When you just have to Grab your Camera and Shoot

Fujifilm X100V — Vintage Vibes Recipe

A couple of weeks ago I had this realization that I hadn’t been using my Fujifilm X100V as much as I would have liked to or normally would have. I was grabbing some of my other cameras, like the Fujifilm X-E4 and Fujifilm X-T5, instead. But I really like shooting with my X100V—it’s my “desert island” camera; if I could only ever shoot with one for the rest of my life, it would be the X100V.

While having the realization that the camera was collecting more dust than usual, I also noticed that the light was changing and becoming favorable for photography. I snatched the X100V, set it to my Vintage Vibes Film Simulation Recipe, and headed out the door, in search of an interesting picture opportunity nearby.

Just as the sun was nearing the horizon, I found a spot in the desert with some pops of late-spring color. I decided this was my opportunity, so I began capturing images. The light didn’t last long, and the bugs were becoming a nuisance; nevertheless, I was able to snap a few interesting pictures before heading home.

Perhaps more important than the images, I used the camera that I love most. I dusted it off, put it in my hand, took some steps outside, and pressed the shutter release button. Whether or not the pictures turned out was less critical than the act of actively using it. Yes, pictures are important, but so is the experience—actually, the experience is probably the most important. If you haven’t used your beloved gear much lately, be sure to get it in your hands ASAP and take some pictures!

Fujifilm X100V — Vintage Vibes Recipe
Fujifilm X100V — Vintage Vibes Recipe
Fujifilm X100V — Vintage Vibes Recipe
Fujifilm X100V — Vintage Vibes Recipe
Fujifilm X100V — Vintage Vibes Recipe

Five Film Simulation Recipes Every Social Media Influencer Should Try on Their Fujifilm X100V

The Fujifilm X100V is a popular camera with social media influencers—so much so that it’s become hard to find and expensive. One of the main reasons why social media influencers love the camera is its retro design, which gives it a timeless and stylish look that stands out in a sea of modern and generic-looking camera bodies. The X100V’s sleek and compact form factor also makes it easy to carry around, which is ideal for influencers who are often on the go and need a camera that they can take with them wherever they go.

Another reason why the X100V is popular with social media influencers is its image quality. The camera is equipped with a 23mm f/2 lens, which produces sharp and detailed images. The X100V also features a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor that, thanks to the X-Trans array and processor, delivers excellent low-light performance and a wide dynamic range. These features, combined with Fujifilm’s renowned color science, produce images that are rich and vibrant with a film-like quality that is highly sought after by influencers.

The X100V is also popular with influencers because of its advanced manual controls. Unlike most compact cameras, the X100V provides users with the ability to effortlessly manually adjust settings—such as shutter speed, aperture, and ISO—giving them more creative freedom and control over their images. This makes the X100V an ideal camera for influencers who want to take their photography to the next level and produce professional-looking content.

And, of course, Film Simulation Recipes allow social media influencers to quickly get finished photographs straight-out-of-camera that are ready to share the moment that they are captured. This not only makes photography easier (and perhaps more fun), but it also saves a lot of time over post-processing RAW files. While there are literally hundreds of recipes that you could use, below are five Film Simulation Recipes that every influencer should try on their Fujifilm X100V.

Kodak Portra 400 v2

Once Was a Gas Station – Avondale, AZ – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 v2”

Kodak Portra 400 is one of the most popular film stocks available today, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation Recipes are some of the most popular. Of these, Kodak Portra 400 v2 is my personal favorite. One film can produce many different looks depending on a host of factors—including how it was shot, developed, and scanned—and this recipe closely mimics the aesthetic of one photographer’s Portra pictures—feel free to also try Kodak Portra 400, Kodak Portra 400 Warm, and Reggie’s Portra. This Kodak Portra 400 v2 recipe produces bright and warm images, and is particularly great for portraits and golden hour photography. Use it in daylight natural light situations for best results.

Pacific Blues

Fox Holding Flower – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V – “Pacific Blues”

The Pacific Blues recipe mimics the aesthetic of Lucy Laucht‘s Spirit of Summer series, particularly the Positano Blues photographs. It is especially well suited for a summer day at the beach, but it is also great for many other situations, including shade, fog, and even night photography. It’s a bold recipe, yet is still good for portraits. Use it for travel, or even just snapping pictures around the house.

Kodachrome 64

Open Warning – Butte, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodachrome 64”

Kodachrome is such an iconic film that once graced the covers of National Geographic, Arizona Highways, and most travel magazines. Sadly it has been long-discontinued; however, thanks to Fujifilm cameras, you can still shoot a reasonably close facsimile of the film today! Kodachrome 64 is one of my favorite recipes for travel photography, producing results reminiscent of classic images from the ’70’s, ’80’s and ’90’s.

Vintage Color

Sentinel & Merced – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V – “Vintage Color”

“This is an artist’s recipe!” That’s what I said of the Vintage Color Film Simulation Recipe. It produces painterly results that are reminiscent of famed Hudson River School painter Albert Bierstadt, particularly his Yosemite paintings. While not modeled after any film stock, it does have a vintage film-like quality that’s easy to appreciate. It’s best suited for sunny daylight situations, yet it is also a good option for shade or overcast.

Kodak Tri-X 400

Motel – Panguitch, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400”

Kodak Tri-X 400 is probably the most well-known black-and-white film stock, so it should be no surprise that the most popular black-and-white recipe is Kodak Tri-X 400. While color recipes tend to be much more popular than monochrome, if you want to emulate a classic photographic aesthetic, this recipe should be one of your top considerations. Producing moody images, Kodak Tri-X 400 allows you to focus on the elements within the frame without the distraction of color. In one word, Timeless is how I would best describe this recipe.

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

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fujifilm X100V vs iPhone, Part 2: Multnomah Falls

iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – Faded Film filter

Part 1: Grand Tetons

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!

Fujifilm X100V – New Recipe Coming Soon
Fujifilm X100V – New Recipe Coming Soon
Fujifilm X100V – Kodachrome 1 recipe
iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – Vintage Kodak filter
Fujifilm X100V – Vintage Vibes recipe
iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – B&W Fade filter
Fujifilm X100V – Kodak High Definition Plus 200 recipe
iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – Faded Film filter
Fujifilm X100V – Vintage Vibes recipe
iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – B&W Fade filter
iPhone 11 – RitchieCam app – B&W Fade filter

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Fujifilm X100V vs iPhone, Part 1: Grand Tetons

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.

Reviewing the pictures, I noticed that I captured some similar images with my Fujifilm X100V using various Film Simulation Recipes and my iPhone 11 with the RitchieCam app using various filters. For those who don’t know, I created an iPhone camera app called RitchieCam, which you can learn more about by clicking here. I thought comparing the X100V and iPhone pictures would make an interesting article.

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
OneSkee – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Retro Gold Low Contrast
Mountains & Frozen Land – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Elite Chrome 200”
Pinky Rose – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodachrome 64
Cold Nights – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V – Upcoming Recipe
Night Statue – Jackson Hole, WY – Fujifilm X100V – Upcoming Recipe
Tetons in March – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – Upcoming Recipe
Snake River Overlook Monochrome – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Tri-X 400

iPhone + RitchieCam

Morning at Snake River Overlook – Grand Teton NP, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Analog Gold”
OneSkee Snow – Grand Teton NP, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Instant Color 1”
Sunset Behind the Tetons – Grand Teton NP, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Color Negative Low”
Railroad – Jackson Hole, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Analog Gold”
CocoLove – Jackson Hole, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Night Negative”
Cowboy Bar – Jackson Hole, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Night Negative”
Tetons in Winter – Grand Teton NP, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Color Negative”
Snake River & Tetons – Grand Tetons NP, WY – iPhone 11 – RitchieCam – “Dramatic B&W”

Part 2: Multnomah Falls

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My Fujifilm X100V Adapter & Filters

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.

Creative Collective 014: Using a Fujifilm X100V as a Disposable Film Camera

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.

Now you know the why, so let’s get into the how.

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Fujifilm X100V + Fujicolor Pro 400H Recipe + Ponderosa State Park + Dreary Day = Photographic Awesomeness

Payette Lake Between Trees – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V

I recently visited Ponderosa State Park just outside of McCall, Idaho. It was a dreary day—off-and-on it drizzled rain from the grey overcast sky—with cool temperatures. This might be my favorite weather conditions, and was perfect for a hike through the forest with my Fujifilm X100V, which has some weather sealing, so it’s fine that it got a little wet. I loaded the camera with my Fujicolor Pro 400H film simulation recipe and headed down the trail through the tall trees.

Ponderosa State Park sits on a peninsula on Payette Lake in the middle of Idaho. It’s heavily forested and green. The lake is very clear. As I was exploring, it felt like Ponderosa could be a National Park and not a State Park. It’s missing a headliner feature that would propel it into National Park status, and that’s fine because it wasn’t crowded, so I enjoyed the feeling of being in a National Park without all of the people. At some points it seemed like I had the place all to myself.

The Fujicolor Pro 400H recipe delivered a great analog-like aesthetic on this outing. It captured the scenes how I wanted it to. This recipe does great in sunny conditions, but it also does well on overcast days, like this one. It was a wonderful time for photography, and it was also great to just be in nature, enjoying the sights, sounds and scents of the forest. Enjoy the pictures!

Evergreen Trunks – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Mossy Trunk – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Deer In The Forest Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Broken Down – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Fallen – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Trail #1 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Trail #2 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Trees & Pond – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Curved Trees Over Pond – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Lily Marsh #1 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Lily Marsh #2 – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
V Tree – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Trees & Lake – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Rain Clouds Over Payette Lake – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Lakeshore – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V
Above Payette – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X100V

Video: Cherry Blossoms with Fujifilm X100V & Superia Xtra 400

I just posted a new video to the Fuji X Weekly YouTube channel! It’s about photographing cherry blossoms at the Utah State Capital with a Fujifilm X100V using the Superia Xtra 400 film simulation recipe. I hope that you enjoy it!

The Superia Xtra 400 recipe is a good one that I appreciate using. It’s got a great analog aesthetic. I think it did well for the subject and conditions. Every time I use this recipe I wonder why I don’t use it more often.

If you have a few free moments, I invite you to watch the video, which I’ve included above. It’s only a couple minutes long. If you like it, be sure to give it a “thumbs up” and subscribe to the channel if you don’t already. Thanks!

Fuji Features: One Year with the 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 with the Fujifilm X100V

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

June 2020

Closed Gas Station Store – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Superia 1600

July 2020

Rays Over Canyon Ferry – Canyon Ferry Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V – Kodak Tri-X 400

August 2020

Mini Cooper – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Kodachrome 64

September 2020

Abandoned & Trashed – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Reala 100

October 2020

Autumn Aspen – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V – Vintage Vibes

November 2020

Red Leaf – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Xtra 400

December 2020

Suburban Reed Evening – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Vintage Negative

January 2021

Vintage Berries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Vintage Negative

February 2021

Country Fence in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Faded Negative

March 2021

100% – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Superia 800

April 2021

Yosemite Creek – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V – Vintage Color

May 2021

Coming Out of the Shadows – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Negative

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Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Faded Negative

Country Fence in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Faded Negative”

I’ve created a number of film simulation recipes that require double exposures, including Faded Color, Vintage Color Fade, Faded Monochrome, Faded Monochrome for X-Trans II, Split-Toned B&W, and Bleach Bypass. These recipes are a little more difficult to use, and, because they require further explanation, you won’t find any of them on the Fuji X Weekly app. This one, called Faded Negative, won’t make the app, either (perhaps there will be a way to include them on a future update). These double-exposure recipes aren’t for everyone, but some people love them because you can create a great vintage look that you’d never expect to get straight-out-of-camera. I know that this Faded Negative film simulation recipe will be greatly appreciated by some of you.

To use this recipe, you’ll need to first select “Average” under “Multiple Exposure CTRL” in the Shooting Menu. What’s great about this particular double-exposure recipe is that the only change you will need to make in the settings between the first and second exposure is exposure compensation (many of these require more adjustments than just exposure compensation). You want the first exposure, which is the scene you are capturing, to be bright, and the second exposure, which is a green piece of construction paper, to be a little darker. You can control how much “fade” there is by the second exposure—the brighter the exposure, the more fade there will be.

What makes this recipe work is the second exposure of a medium-green piece of construction paper. You want this exposure to be out-of-focus. If it’s in-focus, you’ll get the texture of the paper in the image, which is perhaps something you want, but probably not. You can manually focus a blurry image, or if you just hold the paper closer to the lens than the minimum focus distance, the paper will be blurry even with autofocus.

Me, with an X100V and green paper, photographing with this recipe. Photo by Joy Roesch.
This is what happens when the second exposure is in-focus instead of out-of-focus.

No photograph will last forever. Some films are more prone to fade than others, and some prints are more prone to fade than others. Faded pictures are a reality of photography. While some people would consider faded images to be a negative thing, there are others who appreciate the aesthetic, and want to incorporate it into their art. This Faded Negative film simulation recipe is for those who want to achieve that look straight-out-of-camera. This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, X-S10 and the upcoming X-E4.

Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +3
Shadow: +4
Color: -2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: 0
Grain Effect: Weak, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: Auto, +4 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 1/3 for the 1st exposure, 0 to +1/3 for the 2nd exposure (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Faded Negative film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Reeds & Blue Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Faded Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Pine Snow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Blackberry Leaves in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Winter Road – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Snow Covered Wagon – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Dark Forest Sunlight – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jon Riding Shotgun – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Faded Negative”
Polaroid Presto Girl – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Analog Cameras – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fake Plant – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tulip on a Table – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Shelf Greenery – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Broken Barn – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Winter Forest Fence – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Snow on a Wood Fence – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

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Montana Autumn + Fujifilm X100V

Autumn Aspen – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V

Back in October I took a quick vacation to Montana. I’ve shared some of those pictures on this website, but many of them I haven’t, because I’ve been busy with other things. Today marks Winter Solstice, which means fall is officially over, yet I’ve finally just now found the time to post some of my autumn pictures from that Montana trip!

All of these pictures were captured with my Fujifilm X100V. The film simulation recipes that I used were Kodak Portra 400 v2 (currently only available on the Fuji X Weekly App for iOS), an experiment (which I had actually forgotten about until I was reviewing these pictures) where I used Classic Negative instead of Classic Chrome with the Kodak Portra 400 v2 recipe (I might have also adjusted the WB Shift a little, I don’t remember), and The Rockwell for a few pictures (I think I might have made an adjustment or two to that recipe on this trip, but, again, I don’t really remember). Most of these pictures were captured with that Classic Negative experiment, and I realize that I need to revisit it, because the results are pretty good!

The Fujifilm X100V is such a great camera to carry around on vacation. It’s small enough that it’s not in the way, yet it’s capable of capturing amazing pictures. It rained while I was there, and the camera survived getting a little wet. The X100V is my favorite travel camera hands down, and I enjoy it immensely. It’s not the right tool for every situation, but it’s the camera that I use most often, especially when on vacation.

Yellow Spots – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Wet Red Leaves – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Turning Red – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Red – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Yellow in the Forest – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Changing to Yellow – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Early Autumn Forest – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Golden Forest – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Light Log – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Sunlight Through The Forest Trees – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
One Lane Bridge – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
One Car – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Red on Pine – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
443 Osborn – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Whitefish Lake – Whitefish, MT – Fujifilm X100V

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Superia Xtra 400

Red Leaf – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Superia Xtra 400”

I’ve had a lot of requests for a Superia Xtra 400 film simulation recipe. Fujifilm introduced Superia Xtra 400, a consumer-grade color negative film, in 1998, replacing Super G Plus 400. This film has been updated a couple of times, first in 2003 and again in 2006. It’s been widely used, thanks to its low cost and versatility. I’ve shot several rolls of this film over the years.

Thomas Schwab, who has invented a few film simulation recipes, and who I’ve collaborated with on a number of others, created this Superia Xtra 400 recipe. He did this by capturing a roll of actual Superia Xtra 400 film with a film camera while capturing identical exposures with his Fujifilm cameras, then, using X RAW Studio, worked on the settings until he found a match. As you can imagine, he put a lot of time and effort into creating this! He shared with me some of his side-by-side pictures—comparing the film with this recipe—and it was tough to figure out which was which, they looked so close!

Creek Through Autumn Forest – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Superia Xtra 400”

What I find interesting is that this recipe isn’t all that much different than Luis Costa’s Classic Negative recipe. I said of Luis’ recipe, “It reminds me a lot of Superia Xtra 400 with a warming filter, or maybe Superia 200 pushed one stop.” Turns out it was pretty darn close to Xtra 400. This recipe by Thomas is even closer! But, of course, with film, so much depends on how it’s shot, developed, and scanned or printed, and the aesthetic can vary significantly. So, really, both recipes mimic Xtra 400, but this one proudly carries the name, as it is a very close match to the film.

Thank you, Thomas, for creating this recipe and sharing it! I know that many of you will love it. I love it! This Superia Xtra 400 film simulation recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, and X-S10.

Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: -1
Color: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -1
Clarity: -2
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: Auto, +3 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Superia Xtra 400 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Eats & Treats – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fireplace – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Brick & Fire – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Red & Yellow Fire Hydrant – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
November Pumkin – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Fall Leaf in a Forest – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Creek – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Autumn Branch Over Creek – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Autumn Creek – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Golden Path – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Trail Through the Forest – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Three Leaves – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V

See also: X-Trans IV Film Simulation Recipes

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Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak Portra 800

November Cherries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 800”

Kodak introduced Portra 800 in 1998. The Portra line has seen a number of revisions and updates over the years, but I couldn’t find any information if the current Portra 800 film is the exact same emulsion from 1998, or if it’s gone through some changes over the years like the ISO 400 and 160 versions. Portra 800 is one of the best options for high-ISO color photography, but I’ve never shot it myself.

There are some good online resources that are helpful when creating film simulation recipes for films that I’ve never used, which I did consult, but that’s not how these settings came about. You see, there’s a new version of my Portra 400 recipe (which I know you’ll love) that’s coming soon, and this recipe is a variant of that. Thomas Schwab, who I’ve collaborated with on a number of different recipes (including Portra 400), and who has actually shot Portra 800, helped me out with this one. Thanks, Thomas!

Cabela’s Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 800”

I know that many of will love this Kodak Portra 800 film simulation recipe! It’s really nice, and has a good film-like aesthetic. Does it faithfully resemble real Portra 800? I think it does, but film can look different depending on how it’s shot, developed, scanned or printed, and this recipe won’t mimic every aspect of the film. Even so, I think this one will be quite popular, and many of you will use it regularly. It’s only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4 and X-S10 cameras.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +1
Shadow: 0
Color: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: -4
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: 5200K, +1 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Portra 800 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Brown Tree Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Small Shrub – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Backyard Tree Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Yellow House – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Suburban Mailboxes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Red Fire Hydrant – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Suburban Peek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Evening Commute – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Smith’s – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Drug – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Suburban Dusk – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Parked Car in the Dark – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tunnel Bench – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Night Mall Architecture – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Empty Sidewalk at Night – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Christmas Decor Display – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Succulent & Globe – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jon Wearing Cabela’s Hat – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Potted Plant on End Table – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Accidental Exposure – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Sunlight Through a Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

See also: Fujifilm X-Trans IV Recipes

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Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Agfa Vista 100

Daisies at the Dock – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Agfa Vista 100”

In the film era, Agfa was not as big as Fujifilm or especially Kodak, but they were popular nonetheless, particularly in Europe. Vista 100 was a general purpose color negative film made by Agfa between 2001 and 2005. It was preceded by Agfacolor HDC+ 100, which produced similar (but not identical) results. There were two films, AgfaPhoto Vista 100 and AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 100, that were manufactured for a time, neither of which are the same emulsion as Agfa Vista 100. Similar names, different films.

This Agfa Vista 100 film simulation recipe came about after someone asked for settings similar to an Agfa Vista 100 Lightroom preset. It was sample pictures from that preset that I most consulted for this recipe, but I did look at examples of the film that I found online. This recipe produces results similar to the film, but is closer to the preset than the film. This might be more similar to Agfa Vista 200, which had a bit more saturation, contrast and grain; really, it’s in the ballpark of both the ISO 100 and 200 versions of the film, as they’re both pretty close to each other.

Newstand – Polson, MT – Fujifilm X100V – “Agfa Vista 100”

Because this requires the Classic Negative film simulation, as well as Clarity (which will slow your camera down, unfortunately) and Color Chrome Effect Blue, this film simulation recipe is only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-T4 and X-Pro3. I think many of you are going to really appreciate this recipe and it will be an instant favorite for some of you.

Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +1
Shadow: -2
Color: +2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -0
Clarity: +3
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Weak
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: 5600K, -4 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Agfa Vista 100 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Lake McDonald Driftwood – Glacier NP, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Vuja de – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Boy, Fishing – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Shore of Wild Horse Island – Flathead Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Evening at the Lake – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Three Sailboats – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Yellow Kayak – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Green Canoe – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Lunch Date – Polson, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Man in the Hat – Polson, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Brick & Metal – Polson, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Bank Building – Butte, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Cafe Open – Butte, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Drinking Fountain – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Circle Slide – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Yard Sale – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
If a Tree Falls in the Forest – Glacier NP, MT – Fujifilm X100V
Cabin Flowers – Polebridge, MT – Fujifilm X100V

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

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Fujifilm X100V Hack: Turn Daylight Into Blue Hour

Duskflower – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V – captured during daylight.

I love photographing during the “blue hour” of dusk and dawn. The time right before sunrise and just after sunset, called twilight, is great for photography. While it’s called the blue hour, twilight is technically closer to an hour-and-a-half, but for practical photographic purposes, you have around 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening where the light is great for capturing pictures, so an hour total each day. That’s a small window of opportunity that’s easy to miss.

There are challenges to blue hour photography because the available light is limited and constantly changing. You’re using slow shutter speeds, large apertures and high ISOs. Or you are lugging around a tripod. These aren’t necessarily “bad things” they’re simply a part of blue hour photography, but there is an alternative that eliminates these challenges.

You can do faux blue hour photography anytime of the day with your Fujifilm X100V. It’s a simple trick, really. It requires three things: underexposure, warm high-shutter-speed flash, and a white balance adjustment. With a little slight-of-hand—I mean, technical knowhow—you can create pictures that appear to have been captured during the blue hour but are in fact daytime images.

The first thing you’ll need to do is underexposure your pictures by at least 3 stops from what the meter says that it should be. Most of the pictures that I captured required the exposure to be adjusted to -3 2/3 to -4 1/3, which means you’ll have to go manual, since the exposure compensation dial only goes to -3. You are basically setting the luminance of the background in your pictures, and you want it to be dark. It can be tough to judge in the moment what the exact exposure should be, and it takes a little trial-and-error to get it right, so be patient, as it might take a few tries to get an image that you’re happy with.

Next is the flash, which you’ll use to illuminate the foreground of your pictures. Because you are photographing during daylight, you’ll be using a fast shutter. I typically used a shutter speed between 1/500 and 1/4000, just depending on the picture, which would be a problem for most cameras when combined with flash photography, but on the X100V it’s no problem whatsoever. You see, the X100V’s mechanical shutter is a leaf shutter, which means that you can use the flash at high shutter speeds (something that you cannot do with a focal plane shutter). The X100V’s built-in fill-flash does marginally work for this, but I got much better results when using the EF-X500 shoe-mount flash. I taped a DIY yellow “gel” (plastic that I cut off of a pear bag that was semi-transparent and yellow) to the flash to make the foreground warmer.

White balance is the third key to this trick. While it varies depending on the exact light, I found that 2500K with a shift of +5 Red and +9 Blue produced good results. Basically, you’ll want the white balance to be very cool, and you’ll need it to be 3200K at the warmest, which will likely will be a tad too warm.

Here are some examples comparing pictures shot normal and pictures shot with this faux blue hour trick:

The difference is huge! The normal daylight and the faux blue hour versions of the pictures above look dramatically dissimilar from each other, even though they were captured only seconds apart. This little trick produces convincing results!

The settings that I used for most of my faux blue hour pictures are:

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1 to +1
Shadow: -2 to 0
Color: -2 to +2
Sharpness: -3
Noise Reduction: -4
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
Grain: Weak, Large
Clarity: -2
White Balance: 2500K, +5 Red & +9 Blue
ISO: 640
Flash: On, with yellow “gel”
Exposure: -3 2/3 to -4 1/3 (typically)

This isn’t a film simulation recipe, so I didn’t strictly stick with one set of settings, but instead looked at each exposure individually. Still, all of my faux blue hour pictures had similar settings, and I didn’t stray very far from it.

Even though this technique is a great way to achieve a blue hour look, there are some limitations. First, you might have shadows that don’t make sense for an after-sunset image. Second, there won’t be any lights on, such as streetlamps, car lights and indoor lights, which you’d expect to find after dark. If you want to use a slow shutter speed, you’ll need to activate the built-in ND filter, but you won’t likely get it to be as slow as you would if it were actually twilight. While the shoe-mounted flash does a decent job of lighting the foreground, you’d likely get even better results if you used strobes or off-camera flashes, but that further complicates the situation.

Despite the limitations, the technique of underexposure, warm flash, and cool white balance makes for convincing blue hour images in daylight conditions. While these settings are intended for the Fujifilm X100V, they can be applied to any camera with a leaf shutter—because of the fast shutter speeds you’ll be using, the leaf shutter is the real key to this trick. Below are out-of-camera JPEGs made using this faux blue hour technique on my X100V camera during daylight.

Night Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Shark Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Red Tree Berries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Changing Oak – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V
September Autumn – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Night Trunk – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Night Trees – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Sunflowers at Night – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Bridge Under Moonlight – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

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Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Kodachrome 1

Kodak Blossoms – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodachrome 1”

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
Summer Bloom – 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

See also: Film Simulation Recipes

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

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

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Abandoned Location: Hugh’s RV w/ Fujifilm X100V & Fujicolor Reala 100 (Video)

I had the opportunity recently to photograph the abandoned Hugh’s RV in North Salt Lake, Utah, with Fuji X Weekly reader Ryan from Oregon. The last time that I was there I used my Kodak Portra 400 film simulation recipe. This time, both Ryan and I used my Fujicolor Reala 100 film simulation recipe on our Fujifilm X100V cameras. Two photographers at the same location using the same camera with the same settings, but with different perspectives. Check out the video!

I had a great time shooting with Ryan! It was a good opportunity to talk cameras, recipes, photography, and more. I want to give a special “thank you” to Ryan for participating in this adventure, for allowing himself to be filmed, and for sharing his pictures in the video. Please check out his Instagram account, as his pictures are great!

Let me know in the comments what you think of the video. I appreciate the feedback!

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Gear:
Fujifilm X100V  Amazon  B&H
Fujifilm X-T20   Amazon 
Fujifilm X-T30  Amazon  B&H
Fujinon 10-24mm   Amazon  B&H
Rokinon 12mm   Amazon  B&H
GoPro Hero 8 Black   Amazon  B&H

With Other Film Simulations: Kodachrome 64

Classic Chrome

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 X100V Kodachrome 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!