The World of FUJIFILM Film Simulation – Episode 1

On their Facebook page, Fujifilm is publishing a series of “episodes” on their unique Film Simulation modes. Interestingly, they want to take us back to the time when photographers used to shoot slide film and had a choice of different films that were designed for a particular type of photography.

For example, if you were shooting portraits, you would choose the Fujichrome ASTIA slide film for softer and more natural skin tones; the colors in a landscape would be more accurately and vividly reproduced using Fujichrome Velvia (“Velvet Media”) slide film:

FUJICHROME ASTIA
Excellent Skin Tone Reproduction: Softest tones and subdued colors among FUJICHROME films, enabling skin tones to be reproduced with smooth and naturally continuous gradation from the highlights to the shadows.

FUJICHROME Velvia
Precise modulation, vivid color reproduction and excellent image quality make this the outstanding film for nature, fashion, products, interiors, and artwork photography.

From reading the article below, it seems like Fujifilm is telling photographers to forget about RAW, but that’s not quite the case. For photographers to shoot only in JPEG Film Simulation modes, their type of photography needs to be the type where the picture waits for the photographer to decide which Film Simulation mode to use, view the results on the monitor, switch to a different Film Simulation mode, review on the monitor, and so on until satisfied. It’s a more relaxed style of shooting where the light is not disappearing, the clouds are not moving off the frame, the flock of birds is not flying away. Where people pose for you and don’t mind that you take your time and reshoot.

Of course, if you shoot RAW+JPEG Film Simulation, you get the best of both worlds. So, why not take up the challenge Fujifilm is throwing your way (if you own a Fujifilm camera) and try out Film Simulation — and discover what pro photographers discovered years ago using slide (reversal) films. You may even find that you do not need to post process that RAW file after all.

Each further episode will explain one of the Film Simulation modes in more detail.

Here’s episode 1 (Introduction) of the “The World of Film Simulation”:

FUJIFILM X WORLD

See graph here:
https://www.facebook.com/Fujifilmxworld/photos/a.434509496621859.99836.427388394000636/839072869498851/?type=1&theater

The World of Film Simulation episode 1

If you shoot with a digital camera and are serious about photography, chances are that you shoot in RAW format. RAW is flexible and therefore undeniably a very attractive option. But if you own a FUJIFILM camera, put that thought on the side for a second. You may be wasting just about half of the camera’s potential.

First of all, the color reproduction is not just a “tendency” for FUJIFILM cameras, but rather a “world of its own” to put it more correctly. It does not just look “vivid” or “soft”. They are in their own world of color reproduction of “Velvia” and “ASTIA”.

When you shoot a photo, you would first look at the subject. It can be anything from “autumn leaves” to “person”. And you would set it to “Vivid” or “Soft” depending on the subject. You may be happy with the result if the autumn leaves appear vivid or the skin appears soft. At the same time, you may be unsatisfied with the result, but think that “it can be edited later” if they were shot in RAW.

If you use FUJIFILM camera, your style of photography can be a bit different. How would the autumn leaves or the person appear if they were shot in Velvia? How would they appear if they were shot in ASTIA?

This is the fundamental idea of FUJIFILM’s approach to color reproduction and photography. We regard the time you spend shooting very important.

And as the FUJIFILM cameras are mirrorless, you can check the final image before the shot is taken. You can preview the world of Velvia and ASTIA.

How would the scene you see in front of you appear when perfected in the form of photography? It is very important that you can check that in real time.

The reason that Film Simulation has its own “world” is that it is very particular about the “robustness about the scene”.

The “World of Velvia” certainly tends to be vivid and the “World of ASTIA” certainly has soft tonality. But they both have soft and hard parts in particular area. Each film simulation is composed with just the right balance.

It is our belief that “the photos should never look unnatural even though one can easily see that they are composed with the color of Velvia or ASTIA.”

FUJIFILM’s color reproduction designers prioritize the live action. They take photos of scenery that should not be taken in Velvia. They take photos upon customizing the setting that one would never think of.

They would print these out and evaluate. People who evaluate are not the people who took the photos. In order for a fair evaluation, they would need the neutral eye for the job and they do that for every test.

This is the process of creating the world of color that are unique, but yet never fail.

Starting with the next episode, we will explain each “world” in depth.

In corporation with : R&D Div. Optical, Electronic Imaging Products Div. FUJIFILM

Here are all six of “The World of Film Simulation” episodes: