Coastal Blossoms at Sunset – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Portra 160 Recipe
Kodak introduced the Portra line in 1998, with two ISO 160 versions, two ISO 400 versions, and an ISO 800 emulsion (plus a short-lived ISO 100 Tungsten film, for those keeping score). Portra saw a couple of updates by Kodak, and in late-2010 the two ISO 160 versions were merged into one, as well as the two ISO 400 versions. The film has become iconic, with its warm yet natural colors. As the name implies, it was meant for portrait photography, but is popular for many genres.
Originally, Kodak Portra 160 came in “NC” (neutral color) and “VC” (vivid color) versions; Portra 160 NC was more popular for portraits and Portra 160 VC was more popular for landscapes. When Kodak merged the two, it fell kind of in-between the two emulsions—more vibrant than NC but less than VC. This Film Simulation Recipe is intended to mimic the merged Portra 160 that Kodak introduced in 2010.
I already have a Kodak Portra 160 Recipe that is compatible with X-Trans III cameras plus the X-T3 and X-T30, but not one for newer models. This update is long overdue, and I’m thrilled to finally publish it. Instead of simply making a quick adjustment to the “old” Recipe, I started from scratch. While the results are still very similar, it’s a significant redesign, and (hopefully) it’s just a tad better. This Recipe pairs really well with diffusion filters; for the California pictures in this article I used a 10% CineBloom filter, and for the Arizona pictures I used a mix of a 5% CineBloom and no diffusion filter at all. I did not adjust Clarity when using the diffusion filters.
Glass View – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Portra 160 Recipe
This Kodak Portra 160 Film Simulation Recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. For fifth generation X-Trans models, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, and X-S20, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak instead of Strong. This Recipe will also work on newer GFX cameras, but the results will likely be slightly different.
Film Simulation: Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR400 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong White Balance: 4900K, +4 Red & -6 Blue Highlight: -1 Shadow: -2 Color: 0 Sharpness: -2 High ISO NR: -4 Clarity: -3 ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Kodak Portra 160 Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Golden Coast – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Pacific Gold – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Bluff Above the Golden Coast – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Blooms Above the Pacific Ocean – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Gold Coast Blooms – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Sunset Selfie – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Blooming Bush on Pacific Bluff – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Pacific Overlook – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Red Coastal Flowers – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Aliso Beach – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Hotel – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Floral Arch – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Flowers & Palms – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Bunch of Blossomed Flowers – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Flowers & Water – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Coastal Peek – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Wedding Guests – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Flower Petals – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Book & Mirror – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Gifts & Snacks – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Mirror – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
You Like Jazz? – Laguna Beach, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Twin Palms & Concrete – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Empty Cage – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Trumpet Haze – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Streaking Light over Tree Leaves – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Spiderweb in the Shrub – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
LavAzza Cactus – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Trash Moon – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Orange Leaf – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Apartment – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Top of the Playground – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Playground Canopy – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Palmin the Sky – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Tree-Lined Path – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Bougainvillea Warm – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Arizona Jon – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Waterless Lions – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Evening Light Bougainvillea – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Oleander Wall – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Bougainvillea Blossom – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
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I’m not a wedding photographer, although I have photographed a few weddings in the past as a favor to family and friends. Since I’m always carrying a camera around, I’m occasionally asked to capture someone’s wedding, but it’s not my thing. While I have a lot of photography experience, I have limited experience as a wedding photographer.
I don’t envy those in this genre, because it’s a lot of work. The wedding photographer is often one of the first to arrive at the venue, and one of the last to leave, because every moment—from setup to reception’s end, and especially every instance in-between—is worth recording. There are so many memorable moments throughout the day, and the photographer’s job is to capture as many as possible, including every single of the big ones. Then there’s all the culling and editing. I would estimate that for every hour spent capturing pictures, I’d need two to three hours at the computer to edit the images. If I photographed for 12 hours, that would mean 24 to 36 hours of post-processing. Yikes!
Because Film Simulation Recipes can save you a whole bunch of time, it’s not surprising that I’ve been asked a number of times which ones might be good for wedding photography. Whether you’re a professional, or just doing it as a favor, or as a guest, Recipes are much more efficient, and cutting the culling and editing down to a reasonable time is highly appealing. I haven’t photographed a wedding since I began using Recipes, so it’s been difficult to recommend specific ones. Without personal experience, I’ve only been able to guess which ones might do well.
Last month I was invited to Marisa and Sahand Nayebaziz‘s wedding in Laguna Beach, California. Sahand is an app developer—if you’ve ever used the Fuji X Weekly App, Ricoh Recipes App, or RitchieCam App, you’ve seen his handiwork. His own app is called Details Pro, and if you are familiar with SwiftUI, you’ve probably heard of and maybe even used his app. Anyway, I’ve worked with Sahand for three years now, and he has been a significant part of the Fuji X Weekly story. He shoots with Fujifilm cameras and uses Film Simulation Recipes, so naturally we have developed a friendship. It was a real honor to be invited to Marisa and Sahand’s marriage ceremony.
Fujifilm X100V — Kodak Portra 400 v2 Recipe
The wedding was incredibly beautiful! Aside from the breathtaking location and the perfect weather, the event was decorated so well. It was literally like nothing I’d ever seen before. It was like a movie, except it was real!
My wife and I were guests. I brought my Fujifilm X100V—with a 10% CineBloom filter on the front—and did my best to stay out of the way. I wanted to photograph the wedding, but there’s nothing more annoying to the wedding photographer—and perhaps also the bride and groom—than to get in the way by being pushy with the camera. It’s much better to just blend into the crowd. I wasn’t the wedding photographer, and was quite satisfied with that arrangement; however, I still wanted to capture some images. Funny story, the wedding photographer, who was using a couple of Leica models, asked me several questions about my X100V; apparently he’s interested in buying one for his personal photography. Although I tried to blend in, my camera caught his attention, but I think in a good way.
My approach was to focus on things that I thought the wedding photographer might overlook. Of course, I had no idea what the photographer would or wouldn’t capture, but I know how easy it is to miss small things when your attention is on big things. I did my best to photograph those potentially missed pictures, while drawing as little attention to myself as practical. Also, I think the perspective of the guests can be a little different than that of the wedding crew, so I approached it as such.
The Fujifilm X100V is a great camera, but the fixed-focal-length lens is limiting. That’s not always a bad thing, but it did make it challenging in this case because I was sometimes further away than I needed to be to get the shots that I wanted. The digital teleconverter was utilized more often than usual—in a pinch it works well, but I avoid it when I can.
Fujifilm X100V — Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled
I had two Film Simulation Recipes in mind for the wedding, but I wasn’t sure until I got there if they would be good choices. It was a daylight outdoor wedding, and for those pictures I used my Kodak Portra 400 v2 Recipe, which is a favorite of both Sahand and myself, so it made a lot of sense to try it. That Recipe worked excellent, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. For the indoor reception pictures, I used the Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled, which is soft and versatile—perfect for the situation.
Kodak Portra 400 v2 is a Film Simulation Recipe that I’m now happy to recommend for outdoor daylight wedding photography. Some others to consider are Kodak Portra 400, Reggie’s Portra, Timeless Negative, Reala Ace, Fujicolor Reala 100, Fujicolor Superia 100, Fujicolor C200, Fujicolor Pro 400H, and Fujicolor Natura 1600. I’m sure many others could work, too. Of course, which one you should choose will depend on the exact light condition and the aesthetic you desire. Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled is a Recipe that I’m happy to recommend for indoor wedding photography. Fujicolor Super HG v2, Eterna v2, Reggie’s Portra, Reala Ace, and Timeless Negative are some others to consider. You might notice that a few Recipes are in both categories, and that’s because they’re more versatile. In fact, Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled could also be a good option for sunny daylight situations. Kodak Tri-X 400 would be my top choice for black-and-white.
I just picked two Recipes, but if I was the photographer (and not a guest), I would have seven options ready to go in my C1-C7. I would select two for sunny outdoors, two for indoor, two for versatility, and one B&W. Something like Kodak Portra 400 v2 and Fujicolor Superia 100 for outdoors, Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled and Fujicolor Super HG v2 for indoors, Reggie’s Portra and Reala Ace for versatility, and Kodak Tri-X 400 for monochrome. Then, I’d test each one at the venue, and decide at that point which ones I want to use—perhaps just three or maybe four of them—and stick with those few, unless the light changed and an adjustment was needed.
The photographs in this article are about 1/3 of the total that I gave to the bride and groom. Because I used Film Simulation Recipes and didn’t edit (aside from some cropping), the culling and post-processing took minutes, and not hours and hours. These were bonus pictures for them, hopefully complimenting the wonderful photographs that the actual wedding photographer captured. Marisa and Sahand seemed to like them. If you are considering using Film Simulation Recipes at an upcoming wedding, I hope that this article provides you with some direction. If you’ve used Recipes at a wedding, let me know in the comments which ones you used and how they worked out.
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Street photography is a very popular genre, and I get asked fairly frequently what my favorite gear is for it. While I do dabble in street photography, it’s not my most common photographic subject; however, I’ve done enough street photography that I feel comfortable giving gear recommendations for it. In this article I’ll tell you what I use and why.
While there is no definitive explanation, street photography is best described as pictures of chance encounters in public places. It often takes place in urban environments (such as downtown city centers), but it is certainly not limited to that. Some will say that humans must be included in the pictures for it to be street photography, but others will argue that the effects of humanity within the environment is acceptable, and some believe that any urban image fits within the genre. It is commonly understood that street photography involves candid (unstaged) pictures, but some will state that it is the chance encounters that are most important, and it is okay to provide some direction to that randomness in order to create a stronger picture. In other words, there’s no universal answer to what exactly street photography is, but most of the time you recognize it when you see it.
If you’ve never done street photography but want to try, the first place to start is understanding the laws and customs of the place you are photographing. Each country is different, and it may even vary from specific location to specific location. You want to understand your rights as a photographer in a public location, and the rights of those potentially being photographed. Besides the legal question, there is the ethical one: should you? While something might be legally ok, it does not necessarily mean that it is moral. These are all things that you should consider before attempting any street photography. Research the local laws. Consider what you are comfortable photographing and why, and what you are not comfortable photographing and why not. I cannot emphasize this step enough, and I encourage you to spend some time on these questions before heading out with your camera.
After that, the next step is to go to a public place and capture some candid images. The most common location is an urban environment, such as the center of a large city, but it can be anywhere where people are. If you don’t have easy access to a large downtown, consider what is nearby where you live. Even if you live in a small town or a rural location, I bet there are opportunities nearby if you look hard enough.
Now, let’s discuss gear. To be clear, you can use any camera. I’ve done street photography with most of my gear. There are a few tools that I do prefer over others, but if you don’t have these don’t worry too much about it, because whatever gear you currently own is good enough. The list below is simply the cameras that I personally prefer for street photography.
Fujifilm X100V
This is my favorite camera for street photography. Actually, it’s my favorite camera, period. The Fujifilm X100V is my “desert island” model—if I could own only one camera for the rest of my life, it would be this. There are a few things that make it especially good for street photography.
First, it’s pretty small. It’s good for carrying as you walk around for awhile, and people don’t often get intimidated by it like they would with a larger body. Second, the leaf shutter is basically silent, and allows you to be more stealthy. Yes, electronic shutters are silent, too, but they do have a couple of drawbacks that might affect your photography (situationally dependent), so a silent mechanical shutter is an excellent feature. Third, the optical viewfinder allows you to see outside the frame to better anticipate the decisive moment. There are many other things that make the camera great, such as the build quality, weather sealing, traditional tactile controls, built-in ND filter, etc., etc.; this isn’t a review of the X100V, just some reasons why it is my favorite tool for street photography.
Perhaps the top thing that makes the Fujifilm X100V great for street photography are all the Film Simulation Recipes that you can program into the camera. Almost no matter the aesthetic you want to achieve, there is a Recipe that will allow you to get the look straight-out-of-camera, no editing needed. This can make street photography more fun, while saving you time and frustration later.
The Ricoh GR III is a super small and compact camera that you can literally carry with you everywhere, since it fits so easily into a pocket or purse. If you own a Ricoh GR III, there is no excuse for not having it with you. Since photo opportunities aren’t always planned, it’s important to have quick access to a camera at all times, and this model makes it easy. I try to carry my GR III with me whenever I go out, even if it is just to the grocery store.
There are a few reasons why I like the GR III for street photography in particular. Since it is so small and unassuming, most people won’t figure you to be a photographer; if they even notice that you have a camera, they’ll likely think you are a snap-shooter or tourist, and will often disregard you. The 27.5mm (equivalent) lens gives a wide view, which can be good for showing context. Like the X100V, the GR III has a nearly silent leaf shutter. If you don’t want to be noticed, this camera is probably the best bet. There are certainly drawbacks to the GR III (no model is perfect), but for the size and weight it is pretty darn excellent.
There are Recipes for the Ricoh GR III, although not nearly as many as there are for the Fujifilm X100V. If you want to skip picture editing (called one-step photography), the GR III is a solid option that should be strongly considered. In fact, the Fujifilm X100V and the Ricoh GR III compliment each other, and can coexist comfortably in your camera bag.
Urban Crescent – Salt Lake City, UT – Ricoh GR III – Royal Supra
Speak Up or It Will Be Flat – Salt Lake City, UT – Ricoh GR III – Kodak Chrome
Bike with Basket – Scottsdale, AZ – Ricoh GR III – Aged Print
Since you always have your phone, you always have a camera. If you accidentally left your “real” cameras at home, no worries! Your cellphone camera is a perfectly capable photographic tool. My current cellphone is an iPhone 11. I don’t think your cellphone make and model matter much—any cellphone camera will suffice—but I personally prefer Apple, since I can use the RitchieCam camera app, which is only available for iOS (click here).
The iPhone is great for street photography because nobody thinks twice about seeing someone with their phone out. Even if you do get “caught” capturing a picture, you can easily fake that you are taking a selfie or texting someone or some other typical phone action. Many cellphones have multiple focal length options, so they’re surprisingly versatile. My favorite accessory is the Moment Tele 58mm lens.
While I do use my phone for photography, I also use it for another important reason: Apps! Specifically, the Fuji X Weekly App (Android, Apple) and the Ricoh Recipes App (Android, Apple). In my opinion, those are essential tools to accompany your Fujifilm and Ricoh cameras.
Fame, Fortune – Moab, UT – iPhone 11 + RitchieCam App – Standard Film
Yield then Stop – Panguitch, Utah – iPhone 11 + RitchieCam App – Night Negative
Exxon in Winter – Moab, UT – iPhone 11 + RitchieCam App – Night Negative
Let me show you a few more street images that I captured recently.
The three above pictures, despite being pretty different overall, all have something in common (besides being street photography). If you want to know what it is, you’ll have to tune into SOOC Live on March 2. Nathalie Boucry and I will be discussing the theme of street photography, including things like gear and Film Simulation Recipes and such. Mark your calendars now! Be sure to subscribe to the SOOC Live YouTube channel so that you don’t miss out on all the great upcoming broadcasts.
What is the best travel camera? My opinion, and the opinion of many other photographers, is the Fujifilm X100V.
The Fujifilm X100V is a great travel camera because of its compact size, versatility, and image quality. It features a fixed 23mm lens, which provides a classic 35mm equivalent focal length, and a bright f/2 maximum aperture. The camera has an intuitive retro design and advanced features, such as a hybrid viewfinder, leaf shutter, built-in ND filter, and weather sealing. The 26-megapixel APS-C sensor produces exceptional image quality, and, when paired with Film Simulation Recipes, is ideal for street and documentary photography. The X100V has solid build quality, yet is small enough to easily carry around, making it an excellent choice for capturing your adventures.
One travel adventure that I recently returned from was a day at Legoland (a Lego themed amusement park) in Carlsbad, California, for my son Joshua’s 9th birthday. Because his birthday is so close to Christmas, he typically gets the short end of the celebration stick, so this year we wanted to make it extra special, and a Black Friday deal made it more affordable. To capture the experience, I brought along my Fujifilm X100V programmed with the Kodachrome 64 Film Simulation Recipe. This recipe produces a nostalgic slide film aesthetic similar to the images found in National Geographic, Arizona Highways, and other magazines from my childhood. I used a 5% CineBloom filter, which I prefer for its subtle diffusion effect, for this outing.
The day started out with thin overcast sky, which gave way to midday sun before thick clouds and light rain moved in for the rest of the adventure. The X100V with the Kodachrome 64 recipe handled the changing light quite well—I even got a couple good pictures after sunset under artificial light. This camera and recipe combo is my top option for color travel photography, including a family outing to an amusement park. Because I used a Film Simulation Recipe and shot JPEG, when I returned home I only had to download the pictures from my camera to my phone, crop or straighten if necessary, and upload to my cloud storage. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Multnomah Falls is an iconic scenic stop along the historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon. Found within the Columbia River Gorge, it is the tallest year-round waterfall in Oregon, and the most visited natural site in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The famous footbridge was constructed in 1915, while the gift-shop at the bottom—originally a lodge—was built in 1925, and both are on the National Register of Historic Places. It is an incredible location to experience, with beauty that rivals what one might find within National Parks.
I recently visited Multnomah Falls, and used my Fujifilm X100V and iPhone 11 to photograph this amazing spot. Unsurprisingly, I had several of my Film Simulation Recipes programmed into my X100V, and I used my RitchieCam camera app on my iPhone. Because there is a lot of mist from the falls, and it was a rainy day (as is common there), having weather-sealed cameras was important—both the X100V (as long as a filter is on the front) and the iPhone can handle getting wet, and both did get wet. Really wet.
While it might seem unnecessary to carry both an X100V and an iPhone, that turned out not to be the case for two reasons: focal-length, and ease of sharing. The X100V has a very useful 34.5mm (equivalent) focal-length lens, while the iPhone 11 has a 26mm (equivalent) camera and 13mm (equivalent) camera (if I had the “Pro” version, it would also include a 52mm camera, but alas I don’t have that model). The X100V was wide-angle enough to capture some good photographs of the falls, but the wider-angle lenses on the iPhone 11 were often better options, and I used it more than the Fujifilm camera at this location. To the second point, I was able to text pictures of the falls to some family and friends immediately—before even getting back to the car—and share with you via social media pictures of the falls within minutes. The X100V pictures were pretty quick and easy to share, too—thanks to the wonderful JPEG output of the camera—but not quite as immediate as the iPhone images.
iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – MetroColor filter
What’s better, X100V or iPhone? For pure image quality, the Fujifilm camera is hands down better, but that only really matters if you are viewing the pictures large. Looking at them on this website or on social media, the quality difference is hard to spot, and even if you can see it, the quality difference is pretty insignificant. If you were viewing 11″ x 14″ prints of the pictures, the quality difference would still be fairly small, although if you compared them side-by-side you could tell without much trouble that the X100V is superior. But if you are viewing 16″ x 20″ prints or larger, the iPhone images just don’t hold up nearly as well as the Fujifilm. So the X100V is definitely the better tool if you might print the pictures large, but the iPhone is a capable tool if you don’t think you’ll be printing large—let’s face it, most pictures don’t get printed large, or even printed at all.
There’s no reason why both the X100V and the iPhone (or other cellphone camera) can’t both live together in peace and harmony. They’re different photographic tools that have different advantages and disadvantages, and they can both serve purposes within your photography. Film Simulation Recipes make the Fujifilm workflow more streamlined and the process more enjoyable. RitchieCam does the same thing for your iPhone photography. One tool might be better in a certain circumstance, and the other might be better in another circumstance, and perhaps both might be useful in a circumstance like Multnomah Falls.
Do you like the Fujifilm X100V pictures better, the iPhone pictures better, some of each, or none at all? Which Film Simulation Recipe that I used do you prefer? Which RitchieCam filter did the best? Let me know what you think in the comments!
If you are searching for a good blue-hour and nighttime Film Simulation Recipe, this is one you should try! I used it recently in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Astoria, Oregon, and was impressed with the results. I invite you, if you will be photographing after dark anytime soon, to give this recipe a try—you’ll be glad that you did! I suspect that this will become a favorite recipe for some of you.
Night Statue – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Serr’s 500T”
This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. For those with an X-T3 or X-T30, you can use this recipe but you’ll have to ignore Grain size and Color Chrome FX Blue—the results will be slightly different, but pretty close. Those with X-Trans III cameras will additionally have to ignore Color Chrome Effect. Because Clarity is set to 0 in this recipe, I used a 5% CineBloom filter on my X100V for these pictures—alternatively, you could set Clarity to -2 and get similar results.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR-Auto Highlight: -2 Shadow: -1 Color: -1 Noise Reduction: -2 Sharpness: -1 Clarity: 0 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 3200K, -1 Red & +4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using “Serr’s 500T” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Dairy Maid – Warrenton, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Cold Nights – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V
Magic Fork – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Salmon – Astoria, OR – Fujifilm X100V
Walking Tadziu – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V
Sun Behind The Tetons – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Elite Chrome 200“
Sun Behind Tetons & River – Grand Teton NP, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Color Negative Low”
I recently visited the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. This iconic mountain range sits just north of the tourist town of Jackson Hole. If you’ve never been, this is a “bucket list” kind of place that you should absolutely try to see in person if you can. My visit was a quick weekend getaway, and not surprisingly the weather didn’t really cooperate. Still, I wanted to get in some photography, and so I did.
What I don’t want to do is view massive crops side-by-side. The Fujifilm X100V and the iPhone are much different tools, so this will be a very general overview without pixel-peeping.
Technically speaking, the X100V is far superior, and it isn’t even close. For technical image quality, the X100V is the camera to grab, but the iPhone, with its tiny little sensor, is surprisingly good, all things considered. The advantage of the iPhone is that you have it with you all of the time, and you can quickly and easily share the pictures captured with it across the world (especially if you used the RitchieCam app). Convenience and speed are the reasons to choose the iPhone over the X100V, but the X100V is pretty compact and quick, too. For printing or viewing large, the X100V is the right tool. For quick sharing, the iPhone is the right tool. Here’s the great news: you don’t have to choose—use both, or use the one that you happen to have with you.
This is the first in a series of articles where I’ll compare photographs captured with the Fujifilm X100V using Film Simulation Recipes and the iPhone using the RitchieCam app. Below are photographs captured with these cameras at the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Let me know in the comments which pictures you like best!
Fujifilm X100V
Snake River Overlook Morning – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “The Rockwell“
I’ve been asked a few times recently what adapter and filters I use on my Fujifilm X100V. I will state right off the bat that my choices aren’t necessarily the “best” ones, it’s just what I’ve done. There are likely better options, and perhaps different choices that would be better for you, so keep that in mind. With that said, let me get right into the adapter and filters that I use on my Fujifilm X100V.
The X100V doesn’t initially appear to be able to accept filters. There are no screw-in threads visible. But there’s a “secret” ring around the lens that unscrews to reveal threads, but these threads cannot accept filters. You need to buy an adapter to screw into those threads that has its own threads that filters can screw into. Make sense?
The top reason why you want to do this is because the X100V is almost weather-sealed. The one unsealed point is the lens, but Fujifilm says that if you put a filter in front of it, that should give you protection from the elements. To complete the weather-sealing process, you need to buy an adapter and filter.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Fujifilm offers their own adapter, but it’s not cheap. I’m a cheapskate, so I went with the $10 Haoge adapter instead, and saved about $40. I think the only disadvantage is that the lens cap fits a little loosely over the adapter, but probably fits snugly on the Fujifilm option (just guessing). There are lots of other choices, including some that have a lens hood included. I don’t think which adapter you choose is all that important, but obviously it’s got to work for you.
I have tons of filters, some going back to the film days. Many of them are not 49mm (the correct filter size for the X100V), but some are, and I don’t use all of them. The number one most used filter is the Fotasy 49mm Ultra Slim UV, which is less than $10. For under $20, it’s possible to add that layer of weather protection to give you some peace of mind. I also own a Hoya UV filter (that predates my X100V), but it’s black and I prefer silver, so I don’t usually use it (yet I have used it), and a Nicna UV filter, which I have no idea where it came from. The UV filter doesn’t do much for you photographically, but it does give a layer of protection, and 90% of the time this is how my X100V is configured.
About 10% of the time I use a diffusion filter instead of (or in conjunction with) the UV filter. The one that I use the most is the 5% CineBloom, which gives a very subtle effect. A 10% CineBloom and 1/4 Black Pro Mist are occasionally used, while a 20% CineBloom is almost never used because it is so strong. If I could only have one, it would be the 5% CineBloom, but I do use the 10% CineBloom and 1/4 Black Pro Mist sometimes, and even use them together, so it’s nice having them around. I have considered buying a 1/8 Black Pro Mist because I think I’d use it frequently, but I haven’t pulled the trigger on that one yet.
What’s left? I own a Tiffen 49mm Circular Polarizer that I rarely use. I probably should use it more, because CPLs are great for reducing unwanted reflections. To some extent, it’s theoretically possible to mimic Color Chrome FX Blue with a CPL filter, I think, although I’ve never tried. I also have a Hoya Intensifier (a.k.a. Didymium filter or Starscape filter) that I’ve used a few times. I have some 49mm color filters for B&W film photography, but obviously those don’t work well on the X100V (I tried). I also have a Hoya 80A filter, which actually does work on the X100V, but I pretty much never use it.
I’m not sure which filters are right for you, but at the very least consider attaching an adapter and UV filter to give your Fujifilm X100V a little more weather protection. I like using diffusion filters sometimes, but not all of the time, and usually less is more when it comes to these. That’s what works for me, but you’ll have to figure out what works for you. Hopefully, this article is helpful to some of you. Let me know in the comments which filters you use on your X100-series camera, because I’d love to know.
Well, this is going to sound crazy, but I turned my Fujifilm X100V into a disposable film camera. No, I didn’t disassemble my digital camera, rip out the sensor, and adapt a film spool. Instead, I configured my X100V to capture pictures that appear as though they were captured with a cheap throwaway film camera. Why? I’ve done crazier things before, including distressing a camera, so it shouldn’t be too shocking that I’d do this—perhaps it was just a matter of time.
The inspiration for this project has been building for awhile. I have a picture displayed on my dresser that’s over 20 years old—it’s my wife and I, captured sometime shortly after we got married. A friend took the picture with a disposable camera. I can tell that it was a Fujifilm QuickSnap camera by the color palette, which is clearly Fujicolor. The picture is special to me because it’s a very personal (and happy) moment that’s been frozen in time through photography. It’s nothing more than a snapshot captured on a cheap camera, and would be completely meaningless to almost anyone else. I have a box full of these type of pictures, mostly 4″ x 6″ prints. You might have a box like this, too—snapshots that are meaningful to you.
Bread Truck – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fujifilm developed the QuickSnap camera, a “one-time-use” 35mm film camera, in the mid-1980’s (Kodak released its version, called FunSaver, a couple years later), and it was an instant hit. These “disposable” cameras were extremely popular in the 1990’s and 2000’s. They came preloaded with 27 frames (a 24-exposure roll of film, but you got three extra shots), and were point-and-shoot. You’d push the shutter-release and advance the film, but otherwise there typically weren’t any other controls, so anyone could use these cameras—no skill required. Once you exposed all of the frames, you’d take the camera to the 1-hour lab, where they removed the film for development and recycled the camera. 60 minutes later you’d have a packet of 4″ x 6″ prints.
Cheap digital point-and-shoots made a dent in disposable camera sales, but it was really the cellphone camera that rendered them obsolete; however, you might be surprised to learn that you can still buy disposable cameras today. Thanks to the Lomography movement and an increased interest in film photography, there’s enough of a market for these cameras to continue to exist in 2022. I briefly considered purchasing one, but instead of that, I decided to capture QuickSnap-like images on my Fujifilm X100V.
Yesterday I published an article entitled One Year with the Fujifilm X100V. That wasn’t a review, per se, but some brief commentary about the camera after owning it for one year. If you haven’t already done so, you can also read my full review of the Fujifilm X100V. Anyway, I was thinking this morning, as I was trying to come up with a topic for this third installment of Fuji Features, which is a weekly roundup of Fujifilm related articles based on a topic (first one here, second one here), that maybe others have written similar articles about the camera. It turns out that there aren’t many—I couldn’t find any, actually—but I did find several YouTube videos. So this Fuji Features doesn’t include any articles, just videos, but I hope it helps get you through another hump day nonetheless.
Enjoy!
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One year ago my wife, Amanda, gifted me a Fujifilm X100V for my birthday. That was literally the best birthday gift that I’ve ever received, maybe ever will receive. It’s a tough one to beat! Now it’s one year later, so I wanted to give some brief comments on why I love the X100V just as much today as the day that I first opened the box.
The Fujifilm X100V is a wonderful camera because it fits into a large pocket, or it can be worn around the neck, and it’s small and lightweight enough that it doesn’t ever get in the way. Chase Jarvis famously coined the phrase, “The best camera is the one that’s with you,” and the X100V is easy to be the camera that always have with you. While some other cameras might be just as convenient (or perhaps more so) to always have with you, the X100V has features and delivers image quality that far exceed its compact size.
What features? Well, for starters, the nearly silent mechanical shutter is perfect for inconspicuous photography. This mechanical shutter happens to be a leaf shutter, which allows you to use a flash at higher shutter speeds; combining the leaf shutter with the camera’s built-in fill-flash, which Fujifilm has programmed to expertly balance with ambient light, is a game-changer for some. There’s also a built-in Neutral Density filter, which comes in handy when photographing moving water, or when you want to do high-ISO photography in bright light (yes, this is a thing). Did a mention that the X100V has some weather sealing (just make sure you add a filter to the front)? I wouldn’t dunk it in a bucket of water, but a little rain won’t hurt it.
The X100V has the same sensor and processor as the X-Pro3 and X-T4, so there’s no question about the image quality being excellent. It’s simply great—just look at the pictures I captured with this camera! The lens is wonderful and everything you’d expect from Fujinon glass. The 23mm (35mm equivalent) focal length is very useful, particularly for street, travel, and documentary photography.
Because the lens is permanently attached to the front, the philosophy of the X100V is one camera and one lens. I learned a few years back that many of the great photographers of yore often used just one camera and one lens for many years. Nowadays we have kits with multiple bodies and a collection of lenses, but it wasn’t always that way. I believe that most of the time one camera and one lens is all that you need. It’s great to have an interchangeable-lens option to go along with the X100V, but oftentimes you don’t need it because the X100V is a great tool for the job, almost no matter the job.
I thought it would be fun to celebrate the one-year anniversary of my Fujifilm X100V by showing you one picture from each month that I’ve had the camera, 13 pictures total. These pictures are all camera-made JPEGs from my X100V using my various film simulation recipes. Obviously this isn’t a collection of my 13 best pictures, just one that I like from each month. Some months were more productive than others. Still, I feel like this is a good set that I hope you enjoy!
May 2020
Boy with a Bubble Gun – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Classic Negative
I created my original CineStill 800T film simulation recipe about two-and-a-half years ago. That recipe has remained quite popular. It’s received a lot of positive feedback and I remain quite proud of it. That recipe was created for X-Trans III cameras, but newer models have more JPEG options. I’ve been asked a few times if that recipe can be improved using the new features that weren’t around when I created it.
This new version is something that I’ve been working on for months and months. My CineTeal recipe is actually one of the failed attempts. I’ve been trying to achieve either an accurate CineStill 800T or Kodak Vision3 500T look straight-out-of-camera. These two films are actually the same film, but the CineStill version has the RemJet layer removed, which means that it is more prone to halation and can be processed in C-41 chemistry. Vision3 500T is meant to be developed using the ECN-2 process. With either CineStill 800T or Vision3 500T, how the film is shot, developed, and scanned and/or printed can significantly effect the aesthetic.
I’m not 100% satisfied with this recipe. I think in some situations and in certain lighting, it looks pretty darn accurate to the film. In other situations and in other lighting, it’s a little off. There’s a lot of variation in how the film can look, and it’s just not possible to encapsulate it all in one recipe. In any event, if you are looking for a recipe that produces results similar to Tungsten film, this is one to consider. It is only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4.
Eterna Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: +2 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -3 Clarity: -5 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Fluorescent 3 (Cool White Fluorescent), -6 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new CineStill 800T film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Garage Door Light – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Inside Looking Out – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fuel Stop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Quick Quack– Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Old Navy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Brick at Night – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Empty Bench – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
40% Off – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Hi – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Navy Surplus Baskets – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Ghost Shoppers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Remodel – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Red Cotton – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Lit Corner – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Chillin’ in the Drive Thru – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tree Leaves at Night – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Night Rose – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Hot Beans – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Kitchen Ornament – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Book Table – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
End Table – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Girl in Window Light – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Home Umbrella– 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.
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!
Kodachrome They give us those nice bright colors They give us the greens of summer Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day
Kodachrome is probably the most iconic photographic film ever made. It was legendary, and many people saw the world through its colors. Kodak produced Kodachrome film from 1935 through 2009, when it was suddenly discontinued.
The Kodachrome name has been used for many different films over the years. The first Kodachrome product was a two-glass-plate color negative that was introduced in 1915. Like all other color photography methods of its time, the results weren’t particularly good and the product not especially successful.
Forest Brooks – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodachrome 1”
In 1935 Kodak released its next Kodachrome, which was a color transparency film with an ISO of 10. This Kodachrome was the first color film that produced reasonably accurate colors and was the first commercially successful color film. It became the standard film for color photography for a couple decades, and was even Ansel Adams’ preferred choice for color work. The December 1946 issue of Arizona Highways, which was the first all-color magazine in the world, featured Barry Goldwater’s Kodachrome images.
Kodak made significant improvements to Kodachrome, and in 1961 released Kodachrome II. This film boasted more accurate colors, sharper images, finer grain, and a faster ISO of 25. While it was still similar to the previous Kodachrome, it was better in pretty much every way. A year later Kodachrome-X was introduced, which had an ISO of 64.
Another generation of Kodachrome, which came out in 1974, saw Kodachrome II replaced by Kodachrome 25 and Kodachrome-X replaced by Kodachrome 64. The differences between this version and the previous weren’t huge with nearly identical image quality. The biggest change was going from the K-12 to the K-14 development process (which was a little less complex, but still complex). This generation of Kodachrome is what most people think of when they picture (pun intended) the film, gracing the pages of magazines like National Geographic.
CPI – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodachrome 1”
I personally have shot plenty of Kodachrome, mostly Kodachrome 64. It was a good general use film that produced sharp images and pleasing colors. I haven’t used it in more than a decade. Its days are gone. Even if you can find an old roll of the film, there are no labs in the world that will develop it.
This Kodachrome 1 film simulation recipe is meant to mimic that first era of Kodachrome. This isn’t your parent’s or grandparent’s Kodachrome, it’s your great-grandparent’s. This Kodachrome 1 recipe is actually an updated version of my Vintage Kodachrome recipe. Since the new Fujifilm cameras have more JPEG options, such as Clarity, Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome Effect Blue, it’s possible to get more accurate or at least different looks out-of-camera. This recipe is very similar to the original version, but I hope this one is just a tad better. It’s only compatible with the X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 cameras; if you don’t have one of those cameras, give the Vintage Kodachrome recipe a try. Both the old and this new version have a great vintage analog look that I’m sure many of you will appreciate. I want to give a big “thank you” to Fuji X Weekly reader Thomas Schwab for his help with updating this recipe.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +4 Shadow: -2 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: +1 Grain Effect: Strong, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak White Balance: Auto, +2 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to -1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Kodachrome 1 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Reel 2 Reel – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Behind the Grocery Store – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
American Neighborhood – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Open Window Blinds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Playing Cards – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
SummerBloom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Edge – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Dead Tree Trunk – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Trees of Life & Death – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Sunlight & Leaves – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
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Here’s a unique idea that was suggested to me: apply different film simulations to different recipes, just to see what you get. Actually, that’s how My Ektachrome 100SW recipe came to be: a Fuji X Weekly reader took my Kodachrome II recipe and replaced Classic Chrome with Velvia. I’m going to make a series out of this, which I’m calling With Other Film Simulations, and maybe something interesting will come out of it.
I’ll start with the Fujifilm X100VKodachrome 64 film simulation recipe. The original picture (at the top of this post), which you might recognize from my Rover Mini YouTube video, was made using Classic Chrome, the film simulation that the Kodachrome 64 recipe requires. The idea here is to keep every setting the same except for the film simulation. In case you don’t remember, the settings are:
Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: 0 Shadow: 0 Color: +2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: +1 Clarity: +3 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak White Balance: Daylight, +2 Red & -5 Blue
Let’s look at the pictures:
Provia
Velvia
Astia
PRO Neg. Hi
PRO Neg. Std
Classic Negative
Acros
Monochrome
Sepia
The color images are surprisingly similar. Velvia stands out for being the most vibrant. PRO Neg. Std stands out for having the lowest contrast. Classic Negative stands out for its color shift. The original version, which uses Classic Chrome, is still my favorite, but it is interesting to see how the other film simulations affect the picture. The Monochrome film simulation with these settings might prove to be a good low-contrast black-and-white recipe, something I’ll have to take a closer look at.
I hope that you enjoyed this quick article! We’ll do some more of these in the coming weeks and months. Which film simulation did you find most interesting with the Kodachrome 64 settings? Let me know in the comments!
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
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Sunshine Pines – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Verano Tostado”
There are some film simulation recipes that are more series and some that are more fun. This one is falls into the latter category. Even the name, Verano Tostado (“Toasted Summer”), and the story behind it, is fun. Fuji X Weekly reader Ricardo Guzman sent me this recipe to try. He called it “Tostado” and when I asked him why, Ricardo answered, “Toasted like summer—when you sleep after lunch at the beach, you wake up looking at funny colors.” Yes, that’s exactly what it looks like—verano tostado!
What’s great about this recipe is, even though the title says Fujifilm X100V, this actually will work on any X-Trans III and X-Trans IV camera. Simply disregard Grain set to Large if your camera doesn’t have that option. Clarity, Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome Effect Blue are all set to 0 or Off, which makes this recipe usable on cameras that don’t have those options. I tried it on both a Fujifilm X-T20 and X-T30 and it worked great!
Roof and Ceiling – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Verano Tostado”
I did not include a “typical” exposure compensation because you can get some really interesting looks with this recipe from both overexposure and underexposure. Try -2/3 all the way up to +1 1/3 and see what happens. I want to thank Ricardo Guzman for creating this recipe and allowing me to share it here with you. Thanks, Ricardo!
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: -1 Shadow: +2 Color: +3 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: +2 Clarity: 0 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Off Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off White Balance: Auto, -2 Red & -5 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Verano Tostado film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Summer Flowers – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Lake Fishing – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Mountain Lake – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Water Log – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Blue Lake Water – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Baiting a Fishing Lure – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Small Stream& Tiny Waterfall – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Green Leaf – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Light Peek – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
If a Tree Falls in the Forest – Mirror Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Summer Feelings – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Hello – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Stripes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Table Plant – 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.
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!
Journal – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
I recently stumbled upon an abandoned RV dealership in North Salt Lake, Utah. It’s been vandalized. Broken glass and graffiti abound. Nature is doing its thing, too. It’s significantly dilapidated.
Hugh’s R.V. apparently hasn’t been closed for very long, I believe less than two years, but the building looks like it has been abandoned for a decade or more. One of the reviews I found for this place stated that it looked dilapidated—this was when it was still open!—so it was already in a state of disrepair prior to abandonment, and that partially explains why it looks so bad now. Perhaps more than anything, people have just trashed it since it closed.
I captured Hugh’s R.V. with my Fujifilm X100V using my Kodak Portra 400 film simulation recipe. I love how this recipe looks for many things, including structures. Really, it was an easy choice! This particular film simulation recipe could be many people’s “only” recipe. It’s good for such varied situations, and an abandoned building in afternoon light is no exception. This Portra 400 recipe on the X100V is an especially great combination, and a one camera, one lens, one recipe philosophy could be embraced. I appreciate the film-like aesthetic of my Portra 400 settings.
My challenge to you is for one week (or at least one day if that’s too much) use one camera with one lens and one film simulation recipe. If you don’t have an X100V, that’s no problem, just use what you do have. I think the restriction will empower your creativity. Limitations improve art. If you accept this challenge, let me know in the comments which camera, lens and recipe you plan to use, and also report how it goes. I look forward to your feedback!
Hugh’s R.V. – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
Hugh’s Graffiti – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
Closed Circuit – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
ERNL – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
Open Door, Broken Window – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
Trash in the Shadow – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
Tubes & Tablets – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
Out of Office – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”
The Fujifilm X100V is like shooting with an endless roll of film. Actually, it’s like shooting with up to seven endless rolls of film. You can capture as many frames as you wish on each roll, and change the film anytime you want. Kodachrome 64? Yep! Kodak Portra 400? Absolutely! Fujicolor Superia 100? No problem! Kodak Tri-X 400? That one, too! Do I need to list seven films? Actually, I could list 80! You’ll just have to decide which ones you want. Once loaded, your supply will never run out. There’s no need to send it off to a lab, as your pictures come out of the camera already developed. Sound too good to be true? It’s not. This is what it’s like shooting with the X100V!
The point is, you load the “film” that you want to shoot with, and then you shoot! Change anytime you want. Download the files onto your phone, tablet, or computer—crop or touchup if you wish—and you’re done! No waiting for the film to come back from the lab. No sitting for hours in front of a computer editing RAW files. There’s no need for any of that. You have pictures that appear film-like or resemble post-processed RAW images, yet they’re straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. It frees up time to do what you love: photograph. The X100V is about capturing, one fraction of a second at a time. It’s not about the other things that bog you down.
You might ask, “What sets the X100V apart from other Fujifilm cameras?” That’s a great question, and I hope this review answers it for you. There’s a good chance, if you are reading this, that you’re considering purchasing this camera, and you are trying to decide if it’s right for you or worth upgrading from an older model. I hope that this article will be helpful to you in your decision.
The Fujifilm X100V is fixed-lens, fixed-focal-length compact mirrorless camera. It has a 26-megapixel APS-C X-Trans IV sensor. It’s fairly small: approximately 5″ wide, 3″ tall and 2″ deep. It weighs about a pound. It’s mostly weather sealed, and can become weather sealed by adding a UV filter to the front of the lens. It has an MSRP of $1,400.
Fujifilm X100 cameras are incredibly well designed, fusing form and function. The X100V resembles a classic 35mm rangefinder. It might be the best-looking digital camera ever made. People stop me frequently to ask about it. The most common question: “Is that a film camera?” The X100V’s striking design is a conversation starter.
As you probably know, I create film simulation recipes for Fujifilm cameras (and if you didn’t know, you do now). These recipes mimic different films or aesthetics through customized JPEG settings. Something that sets the X100V apart from other Fujifilm cameras are the new JPEG options, such as Clarity, Color Chrome Effect Blue and B&W Toning, among several other things. Unsurprisingly, the new Classic Negative film simulation, which has received much praise, is just incredible! Perhaps even more important is the ability to save white balance shifts with each custom preset. All of these things are what separates the X100V from older models, providing an improved user experience and the opportunity for improved picture aesthetics. Right now, the X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 are the only Fujifilm cameras with these features. For the JPEG shooter, the X100V is a nice step forward from previous versions.
The original X100 through the X100F all shared the same lens, but Fujifilm redesigned the lens for the X100V. It looks pretty much the same, and it’s still 23mm (35mm equivalent) with a maximum aperture of f/2. What’s different is the sharpness of the lens, as it’s now razor sharp across the entire frame no matter the aperture and no matter how closely focused you are. Essentially Fujifilm eliminated the “flaws” of the old lens. Otherwise, it’s still quite similar in performance. Also, autofocus has improved over the previous model.
One unfortunate change is that Fujifilm removed the D-Pad from the back of the camera, replacing it with touch-screen gestures. The touch screen is nice I suppose, but I prefer not to use it. That’s just me. What works for you might be different. There are enough customizable buttons and controls that losing the D-Pad isn’t a huge deal, but I prefer the setup of the X100F over the X100V in this regard. And speaking of the rear screen, it now flips up and down, similar to the one on my Fujifilm X-T30.
One of the X100V’s greatest features is the leaf shutter and fill-flash. Leaf shutters are typically found on expensive medium-format gear, and you rarely see them on other cameras; however, Fujifilm has included a leaf shutter on their X100 series. A leaf shutter works like an iris. There are blades, similar to aperture blades, inside the lens that open and close. It opens from the center outward, and for this reason you can sync it to the flash at much higher shutter speeds than traditional focal-plane shutters. Besides that, it’s nearly silent. Fujifilm has programmed the camera to perfectly balance the built-in flash with whatever lighting is available. The camera almost never gets it wrong, it just seems to know the perfect amount of light to add to the scene. The results are very natural looking, and the pictures don’t scream that a flash was used.
A cool feature that I find helpful is the built-in four-stop neutral density filter, which decreases the light into the camera. It’s helpful for utilizing a large aperture in bright conditions, for showing motion using a slow shutter speed, or for selecting a higher ISO for a grittier look (yes, this is a thing). The X100F has “only” a three-stop ND filter, and the extra stop on the X100V can make a big difference.
If you’ve ever used an X100 camera, you know that it’s incredibly fun, which is why it’s so popular. This is many people’s “desert island” camera—if they could only choose one, it would be this. The X100 series is what photographers shoot just for the joy of it. There are some who use it as their only camera, and I did that for awhile with the X100F, but the fixed-focal-length lens does limit its practicalness a little; I think for many people it is a great tool to go along with an interchangeable-lens camera. Despite its limitations, this camera is for those seeking the pure joy of photography.
The Fujifilm X100V is a great travel camera. It’s small and lightweight enough to not get in the way, so you can take it everywhere. One camera with one lens is often all you need. It’s good for street photography, portraits, weddings, snapshots of the kids, landscapes—it can be used for pretty much any genre of photography. While travel and street are what it’s often touted for, I find that 90% of the time, no matter what I’m shooting, this is the only camera I need and use. I reach for the X100V almost every time!
There is that 10% of the time when the X100V isn’t the right tool for the job. If I need a wider or more telephoto lens, I don’t use this camera. It’s important to understand that, while the X100V is nearly perfect, it has shortcomings and limitations. Every camera does. You could use the X100V as your only camera, and some people do, but I don’t recommend it. At the same time, if you own an X100V, your other cameras are going to collect a lot of dust. You’ll have to decide if it’s better to just buy one of the Fujinon 23mm lenses instead of buying a camera with a permanently attached lens. Personally, I appreciate the X100V and can’t imagine giving it up. I plan to keep it until it stops working, which I hope is a long time from now.
People like to talk about image quality in camera reviews. I suppose that’s important, but not nearly as important as it once was. You’d be hard-pressed to find a camera nowadays with poor image quality. I can attest that the image quality from the X100V is outstanding! One thing that separates Fujifilm from other brands is their dedication to the camera-made JPEG. That’s not to say all other brands have junky JPEGs, only to say that Fujifilm has in my opinion the best. I don’t think it would be possible to create all of the different film simulation recipes that I’ve made using any other brand. I’ve printed as big as 2′ x 3′ from the 26-megapixel JPEGs and it looks very good, even when viewed up close.
I’m a stills photographer, and that’s who the X100V is geared towards. My wife, Amanda, is more of a videographer (she’s an integral part of the Fuji X Weekly YouTube channel), so I gave her the camera to create a video with, which just so happened to be the very first time she used this camera. The video specs are very good on the X100V, but it does have one significant limitation: it overheats easily when recording 4K. The camera doesn’t have any image stabilization, either, which makes it a little more challenging to use. It’s not really intended for the videographer, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used as a cinema camera. Video quality is quite good on the X100V, and as long as you keep the clips under two minutes and give the camera a short breather here and there, it does fine. You’ll have to use a tripod, gimbal, or have a steady hand to keep it from shaking too much. The short video below was recorded entirely with the X100V hand-held using the Eterna film simulation to demonstrate what you could do with this camera.
The Fujifilm X100V is a great camera that combines form and function, delivering beautiful film-like photographs without fuss. It’s a joy to use—probably the most fun camera I’ve ever owned! Load it with your favorite film simulation recipes and just shoot. It’s that experience that makes this camera so wonderful.
The X100V would make a great addition to whatever other Fujifilm camera you’re using, or it could be your gateway into the Fujifilm family. I don’t know if there are enough updates to justify upgrading from an X100F (although, to be clear, it is an upgrade), but if you have the original X100, X100S or X100T, you will likely find enough here to make the upgrade worthwhile. The X100V is a fantastic little camera, and I have no doubts that you’ll love it.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
The photographs below are all camera-made JPEGs captured on my Fujifilm X100V:
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Stop Here on Infrared – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Black & White Infrared”
Infrared photographing is capturing light beyond the visible spectrum. It requires special film, or a digital sensor that has had the infrared filter removed. Any digital camera has the potential to be infrared sensitive, but the process isn’t easy or cheap. Full spectrum photography is similar to infrared, but also includes ultraviolet and visible light (not just infrared light). With full spectrum photography you can choose by the use of filters which light you want to capture. You can use filters with infrared, too, to control what light comes through, but not to the extent of full-spectrum. A characteristic of both infrared and full-spectrum in black-and-white is deep contrast, with dark skies and white foliage. One of my favorite photographers is Mitch Dobrowner, who converted his Canon cameras to full-spectrum for dramatic monochrome storm photography.
When I purchased my Fujifilm X-T1, I had the intentions of converting it to full-spectrum, but the cost of the conversion has prevented me from doing it. I still hope to do so, maybe later this year or perhaps next year. We’ll see. But I figured out a way to simulate something that’s in the neighborhood of infrared or full-spectrum on my Fujifilm X100V without any conversions. In the right light and with the right subject, it can be quite convincing! Even though you are only using the visible spectrum of light, it can appear as though you are actually doing infrared photography. Amazing!
Even in situations where this recipe doesn’t resemble infrared or full-spectrum, it will still produce a dramatic, high-contrast look that you might find appealing. Those who have said that Acros+R doesn’t actually resemble the use of a red filter on black-and-white film will appreciate these settings. Many landscape photographers, including Ansel Adams, employed a red filter to achieve a dark sky (for example, Moonrise Over Hernandez).
White Tree Black Sky – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Black & White Infrared”
The trick is to use a low Kelvin white balance in conjunction with a dramatic white balance shift when using Acros+R. I got the idea from Fuji X Weekly reader James Clinich, who uses between 3800K and 4500K with a 0 Red & +8 shift to achieve a darker sky, which is something you can apply to other B&W recipes if you’d like to better mimic the use of a red filter. I just took his idea a step further to make it even more dramatic for this recipe.
My Black & White Infrared film simulation recipe can be difficult to use. I find that it doesn’t always work well. It can be very tough to gauge the best exposure, and I’ve had to go anywhere from -1 to +3 on the exposure compensation dial to get it right. It’s one of the more difficult to use recipes that I’ve created, yet it is highly rewarding. If you like dramatic black and white photographs, you’ll want to give this one a try! As of this writing, it’s only compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 cameras.
Acros+R
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +4
Shadow: +3
B&W Toning: 0
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -4
Clarity: +5
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: 2750K, -5 Red & +9 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Black & White Infrared film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Crafts & Hobbies – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Cloud Above The Wall – Draper, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Flags Over IKEA Infrared – Draper, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Pinnacle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Suburban Abstract – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Suites – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Paved Paradise – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Accessible Parking – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Done Shopping – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Soda Glass – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Couch Stripes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Flowers in the Sky – Big Sky, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Grey Hills – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Abandoned Dream Infrared – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Abandoned House by the Hill IR – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Henry’s Fork River – Island Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Upper Red Rock Lake IR – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Red Rock Road Monochrome – Red Rock Lakes NWR, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Aspen Leaves Infrared – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Illuminated Tree – West Valley City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
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Dock Light – Flathead Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Ektar 100”
I already have a Kodak Ektar film simulation recipe that I published a little over two years ago, but I’ve been wanting to revisit it for awhile. In the article that I published for that recipe, I wrote, “I’m actually a little hesitant to call this film simulation recipe Kodak Ektar 100 because it’s not quite right. It’s close, but a little off. The color palette is slightly askew.” That’s a true statement. My original Ektar recipe is close but no cigar. Since that time Fujifilm has added more JPEG options to their cameras, so would it be possible to get closer to real Ektar on my X100V?
Kodak introduced Ektar in 1989. It has been made in ISO 25, 100, 125, 400 and 1000 versions at one time or another. Kodak discontinued Ektar in 1997, but they brought it back in 2008 with an updated emulsion. I’ve shot the old Ektar but never the new Ektar. It’s my understanding that they’re similar but not exactly the same.
This new film simulation recipe will be controversial. To achieve a more correct color palette, this recipe is based off of Classic Chrome instead of Astia. The reason that I used Astia in the original recipe is because “Classic Chrome isn’t vibrant enough, even with Color set to +4.” That’s still true, although Color Chrome Effect does help a little. Honestly, if +6 was an option, that’s what I’d set Color to. Unfortunately that’s not an option, so we have a slightly undersaturated recipe. Another issue is that Ektar can have several different looks, depending on how it’s shot, developed, and printed or scanned, just like any film; however, with Ektar, even a 1/3 stop over or under exposure can noticeably effect the aesthetics of the picture.
Peach Sun – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Ektar 100”
Fuji X Weekly reader Thomas Schwab helped me immensely with this recipe. He’s had a hand in several recipes, and even created one from scratch that’s quite popular: Urban Vintage Chrome. Thomas captured a bunch of pictures with actual Ektar film, and made several similar exposures with his X-Trans IV cameras. He showed me examples of both, applying my original Ektar recipe to the pictures captured with his Fujifilm cameras. Then we began to create a new Kodak Ektar 100 film simulation recipe based on his Ektar pictures, hoping to achieve something closer to the film than the original recipe.
We discovered very quickly that Ektar is impossible to faithfully recreate on Fujifilm cameras, because only Classic Chrome has the correct color palette, and it’s not vibrant enough. We tried Astia, Provia, Velvia, and PRO Neg. Hi, and of those Astia was the closest, but none of them were right. We settled on Classic Chrome despite it not being vibrant enough. We went back-and-forth on different settings, but especially the white balance. There were several times that we said, “This is it,” only to modify something the next day.
A problem we encountered is that Ektar can have several different looks, even from the same roll of film. There was a discussion about creating as many as three different recipes, depending on the exact aesthetic we wanted to recreate, but decided to go with just one recipe, modeled after our favorite pictures from Thomas’ Ektar film. After even more back-and-forth we finished with this recipe here. We feel confident that it is as close as we could get to actual Ektar film, acknowledging that it’s very close but not exactly right.
Boat in the Bay – Flathead Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Ektar 100”
The original Ektar recipe isn’t an exact match to the film, and I believe that this new recipe is closer. The two recipes each produce a different look, and perhaps they both have a place, depending on what exact aesthetic you are after. This new recipe was a collaborative effort, and I want to give a special “thank you” to Thomas Schwab for all of the time and effort he put into making this a reality. It’s much appreciated!
This Kodak Ektar 100 film simulation recipe is intended for and only compatible with (as of this writing) the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4. It uses Clarity, which slows down the camera considerably. I just allow the pause to slow myself down. Another option, which is what Fujifilm recommends, is to add Clarity later by reprocessing the RAW file in-camera or with X RAW Studio.
Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR-Auto
Highlight: +1
Shadow: -2
Color: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: 0
Clarity: +3
Grain Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: 6050K, +3 Red & 0 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Ektar 100 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Daisies by the Dock – Flathead Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Henry’s Fork – Island Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Johnny Sack Cabin – Island Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
North Shore of Island – Wild Horse Island State Park, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Butters – Roy, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Mustang Evening – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Roofline Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Finding Clues – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Golden Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Rocket Launching – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Yellow Lady – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Light Too Bright – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Lawnmower Handle & Shadow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Air Pump – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Blossom Red – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Flower Garden Blossom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Bug Hiding on a Flower – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
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