This is Part 3 of what will be a five-part series exploring Fujifilm Recipes for each generation of cameras. Beginning with the latest models, we will work our way back towards the older cameras. For each article, I will suggest seven Recipes to try. This is intended for those new to the whole Recipe thing, who haven’t tried them before (or perhaps only a few Recipes so far). The intention is to provide you with a list of seven that you can program into your C1-C7 Custom Setting presets.
The list below, which are the seven Recipes for Part 3, is specifically for the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30 cameras, the first two X-Trans IV cameras, which are in a category of their own. If you have one of those two cameras, these are the correct Recipes for you. This is far from an exhaustive list of fourth-generation Recipes, it’s only seven really good ones to get you started. Something to note is that with the X-T3 & X-T30, you cannot save a White Balance Shift within C1-C7; however, the camera will remember one WB Shift per WB type. With that in mind, each of these use a different WB type so that you don’t have to remember to adjust the WB Shift when going from one Custom Setting preset to another. If you are unsure which Fujifilm Recipes to begin with, these are ones that I highly recommend.
Window to the City – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Kodak Portra 400 v2
Kodak Portra 400 v2 does well anytime the sun is out, but especially for “golden hour” near sunrise and sunset. As the name suggests, it’s a good option for portrait photography, but it’s excellent for many other genres, too. This Recipe uses the Daylight White Balance.
While Classic Kodak can be used anytime the sun is out, it is a great options for middle-of-the-day situations. This Recipe uses the Shade White Balance.
Street Lamp Sunset – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Kodak Ultramax
I like to have at least one Recipe programmed into my camera that’s highly versatile and can be used no matter the situation. One of my personal favorites is Kodak Ultramax, which uses Auto White Balance.
Although each of the first four Recipes have a Kodak-negative-like look, Kodak Vision3 250D produces a notably divergent aesthetic than the three above. This Recipe uses the Fluorescent 1 White Balance.
Fujichrome Sensia 100 offers a notably different look than the options above. It’s one of my favorite Recipes for sunrise and sunset colors when the sky is pink and purple, but is good for a lot of other situations, too. It uses the Fluorescent 2 White Balance.
Wet Glass Bokeh – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – Jeff Davenport Night
If it’s between dusk and dawn, especially if there are city lights, Jeff Davenport Night is the recipe to use on your X-T3 and X-T30 cameras. Period. It uses a Kelvin White Balance.
Minolta SRT303b – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1 – Analog Monochrome
Filling out the last slot was tricky because most of the White Balance types have already been used. There are basically three options: choose an X-Trans III Recipe—which are fully compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30—that uses a different WB type (that’s what I’ve done here, as Analog Monochrome utilizes Incandescent); use an Auto WB Recipe—perhaps Ilford Delta Push Process—and disregard the WB Shift, and accept the results for what they are (which will be nearly the same, but not exactly the same); or use a Daylight WB Recipe—perhaps Kodak Tri-X 400—and substitute Daylight with Underwater, which is similar enough that you’re unlikely to notice the difference.
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This article pits the Fujifilm X-T50 and Fujifilm X-T30 head-to-head on an autumn photowalk in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Just to warn you, this will likely be the most unfair camera comparison anywhere on the internet. Nonetheless, I hope that you find it worthwhile, or at least enjoyable.
Fujifilm introduced the X-T30 in February of 2019. It features a 26mp X-Trans IV sensor, and was Fujifilm’s mid-tier SLR-styled camera until it was replaced by the nearly identical X-T30 II in November of 2021. Fujifilm announced the X-T50 in May of this year. It features a 40mp X-Trans V sensor and IBIS, as well as the contentious Film Dial. While it is not the X-T30 II’s successor (I assume that means an X-T30 III is a possibility in the future), the two models are clearly in the same family. They are similar in size and design, but the X-T50 is slightly larger and heavier (to accommodate IBIS), with rounded corners and is more expensive. According to the spec sheets, the X-T50 is better in pretty much every aspect, but not necessarily by leaps and bounds. Overall, these two cameras are pretty similar for stills photography; however, for video, the X-T50 is the winner.
This last Saturday, Bryan Minear and I cohosted a photowalk in Ann Arbor in conjunction with PROCAM and Fujifilm. We had an excellent turnout: I counted 48 people, including myself and Bryan. The weather was nice—a nearly perfect crisp autumn morning—and the scenery beautiful. It was a massive success, and just a ton of fun. It was so great to meet those who came out!
One especially great aspect of this photowalk for me is that my seven-year-old daughter, Johanna, was able to join us. I gave her my Fujifilm X-T30 to photograph with, set with the Kodak Portra 400 v2 Film Simulation Recipe. I’ve let her use some of my old digicams before, but not a “nice” camera like the X-T30. I wasn’t sure how well she would do with it, but gave her a quick tutorial and let her have at it. Honestly, she stole the show.
Above left: Johanna with an X-T30, captured by me with an X-T50 using the Fujicolor PRO 160C Warm Recipe; Above right: me with an X-T50, captured by Bryan Minear with a GFX100S II.
I bet you can already see where this article is going. Yes, this totally unfair camera shootout is between myself with a Fujifilm X-T50 and Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 lens and my seven-year-old daughter with a Fujifilm X-T30 and TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 lens. Even though I had the better gear, I had absolutely no chance of winning. Johanna—with an X-T30—won in a landslide. We’ll get to the pictures in just a moment.
The Fujifilm X-T30 has a few fewer film simulations and JPEG options than the X-T50, but it is still a very, very capable camera. Even in the hands of a child, it can capture excellent images. Between the two, I’ll grab the X-T50 every time; however, if I were trying to decide to buy an X-T50 or X-T30 II, that would be a much tougher decision—the X-T30 II is a better value, while the X-T50 is a little more capable. I don’t think you can go wrong either way. Between a used X-T30 and brand-new X-T30 II, I would lean towards the X-T30 II due to Classic Negative and other firmware upgrades.
Above, top-left: by Rickey White. Above, bottom-right: by Bryan Minear. Above, all others: by my wife, Amanda Roesch. Amanda used a Fujifilm X-T5 + Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 lens + Fujicolor Negative Recipe.
The reason why I declared Johanna the winner is because I’m her dad (she was always going to win… I never had a chance—all the dads out there understand), and also because young children are oftentimes good photographers. They are naturally curious and creative. They don’t think about all the “rules” and what they “shouldn’t” do; instead, they’re just having fun. Also, their perspective is so much different—quite literally, because they are smaller, but also figuratively—so it’s a completely different take from what most adults see—they notice things that others completely overlook. If you have a child, I definitely recommend allowing them to photograph with you sometimes. Don’t be afraid to let them borrow one of your cameras (I know, it’s a risk… my oldest son dropped and broke one of mine when he was little). Those experiences might be pivotal for them, and at the least it’s something you both will remember and cherish for many years.
Below are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs captured during the Ann Arbor photowalk by Johanna using a Fujifilm X-T30 and the Kodak Portra 400 v2 Recipe and by me using a Fujifilm X-T50 and the Film Dial Recipes.
Unlike the last video, which had Amanda behind the video camera, I captured all of the footage for this one. While I was doing it, I did my best to think, “How would Amanda record this shot?” I didn’t do a particularly good job, though, but I did record a lot of content in hopes that there would be something usable. I employed my Fujifilm X-T30 with a Rokinon 12mm lens for both the video and stills. Amanda took all of it into editing software and somehow made this great video. Honestly, I don’t know how she did it. She really did an incredible job!
If you haven’t done so already, please visit the Fuji X Weekly YouTube channel. I invite you to subscribe. Feel free to like, comment and share. Over the coming weeks and months you can expect more video content to be added, thanks to the talents of my wonderful wife, Amanda.
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