retro | FUJI X WEEKLY

Fujifilm’s Hidden Feature: Advanced Filters (plus, what Fujifilm should do with it on future cameras)

There’s a feature on most Fujifilm cameras that few use—you might not be aware that it even exists—called Advanced Filters. Fujifilm introduced Advanced Filters in 2013 with the X100S and X20. With the exception of a few early models, your Fujifilm X-series camera has Advanced Filters (however, GFX models does not have it). Find Advanced Filters on the Drive Dial or Drive Menu (depending on the specifics of your model). For older cameras, Advanced Filters are JPEG only; however, on newer models, you can save a RAW file in addition to the JPEG. Since its initial implementation, Fujifilm has left this feature unmodified, offering the same options on each camera generation.

Why are the Advanced Filters so obscure and not widely used? Worse, why is it actually detested by some who have tried it? Well, the short answer is that Advanced Filters aren’t “advanced” at all, and are probably the most gimmicky and sometimes cringy thing Fujifilm has included in what are otherwise sophisticated cameras. My personal opinion is that some of the Advanced Filters are okay, others aren’t particularly good, and some are definitely out-of-date. Let’s take a look at each Advanced Filter.

Toy Camera

Fujifilm describes this Advanced Filter as “a retro toy camera effect”, which is to say that it is roughly modeled after a Holga or Diana film camera aesthetic. It’s intended to be a “lomo” look. It seems to be the Provia Film Simulation with a yellow cast and some vignetting.

Miniature

This adds blur to the top and bottom of the frame, similar to using a tilt-shift lens. When you are photographing from an elevated vantage point, the Miniature Advanced Filter can give the illusion that the subject is a miniature model. It’s better to use an actual tilt-shift lens to get this effect, but if you don’t own one, this is an easy way to approximate it. Like a lot of the Advanced Filters, I believe that it is based on the Provia Film Simulation.

Pop Color

Pop Color is my favorite Advanced Filter. It more-or-less resembles Fujichrome Fortia 50 film, and in my opinion Fujifilm should make Pop Color the next Film Simulation and call it Fortia. Perhaps they’ll need to fine-tune some aspects of it, but whatever it is that they need to do, I believe that Pop Color absolutely should graduate from Advanced Filters.

High Key/Low Key

Above Left: High Key Advanced Filter; Above Right: Low Key Advanced Filter

The High Key Advanced Filter creates a bright overexposed image, while the Low Key Advanced Filter creates a dark underexposed image. There’s nothing especially special about High Key and Low Key, as both can be easily replicated using the Provia film simulation. You might occasionally use these two in lieu of having a Film Simulation Recipe programmed into C1-C7 with a similar look, but I don’t believe many people are doing that. Instead, you could use Recipes like Bright Kodak or Low Key for better results.

Dynamic Tone

“Dynamic tone expression is used for a fantasy effect,” is how Fujifilm describes it. What it reminds me of is HDR photography with aggressive tonemapping, which was all the rage 15 to 20 years ago despite being hideous.

Soft Focus

The Soft Focus Advanced Filter is kind of like setting Clarity to -20 and Sharpness to -10 on your Fujifilm camera (if that were possible) while using the Provia Film Simulation. In my opinion, it’s much too strong; instead, it should be integrated into the Toy Camera Advanced Filter with the options of Off, Weak, or Strong (with the current iteration being Strong).

Partial Color (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple)

Above left: Partial Color Red Advanced Filter; Above right: Partial Color Green Advanced Filter

The six Partial Color filters are the Monochrome film simulation (with everything set to factory defaults), but with one color recorded (either red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple—the singular color is the Provia Film Simulation). This is another effect that was popular 15 to 20 years ago, but is not currently trendy.

In the past when I’ve suggested that Fujifilm should consider overhauling Advanced Filters, I was surprised by the pushback. There are people who use these, and surprisingly some of the options are beloved by some photographers. The best thing that Fujifilm could do is to allow them to be customized with White Balance, Dynamic Range, Grain, etc.. For Toy Camera, it would be cool if you could choose the Film Simulation, too. If Fujifilm were to ax half of the Advanced Filters, I don’t think most people would mind (or even notice).

Let’s hypothesize that on the next generation of Fujifilm cameras, which are likely coming within the next handful of months, that they overhaul Advanced Filters. Fujifilm is probably not doing this, but let’s just pretend that they are (because they should). Let’s say that Pop Color is gone because it’s now the Fortia Film Simulation. Let’s also say that High Key and Low Key are removed because they are unnecessary and their inclusion is a bit silly. Additionally, let’s say that Dynamic Tone and Soft Focus are axed because they’re cringy. That leaves Toy Camera, Miniature, and Partial Color, which Fujifilm should allow customization for, so that they can be modified for each person’s tastes.

Obviously, some new Advanced Filters will need to be added to replaced the ones that were removed. Fujifilm needs to look no further than the X half to find the answer. The Fujifilm X half has Filters, which are the Advanced Filters plus some new ones taken from the Instax Evo series. Some of these are really good, and should make their way into other X-series cameras. Let’s look at a few that Fujifilm should add to Advanced Filters.

Retro

The best that I can describe the Retro Filter is push-processed Ektachrome slide film from the late 1960’s and 1970’s (think Ormond Gigli’s color work from that era). This is one of my favorite X half filters, and would be a great addition to the X-series.

Expired Film

Above: Expired Film Filter — Fujifilm X half

The Expired Film Filter on the X half has three options: Green, Red, and Neutral. These aren’t Filters that I would use all the time, but on occasion they can be a lot of fun. As long as Grain can be selected (or maybe Fujifilm has Grain built into it), then it doesn’t need to be customized any further.

Light Leak & Halation

Above left: Light Leak Filter; Above right: Halation filter

There are two other X half Filters that I would like to see added to the X-series: Light Leak and Halation; however, I would like these to be JPEG options and not stand-alone Advanced Filters. You should be able to apply them to any Film Simulation, and make them a part of Fujifilm Recipes. For Light Leak, the options should be: Low, High, On, Off. If set to On, every image has a light leak; if set to Low, only a small percentage of random images (say 5%) get a light leak; if set to High, a larger percentage of random images (say 20%) get a light leak. The Halation effect, which should have the options of Off, Weak, and Strong, would be great for Cinestill Recipes. If Fujifilm is unwilling to do that, at the very least they should add these two to Advanced Filters.

Cross Process

This is a bonus, but I think an Advanced Filter that resembles cross-processed Fujichrome Velvia 50 film would be really cool. I used to develop E6 slide film in C41 chemistry for fun many years ago, and if my Fujifilm camera could replicate that aesthetic, I would love it.

If Fujifilm asked for my input on how to improve the Advanced Filters, I would get rid of a few of them (namely, High Key, Low Key, Dynamic Tone, and Soft Focus). I would graduate Pop Color to a Film Simulation named Fortia. I would allow Toy Camera, Miniature, and Partial Color to be customized with various JPEG options. I would add Retro and Expired Film from the X half to the list of Advanced Filters, as well as Light Leak and Halation if Fujifilm is unwilling to make them JPEG options that can be applied to any Film Simulation. And I would add a Cross Process Advance Filter that resembles Fujichrome Velvia 50 developed in C41 chemistry, because that would be really cool. This would turn what is often viewed as a cringy feature into something more useful and better appreciated. Will Fujifilm take this advice? I hope so, but my guess is that Advanced Filters will continue to be identical to what it was way back in 2013 when it was first introduced.

Fujifilm should have Newtro Apparel

Posted on October 3 by Ritchie Roesch

*A Kodak Moment* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-T20

Three months ago, the New York Times published a story entitled The Kodak Brand Gets a Second Life. In South Korea, there are over 120 Kodak Apparel stores that sell shirts, hats, sunglasses, handbags, luggage, and more with the Kodak logo on them. Kodak Apparel isn’t a part of Eastman Kodak, but a different company called Highlight Brands that simply licenses the name from Kodak. While Kodak Apparel is currently huge in South Korea, it hasn’t quite caught on worldwide… yet. But that’s about to change.

Just today I saw that Reebok collaborated with Kodak, and has released some cool shoes and clothes with vintage Kodak branding. “The resurgence of film is here as Gen Z continues to lean into the ’90s for inspiration and trends,” Carmen Hardaway, director of Reebok Classics and Energy collaborations, told PetaPixel. “Kodak is being rediscovered by a whole new generation inspired by the endless possibilities of film and print colliding with today’s technologies.”

The New York Times suggests that this is a part of an international trend being dubbed newtro, a combination of new and retro. Newtro describes something that is brand-new but seems to be or nods to something that’s vintage. Many Fujifilm cameras, like the X-E5, X100VI, X-T5, X-T50, X-M5, and X half, fall into this category. The X-Pro would, too, if they were currently making one.

What’s old is cool again. While antiques and vintage things are “in” right now, so are things that just seem to be retro or pay homage to that. It shouldn’t be surprising that Kodak clothes are extremely trendy in South Korea. What is surprising is that companies like Kodak and especially Fujifilm aren’t doing more to capitalize on the newtro movement. Yes, Fujifilm is certainly benefiting from it when it comes to camera sales, but they could be doing so much more.

*Fujifilm Drip* – NYC, NY – Fujifilm X-T50 – Pacific Blues

People want to sport their favorite brands. As my kids would say, they want their fit to be fire. I would wear a Kodak Film shirt, and carry Kodachrome duffle bag. These things need to become available everywhere, and not just in South Korea. The Reebok collaboration is a significant step in that direction. While Fujifilm does have a merch store, it’s pretty small with only a handful of options, and most if it isn’t newtro. Even if they have no interest in becoming an apparel brand, Fujifilm should license out their logo—especially their old emblems and trademarks—for other companies to use. I don’t know if they realize just how big this could be. It’s not just about getting a little extra revenue from apparel, but more about increasing brand recognition and affinity.

Shirts, sweaters, jackets, and things like that are obvious options that both Kodak and Fujifilm should sell (or license to a third-party). Camera accessories—straps, bags, etc.—should not be overlooked. For Kodak, why not license to a camera brand? There could be a Leica M11 Kodak collectors edition, with some red and yellow trim, for example. Or—shockingly—a Kodak edition of a Fujifilm camera, something like my faux Kodak Retina.

The benefit of Fujifilm putting their name and logos on clothes, hats, bags, etc., (which would likely be licensed products sold via a third party, like Kodak is doing with Highlight Brands and Reebok) is that the brand is carried into everyday life. Fujifilm has already cultivated a lifestyle around creativity, nostalgia, and artistry, and apparel makes that identity wearable. Every hoodie, hat, or jacket becomes a walking billboard. It can spark conversations like, “Oh, you shoot Fujifilm too?” That organic visibility extends recognition far beyond traditional advertising. And it can serve as an entry point into the brand, reaching people who may later buy a Fujifilm camera and not just a shirt.

Fujifilm’s recommitment to retro-styled bodies comes at an opportune time. With the historic demand of the X100VI, which has already outsold any previous X100-series camera, Fujifilm is working overtime on production—this camera has been a massive hit. Just this year Fujifilm released the GFX100RF, X half, and X-E5. Newtro doesn’t just apply to physical products, though. Fujifilm’s Film Simulations (and, of course, Film Simulation Recipes) are a big part of the appeal. Think of them as newtro aesthetics. They’re not quite film but a big nod to the retro look that film has produced for a very long time. Fujifilm has a massive leg-up on this compared to their competition, and it is an under appreciated aspect of their success. I think, though, that we’re seeing just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a huge untapped potential. Kodak and Fujifilm both have big opportunities, and they could learn from each other how to fully capitalize on it.