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On the Road Again (Kodak Portra 160 on the Fuji X-Pro2)

On the Road Again (Kodak Portra 160 on the Fuji X-Pro2)

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For a few years, and with the acquisition of a Fujifilm camera, my workflow has hardly changed and evolved very little: body set to Classic Chrome or Acros film simulation, and fairly light editing of JPEG files with Lightroom and a few rare times with the VSCO app on the iPad. The camera always records RAW + JPEG, but I rarely work with RAW files. Because I love Fuji rendering and colors and because it’s something that works for me. I have a lot of trouble changing this work habit, and I don’t take the time to try anything else.

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.0 . 1/12000″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.0 . 1/7000″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/7500″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.8 . 1/4400″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/150″ . ISO 400

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.8 . 1/12800″ . ISO 400

For this family weekend on the road, I wanted to try something “different”. Take another direction in my photographic approach, a direction closer to the analog experience. Getting out of this comfort zone and this Classic Chrome rendering that I know well and that I appreciate so much. I also wanted to free myself from the editing step, by using the JPEG files directly, without going through the Lightroom step. As if finally I left with my Canon A1 and that I had my images developed by a laboratory, but without the limit of 36 photos per roll.

Many Fujifilm camera users are familiar with Fuji X Weekly film emulations. Ritchie Roesch does a fantastic job. It offers film simulation recipes just by modifying a few parameters on the menu of our digital cameras to obtain a fairly faithful reproduction of the desired film. You can find Portra, Cinestill, Tri-X directly out of the device.

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.0 . 1/9000″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.8 . 1/23000″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.0 . 1/30000″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/220″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/8 . 1/350″ . ISO 400

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/8000″ . ISO 400

I had never before taken the time or had the desire to test these film emulations. But for this trip, I decided to take the plunge. I wanted to try to limit the number of images I was going to bring back. And a weekend in the Spanish Basque country a few weeks earlier where I had only left with a film camera surely helped me make up my mind.

And then, if it didn’t work as I hoped, if I didn’t like the chosen simulation, I still had the RAW files to use.

I wondered what analog film could have a good rendering with the colors of the Bardenas desert, the harsh midday light and the announced sun. I figured Kodak Gold and Portra 160 film could do the trick. Since I had used Kodak Gold film a few weeks before, I opted for the Portra 160 solution this time.

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/2200″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.0 . 1/2200″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/240″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/125″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/8 . 1/125″ . ISO 640

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/300″ . ISO 200

The settings of this Kodak Portra 160 simulation for the X-Trans CMOS III sensor of my X-Pro2 are:
– Film simulation: Classic Chrome
– Dynamic range: DR-Auto
– Grain effect: Weak
– Color chrome effect: Off
– WB: Daylight, +4 Red & -5 Blue
– Highlight: -2
– Shadow: -2
– Color: +1
– Sharpness: -2
– Nose reduction: -4
– ISO: up to ISO 6400
– Exposure compensation: +2/3 to +1 ⅓

All the photos in this series are JPEGs directly from the X-Pro2. I just straightened and cropped some shots, but no other editing was applied.

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/8500″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/11 . 1/750″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.0 . 1/16000″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/200″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.0 . 1/2700″ . ISO 200

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/11 . 1/350″ . ISO 200

I was able to test several types of light during these few days, and I am quite satisfied with the results on most shots. The images are quite bright, less focused on shadows than what I usually do. Softer to look at, perhaps too. This gives a less “nostalgic” and more joyful result than my usual style. I think this Portra 160 simulation looks good with a family road trip.

This hybrid solution between film and digital offered by Fuji X Weekly is very interesting. Much less work in the end, the photos are usable immediately. Just as they can also be with Fujifilm base simulations.

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/11 . 1/600″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/350″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/8 . 1/125″ . ISO 1000

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/8 . 1/125″ . ISO 2000
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/350″ . ISO 200

The only thing that’s a bit “disturbing” is feeling like the final style of the photos isn’t totally yours without applying our “style” to the image. But here, too, it is identical to analog experience when you have your film developed by a lab.

I will try to adopt this type of solution more regularly for certain series of photos. Mainly to free up my time behind the computer.

So, which simulation to choose now…?

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/125″ . ISO 250

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/3200″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/400″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/3800″ . ISO 200
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.8 . 1/950″ . ISO 400

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/3800″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/4.0 . 1/640″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.0 . 1/6400″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/2200″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.8 . 1/5800″ . ISO 200

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/240″ . ISO 400

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 1250

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/7.1 . 1/640″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/2700″ . ISO 400

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/1600″ . ISO 400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/1600″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 3200

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 6400

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/2.8 . 1/125″ . ISO 1600
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/11 . 1/210″ . ISO 200

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/8 . 1/125″ . ISO 1000
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/1100″ . ISO 400

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/11 . 1/125″ . ISO 1000

LEFT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/3500″ . ISO 400
RIGHT: Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/1.8 . 1/950″ . ISO 200

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF35mmF2 . f/2.8 . 1/4700″ . ISO 200

Fuji X-Pro2 . Fuji XF23mmF1.4 . f/11 . 1/125″ . ISO 400

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4 Comments

  1. Johan O E
    April 12, 2023 @ 9:49 pm

    Nice post, great photos and just the right filmsimulation for the trip.
    I’m struggling to find my settings for my next big trip.
    3 months around Asia with the XT2 and XF35mm1.4 as my main camera. My next OCOLOY project.
    http://Www.stayuntilforever.com/one-camera-one-lens-one-year

    My wife will bring the Lumix LX100 ii that I can use for wider shots.

    Currently in New Zealand

    Reply

    • Yoann
      April 12, 2023 @ 10:34 pm

      Thank you very much Johan for your comment!
      I’m not sure that for a trip like the one you’re going to do I could choose a simulation and only use that one. I understand your difficulty…
      I know I couldn’t be happy with the simulation chosen every day and I think I would set the X-T2 to Classic Chrome + RAW like I did for Thailand.
      A 50mm and a wide angle for some photos, perfect combo! 😉

      Reply

  2. Markus
    April 24, 2023 @ 7:47 pm

    Thank you very much for your reportage impression – I’ve been using this Portra 160 film simulation for over a year now on every family trip (meanwhile slightly adopted to my liking with +1 higher contrast and -1 grain structure compared to the Fuji X weekly recipe). It is just so versatile and the skin tones are very pleasing. I enjoy having more time with my family and less time editing. Also I like your lens combo quite a bit! Thinking about getting rid of my 18 and 56 primes which sit on the shelf most of the time…

    Reply

    • Yooyye
      April 25, 2023 @ 8:29 am

      Thank you Markus.
      It is true that this simulation is versatile. But I have a little trouble with the greens when the light is hard.
      I like to go with a single lens, a 35mm or a 50mm, my head feels more free 😉

      Reply

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