What does Fujifilm COLOR really mean?

COLOR? COLOUR? All good. :). IN this video we discuss what people mean when they say "Fujifilm colors are the best." And why that's crazy.

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First time here? Hi, I'm Omar Gonzalez, a professional portrait and event photographer in the NYC/NJ area. On this channel, we talk cameras, lenses, and techniques to improve our photography.

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[paltech]

EXACTLY. Great video Omar... it's incredible how it boils down to how subjective color itself really becomes.

[Sarahintheforest]

Thank you so much for explaining how there isn't really just one kind of "Fuji colour". I assumed that Fuji colours were the over saturated, super vibrant kind. But after watching your video, I now know that there are a lot more factors that will determine how the colours actually look.

[QippysChannel]

For me Fujifilm colours simply means its colour science 😀, in general it means good skin tones and lovely filmic organic looking images

[bioliv]

This was exactly what I needed now! I just got my 27 mm after a 6 months wait, and can finally start using our Fujifilm X-T200. Totally inspirational, thanks a lot:-)

[WraithCalling]

I love the customization of the film recipes, and is one of the reasons why I got a fuji camera. I use a lot of vintage lenses and recreating that film look and shooting jpeg is fun for me! So many options!

[sammymontiel]

Props for the Born and Raised cover art

[justcallmesando]

Man you really made Astia shine at 2:51 I mean… look at those tones! Really liked the images on this video.

[Linealo]

FujiColors is one of those things, where I wouldn´t even have much of a definition to go with about most of the time. Mainly because it´s usually more than color, that makes something look "Fuji" to me and because there´s different "Fuji Stlyes", aka. the different film stock simulations.

For me, "Fuji" is a lot about the roll-off on light and dark parts. With this, I don´t even mean contrast or dynamic range, I mean the way the light falls off when getting to bright (less “hot spots”) and darker (less “dead spots”) areas. But it´s not even about the amount, shape or size of those spots, as you control those with exposure, but the way the gradient goes into them. When shooting an image with a bright light, the circle of the lamp is less distinct and more or less fades from one value into the other without creating much of a harsh border. But this is all without it being "smooth" or the image being unsharp. It´s usually just that those extremes feel more balanced and less extreme because of it. Add some fade, contrast and muted colors and you got one look (Classic Chrome). Add saturation and smooth out the roll-off even more, and you get another (Astia).

I also always feel like something looks "Fuji" when you have this clear distinction between certain colors. Fuji's blue skies are quite a saying and the less yellow greens together with punchier reds are something, that make the 3 primaries stand out that much more. It makes them pronounce each other and separates hues from each other clearly. When using my Sony I can turn the yellows down and desaturate the leafs in an image. When I do the same with my Fuji, the leafs stay a bit more saturated and actually in a juicy green while still lowering the yellow in it. This gives an interesting perspective, because this not only allows to separate tones, but also unify them. So having a couple shades of green in a forest with a red popping and no yellows interfering is totally possible. There´s less of a fade between hues than I feel I experienced with brands like Panasonic, Sony or Canon. Olympus and Nikon also do this really well and compete here with Fuji imo.
This whole “separation” also makes sense with true analog film, as it reacts to each color of the light independently instead of doing the math for a value in between (RGB sensors on cameras only capturing 3 values).
Also, Fujis WB has always been really good with distinction. Adding warmth doesn´t make the image greener as well and making it cooler doesn´t make it purple / magenta.
Additionally, mixed light seems to be handled really well, filtering out "unnatural tones" like magenta casts or yellow-tints, that make people or objects look sick. Only when the color is a focus and actually there, it shows up. So photographing a purple flower next to a blue one doesn´t shift the hues of either of them, but blue being the primary will feel more pronounced.
Looking at it physically, Fuji also seems to balance out perceptive imbalances. Reds feel really bright to humans anyway as it´s a signal color, so the green and blue get lifted just that much to compensate. Tones between don´t get the same treatment, so that the distinction is that much clearer.

But "Fuji" is also the way you shoot. When comparing some studio work side by side, I can hardly pick out which camera is which when looking at it for just a moment. Often the lens does make more of a difference there, and Fuji does certainly have some great and or special lenses. It needs time in those situations to make a distinction. But when I see people do certain work, the amount of people doing f.e. streets is higher with Fuji than what I´ve seen people doing streets with Sony (personal bias here, because it can be very region dependent).

Combine all this and the result, and it is something that becomes something individual yet again. The roll-off I mentioned is very similar to how much leverage you have with film and how people dodged and burned their photos back in the days. On the other hand, the colors are well controllable and allow for everyone to create "their own Fuji". So in the end, "The Fuji look" stands so much out to me, because it feels individual. It´s different every time, less "high tech" and less "shiny" and feels more like a well reviewed and edited image than a "pre baked formular" that the brand gives you.
Well... in the end, it´s hard to put into words, but I guess this is as good as I can word feelings about a brand`s color "science".

[ronhyde]

I've been shooting Fuji now for several years and have always been confused with Fuji Colours the same way I was confused with Canon Colours. I shoot RAW and with LR and PS I pretty much can make the colours what I want and it suits me. I tried in camera jpeg recipe's because so many folks were telling it was the way to go (including you Omar in one vlog), but I like to be in control. I don't take that many exposures that I can't give each the time it requires.
Omar I love your posts even the one's that don't apply to my needs because you are so entertaining, keep it up don't stop.

[thomasfransson]

Maybe good color separation?
I was surprised when I switched to Fujifilm how yellow and muddy some of my Canon shots looked.

[christianfleetwood]

I recently bought a used X-Pro2 and I’ve never had more fun with photography. I’ve fallen back in love with capturing images and I reckon that’s going to go a long way in helping me become a better visual storyteller!

[nolansnook]

Wonderful! You captured the magic of Fujifilm digital for me and how to personalize it. Thanks Omar.

[Vahagraphy]

awesome video Omar. Very well said. Our thought process on this topic aligns very well.

[myaura]

Hi Omar, greetings from Vienna Austria, (always remember, no Kangaroos here, not even in our world‘s oldest zoo)…awesome channel of yours, keep on posting…well, 2 me, fuji colors mean the whole magic combo of profound knowledge and experience about color, their fantastic sensors and the way FUJI PEOPLE (passionate people) managed to pack everything into a beautiful piece of technology…that‘s the (w)holy trinity ;-) My cameras : X-T1/X-T3/X100V … I want 2 B outside as much as possible and as little time as possible sitting in front of a computer/tablet or even phone moving sliders around… I’d say, Fuji pretty much nailed it ! Saludos/Greetings/Liebe Grüße aus Wien - Luis

[buddi]

Philosophy mixtured with technique is exactly what i needed !

[mikepowers]

My X-E2 will be delivered today. I can’t wait to have fun with it. Currently have an X-T2 and wanted the X-E2 as a nice NOIR camera 🙂

[SimplyElena]

Super interesting! I’ve long wondered what people meant about color science when they just go an edit in post. Enjoyed seeing some more saturated Fuji looks in this video!

[SIQmai]

One thing is for sure Omar, I love YOUR fuji colors ☺️

[juliette-mansour]

Hi Omar! So glad you made this video because I had this exact conversation with a buddy of mine and wasn't quite able to get my point across. Now I can point him to your video....it's all in the eye, isn't it? I have been preaching about using color to convey meaning or seeing color as a unifying theme, which then sort of makes it even more subjective. That's the non-technical side. Technically, there's the issue of looking at the images on camera versus, as you mentioned, our non-calibrated or calibrated screens. Then there's that whole argument about who can interpret Fuji colors best - Capture One versus LR. It's all so incredibly unique to our eyes. As info, I took my Fuji x-t30 to the beach and also shot Fuji Superia film alongside it - exact same shots/settings/focal length. When those are developed I can also share how different the film prints are from the digital prints in terms of color! Thanks as always!

[leighdavis]

Thank you. This has added some inspiration. I have always shot RAW, but this gives me more faith in trying jpeg and trying some of the in camera simulations.