Fuji film simulations on an Olympus?

kevistopheles

Top Veteran
I want to be able to set up my E-M10 so I can get BW JPEGs that have the same (or similar look to those of Fuji cameras). I happen to really like the look that you get using Fuji monochrome film simulations. I have been experimenting with the Olympus and tweaking the settings gets you close but still no cigar.

This is about as close as I have been able to get so far...

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spirit
by kevin dixey, on Flickr

It's not bad but I think the Olympus can do a lot better. I am wondering if I am trying to get blood from a turnip here and if the only way to do it is shoot RAW and PP. If I could get the look I'm after from JPEGs on the little Olympus it would be cool. I was getting set to sell it on eBay but there is much to like about it and it's always better to use what you already have then go through the hassle and expense of getting something new.
 
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So what lens are you using on the oly? I have both Fuji and Oly. When I shoot my 25 1.4, 15 1.7, or 75 1.8 I get files that I sometimes forget which camera I used when looking back through a gallery. They certainly render a little differently but glass does make a difference, at least through my eyes.
 
So what lens are you using on the oly? I have both Fuji and Oly. When I shoot my 25 1.4, 15 1.7, or 75 1.8 I get files that I sometimes forget which camera I used when looking back through a gallery. They certainly render a little differently but glass does make a difference, at least through my eyes.

I am using a Panasonic 20/1.7 and I have wondered if that was making a difference. I like the lens as it's my favorite FL, close focuses pretty well, is sharp and has good contrast but I find the rendering a bit clinical.
 
Well I've seen a lot of pictures from the 20 that I really like. Are you talking about the dark tones / blacks? I'm trying to figure out what draws you to the Fuji look?
 
If I could get the look I'm after from JPEGs on the little Olympus it would be cool. I was getting set to sell it on eBay but there is much to like about it and it's always better to use what you already have then go through the hassle and expense of getting something new.

1. What, if any, demand is there to have the JPG SOOC be exactly what you want? Is post processing an option. You can save a lot of money and gear swapping by using a program with presets that get you there rather quickly. Generally, the price of those programs are much less than a new camera/lenses/time to learn them.

2. The only way to know if you can get the images you want, the way you want is to go out and shoot with different JPG settings. As big of a PITA it is going to be, it's the only way to be sure that you'll get the settings how you want them. Another thing that will help would be the ability to have a Fuji camera/lens to take the exact same image as a reference. Then, you can go and look at what is in the Fuji file and get the Oly as close as possible. You might find that not only is the difference in the B&W conversion but also in the focal length, DOF, micro contrast all have a factor.
There are places on line that rent a pretty full line of Fuji products, so a productive weekend rent (or better, if you have a friend that has Fuji and will help you out) should give you 90% of the answers you are looking for.

3. If you go with #2 above, is all that machinations of time, effort, experimentation really worth finding out if you can replicate the Oly to shoot like the Fuji? Is it money better spent just getting a Fuji? Even a cheaper discontinued model like maybe an XE1 or an XM1 or XA1?

4. Perhaps the EM10 is not the right tool for the job, maybe the PEN-F is? Having the dedicated monochrome mode and, in my opinion, a very easy to set B&W set of options would keep you in a familiar system, with familiar lenses.
 
The more I play with it the more I think that I just need to go back to shooting RAW on the OMD.
Well I've seen a lot of pictures from the 20 that I really like. Are you talking about the dark tones / blacks? I'm trying to figure out what draws you to the Fuji look?

Well, here's a image from my Fuji X10 that has the look I like. Except for a bit of vignetting and a tiny bit of sharpening it is pretty much SOOC. The best way I know to describe it is a depth of tones that I like. I think the images I get from the OMD are quite good just different from what I am trying for.

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birdobe
by kevin dixey, on Flickr
 
1. What, if any, demand is there to have the JPG SOOC be exactly what you want? Is post processing an option. You can save a lot of money and gear swapping by using a program with presets that get you there rather quickly. Generally, the price of those programs are much less than a new camera/lenses/time to learn them.

2. The only way to know if you can get the images you want, the way you want is to go out and shoot with different JPG settings. As big of a PITA it is going to be, it's the only way to be sure that you'll get the settings how you want them. Another thing that will help would be the ability to have a Fuji camera/lens to take the exact same image as a reference. Then, you can go and look at what is in the Fuji file and get the Oly as close as possible. You might find that not only is the difference in the B&W conversion but also in the focal length, DOF, micro contrast all have a factor.
There are places on line that rent a pretty full line of Fuji products, so a productive weekend rent (or better, if you have a friend that has Fuji and will help you out) should give you 90% of the answers you are looking for.

3. If you go with #2 above, is all that machinations of time, effort, experimentation really worth finding out if you can replicate the Oly to shoot like the Fuji? Is it money better spent just getting a Fuji? Even a cheaper discontinued model like maybe an XE1 or an XM1 or XA1?

4. Perhaps the EM10 is not the right tool for the job, maybe the PEN-F is? Having the dedicated monochrome mode and, in my opinion, a very easy to set B&W set of options would keep you in a familiar system, with familiar lenses.

All good points and you're right. I have spent years shooing RAW and PP so I know I can get the look I want that way. I would shoot RAW into C1P then PP in Tonality CC or Silver Efex Pro. I even have the presets I built for it. I just want to see if I can do it in JPEG. I guess I'm answering my own question there. Shooting RAW is probably the answer.

Rather than spend the time with #2 I would just pick up another Fuji. This isn't something that is weighing on me, it's just something I wanted to see if I could do. If I can't, it's not a big loss. The Olympus is capable of gorgeous images maybe it's better to adapt to what it does well than to try to adapt it to what you want. It sure is a lot less work.

I got the E-M10 initially thinking it would be a small AF kit that I would set up with the traditional 3 lens kit like the old Leica CL (28,40,90) but I just always end up grabbing my other cameras instead so I am simply trying to figure out what to do with it. My latest thought was I could make it into a dedicated BW kit. I have thought about selling it a few times but it was a gift and E-M10's don't fetch much at the moment so it's not really worth selling. As for the Pen-F. It looks to be a very cool camera but not in the budget for the foreseeable future.

FWIW I think the E-M10 does really well shooting color with my Konica 40 and Pentax 50. Right now, I think it would make a decent back for my adapted lenses since it has IBIS, a nice EVF and the multiple levels of magnification make manual focus pretty easy (despite my less than perfect vision). I use my mNEX for that T the moment but its getting pretty long in the tooth so maybe the OMD ends up with that role. The image below is with the Pentax 50 and I rather like the way it turned out.

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frenzy
by kevin dixey, on Flickr
 
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I have the EM 5 and when I shoot the Oly 75 I like the sooc files as much as my Fuji files for the most part, regardless of the Fuji lens. I haven't tried the Fuji 56 or 90 so I'm not fully informed. But there is a richness, depth, or 'Fuji magic' that I love. Usually as a walk around I take my Oly with the 75 and the Fuji with the 18-55 and/or 35. And nice picture!
 
I have the EM 5 and when I shoot the Oly 75 I like the sooc files as much as my Fuji files for the most part, regardless of the Fuji lens. I haven't tried the Fuji 56 or 90 so I'm not fully informed. But there is a richness, depth, or 'Fuji magic' that I love. Usually as a walk around I take my Oly with the 75 and the Fuji with the 18-55 and/or 35. And nice picture!

That's good to know. I think that richness or depth that you called it is definitely what I find so appealing. It's tough to characterize because as I said it's hard to find fault with the Olympus. It's a case of preferring the Fuji in this particular instance not disliking the Olympus.
 
Thanks for the suggestions and also the food for thought. I spent the day shooting the E-M10 with a Konica 40 attached and it works great. The lens is compact so even with the adapter it balances well and I certainly can't fault the color.

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not quite opening day
by kevin dixey, on Flickr

As for the BW, I'll either figure it out or I won't, it was a pretty casual inquiry so life goes on. Back to making images.
 
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