My Fujifilm X100VI arrived in the mail yesterday. Eagerly I opened the box, pulled out the X100V (but with an “I” after the “V”), placed a freshly charged battery inside, inserted an SD Card, programmed my C1-C7 custom settings presets, and went out shooting. The main reason why I wanted the X100VI was for the brand-new Reala Ace film simulation. I think a big reason why Fujifilm cameras are so in-demand right now are the film simulations and the many Film Simulation Recipes that can achieve various film-like looks straight-out-of-camera, no editing needed. Anytime that Fujifilm adds a new film sim is a good time, and is always a top reason for myself to spend money on a new camera that I don’t actually need.
My very first impression of the X100VI is that it’s an X100V. The two models are identical twins at initial glance. That’s not a bad thing whatsoever, because I absolutely love my X100V; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The new camera is slightly heavier (but, really, you need to have one in each hand to be able to tell), and there’s a small amount of noise when you shake the X100VI due to the IBIS inside, but otherwise there’s not a lot to distinguish the two apart. Internally, the new camera has IBIS (which I haven’t had a chance to test yet since I only used it in bright daylight so far), the 40mp X-Trans V sensor and processor, and the latest JPEG options, including Eterna Bleach Bypass, Nostalgic Neg., and Reala Ace—all of which are the largest distinctions between the old and new versions.
I tried Reala Ace right away. The new film simulation was named after Fujicolor Superia Reala Ace 100 color negative film, a version of Fujicolor Superia Reala 100 that was only sold in Japan. Reala was introduced in the late-1990’s and discontinued in 2013, and was the first Superia film (although initially it didn’t have Superia in the name), the first with their 4th emulsion layer. The Classic Negative film simulation, which is closely modeled after Superia film, is the best way to replicate Reala on your Fujifilm camera; specifically, try my Fujicolor Reala 100 Film Simulation Recipe. My Reala Ace Recipe was intended to mimic the new Reala Ace film sim using Classic Negative, but it can also be thought of as a v2 for replicating Fujicolor Reala film. Unfortunately, the new Reala Ace film simulation is not modeled after the film that it was named after.
When there are not many example photographs of a new film sim, there’s not a lot to go on for replicating it. It’s impossible to know if the samples are straight-out-of-camera with everything set to factory defaults, or if some of the parameters were adjusted, or if post-editing was done, unless the photographer discloses that. When Reala Ace was introduced on the GFX100 II, I believe that many of the samples that initially came out were post-edited to some degree (one photographer did specifically state that their’s was), and that makes sense since most GFX owners are not shooting SOOC JPEGs. My Reala Ace Recipe is probably as close as one can get to the Reala Ace film sim using Classic Negative, and is more similar to the actual film than the Reala Ace film sim is; overall, my Recipe is only a so-so match to the new film sim, and is off in several aspects.
Fujifilm placed the Reala Ace film simulation right above PRO Neg. Hi in the film sim list, and I quickly discovered why. The two PRO Neg. film simulations are not closely modeled after any emulsions, but are generally inspired by Fujifilm’s PRO lines of film, such as PRO 160S, PRO 160NS, PRO 160C, and PRO 400H. The main difference between PRO Neg. Hi and PRO Neg. Std is that the Hi version has more contrast and saturation, and the Std version has less. Reala Ace is quite similar to both PRO Neg. Std and PRO Neg. Hi, and you can more-or-less approximate the Reala Ace film sim with either. I found that PRO Neg. Std is actually the best option for replicating Reala Ace, so if your camera has PRO Neg. Std, you pretty much have Reala Ace. Fujifilm should have named the new film sim PRO Neg. C, since it is the third version of PRO Neg. (“C” is the third letter in the alphabet), and the emulsion that the new film sim is most similar to is Fujicolor PRO 160C (and not Reala).
To get close to Reala Ace (PRO Neg. C) using PRO Neg. Std, make these adjustments:
– For Reala Ace, I set both Highlight and Shadow to -0.5. Additionally, I used DR200, Grain Weak/Small, and High ISO NR -4; otherwise, everything else was factory defaults (Off, Auto, or 0).
– For PRO Neg. Std, I set Highlight to +1, Shadow to -0.5, Color to +2, Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak, DR200, and Grain Weak/Small; otherwise, everything else was factory defaults (Off, Auto, or 0).
You might question why, for example, I didn’t keep Reala Ace at Highlight/Shadow 0, and on PRO Neg. Std simply adjust Highlight to +1.5? I tried that, but for whatever reason, the changes I made are an ever-so-slightly closer match. Both are acceptable, though.
Can you guess which is Reala Ace (PRO Neg. C) and which is PRO Neg. Std in the sets below, Pic 1 or Pic 2?
There are, of course, some small differences. Reala Ace renders blue slightly deeper, but applying Color Chrome FX Blue Weak to PRO Neg. Std is a little too much to exactly match; CCEB Extra-Weak would be perfect, but that doesn’t exist. A WB Shift of -0.5 Blue (-1 Blue is too much) to PRO Neg. Std would be good if you could; I used Auto WB, but if you used Kelvin instead, you could try something like 5100K on PRO Neg. Std to replicate 5000K on Reala Ace. Setting Color to +2.5 on PRO Neg. Std would be great, but that doesn’t exist, either. There are small differences in both Highlight and Shadow rendering, but you’d need 0.25 adjustments to more accurately match them. There is a level of fine-tuning required to precisely replicate Reala Ace that’s not available on Fujifilm cameras, but you can get pretty darn close nonetheless.
The larger point is that if you want a Reala Ace (PRO Neg. C) film simulation look, all you really need is PRO Neg. Std. Simply increase Highlight by +1 and Color by +2 and you’re pretty much there—a little more fine-tuning can get you slightly closer. You can’t 100% match them, but you can get pretty darn close—nobody would be able to tell without a side-by-side comparison, and even then it’s not completely obvious without studying closely.
For those still wondering which is which in the photos above, Pic 1 in each set is PRO Neg. Std, and Pic 2 is Reala Ace. You can spot the differences when you know what to look for, but otherwise they’re very similar. Reala Ace is a little nicer at factory defaults than PRO Neg. Std, perhaps more like PRO Neg. Std that has been adjusted into a Film Simulation Recipe. I think there is potential for some new Recipes utilizing Reala Ace as the base; overall, I prefer my Reala Ace Recipe that uses Classic Negative. I am looking forward to seeing what can be done with the new film sim, so expect some Reala Ace (PRO Neg. C) Recipes soon!
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Fujifilm X100VI in black: Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X100VI in silver: Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira