X100V Acros | FUJI X WEEKLY

Creative Collective 021: Introducing the Fujifilm X100V Acros Edition

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Ritchie Roesch

I’ve said for awhile now that Fujifilm should make a black-and-white only camera. There’s actually an advantage to a monochrome sensor. With a typical Bayer color array, only 50% of the light-sensitive sensor elements are recording luminosity information, while the other 50% are recording color information. With an X-Trans sensor, 55% of the light-sensitive sensor elements are recording luminosity information while 45% are recording color information. With a monochrome sensor, 100% of the light-sensitive sensor elements are recording luminosity information. Because of this, you get a higher perceived resolution, as pictures will appear more richly detailed, and there’s more shadow latitude, which also improves high-ISO capabilities. You can also use color filters like with black-and-white film.

Fujifilm has said that they have no plans currently to make a monochrome camera. You can actually convert any Fujifilm camera to be black-and-white only, but it is expensive and extreme. I’ve wanted a monochrome-only Fujifilm camera for awhile, but I’m not willing to convert one, and I’m impatient waiting for an official model to come out. So what did I do? I made my own.

Introducing the Fujifilm X100V Acros Edition!

Note: this was a Creative Collective article, but now it’s available to everyone.

Of course I didn’t actually make a black-and-white only camera. My X100V-Acros is just an X100V, and is capable of capturing color images. There’s nothing unique about it, other than it now says “Acros” underneath Fujifilm X100V on the top. What makes this camera an “Acros Edition” (other than the additional word) is that the C1-C7 Custom Presets programmed into it are all black-and-white Film Simulation Recipes.

The idea for this wasn’t mine. A Fuji X Weekly reader actually used just one recipe—a black-and-white recipe—on his Fujifilm camera for a whole year. Another reader was seriously considering doing the monochrome conversion to his X-Trans II camera, but then he realized that the resolution increase was going to be similar to his X-Trans IV camera, so instead of going through with the conversion he decided to dedicate his X-Trans IV camera to black-and-white recipes. I simply copied his idea.

Let’s talk about that resolution bump of monochrome-only cameras. Because you’re able to tap into the full-resolution potential of the sensor, you get a more detail-rich image. A converted 16mp X-Trans I or II sensor would be equivalent to a 23mp Bayer camera, a 24mp X-Trans III sensor would be equivalent to 35mp, and a 26mp X-Trans IV sensor would be equivalent to 37.5mp, roughly speaking. But, of course, it would also require a lens capable of resolving that much resolution, which many (but not all) Fujinon lenses can. Also, as I pointed out in my Fujifilm X vs GFX article, such a resolution increase only really matters if you print large or crop deep, and otherwise isn’t a big deal at all. In other words, the 26mp sensor in the X100V is already a lot of resolution, so it doesn’t matter that the camera isn’t actually monochrome-only. I can simply pretend, and be happy with that.

The seven black-and-white recipes that I decided to program into the camera (in order of C1-C7) are Moody Monochrome, Kodak Tri-X 400, Ilford HP5 Plus 400, Monochrome Negative, B&W Superia, Noir, and B&W Infrared. I haven’t decided yet if these are the seven that I’ll stick with, or if I’ll change a few of them out, but I do know for certain that Tri-X 400 stays. Another note is that I have a 5% CineBloom filter attached to the camera. I’m growing quite fond of the subtle effect of this diffusion filter (tip three of seven for getting a “film look”, btw).

Yesterday I took my Fujifilm X100V Acros Edition out for the first time. I went to Antelope Island State Park, and also stopped at a local park along the way. The purpose of this outing was to try out all seven of these recipes. Below are the pictures!

*Takeoff* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

*Empty Bench* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “B&W Infrared”

*Western Fisherman* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

*Tetris on a Stick* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Noir”

*Lake Fence* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Noir”

*Rural Wood Fence* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

*Blooms Among Pine* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

*Two Tree Trunks* – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “B&W Infrared”

*Unneeded Boat Cleat* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Moody Monochrome”

*Please Stay Out* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Moody Monochrome”

*Dry Dock* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Moody Monochrome”

*Deserted Dock* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Ilford HP5 Plus 400”

*Boaters Beware!!* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Ilford HP5 Plus 400”

*Drought* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Ilford HP5 Plus 400”

*Sage & Sand* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Ilford HP5 Plus 400”

*Layers of Grey* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Moody Monochrome”

*Rocks Reflected* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Monochrome Negative”

*Bush in the Rocks* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Monochrome Negative”

*Brush & Lakeshore* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “Monochrome Negative”

*Crushed Brush* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “B&W Superia”

*Francis Peak and Brush* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “B&W Superia”

*Buffalo Peek* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V-Acros – “B&W Superia”

I love black-and-white photography, probably because I first learned photography on black-and-white film. If you love it, too, I invite you to try using only black-and-white recipes on your Fujifilm camera—make your own “Acros Edition” of whatever camera you have. I like the idea of a Fujifilm monochrome camera, so I think it was inevitable that I decided to do this—I now wonder why it took so long. Once I have my seven recipes nailed down, the next project will be to capture 24 or 36 exposures with each before changing recipes, kind of mimicking that limitation of film.

Fujifilm X-Trans IV Film Simulation Recipe: Moody Monochrome

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Ritchie Roesch

*Apocalyptic Pavillion* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Moody Monochrome”

Of the different faux filter options for Acros, +Y is the one I use the least. I think it goes back to my film days when I used color filters with B&W film. I would select Orange or Red before Yellow, because Yellow is fairly subtle, but the advantage of the Yellow filter is that it doesn’t block as much light. Of course, the faux filters on Fujifilm cameras don’t affect the exposure like real filters with film. Anyway, recognizing that I infrequently use Acros+Y, I set out to make a Film Simulation Recipe that uses +Y and produces an aesthetic that I like. I think it is important to challenge myself sometimes, so if there’s some setting or gear or option that I don’t use often, forcing myself to use it helps me to grow as a photographer. That’s why I made this recipe.

I wanted something with an overall darker curve, so that it would produce a moody look. Maybe deep blacks reminiscent of Tri-X, and maybe a push-process feel. I didn’t have any specific film in mind, but I’m reminded of this time that I push-processed a roll of Ilford Delta 400, but inadvertently got it wrong—I underexposed two stops, and only had the lab push it by one stop, so the pictures were largely underexposed, and they were darker and moodier (yet less contrasty and grainy) than I had intended. This isn’t exactly the same as that, but not too dissimilar, either, so that’s why I call this recipe Moody Monochrome.

*Early Blossoms* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Moody Monochrome”

Because this film simulation recipe uses Clarity, it is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. If you have an X-T3 or X-T30 or X-Trans III camera, ignore Clarity and Grain size, and use a diffusion filter, like a 10% CineBloom or 1/4 Black Pro Mist, to get similar results.

Acros+Y
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: -2
Clarity: -3
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Fluorescent 3, -4 Red & -9 Blue
ISO: 3200
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Moody Monochrome” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

*Stop West* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Watch For Falling Bikes* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Sun Beams* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Tower in the Middle of Nowhere* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Path Through The Grass* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Wetland Boardwalk* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Wetland Grass* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Creek in the Trees* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Creek, Stick & Vines* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Log Above The Water* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Grey Brush* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Cat on a Log* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

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

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Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: B&W Superia

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

*White House* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “B&W Superia”

Sometimes it’s fun to experiment with the settings on different film simulation recipes—make small changes and see what the results are. My Ektachrome 100SW recipe come about because someone took my Kodachrome II recipe and used Velvia instead of Classic Chrome. I did a similar experiment recently with my Kodachrome 64 recipe. This B&W Superia film simulation recipe came about that same way.

Fuji X Weekly reader Thomas Schwab took my Fujicolor Superia 1600 recipe and made a few changes, most notably Acros instead of Classic Negative. There are a few other differences, such as Grain and White Balance, but it’s mostly the Superia 1600 recipe, yet in monochrome instead of color. There never was a black-and-white Superia film, but it is possible to develop Superia in black-and-white chemistry as a monochrome film (technically, this is cross-processing). While there might be some similarities to Superia film developed as B&W and this recipe, they’re completely coincidental, as these settings aren’t intended to mimic anything specific.

*Lamp Shadow* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “B&W Superia”

Even though this B&W Superia recipe isn’t intended to look like any particular film, it nonetheless produces very nice results. It calls for a little Toning, which resembles a quick Sepia bath, a common archival technique in monochrome printing, but that’s optional. The Clarity setting will slow down the camera considerably, so be aware of that. This recipe is only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 cameras.

Acros (+Y, +R, +G)
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -1
Clarity: -4
Grain Effect: Weak, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
Toning: WC +2 MG 0
White Balance: Auto, 0 Red & 0 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 12800
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this B&W Superia film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

*Sunlight & Structure* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Urban Canopy* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Bakery Thriftshop* – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Curved Corner* – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*We’re Open!* – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Window Vase* – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Monochrome Leaf* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

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Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak Tri-X 400

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

Leaves in the Forest – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200 – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

The number one black-and-white film simulation recipe that I’ve been asked to create is Kodak Tri-X 400, but I’ve never been satisfied with my own attempts. Thankfully for you, Fuji X Weekly reader Anders Lindborg (Instagram) was able to do it! This is brilliant, and I’m sure you’ll love it. It’s the only B&W recipe I’m using on my Fujifilm X100V right now.

Kodak introduced Tri-X in the early 1940’s, and in the 1950’s they began selling it in 35mm format. Ever since, it has been the “standard” high-ISO black-and-white film for photographers. It’s been made in ISO 160, 200, 320 and 400 versions; this recipe is based on Tri-X 400. Kodak re-engineered Tri-X 400 in 2007 with finer grain and lower contrast, but it’s still nearly identical to the old stock.

Anders actually made three recipes in one: low-contrast, mid-contrast, and high-contrast. Tri-X, like most films, can be made more contrasty or less contrasty based on how it’s developed (chemicals used and/or development times) or printed (contrast filters). The recipe further down this article is the mid-contrast version. For low contrast, set Highlight to -1 and Shadow to +2. For high contrast, set Highlight to +1 and Shadow to +4. This film simulation recipe was designed for the X-T3 and X-T30, but I changed a couple of things for the X100V: I set Clarity to +4 (which isn’t available on the X-T3 and X-T30) and Grain to Strong & Large (on the X-T3 and X-T30, Grain is set to Strong). Because it adds contrast, setting Clarity to +4 actually makes this look more like the high-contrast version. If you are using this on the X100V, X-Pro3 or X-T4, feel free to try all three contrast versions, with or without Clarity, to see which you like better. For X-Trans III cameras, which don’t have Color Chrome Effect, you can still use this recipe; while it won’t look exactly the same, it will still look very similar. In other words, even though the title says “Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe” you can actually use it on any camera with the Acros film simulation—I’ve tried it on an X-T30 and X-T20, and it looks great!

Forest Edge – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600 – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

I found that this recipe looks best when set to ISO 1600 or higher. From ISO 1600 to 3200, the results more resemble newer Tri-X 400 film. From ISO 6400 to ISO 12800, the results more resemble older Tri-X 400 film. I want to give a big thank-you to Anders Lindborg for creating this recipe, sharing it, and allowing me to publish it here—you are appreciated! Thank you!

Acros (+Y, +R, +G)
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: +1
Clarity: +4
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Daylight,+9 Red & -9 Blue
ISO: ISO 1600 – 12800
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

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

Fallen Trunk – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

The Forest – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Light in a Dark Canopy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Sunlight & Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

Monochrome Backlit Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Drops on a Window – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Half Leaf In The Road – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Footstep – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Barrier – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Corner Benches – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 6400

Drinking Fountains – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Feel Like A Kid Again – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Walking at an Amusement Park – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 1600

Waiting at the Exit – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Diagonal Light Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

FED 5c Film Camera – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Coffee Grounds in a Filter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Rainbow Feet on the Floor – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Girl in Zebra Shirt – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

Rainy Day Siblings – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Level Up – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

Wet Leaf in the Grass – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 5000

Wet Tree Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Leaf of a Different Color – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Emptiness – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Empty Boxes in an Abandoned Home – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

Nobody’s Home – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

White Truck – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 3200

Dead End Night – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

Trolley Bus – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

Wrong Way – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V – ISO 12800

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