Fujirumors just posted today that Fujifilm is working on “a dial that lets you choose an era-inspired look for your images.” This will be for some upcoming camera. It sounds like this new dial might be similar to the Film Dial, except instead of Film Simulations (and Film Simulation Recipes on FS1/FS2/FS3 for the X-E5 & X-T30 III), it will be aesthetics that mimic specific eras of photography, presumably something like 1950’s, 1980’s, etc.. So not a Film Dial, but a Film Era Dial.

My best guess is that this will be on the next X-Pro camera, which Fujifilm is working on. I suspect that this camera will be the next model that Fujifilm announces, and it will come early next year. This is simply the first of many rumors we can expect for the X-Pro4 (I’m predicting that it will be called X-Pro5) over the next few months. This is merely speculation, of course, and I have absolutely zero inside information. I do know that Fujifilm wants to do something unique and unexpected with the next X-Pro (they’ve said so a few times now), and this would certainly qualify as that.

I can only guess how the Film Era Dial might work, but it will likely be similar to the Film Dial on the X-E5. Perhaps it will have nine or ten or eleven “eras” plus an Off position. These eras, which will likely be divided by decades, will probably be similar to Recipes, except designed by Fujifilm and not customizable. In this way it could be more like Advanced Filters, which aren’t customizable—you get what you get—but probably more refined and sophisticated, something you’d definitely want to use (in other words: built-in—but not customizable—Recipes). Maybe it’s also a bit X half-ish, with the idea being that it’s super easy to get great retro-like looks straight-out-of-camera. If that’s all true, I’m disappointed to not have been invited to be a part of the creation process; however, I do trust that Fujifilm will do an excellent job with it.

So what does “Film Eras” look like on Fujifilm cameras? It can be different things, but I do have an idea. For example, Sepia prints were popular in the 1920’s; Faded Monochrome gives a nod to really old B&W prints; Vintage Kodachrome mimics an early version of Kodachrome film; Vintage Agfacolor has a 1950’s look; 1960’s Chrome resembles pictures found in magazines during that era; 1976 Kodak is similar to some Joel Meyerowitz photographs from the mid-’70’s; Kodacolor has a distinct ’80’s vibe; Kodachrome 64 was an extremely popular (and iconic) film in the 1990’s; Fujicolor Superia 800 has a 2000’s disposable-film-camera quality; Kodak Portra 400 v2 mimics a Portra 400 aesthetic, a popular film in the 2010’s; and the new Reala Ace film sim has been called the “negative for the new era” so it makes sense to use a Recipe like Fujicolor Film for the 2020’s. I could make probably four or five unique lists like this that demonstrates “photography through the decades” aesthetics using my different Film Simulation Recipes.

1920’s

1930’s

1940’s

1950’s

1960’s

1970’s

1980’s

1990’s

2000’s

2010’s

2020’s

I like the general idea of a Film Era Dial, and if anyone can pull it off it’s Fujifilm. I’ll reserve my full judgement until it is released, presumably on the upcoming X-Pro5 early next year. I don’t anticipate it being perfect; the Film Dial isn’t perfect, but it is good, adding aesthetic versatility if you know how to get the most out of it (tune into SOOC Live this coming Monday, as this will be the topic of our conversation). I wonder if the Film Dial will be unique to fifth-generation cameras, and the Film Era Dial will be unique to sixth-generation models. Time will tell.

If you like the idea of the Film Era Dial, you don’t have to wait for it. Simply program into your C1-C7 Recipes for different decades. I gave you some ideas above; perhaps this could turn into a series of articles. Maybe I can give some specific recommendations for each era. What do you think? Is a Film Era Dial a good idea? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!