergent. The photographer did edit the scans a little, which I’m sure affected the outcome. I wasn’t able to perfectly match it, but I feel this was pretty close. I also found some examples of expired Kodak Gold Max 400 film online, and this Recipe seems to similarly match those images fairly well but not perfectly.
What I love about this Kodak Gold Max 400 Expired Recipe is that it has an obvious analog vibe. The pictures captured with it just seem film-like to me. You could probably convince some people that you didn’t use a digital camera. These photographs don’t look like typical camera-made JPEGs.
Sand Trail – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodak Gold Max 400 Expired – Photo by Amanda Roesch
This Kodak Gold Max 400 Expired Film Simulation Recipe is compatible with all fifth-generation X-Trans cameras, which, as of this writing, are the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, and X-M5. You can use it on newer GFX cameras, too. I have a couple of photos at the bottom that were captured with a GFX100S II, and it seems pretty close to the X-Trans V rendering.
Film Simulation: Reala Ace Dynamic Range: DR400 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong White Balance: 6700K, +1 Red & +4 Blue Highlight: -1.5 Shadow: +1.5 Color: -2 Sharpness: -2 High ISO NR: -4 Clarity: -3 ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Kodak Gold Max 400 Expired Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X100VI, X-T5 & X-S20:
Oh – New York City, NY – Fujifilm X100VI
Street Portrait – Philadelphia, PA – Fujifilm X100VI
Model Photography – Philadelphia, PA – Fujifilm X100VI
Two Ladies and a Dog – Philadelphia, PA – Fujifilm X100VI
Light on a Dark Building – Philadelphia, PA – Fujifilm X100VI
Pentax Photographer – Philadelphia, PA – Fujifilm X100VI
Bench Corner – Philadelphia, PA – Fujifilm X100VI
Three Story Home – North Bergen, NJ – Fujifilm X100VI
Alien Dunkin’ – Roswell, NM – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Tractors is dumb – Tularosa, NM – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Family Boating – Clinton, CT – Fujifilm X100VI
Three Leaves in the Water – Clinton, CT – Fujifilm X100VI
Flag on a Windy Day – Roswell, NM – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Wood Fence – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Christmas Sand – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T5 – Photo by Amanda Roesch
Roesch Kids – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T5 – Photo by Amanda Roesch
Dry Brush – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm X-T5 – Photo by Amanda Roesch
Fujifilm GFX100S II:
Yellow Brush, Pink Sand – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm GFX100S II
Brown Leaves – White Sands NP, NM – Fujifilm GFX100S II
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If you’re new to Fujifilm—or not new to Fujifilm but fairly new to Film Simulation Recipes, or just curious about your camera—and you’d like to take a deeper dive into the various Film Simulations, Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry has an excellent series on her blog called Colour Your Story that you need to check out and follow.
The way that this series works is that each Film Simulation gets two parts: an introduction and a deeper dive. The introduction article explains what that particular Film Simulation is and what it is good for. The sample pictures are with that film sim set with the default factory settings. The followup article, entitled Let’s take [it] to Another Level (or a similar sentiment), discusses some Recipes that use that film sim as the base. So far, Nathalie has two Film Simulations in the series complete: Provia and Velvia.
Definitely take a moment out of your day and read up on those four posts. The series is worth following—get on her mailing list (at the bottom of each article) so that you don’t miss out on the future installments. I’m looking forward to all of the rest—there are 20 film sims, so Nathalie undoubtably has her work cut out! A series like this takes a ton of effort to put together, so, if you appreciate it, be sure to leave her a comment on her page letting her know.
