Exploring the Panasonic Lumix S5 Photo Styles

In my previous post I talked about getting back into film photography. And on that note, the film I ordered from AliExpress, that was due to arrive in about two months from that slow boat to China, actually only took a couple of weeks. Excellent! If I like the look of the 400 ISO Lucky film, I may have to order some more....

But why, in this day and age, would anyone want to shoot film (I hear you say)? And that's a very good question - thanks for asking. Well, one of the main reasons to shoot film relates to what I just said about the Lucky film from China. It has to do with the 'look' of the film. Its rendition of colour (or monotones). Its grain structure. The way it handles contrast - mid tones, highlights etc. 

It's the reason film photographers have favourite film stocks. Some like the 'look' of Portra, while some prefer Velvia. Which of course, also speaks to the Fuji vs Kodak debate. Fuji tends more towards greens and blues, while Kodak tends more towards reds and warm colour tones.

Film shooters will argue that they get to change their camera's 'sensor' every time they change their film stock. Kodak for portraits, Fuji for landscapes, and TMax for moody black and whites. Whereas a digital sensor is just an electronic device capturing 1s and 0s in a predictable and repeatable manner - right?

Cobden Lagoon. Lumix S5 with S20-60mm. L Classic Neo Photo Style + Low Grain.

Well, actually, digital camera manufacturers have gone to great lengths to reproduce colours from digital sensors in very specific ways. It's why two manufacturers can use the same digital sensor, and yet the images that they produce will be very different in the way they render colour. Very much like film shooters preferring a particular film stock, you will now hear digital photographers talk about preferring a particular 'colour science' from one brand over the other.

Every digital camera you buy offers 'Picture Profiles' (some call them 'styles') with titles like Landscape, Portrait or Natural (to name just a few). These give you different 'looks' to your photos - if you shoot Jpegs. If, however, you only shoot RAW, then these picture profiles are basically redundant (although they will be what you see through the viewfinder and on the LCD screen when you review the image).

Perhaps the manufacturer who has taken these picture styles to the extreme is Fujifilm. With a rich history of 'film' (duh), they offer styles called Velvia, Acros and Eterna (among others) that get baked-in to the jpeg and simulate their film stocks. An entire community has been created around photographers coming up with new 'recipes' that simulate film stocks for Fujifilm cameras. But they aren't the only players in the game...

Photo Styles from the Panasonic Lumix S5.

Above is an overview of the 15 Photo Styles (plus one with grain added) available in the Lumix S5. It may be difficult to pick up some of the subtle (and not so subtle) nuances in each style, but they are certainly different from each other. Many of the styles are 'as advertised', in that Natural is quite 'natural' looking, Vivid is more 'vivid, and Monochrome is - you guessed it - 'monochrome'. Others, like 'Landscape' or 'Portrait' are also fairly self-explanatory.

But then there are also options like L Classic Neo, L Monochrome D and Cinelike V2 which are a bit more out of the ordinary. L Monochrome (Lumix Monochrome - or Leica?) has been added to Photo Styles with the S series of cameras, together with Monochrome D and monochrome S. D is a more punchy b&w - more suitable for architecture and landscapes, while S seems tailored towards portraiture? That's how I would use them.

L Classic Neo is Panasonic's attempt at simulating colour negative film. The colours are intended to have a more nostalgic and gentle colour film look. And to be fair, it does a pretty decent job of it (see the first photo in this blogpost).

Another example of Photo Styles.

The final row of Photo Styles are more geared towards video shooting, although you can produce still images using these profiles. The final, V-Log is a very flat profile, ideal for colour grading of video, and not really useful if you are purely a stills shooter. I did, however, quite like the colour rendition using the Like 709 style on the landscape image above, so there's no rule that says you can't use these video-centric style for your photography. But again, remember these are for Jpegs only, so the resulting style will be 'baked-in' to the final image.

Greymouth Wharf from Cobden Lagoon. L Monochrome D + Grain High.

Almost all of the above examples are of Picture Styles using the default settings. Each individual Photo Style can also be 'tweaked' to create your own style (or 'recipe' to steal the concept from Fujifilm). The S5 allows you to programme a further 4 custom styles of your own making for quick recall. 

Adjustments such as contrast, highlight, shadow, tone, hue and sharpness can be set by adding or subtracting values and will vary depending on the picture style (you can't set hue and saturation in the monochrome styles for example). For Monochrome (and Classic Neo), you can also add grain structure in 3 settings (low, standard or high), as well as adding yellow, orange, red or green filter effects. The options are almost endless! With a bit of trial and error, I'm sure you could dial in something resembling your favourite film stock.

Grain can be set at either Low, Standard or High for that extra film look.

And if this wasn't enough, the latest Lumix S cameras (not my S5 unfortunately) can also accept LUTs - colour profiles that are usually used at the post-processing stage by videographers to simulate different colour gradings or film stocks. Fujifilm eat your heart out!

Photo Styles (or film recipes - call them what you will) were something that I played around with a lot when I was shooting Fujifilm cameras. It seemed like a natural thing to do when you were starting out with styles called Provia. But there's really no reason why you couldn't do the same thing with Lumix cameras like the S5 using their Photo Styles as a base. 

If you enjoy shooting jpegs, and trying to get a particular 'look' to your images SOOC (straight out of camera), then have a play with Photo Styles. I'm going to have a play with some of my own, and I'll share what I've come up with. Can I get Kodak TMax 400 and Fuji Velvia out of a Panasonic Lumix S5? Why not....

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...

My X-E1 Film Simulation Recipe C1: Classic Chrome

Since getting my Fujifilm X-E1 recently, I've spent a bit of time exploring and setting up my own film simulation recipes.

As an old film shooter, who enjoys using film from time to time, the lure of using a digital camera that you can set to 'Velvia' is very enticing. Even though we all know that it's still only a digital file - right?! And what's even more enticing - to me at least - is having the ability to create your own film 'looks' (up to seven in the X-E1) and access them very quickly.

So that's what I've been spending a good deal of time doing with my 'new' X-E1. Creating custom film simulation recipes and inputting them into the camera. I thought I'd share all seven of them over the next few months, as I get out and create images using the different profiles. And so I may as well start at the beginning - with 'C1' - a simulation that I have called "Classic Chrome".

Lake Brunner Jetty, Moana. Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/10 @ 1/60th, ISO 200. (16mm - 27mm equivalent)

Unedited Jpeg from camera with C1 Classic Chrome film recipe applied

If you are a Fuji X-T3, X-E3 or other later model camera owner, using the newest x-trans III sensor and processing engine, then you'll be lucky enough to have a 'Classic Chrome' film simulation built in to the camera itself. For many Fuji shooters, the Classic Chrome film simulation, as supplied by Fuji, is their go-to colour film simulation.

Unfortunately, if you have an older x-trans sensor, with an older processing unit, then your camera won't support Fuji's classic chrome simulation as standard. You'll have to 'create' your own as best you can. That's what I've tried to do with my 'C1' setting on the X-E1 - create a 'Classic Chrome' look for the older, first generation x-trans sensor.

To be fair (and totally up-front), I haven't just plucked these settings out of thin air. There are plenty of sites on the interweb that have these 'recipes' available. All I've done is taken a few of them, applied them as a starting point, and 'tweaked' them where I've seen fit.

Lake Brunner Jetty under Mt. Te Kinga. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/11 @ 1/6th, ISO 200. 

(23mm - 35mm equivalent). C1 - Classic Chrome jpeg

So what settings do I apply to get a 'Classic Chrome' film simulation on the X-E1? These are the settings that I use:

ISO 200 (will change when appropriate)

Dynamic Range: Auto

White Balance: Auto

Noise Reduction: -2

Image Size: Large 3:2

Image Quality: Raw + Jpg fine

Film simulation base: Astia Soft

Highlight Tone: +1

Shadow Tone: -2

Colour: +1

Sharpness: -1

This will be my 'go to' colour setting, which is why I have it programmed into my first slot. As you can see from the unedited jpeg of the first image above, it gives a reasonably punchy, yet true-to-life rendering of the scene, based off of Fuji's own Astia film simulation. All the settings are fairly self-explanatory; highlights are boosted and shadows reduced for that classic 'S' curve look - colour is increased a touch, and sharpness reduced a touch. Even with the sharpness set to -1 (-2 is the maximum), the resulting images are plenty sharp enough. I'm finding that I'm having to do very little - if any - sharpening in post with the Fuji files from the X-E1 - jpeg or RAW.

Tour Boat, Lake Brunner. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/11 @ 1/125th, ISO 200. (24mm - 36mm equivalent).

C1 - Classic Chrome jpeg

All of the images in this post are jpegs, shot with the Classic Chrome simulation. Having said that, they are not all shown here 'straight out of camera'. I've still done some post-processing to the final images. This has, however, been minimal, and really only slight tweaking to get the image to fit my style. All have had a slight clarity and dehaze boost (around 15 to 20) and maybe a little highlight/shadow fix depending on the lighting conditions for each scene. Some have even had a slight 'de-saturation' applied because I thought that the blues were a bit too overdone (see image below). But again, this varied from scene to scene.

Waiting for Summer. Fuxi X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/8 @ 1/280th, ISO 400. (17mm - 25mm equivalent).

C1 - Classic Chrome jpeg

What I can say, from someone who has been a RAW-only shooter since using his first digital camera, is that the Jpeg files from the x-trans sensor still have a decent amount of latitude in them for post-processing. I appreciate that the look is 'baked' into the file, but even settings like the White Balance in the first two images of this post were able to be warmed up in the jpeg file for a more pleasing final result. As long as the jpeg is in the ball-park exposure-wise, detail and information can still be pulled out of the highlights and shadows in Lightroom. Of course I wouldn't want to recover a jpeg image that was horribly wrong. But given that you can 'see' your exposure and white balance in the evf before taking the image, you shouldn't be horribly off to begin with.

Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/8 @ 1/125, ISO 200.

(22mm - 33mm equivalent). C1 - Classic Chrome

The Fuji X-E1 is really the first camera that I've ever defaulted to shooting RAW + Jpeg files in - simply because I want to make use of the film simulations. Olympus had a similar thing with their cameras and the different Art Filters, but I found that most of those were of very limited use. Their Grainy B&W art filter was my favourite, and I did shoot with this filter from time to time, but it was a little (actually a lot) overdone, and I would quickly default back to shooting RAW only.

With Fujifilm's ability to programme your own film simulation recipes - to dial in your own 'look' - I'm now actually excited to shoot jpegs. If I can get the look that I'm after 90% there in-camera, and then simply adjust the clarity and dehaze in Lightroom as required, my post-processing time will be halved overnight. And if I find, over time, that I'm adding a fairly standard amount of these settings to every image, then I may just set up an import preset and get there 99% of the time without having to do any post-processing at all! And if I do change my mind later on, then there's always the RAW file as a back-up.

Lake Brunner, Moana. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/8 @ 1/240th, ISO 200. (36mm - 53mm equivalent).

C1 - Classic Chrome

Thinking of the jpeg as the 'original' and the RAW file as the 'back-up' is a huge mind-shift for me, and possibly a bridge-to-far for some RAW diehards? But looking at the images above - all jpegs - and comparing them to the RAW files for the same image, the jpeg is exactly how I would have processed the RAW file anyway - so why bother!?

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, 'Classic Chrome' will be my go-to custom colour film simulation recipe - especially for landscapes, which is 90% of what I shoot. Next time, I'll have a look at my go-to black and white film recipe - my version of another Fuji classic, Acros.

Custom Film Simulations on my Fujifilm X-E1

Last post I outlined my switch from the Olympus Pen E-P3 to a Fuji X-E1 as my lightweight, mirrorless travel camera. I've owned it for about a week now, certainly not long enough to form any serious opinions about using it. However, initial impressions have been largely very positive.

One of my main reasons for switching was for 'better' IQ (image quality) from the Fuji X-E1's 16MP APS-C sized X-Trans sensor. Not only is it higher resolution than the Pen E-P3, but also considerably better low-light performance (apparently). I will be putting the X-E1 through its paces at high ISO's at some stage. But that's another post for another time.

The other major reason that I was keen to go the Fuji route was for their film simulations. Of course the history of Fuji is in their name - Fujifilm. So if anyone can make in-camera film simulations work, it has to be them. And indeed, many photographers (both professional and enthusiast) have flocked to the Fuji system so they can shoot jpegs straight out of camera with film simulation modes.

So one of the first things I did when my Fuji X-E1 arrived, was to sit down with it for the first few days and programme some film 'looks' into the camera based on the in-built film simulations. In this post I will go over what I've programmed into the seven custom simulation slots that Fuji allow on the X-E1, and show what they look like with the settings applied.

First off, all the Fujifilm cameras come with pre-set film simulations. The X-E1 has ten: Provia, Velvia, Astia, Pro Neg Hi, Pro Neg Standard, Monochrome, Mono +Y, Mono +R, Mono +G, and Sepia. This is what they look like:

There are differences, but they can be subtle. A simulation like Velvia is obviously more punchy in terms of colour vibrancy and contrast than Astia, whereas Provia looks very similar to Pro Neg Standard. Depending on subject matter, the monochrome filters can also be very subtle, although the differences are there if you look hard enough. Of course it can also be difficult to see the subtle differences in a compressed web file.

Of course all of these film simulation pre-sets are jpeg only. They don't get applied to the RAW file, although they will affect the view through the evf and the preview on the back of the cameras LCD screen. If you shoot RAW + Jpeg then you will get the best of both worlds; a RAW file with all the sensor information in-tact, and a camera-processed jpeg with the film simulation applied.

But the real fun to be had when using the film simulation modes is to create your own flavours. There are quite a few of these 'recipes' floating around the internet and on other blog posts, and most of them are designed to mimick the look of film stocks. I have certain favourite stocks that I enjoy shooting when I use film, so this was going to be my starting point when creating my own.

The slight downside to using the X-E1 is that it uses a first generation X-Trans sensor, which doesn't support the newer Fuji film simulations like Classic Chrome and Acros. Acros just happens to be my favourite b&w film stock, so I was keen to try and replicate this in a film simulation. I had also found a Classic Chrome Recipe which would give a similar effect on the first-gen sensor. So these are my first two recipes.

Classic Chrome

Classic Chrome. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS. f7.1 @ 1/350th, ISO 400

Classic Chrome with grain added in Lightroom

C1 Custom Setting - Classic Chrome Recipe.
A standard colour profile to replicate Fuji's new film simulation.
ISO: Auto up to 6400
Dynamic range: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Astia Soft
Highlight: +1
Shadow: -2
Sharpness: -1
Colour: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 30  Roughness: 30

This is a pleasing colour look, and will probably be my default choice for shooting colour jpegs. The classic chrome film simulation has fast become a favourite for many Fujifilm shooters, and it's not hard to see why. To give the simulations a more film look, I've had to apply some grain in post processing. Again, the newer Fuji cameras allow you to add grain to the film simulations - the X-E1 does not. Click on the grain sample image above for a better view of a 150% crop from the original image.

Acros

Acros. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f5.6 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

Acros with grain added in Lightroom

C2 Custom Setting - Acros.
A standard b&w profile to replicate Fuji's new film simulation.
ISO: Auto up to 6400
Dynamic range: 100
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -1
Base film simulation: Mono +Y
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +1
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 30  Roughness: 30

Again, this is a pleasing b&w look that will become my go-to black and white mode. I guess that the camera will live on either C1 and C2 most of the time. the other custom simulations will be for when I'm feeling in a particular mood. Just like when I shoot with real film I guess?

Also, again, a fairly tight and small grain structure has been added in post later. I would prefer the grain was added in-camera, but I'll have to 'upgrade' to a newer body for that function. I have also just downloaded Capture One Express Fuji Edition (free for Fujifilm camera owners) which has grain effects as well, so I may end up setting up a 'style' of grain that I can apply to the files when they are being imported. That would be the way to go.

Portra 400

Portra 400. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f.6.4 @ 1/420th, ISO 400

Portra 400 with grain added in Lightroom

C3 Custom Setting - Kodak Portra 400.
ISO 400 colour film simulation with a muted colour palette suitable for portraits.
ISO: 400
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Fine
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Pro Neg Stnd
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +1
Colour: -2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

Kodak Portra is one of those classic films that I knew I definitely wanted to try and simulate. I don't shoot a lot of portraits normally, and the above shot probably doesn't do it much justice. But I do hope to try this out with some portraits to see if it comes close to replicating the slightly muted, more pastel look of Portra. I may have to 'over-expose' it slightly and see if it holds up with the -1 Highlight setting?

Tri-X

Tri-X. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f6.4 @ 1/450th. ISO 400

Tri-X film simulation with grain added in LR

C4 Custom Setting - Tri-X.
Classic higher contrast street/photojournalist b&w film with more grain than Acros.
ISO: Auto - 400 up to 3200
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -0
Base film simulation: Mono +R
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 60  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

For a more contrasty, grainy look to my black and whites I like Kodak Tri-X. This film simulation mode adds the red filter, more grain, and increases the highlight and shadow contrast for a more 'street' grunge black and white look. Will also be good for more moody b&w landscapes (since I don't really shoot any street).

Ektar 100

Kodak Ektar 100. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f5.6 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

Ektar 100 film simulation with added grain in Lightroom

C5 Custom Setting - Ektar 100.
Ultra fine grain ISO 100 sharp colour film simulation suitable for landscapes.
ISO: 100 (Low)
Dynamic range: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Astia Soft
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +1
Colour: +2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 30  Roughness: 30

Kodak Ektar 100 is my favourite go-to medium format 120mm roll film when I shoot with my Bronica ETRS. It's a super-fine grain, contrasty and punchy film - not as punchy as Velvia, which is why the base film simulation is Astia ramped up to +2 colour. Will probably be my landscape film simulation of choice when shooting colour.

Ilford HP5

Ilford HP5. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f6.4 @ 1/420th. ISO 400

Ilford HP5 with grain added in Lightroom

C6 Custom Setting - Ilford HP5.
Faster b&w film with more grain than Acros.
ISO: Auto - 400 up to 1600
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Mono +G
Highlight: +2
Shadow: +1
Sharpness: 0
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 50  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

If I'm looking for something with a little more speed than Acros, but not as contrasty or grainy as Tri-X, then I reach for Ilord HP5. It's a do-it-all type of film. This film simulation probably won't get a lot of use, and I may swap it out for something else eventually? I'm really only just starting out with these film simulations, and I'm sure I will 'tweak' them as I go - or change them out completely? But I also like the 3/4 split with b&w/colour, although another colour simulation that's a bit more funky and out-there might eventually replace this HP5 look?

Fuji Superia 800

Fuji Superia 800. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f9 @ 1/400th. ISO 800

Fuji Superia 800 with added grain

C7 Custom Setting - Fuji Superia 800.
Fast ISO 800 colour negative film simulation suitable for general photography.
ISO: 800
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Pro Neg Stnd
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +1
Colour: +2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 60  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

Speaking of colour simulations that are a bit more 'out-there', I had to include an ISO 800 film in the simulations - so why not go for a Fuji 800 film? To be honest, I don't shoot a lot of 800 ISO film, so again, this may be something that makes way for another Recipe later on?

Looking at all these film simulation recipes, you can certainly see obvious colour and tonal differences. Creating, and then tweaking them, is actually a lot of fun. But it's also fairly subjective, and not an exact science. Is my Acros film simulation exactly like Acros film? No, of course it's not. Is it exactly like Fuji's own Acros film simulation setting in the later cameras? Again, probably not. But does it give me something that approaches the feel of Acros when I shoot with it? Hopefully it does.

What the custom film simulations will also do is encourage me to shoot in jpeg, to let the camera do all the processing work at the time of capture. This will 'free me up' to spend less time sitting at the computer post processing - which suits me fine. I spend all day sitting at a computer, I don't really fancy doing it all night as well! Initially, however, I will probably cover my bases and shoot RAW + Jpeg, which is something I never do. Prior to using the X-E1, I was a 100% RAW only shooter and fiercely proud of it! But of course these film simulations are only applied to jpegs, so there's really no point in spending a few days setting these simulations up, and then not actually use them!

I appreciate this is a fairly long post - but hopefully you got something out of it if you're a Fuji X-E1 (or X-Pro 1) owner with the first gen X-Trans sensor? Have you got any film simulation recipes that you use with your X-E1? I'd love to hear what you're using, and how you've set your X-E1 up. I'm still just learning all of this.