My X-E1 Film Simulation Recipe C2: Acros

I'm seriously loving using the Fujifilm system - especially the custom film simulations. In this post I'd like to outline my C2 custom setting recipe - my version of Fuji Acros.

Lake Mahinapua Jetty. Fuji X-E1. f/5.6 @ 1/350th, ISO 200. C2: "Acros" Jpeg

Fuji Acros just happens to be my favourite black and white film. It's a beautiful, tonal, fine-grained film, that I shoot in my film cameras whenever I can. I was gutted when Fuji discontinued it in 2017, and then elated when they said they would be bringing it back in 2019!

They have also introduced an Acros film simulation into their latest digital cameras - but only in the latest with the third generation processor. It doesn't look like it can, or will, be released in earlier camera models, since the Acros 'special sauce' requires the latest processor to work. Darn!

So what is a guy to do? Hey, I know... why not make my own 'Acros' film simulation recipe? What a great idea! And so, I did...

C2: Acros Film Simulation Recipe for X-E1
ISO 200 (will change when appropriate)
Dynamic Range: 100
White Balance: Auto
Noise Reduction: -1
Image Size: Large 3:2
Image Quality: Raw + Jpg fine
Film simulation base: Monochrome + Y
Highlight Tone: 0
Shadow Tone: +1
Colour: 0
Sharpness: +1

As you can see from the settings, it's based on the monochrome plus yellow filter, preserves the highlights, and increases the shadows. This gives a reasonably strong black and white image with a little 'pop' - especially with the slightly increased sharpening. This will be my 'general' black and white setting, hence its pride of place in the C2 setting.

Lake Mahinapua. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/5.6 @ 1/550th, ISO 200. C2: "Acros" Jpeg

As I mentioned in my previous post about my C1: Classic Chrome film recipe, the jpegs straight out of camera have plenty of latitude for 'tweaking' in post-processing. Not as much as the RAW file obviously - but enough to get the final image to where I want it to be with a little clarity and dehaze applied.

Lake Weed. Fuxi X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/5.6 @ 1/80th, ISO 200. C2: "Acros" film simulation

I like a rich black and white image, and the Acros film simulation can certainly deliver this. I was told way back in my b&w film darkroom development days that a print should have 'black blacks and white whites". And, of course, a full tonal range in-between. When I judge black and white images at camera club level, one of the biggest mistakes I see with peoples' monochrome images is that they are too flat and lack contrast.

Actually, this goes for a lot of colour images as well. It seems that in this day and age of Photoshop and Lightroom, photographers seem to make liberal use of the shadow and highlight sliders so that all the tones in an image are 'evened' out. We shouldn't be afraid of deep blacks and bright whites in our images - especially with monochrome.

Swimmers Beach, Lake Mahinapua. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/8 @ 1/300th, ISO 200.
C2: 'Acros' film simulation recipe

Is it exactly like Fuji's Acros film simulation in the X-E3? Of course not. Is it close? I honestly don't know - and won't know until I get an X-E3 to play with (anybody...).

But does it replicate the look and feel of shooting Acros on film for me? Yes, it does. And that's enough for me. As mentioned earlier, it will be my 'go-to' B&W film simulation recipe - for portraits and landscapes - unless I want something even more contrasty for landscapes (and I sometimes do).

One day I may have a Fujifilm camera that can shoot with the official Acros film simulation. Until then, this one will do just fine...