Ilford FP4 Plus 125 — Fujifilm X-T5 (X-Trans V + X-Trans IV) Film Simulation Recipe

Gift Giving – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – “Ilford FP4 Plus 125”

Anders Lindborg is, in my opinion, the guru on Fujifilm black-and-white Film Simulation Recipes. After all, he invented the Kodak Tri-X 400, Ilford HP5 Plus 400, and Ilford Pan F Plus 50 recipes, and co-created the Kodak T-Max 400 recipe. These are some of my favorite monochrome options, and Kodak Tri-X 400 is my all-time favorite recipe, period. Anders also created the Kodak Gold v2 recipe, seven Fujicolor Pro 160NS recipesseven Fujicolor Pro 400H recipes, and made an important D-Range Priority discovery. This Ilford FP4 Plus 125 recipe was invented by Anders Lindborg, too, so I know that you will love it! It’s a real honor to publish it on Fuji X Weekly, and I appreciate his willingness to share it with all of you.

The story doesn’t end there. Recently, Fuji X Weekly reader Dan Allen wanted to help create an Ilford FP4 Plus 125 recipe, and he purchased some rolls of the film to shoot side-by-side with his Fujifilm camera. When he told me this, I sent him Anders’ recipe to try. After he did his experiment, Dan shared with me the results, which were quite fascinating. It turns out that Dan’s Ilford frames and his Fujifilm digital pictures (using Anders’ recipe) looked similar, but the Ilford frames had less contrast, with softer highlights and shadows, so I made a few small modifications to Anders’ recipe to better match Dan’s pictures. Of course, one film can have many different looks, depending on how it was shot, developed, printed, and/or scanned. “This particular film stock,” Anders told me, “is highly tunable, ranging from super clean to ultra gritty.” No single recipe will ever recreate every possible aesthetic from the film.

“Just like the real thing,” Anders explained to me, “a slight underexposure protects the highlights and improves contrast. Centered around the upper half of the grayscale, this recipe ranges from soft and dreamy to sharp and almost graphic with pencil-like lines. It will almost never go entirely black and is great for shadow details.” Ilford originally introduced FP4 Plus 125 way back in 1968, and in 2014 they improved the emulsion, which is what’s currently available.

Bougainvillea Grey – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – “Ilford FP4 Plus 125”

If you want to use Anders Lindborg’s recipe as he created it, set Dynamic Range to DR100, Highlight to 0, and Shadow to -1. He says that you can “really go crazy” with Clarity and Grain—try Clarity anywhere from -2 to +4, with Grain Weak/Small when using less Clarity (for a cleaner look) and Grain Strong/Large when using more Clarity (for a grittier look). Also, feel free to use the different faux filter options (+Ye, +R, +G) with this recipe.

The Ilford FP4 Plus 125 Film Simulation Recipe is compatible with X-Trans V cameras, which (as of this writing) are the Fujifilm X-T5, X-H2, and X-H2S, and newer X-Trans IV cameras: X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II. If you have an X100V or X-Pro3, you can use Anders’ unmodified version (explained above); for the X-T3, X-T30, plus X-Trans III, additionally ignore Clarity and Grain size. This recipe is especially well suited for mid-to-high contrast scenes, paying careful attention to the highlights so as to not clip them.

Film Simulation: Monochrome
Grain Effect: Weak, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Daylight, +6 Red & -8 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: -0.5
Shadow: -1.5
Monochromatic Color: 0 WC & 0 MG
Sharpness: 0

High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1 to -1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Ilford FP4 Plus 125” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T5:

Projector Light – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Fog Lights – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Disco Ball – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Christmas Concert – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Light Lines – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Window Shade Pull – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Window Light on a Small Rug – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Call it a Fuji X Weekly Holiday – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Christmas Gift – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Legos for Christmas – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Was a Rose – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Backlit Petunia – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Dark Bougainvillea – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Lizard on a Wall – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Block Wall – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Gate – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Joy – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Waiting by the Pool – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Butcher – Avondale, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Tamale TV – Avondale, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Reading the Morning Paper – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Coffee Sugar – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Hydrant Top – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Geometric – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5
Suburban Rooftop – 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

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

Fujifilm X70 (X-Trans II) Film Simulation Recipe: Monochrome Red

Houses, Reflected – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70 – “Monochrome Red”

Back when I shot black-and-white film, I usually used a color filter to manipulate the shades of grey, and for landscape photography the Red filter was my most-used option. You cannot use these filters on your Fujifilm camera, but Fujifilm does provide you with three faux filters: +Y, +R, & +G. These mimic the aesthetic of using a Yellow, Red, or Green filter (sort of). In my opinion, +R doesn’t actually replicate the use of a Red filter very well; it’s more like an Orange filter. This recipe is intended to produce a look more similar to a Red filter on black-and-white film, which means that it will darken blues and lighten reds.

I actually created this “Monochrome Red” Film Simulation Recipe several months back on my Fujifilm X-T1, but that camera has a dirty sensor in need of a cleaning, so I never shared the results. Then I moved, and the X-T1 got packed away for awhile. Just recently I purchased a different X-Trans II camera—an X70—so I plugged this recipe into it and began shooting. This is an excellent option if you are looking for a black-and-white recipe, and is especially good for landscape photography.

Sunlit Flowers – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70 – “Monochrome Red”

The “Monochrome Red” recipe is compatible with all X-Trans II cameras. If you have an X-Trans I or Bayer model, the results will be ever slightly different, but very similar, and you can definitely use it—if you have an X-Pro1 or X-T200 or anything like that, feel free to give this recipe a try.

Monochrome+R
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1 (Medium-Soft)
Shadow: +2 (Hard)
Sharpness: +1 (Medium-Hard)
Noise Reduction: -2 (Low)
White Balance: Fluorescent 1, -4 Red & +7 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400

Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured on my Fujifilm X70 using this “Monochrome Red” Film Simulation Recipe:

Josh Intently Gaming – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Jonathan with a Smile – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Backlit Jo – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Boy Fishing – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Dock Abstract – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Lock & Chain – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Pole & Chain – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Fishing Pole on Dock – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Young Boy Fishing – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70
Lakeside Tree – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X70

Find this Film Simulation Recipe and nearly 250 more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$2.00

Fujifilm X-Trans IV Film Simulation Recipe: Ilford HP5 Plus 400

Haystack Driftwood – Cannon Beach, OR – Fujifilm X100V – “Ilford HP5 Plus 400”

This new film simulation recipe comes from Anders Lindborg (Instagram). Anders is the one who created the Kodak Tri-X 400 recipeIlford Pan F Plus 50 recipe, Kodak Gold v2seven Fujicolor Pro 160NS recipesseven Fujicolor Pro 400H recipes, and made an important D-Range Priority discovery. So I know that you’ll love this one, too! He was kind enough to share it with me and allow me to share it with all of you—thank you, Anders!

Anders sent me a lengthy note on his process to create this recipe, and I want to share with you a short snippet just so you get an idea of the effort put into this. “I checked the spectrum sensitivity chart and looked for any significant bumps in the wavelengths,” he wrote. “For the largest bump, I checked what color it represents to try to match it as close as possible with the white balance shift. This recreated the bump in the recipe to make the simulation a bit extra sensitive to that specific color.” This was point four of seven in his process, and shows the kind of effort that can go into creating Film Simulation Recipes.

Specifically about this recipe, Anders noted, “Middle gray is the game here. Soft highlights and things disappearing into deep dark shadows, but never as black as Tri-X. Great for all day shooting in just about any weather. Looks totally awesome on winter shots!” I can add that it looks great on both sunny days and rainy days, too. I think it does especially well in moderate and high contrast situations.

Footbridge & Falls – Multnomah Falls, OR – Fujifilm X100V – “Ilford HP5 Plus 400”

Ilford began the Hypersensitive Panchromatic (HP) series in 1931. HP5 Plus 400 is the latest version, released in 1989, and still available today. This is a classic black-and-white film stock that has stood the test of time, and Anders did a great job mimicking it on Fujifilm cameras. This recipe is intended for use on the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras; however, for the X-T3 and X-T30, as well as X-Trans III cameras, simply ignore Grain size, and this recipe is compatible with those cameras, so anyone with an X-Trans III or IV camera can use this.

A side note: this recipe is different than my old Ilford HP5 Plus and Ilford HP5 Push Process recipes, which I still quite like, and are both excellent in low and mid contrast situations. Try those or Anders’ version—or all three if you are feeling adventurous!

Monochrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +1
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: -2
Clarity: 0
Grain Effect: Strong, Large 
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -8 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Ilford HP5 Plus 400” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Horsetail Falls From Bridge – Columbia River Gorge, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Horsetail Falls – Columbia River Gorge, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Upper Falls – Multnomah Falls, OR – Fujifilm X100V
36 CFR 261.53(e) – Multnomah Falls, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Use Caution For Slipping Bandits – Multnomah Falls, OR – Fujifilm X100V
No Cars – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Two Elk in a Yard – Warrenton, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Spiral Stairs – Fort Stevens SP, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Old Fireplace – Fort Stevens SP, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Stairs in the Forest – Fort Stevens SP, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Astoria & Columbia River – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Two Ships in the Columbia River – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Tetons, As Seen By Oneskies – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V
South Jetty – Fort Stevens SP, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Pointing To The Pacific – Cannon Beach, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Haystack Sticks – Cannon Beach, OR – Fujifilm X100V

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

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Ilford Ortho Plus 80

760 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Ilford Ortho Plus 80”

Many years ago I used to develop my own black-and-white film. It required removing the film from the cassette, winding it around a developing reel, and placing the reel into a developing canister—all in complete darkness! It was very tricky. If you didn’t get the film wound onto the reel quite right, it could ruin the film during development. When people think of darkrooms, they often think of dipping photosensitive papers into tubs of chemicals in dim amber light. This red light is called a safelight, and it’s safe for photographic paper, but not safe for undeveloped photographic film—that’s why you have to get the film from the cassette to the canister in complete darkness.

Ilford Ortho Plus 80 film is different, as it’s orthochromatic, which means it’s sensitive to blue and green light but not red, making it possible to transfer the film from the cassette to the canister under a safelight. This film was introduced in 2019, so it hasn’t been around very long. It produces sharp, fine-grain images that are fairly contrasty for a low-ISO film, and reds will be rendered dark. I’ve never used this film myself, so I relied on pictures I found on the internet to create this recipe. With film, how it’s shot, developed, and printed or scanned can have a big impact on how it looks, and that’s certainly a challenge for creating a facsimile on Fujifilm cameras, but I think this one is pretty close from the pictures I’ve seen. It also seems to be in the neighborhood of Washi S 50.

Monochrome Country – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Ilford Ortho Plus 80

I set Monochromatic Color (Toning) to WC +1 because many of the examples that I found had some warm toning (not sure if it’s in-software after scanning or from toned prints or both), but it’s completely optional, you can set WC to 0 if you prefer. This recipe is intended for newer X-Trans IV cameras, such as the Fujifilm X100V, X-T4, X-Pro3 and X-S10, and isn’t compatible with other cameras; however, if you disregard Clarity you can achieve something similar on the X-T3 and X-T30, but it won’t be exactly the same (feel free to try).

Monochrome+G
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +2
Shadow: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: +2
Clarity: -2
Toning: WC +1, MG 0

Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: 7000K, -5 Red & 0 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Ilford Ortho Plus 80 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Thorns of Nature – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Monochrome Berries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Icy River – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Zipping – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Playground Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Silhouette Playground – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Canvas Moon – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Cat & Salmon – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fedex Delivery – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Locked Box – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Emotion Through Glass – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tablet Play – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Arizona Film – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

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 Black    Amazon   B&H
Fujifilm X100V Silver   Amazon   B&H

50557680816_8cb5645e93_c

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$2.00

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Classic Monochrome

Signs, Poles & Wires – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Classic Monochrome”

For some reason, black-and-white film simulation recipes aren’t as popular as color, but Fujifilm cameras are capable of some great monochrome images straight-out-of-camera. This new “Classic Monochrome” recipe was made by Thomas Schwab (B&W Instagram), who has created several of the film simulation recipes on this website and collaborated on several others. He’s a friend of this blog, and I’m honored that he allows me to share his recipes here!

Thomas said that he started with one of the Ilford recipes, and this evolved from that. It’s called “Classic Monochrome” because it has a great old-school B&W print feel. The only change that I added was Toning, which is optional, but it seems to look nice with these settings. This recipe has quickly become one of my favorite black-and-white options! It’s most similar to Dramatic Monochrome, so if you like that recipe you’ll like this one, too. Thank you, Thomas!

Suburban Garages – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Classic Monochrome”

This recipe is contrasty and clean. It reminds me of Agfapan 25 printed using a high-contrast filter (maybe a #4, or even split-filtered). It’s not intended to look like it, but that’s what it reminds me of. It does have a limited dynamic range, and it’s easy to clip highlights, so the exposure should be carefully considered, or perhaps try DR-Auto if you are concerned. It’s compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-T4, X-Pro3 and X-S10 cameras.

Monochrome (+Y, +R, +G)
Dynamic Range: DR100
Highlight: +4
Shadow: +2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: +1
Clarity: +4
Toning: WC +1, MG 0

Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: Auto, 0 Red & 0 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 12800
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Classic Monochrome film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Marks the Spot – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Main Line Trail – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Empty Box – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Empty Bench – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Joshua Biking – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Girl & Bike – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Horses & Ducks – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Country Road Bus – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
No Motor Vehicles – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Weed 1 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Weed 2 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Ice Abstract 1 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Ice Abstract 2 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

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 Black    Amazon   B&H
Fujifilm X100V Silver   Amazon   B&H

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$2.00

Fujifilm X-M1 (X-Trans I) Film Simulation Recipe: Monochrome

Broken View – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1

Fujifilm introduced the world to the X-Trans sensor in January of 2012 with the announcement of the X-Pro1 camera. Later that same year the X-E1 became the second camera with this new sensor, and a year later the X-M1 became the third and final camera to have the original X-Trans sensor. Even before the X-M1 was released, Fujifilm had begun selling cameras with the X-Trans II sensor, so the original sensor was already old news by the time the camera was released. It seems that, more-or-less, Fujifilm had some spare X-Trans I sensors laying around, so they put them inside of the X-A1, a Bayer sensor camera, and renamed it X-M1. There never was an X-M2.

Even though only three cameras have an X-Trans I sensor, I’ve had many requests for film simulation recipes that are compatible with the X-Pro1, X-E1 and X-M1. I used to own an X-E1 (two, actually), but I mostly shot RAW with it and never developed any film simulation recipes for it. Some X-Trans II and Bayer recipes are technically compatible, but produce slightly different results. I purchased a cheap, gently used X-M1 to create some recipes with, and this is the very first one!

White Trees – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1

The X-M1 only has one black-and-white option. There’s no B+Y, B+R and B+G. There’s just standard B, which is the abbreviation for the Monochrome film simulation. I wanted to create a B&W recipe that produces dramatic results, but the JPEG options are limited on this camera compared to the newer models, so I had to get creative with the white balance to get the look that I wanted. This recipe is intended for X-Trans I cameras, but those with Bayer and X-Trans II cameras can use it, too, but the results will be slightly different.

Monochrome
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +2 (Hard)
Shadow: +2 (Hard)
Sharpness: +1 (Medium-Hard)
Noise Reduction: -2 (Low)
White Balance: Incandescent, -5 Red & +9 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 3200
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs made using this Monochrome film simulation recipe on a Fujifilm X-M1:

Old Phone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Dark Chocolate – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Ice Cream Bowl – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Countertop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Steel Deck – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Good Sam – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Tool Ghosts – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Timesaver – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Saw Table – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Abandoned Workshop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Buy American – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Anchor Screw Drawer – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Open Drawers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Indoor Hoop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Window with Broken Glass – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1
Abandoned Garage – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-M1

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

50414263302_aaf2b96285_c

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

2.00 $

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak T-Max 400

Tree Behind Bars – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak T-Max 400”

Kodak introduced T-Max black-and-white negative film back in 1986, and they dubbed it “the finest-grained black-and-white film in the world.” While it certainly has fine-grain, particularly the low-ISO version, I don’t know how accurate Kodak’s proclamation was. It’s available in ISO 100, 400 and 3200 variants. This film simulation recipe is intended to resemble the ISO 400 version.

T-Max 400 is a popular B&W film. I’ve used it, although it has been many, many years. Kodak updated the film in 2007 to be sharper and have finer grain; it’s the old version that I have personal experience with. With any film, but perhaps especially with black-and-white negative film, so much can be altered in the darkroom to customize the aesthetic, and one film can produce many different looks, so creating a recipe can be controversial because it might not look exactly like what someone thinks it should. Still, I hope that you will recognize this as T-Max-esque.

You might find that this recipe looks familiar. Actually, it began as Kodak Tri-X 400. Fuji X Weekly readers Thomas Schwab (who has helped with several recipes) and Anders Linborg (who invented the Tri-X recipe) worked together to modify that recipe into this one. I added a couple of small revisions, and now we have Kodak T-Max 400! It really was a group effort, but mostly Thomas and Anders. Thanks, guys!

Night Clouds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak T-Max 400”

This Kodak T-Max 400 film simulation recipe is intended for the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 cameras; however, with a couple small modifications, it can be used on any X-Trans III or IV camera. First, if your camera doesn’t have Clarity, consider using +1 Highlight and +4 Shadow instead, although you can certainly keep those settings as they are in the recipe below. If your camera doesn’t have the option for Grain size (only strength), set it to Strong. I used Toning on this recipe, which is completely optional, but on the X-T3 and X-T30, which has a different Toning menu, consider using +1 (warm). Back when I shot film I would often give my prints a quick Sepia bath, both for warmth and archival reasons, and the Toning option on your X-Trans IV camera does a good job of mimicking that.

One difference that you might notice between this recipe and Tri-X is ISO. On that recipe I suggest using ISO 1600 to 12800. I think for this recipe the best results are found between ISO 1600 and 3200, but anything from ISO 320 to 6400 looks good. I feel like ISO 12800 is a bit too much, but feel free to try it and see what you think.

Monochrome (+Y, +R, +G)
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: +2
Clarity: +3
Toning: WC +2, MG 0

Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Daylight,+9 Red & -9 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Kodak T-Max 400 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Hanging Leaves Silhouette – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Light Through The Dark Forest – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Ghosts – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tree Trunks & Ground Cover – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tree at Forest Edge – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Paved Forest Path – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
People Shadows – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Happy Jon – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fish in the Net – Hyrum Reservoir, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tired Old Dock – Hyrum Reservoir, UT – Fujifilm X100V
A Boy & His Fishing Pole – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Lake Water – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Flower Photo – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Monochrome Wildflower – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Photo by Thomas Schwab – Husum, Germany – Fujifilm X100V

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

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 Black    Amazon   B&H
Fujifilm X100V Silver   Amazon   B&H

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$5.00

Film Simulation Review: Light & Shadow with Ilford Delta Push-Process

49799174976_3323caa23b_c

Chair & Pillow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

Photography is about light. Without light there are no photographs. Great photographs require great light. What “great light” is depends on the picture and circumstance, and what’s great for one image might not be for another. Great light can be found anytime of the day or night if one looks hard enough for it.

This series of pictures demonstrate the play of light and shadow in an image. It features instances of bright highlights and deep shadows together. It’s the contrast between illumination and the absence of it. I needed a dramatic film simulation recipe to capture these pictures. I knew that it would need to be black-and-white because these pictures aren’t about color, but light and shadow. Color would only be a distraction to the point. But which black-and-white film simulation recipe should I choose?

There are several options for dramatic black-and-white that I could have chosen, including Dramatic Monochrome, Monochrome Kodachrome, Agfa Scala, Ilford HP5 Plus, Ilford HP5 Push-Process, X100F Acros, X-T30 Acros, Acros Push-Process, and Tri-X Push-Process. Any of those recipes would have worked, but each would have produced a different result. Some have more contrast, some less. Some have a greater dynamic range and others a more narrow. Some are brighter, some darker. Some have more grain and other less. I could have picked any of them and gotten interesting results, but I went with Ilford Delta Push-Process instead, partially because I had been using it for other pictures during this time. It turns out it was a good choice, because it seems to have the right contrast, tones and grain for this series. Sometimes luck plays a role. What I know now is that the Ilford Delta Push-Process recipe is a great option for dramatic light situations like these, and I will choose it again for similar situations in the future. I captured these pictures on a Fujifilm X-T30 with a Fujinon 35mm f/2 lens attached to it.

49818816966_ba274b1796_c

Suburban Shadows – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

49800321407_3392926952_c

Seat Back Shadow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

49799994066_37c6f10175_c

Chair Details – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

49804673292_8a33003c32_c

Girl Ghost – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

49807185692_1ea5be3357_c

Sunlight on the Kitchen Floor – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

49807986706_ac72ccd919_c

Don’t Step Into Darkness – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 & Fujinon 35mm f/2

See also: Film Simulation Reviews

[Not] My Fujifilm X-T30 Ilford Delta Push-Process Film Simulation Recipe

49798615493_71e813a61b_c

Boy in a Chair with a Phone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Ilford Delta Push-Process”

When I shot film, Ilford Delta was my go-to for black-and-white photography. Sure, I used other films, but Ilford Delta was what I most often loaded into my camera. For fine-grain, I used Delta 100. For situations other than bright daylight, or if I wanted more contrast and grittiness, I would choose Delta 400. For dim light, I would on a rare occasion use Delta 3200. Sometimes I would push-process the Delta 100 and Delta 400 a stop or two. I actually still have a couple rolls of Delta film sitting around, although I haven’t shot much film in the last few years. The last roll of Ilford Delta that I shot was Delta 3200.

Something that people might not be aware of is that Delta 3200 is actually not an ISO 3200 film, it’s actually rated at ISO 1000, but has “built-in” push-processing to ISO 3200 (labs know to increase the development time unless you specify otherwise). Ilford Delta films have a lot of latitude and flexibility. There’s a lot that one can do in the lab with any of the Ilford Delta films to customize the contrast and grain.

Fuji X Weekly reader K. Adam Christensen shared with me his film simulation recipe for Ilford Delta 3200, and I really like the way that his recipe looks. It’s a great black-and-white recipe! I made a couple of small tweaks to it, nothing big. Adam uses this recipe on his X100V, and he sets Grain to Large, which is an option on that camera, as well as the X-Pro3 and X-T4, but not on my X-T30. If I could set Grain to Large I would, as that would better mimic Delta 3200. Without it, perhaps these settings more resemble Delta 3200 shot and developed at ISO 1600. It reminds me of Delta 400 pushed one stop or maybe a stop and a half.

49806215336_67a964580d_c

White House Beyond the Thistle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Ilford Delta Push-Process”

I have the ISO on this recipe set at 12800, which makes it difficult (but not impossible) to use in daylight situations. It’s a little easier on X100 cameras that have a built-in neutral density filter. If you need to drop the ISO, you can go as low as ISO 3200 and still get good results, but for best results keep the ISO at 12800 as much as possible. All of the pictures in this article were shot at ISO 12800.

Monochrome (+Y, +R, +G)
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +3
Grain: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Toning: 0
Sharpening: -3
Noise Reduction: -4
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
ISO 12800

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Ilford Delta Push-Process film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:

49798728983_bc53365f55_c

FED 5C & Industar 69 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49799168921_74c75b9973_c

Phone Numbers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49799174961_1cdea2e50d_c

Girl, Smile – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49799174896_78383b5ddb_c

Broccoli – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49798733123_281f08f2bd_c

Faux Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49799480782_778d06b297_c

Glass Bottles with Stems – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49803387453_071844fd0d_c

Flowers Waiting to Pot – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49803860711_ca805a2f6c_c

Potted Tulip – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49803811223_5a72786c1e_c

White Tulips at Night – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49803812683_dc60d90b97_c

Outdoor Shelf – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49804367426_6f5fe88cb1_c

Dirty Feet – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49799447538_94334ac1f3_c

Roller Skating – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49800329187_26d1b615b5_c

Skates – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49807434638_93caf16496_c

Girl Outdoor – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49807432658_179e60e64e_c

Two Feet – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49807185842_f76e1ac113_c

Chair Shadow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49806893771_9063390822_c

Blackberry Vine on Concrete – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49808293227_4925587d92_c

Watering Plant – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49810266718_8eba8a89c5_c

Wet Handlebar – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49810049808_f2d61909f8_c

Raindrops on a Window – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$5.00

Fujifilm X-T1 (X-Trans II) Faded Monochrome Film Simulation Recipe


49562239621_f61177f026_c

Partially Illuminated – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 “Faded Monochrome”

This is my Faded Monochrome recipe adapted for my Fujifilm X-T1. It will work on all X-Trans I & II and Bayer sensor cameras, just so long as it has a double-exposure mode (I think they all do, but I’m not 100% certain). You have to put the camera into double-exposure mode, capture the scene with the first exposure, and use the second exposure to photograph a medium-grey piece of paper (I used an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet of construction paper). I prefer the second exposure to be out of focus. The first exposure should be slightly overexposed, perhaps by 1/3 to 2/3 stop, because the second exposure will decrease the contrast. The second exposure should be underexposed by at least 1 stop, and as many as 3 stops. How bright or dark the second exposure is will determine just how faded the picture will be. It requires some experimentation, but thankfully you get a real-time display of what the picture will look like and the opportunity for a do-over (simply select “Retry”). The look you get is similar to using a low-contrast filter when making black-and-white prints in the darkroom.

Monochrome
Dynamic Range: DR100
Highlight: +2 (High)
Shadow: +2 (High)
Sharpness: 0 (Medium)
Noise Reduction: -2 (Low)
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 3200

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Faded Monochrome recipe on my Fujifilm X-T1:

49535687427_1e87027c32_c

Thought – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49562469097_7f81831b4f_c

Girl Shadow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49535391981_f3dfe57521_c

Piano Hand – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49535391881_d1b21a7d31_c

Piano Fingers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49549899483_8436ea804a_c

Faded Lily – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49534962998_21bccaf62a_c

Flowers Fading – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49561760608_b0b263a43d_c

Bouquet – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49549899573_313ac31c7a_c

Wheelbarrow Monochrome – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49535392066_7ec4d287d3_c

Gathering – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

49549899213_66bfaa1043_c

Window Blinds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$5.00

My Fujifilm X-T30 Dramatic Monochrome Film Simulation Recipe


49514367492_b9d101a7de_c

The Obscurity of Light – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Dramatic Monochrome”

A couple of weeks ago when I was discussing the possibility of Fujifilm creating a black-and-white only camera, something that I came to learn by accident is that the Monochrome film simulation is pretty darn good. On X-Trans III & IV cameras, I have always used the Acros film simulation because it is beautiful and has a film-like quality to it. But there’s something about the “old-fashioned” Monochrome film simulation that’s nice, as well. I had never made a Monochrome film simulation for X-Trans III & IV cameras, so I set out to do so.

At first I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted, so I decided that the best starting point was to revisit the iconic photographs of the great photographers from the 1930’s, ’40’s and ’50’s—people like Ansel Adams, Andre Kertesz, Robert Doisneau, Weegee, Pual Strand, Elliott Erwitt and others. I realized that I was drawn to the high-contrast pictures that these photographers had created. I wanted to create a recipe that mimics that look in-camera. These settings, which I call Dramatic Monochrome, are what resulted from that.

49488720501_442444082a_c

Francis Peak – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Dramatic Monochrome”

For those with X-Trans III sensors, which don’t have the Color Chrome Effect, you’ll get similar results, but it won’t be quite as dramatic. The difference isn’t very big, so don’t worry about it. I would consider using +2 for Sharpness on X-Trans III instead of +3. On X-Trans IV cameras, you could give a +1 toning for a subtle warm look, such as what would happen if you gave a print a quick Sepia bath.

Monochrome (+Y, +R, +G)
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +4
Shadow: +4
Grain: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Toning: 0
Sharpening: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
ISO: Auto up to ISO 12800

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Dramatic Monochrome film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:

49518780956_b4dacc1b7c_c

Chair Near a Window – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49488717121_ed3074fd6e_c

Shadow Ware – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49488718596_c1d4c8c89f_c

White Pillow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49518253368_b33d348f06_c

Santa Fe – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49518253273_3a0d381d63_c

Young Piano Hands – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49503917118_3b442059a3_c

Clouds Above The Snow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49490169686_2a3eae11b7_c

Wasatch Ridge Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49488718266_0281d9ed5b_c

Lines In The Snow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49518775796_a1820e628a_c

Clouds Over The Frosted Hill – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49521556283_25fd0b8f7d_c

White Beyond Dark – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49521192566_94ec9fbbd2_c

Frosted – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

49514153566_52e1de3a78_c

Darkness & Light – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

Help Fuji X Weekly

Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There's a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!

$5.00