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Fujifilm Film Simulation Challenge Roll 7 : Fujicolor Pro 400H

For the seventh episode of the Film Simulation Challenge, I chose Ritchie's Fujicolor Pro 400H Film Simulation Recipe. The goal of the challenge is to use the same settings for 24 or 36 exposures, similar to shooting a roll of film. This particular film simulation recipe is intended to imitate the look of Fujicolor Pro 400H film. I “loaded” this “film” into my Fujifilm X-T2, and exposed 36 frames at the Ironbound Farm in Asbury, Hunterdon County. Not all the frames are shown.

This was my first visit to the farm and also the first time using my newly acquired Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 lens which coincidentally was delivered from KEH as we were leaving the house. I'll write more about that lens in another post. According to Ritchie, Fujicolor Pro 400H is a popular portrait photography film. I've never used this film, so I'll let Ritchie give you his overview of Fujicolor Pro 400H film.

Fujifilm Pro 400H is a color negative film that was first introduced in 2002 (originally named NPH400). It’s a popular print film that has survived the digital era, as Fujifilm continues to manufacture Pro 400H to this very day, while many other films have seen the chopping block. It’s a fine-grain (for ISO 400), natural-color, versatile film that’s especially good for weddings and portraits.

The first part of the "roll" was shot with the lens at f/8 and ISO400. While that worked well for the outdoors once we entered the farm building, I realised that my shutter speed had dropped down under 1/25s. I switched to auto-ISO but after a few shots realised that while my shutter speed was better, the ISO had jumped to ISO 12,800. I then switched the lens to full auto-mode. The images captured on the inside of the building all have a very shallow depth-of-file.

The later part of the "roll" was exposed in the beautiful outdoor space. Despite blue skies and near midday sun, the sky was full of fluffy clouds. Most of the scenes were covered in soft light with weak shadows. I don't think the lighting conditions indoors gave me a true sense of this film simulation, but I like how the outdoor shots were rendered.

I need to experiment more with this particular film simulation and perhaps try an actual roll of Fujifilm Pro 400H when my Pentax ES II returns from being repaired.

Ritchie offered some advice that I might have paid attention to had I not been so gung ho to start taking images.

The X-Trans III sensor has a lot of dynamic range, but it cannot hold up to a three-stop overexposure. I found that DR200 is a good setting in many circumstances, but in high-contrast scenes, DR400 might be a better option.

The photographs are all straight-out-of-camera JPEGs captured using my Fujifilm X-T2, Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 and Ritchie's Fujicolor Pro 400H Film Simulation recipe. I think the Fujicolor Pro 400H Film Simulation recipe produces a convincing analogue film look, delivering pleasing results. If you want to see my RAW edits, I have another blog post detailing my trip.

Other entries in this challenge series.

Saturday 20 June, 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF27mmF2.8 | Fujicolor Pro 400H Film Simulation

Fujifilm Film Simulation Challenge Roll 4: Ilford HP5 Plus

During my sophomore year at Drew University, I took a winter semester course on photography with access to a fully stocked darkroom. As a student, the only thing I needed was a camera, film, and 8x10 photographic paper. I shot colour reversal, but thinking back to that time, I was enamoured with B& W film, shooting mostly Kodak T-MAX.

I recently purchased a roll of ADOX Scala 160, which is the reversal process film alternative to the discontinued AGFA SCALA. Once I shoot the roll of film, it would be interesting to compare to Ritchie's Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe. I wish I had done a better job of keeping my negatives. They are lost somewhere during one of my many moves. After selling her home in Florida, my mom is visiting while she decides what's next, and she shipped me a large box full of prints and film negatives she found. We are going through the box, and I occasionally have found a gem or two. Somewhere in that box is a set of film negatives that I may have captured during my photography course. Maybe.

This blog entry is my fourth instalment for the Ritchie Roesch's Fujifilm inspired Film Simulation Challenge. For this challenge, I chose Ritchie's Ilford HP5 Plus recipe for X-Trans III sensors and went for an early morning walk around downtown Princeton. I shot RAW + JPEG. I've never used the actual Ilford HP5 Plus film (or ACROS), but I do like some of the SOOC JPEG images which I've posted below. Some processed some of the RAW and achieved results that I preferred over the SOOC JPEG version. But the challenge is all about film simulation recipes and SOOC JPEGs, so I've included the best of the roll of 36. Many of the SOOC images have been cropped and edited for perspective correction only. Despite my best efforts with the built-in level of the Fujifilm X-T2 I tend to tilt.

I drove into Princeton with the intention of getting some early morning images and then stopping in at Rojo's Coffee for a latte and muffin for breakfast. Rojo's opens at 8 AM on the weekend so I had about 45 minutes to walk around. Perhaps because it was a cold winter morning or because it was very early morning, the area around Palmer Square was mostly free of vehicles and people. I parked on Palmer Square West and walked around to Palmer Square Sout toward Nassau Street and toward Witherspoon, then down Witherspoon toward Hulfish Street, before circling back toward Palmer Square East.

None of the restaurants and stores on Palmer Square was open at this hour but there were a few people on Nassau Street. I found myself drawn to the facades of the stores and restaurants and the way the early morning light looked on some of the buildings. There is a lot of shadows. Once I completed the square and arrived back at my car, I looked at the time and realised that it would be another fifteen minutes before Rojo's would be open. I was cold and hungry. I left Palmer Square and drove back to Skillman to pick up breakfast at Bagel Barn.

Other entries in this challenge series.

Palmer Square, Princeton, Street — 22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square , Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 400

Man, Truck, Street, Buildings — 22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square South, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000

Men, People, Street, Store Front — 22 February, 2020 | Ann Taylor, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000

Parking Meter — 22 February, 2020 | Coins, Credit Cards and Phone Apps. Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 4000

Store Facade, Building — 22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square Kiosk, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640

Street Sigh, Street Lights, Witherspoon Street, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Witherspoon Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200

Store Facade, Restaurant, Lahierre Restaurant, Witherspoon Street, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Lahierre Restaurant, Witherspoon Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 800

Store Facade, Hamilton Jewelers, Witherspoon Street, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Hamilton Jewelers, Witherspoon Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1600

Store Front, Agricola Eatery, Witherspoon St, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Agricola Eatery, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 4000

Store Facade, Jules Thin Crust, Witherspoon St, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Jules Thin Crust, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 800

Store Facade, Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Flags on Alchemist & Barrister, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200

Store Facade, Purinsu Ramen, Witherspoon St, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Purinsu Ramen, Witherspoon St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 2500

Store Front, Corner of Witherspoon Street and Spring Street, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Corner of Witherspoon Street and Spring Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 320

Store Facade, LAN Ramen, Hullfish Street, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | LAN Ramen, Hullfish Street, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640

Book, Store Window — 22 February, 2020 | Goodnight Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 800

Store Facade, Halo Fete, Hulfish St, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Halo Fete, Hulfish St, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000

Store Window, Jazams, Palmer Square East, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Jazams, Palmer Square East, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 3200

22 February, 2020 | Back Alley, Palmer Square East, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 2000

Door, Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 1000

Chimney, Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton — 22 February, 2020 | Nassau Inn, Palmer Square, Princeton | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 200

22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square, Princeton, New Jersey | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640

Store Front, Man Walking, Palmer Square West, Princeton, New Jersey — 22 February, 2020 | Palmer Square West, Princeton, New Jersey | FujiFilm X-T2 | Fujinon XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 640

Fujifilm Film Simulation Challenge Roll 3: Tri-X Push

For this 36 frame "roll of film" for the Film Simulation Challenge, I chose to use Ritchie's "Not" My Fujifilm X-Pro2 Tri-X Push-Process which is Luis Costa's Black and White recipe which is based on ACROS. I'll let Luis describe the recipe.

When it comes to monochrome images, I still use the same recipe that I came up with once I upgraded to an X-trans III camera a few years ago. I’m a fan of contrasty, grainy images when it comes to B&W, so I experimented a bit and discovered that the Acros film sim when shot at high ISOs produces some very film-like grain, which looks much more natural than the grain effect in the film sim settings. This works particularly well with older legacy lenses, because of their natural imperfections compared to current lenses.Luis Costa

And here's what Ritchie wrote about that recipe:

The film simulation recipe that Luis invented produces results that resemble Kodak Tri-X 400 film that’s been pushed one or perhaps one-and-a-half stops, and I would add using Agfa Rodinal. The grain pattern and structure isn’t a 100% match, but for straight-out-of-camera results, it’s pretty darn convincing. I’ve only been using it for a week, but it has already become one of my favourites! It’s better than my Acros Push-Process recipe that I use frequently, and I like that one a lot, too.Ritchie Roesch

And the following set of images is what results when I don't read the fine print, and my wife drives me into Princeton on a sunny, cloudless fall afternoon w, here I spend 45 minutes walking around capturing high contrast scenes at ISO 400. This recipe is meant to be used at high ISO, between 3200 & 12800, and I shot the whole roll of 36 on the wrong ISO setting.

This is one reason why shooting film sucks and why most professional photographers that I know, including ones who were in the industry for several decades, switched to digital a long time ago. Whether it's sniffing chemicals in some dark, dingy hole or clicking and dragging, their clients don't care how you got the shot. They don't care about "slowing down" or "decisive moments" or shooting only in manual or with primes or any of that other mental junk that amateurs spend their time debating. They get paid for results.

If you shoot film and process film, I hope you enjoy it. If you shoot and process digital, I hope you enjoy doing that. Just don't tell me that one or the other has some sort of magical property. I rarely post straight-out-of-the-camera images on this website.

I have a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 in my Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II. I have been waiting for an opportunity to shoot that roll, which I now know from this experience with the film simulation recipe must be a cloudy or overcast day. It will soon be winter in New Jersey and I expect I will have a lot of cloudy, grey, dreary days.

From the SOOC JPEG, you see here; I did not get good results. These are the best of the shots. The rest are all blown out in highlights. I rented a Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR (~52mm full-frame FOV) for the week and through the week and decided to try it out. The Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR performed admirably despite my ineptitude. A few of the shots were out of focus, which is also operator error.

I took a landscape and cityscape in B&W workshop a few weeks ago. I think I will process the same set of RAF images using the techniques I learned in that course. The results won't be based on any films except the one I invent in my head.

Other entries in this challenge series.

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