FujiFilm vs Sony Film Simulations | Stop Sacrificing Color
If you’re a fan of Fujifilm’s film simulations, you might be wondering if you can achieve the same look on your Sony camera. After all, Fujifilm is known for its amazing colors and classic film emulations, while Sony colors are often criticized. So, if you’ve ever wondered how Sony Film Simulation recipes compare to Fuji Film Simulations, this is the post for you. Welcome to the showdown: Fujifilm vs Sony. 🏁
The good news is that you can actually get very close to Fujifilm’s film simulations on your Sony camera using only the in-camera Picture Profile settings, Kelvin and Color Filter adjustments. No need for any external presets, LUTs, or post-processing.
In this article, I’ll show you how to match your Sony camera with your Fuji camera using the Sony RX100 VI and the Fujifilm X-S10 as examples. I’ll compare the film simulations of both cameras side by side.
This article is focused on Fujifilm vs Sony color film simulations.
Thinking of switching from Sony to Fuji? Read this first.
Let's get started!
Table of Contents
Fujifilm vs Sony Film Simulations
Let's dive into the comparison of Sony and Fujifilm Film Simulations.
Sony's Picture Profiles control things like contrast, shadows, color mode, global hue, saturation, and detail sharpness. They are very powerful in matching other camera looks but to really match Fuji's colors perfectly, you need the temperature and color filter settings. They do the heavy lifting of shifting and balancing the final colors.
▲This is very important▲
Here's a little snippet of what the color filter settings can do:
Sony Classic Chrome vs Fuji Classic Chrome
Sony custom Picture Profile + in camera color filter settings to match the Fuji
Can you tell one from another? As you can see it comes very close, almost seamless, and that is without any post-color grading and matching. Straight out of camera.
This is when using Sony Picture profiles + in camera Kelvin and Color Filter adjustments.
You need all 3 elements to create the magic.
But one of the most asked questions is 'Can I use AWB with my film simulations?'
If you want the absolute best results straight out of camera, AWB (auto white balance) is not your friend.
And I'll show you why.
Let's compare the Fujifilm vs Sony film simulations only by using the picture profile, and without the color filter settings.
Fujifilm X-S10 vs Sony RX100 Mark VI
Custom White Balance Set with a White Card on Both Cameras
Velvia - Fuji vs Sony
Only Picture Profile - No Kelvin and no Color Filter settings
Astia Film Simulation - Fuji vs Sony
Only Picture Profile - No Kelvin and no Color Filter settings
Classic Chrome Film Simulation - Fujifilm vs Sony
Only Picture Profile - No Kelvin and no Color Filter settings
Classic Neg Film Simulation - Fuji vs Sony
Only Picture Profile - No Kelvin and no Color Filter settings
Unfortunately, the Classic Neg film simulation on Sony falls shorter in terms of accuracy, being only about 50% of the way to Fujifilm's version. This is mainly due to the deep blue-teal in the shadows and warmth in the highlights that Fujifilm introduces, which is challenging to replicate, if not impossible, with Sony's in-camera adjustments alone.
Since the Classic neg cannot be recreated in a Sony camera, I thought of giving the Sony recipe a little twist. Something that will set Sony apart. Check out the new version here
Eterna Cinema Film Simulation - Fujifilm vs Sony
Only Picture Profile - No Kelvin and no Color Filter settings
This is how it looks if you only use the custom picture profiles and set both Fuji and Sony at the same White Balance. Not bad, but we can squeeze more juice out of our Sony cameras only if we tweak the Kelvin and Color Filter settings.
How to Use Custom Kelvin & Color Filter Adjustments to Match Fujifilm Colors
Above I showcased the Picture Profiles without the Kelvin and Color Filter adjustments.
They are ok, but we can get even closer to Fuji colors by using the in camera temperature and color adjustments.
If you want to improve Sony colors and get closer FujiFilm's colors, you need to use the Picture Profile settings in combination with the Kelvin & Color Filter adjustments.
Check this out ⬇️
Sony Standard Look with Auto White Balance -> Sony Classic Chrome Film Simulation AWB -> Sony Classic Chrome with in camera Custom Color Adjustments
Some people ask me, 'Can I use the Film simulation with AWB?'
Short answer: 'You can, but do you want to get the best results straight out of camera?'
I've used these images to showcase the difference it makes by using only Sony's Picture Profiles with AWB, compared to using Picture Profiles in combination with the dedicated Temperature & color filter settings.
If you only use the Picture Profiles, without the in-camera color adjustments, your color differences will come close to this:
While using both the Picture Profiles + Color adjustments you'll be as close as you can get to Fuji:
It's easier with AWB, but it will make a huuuge difference if you use the Temperature Settings provided in the PDF.
By using the same color grading techniques used in editing software like Lightroom, Capture one, Final Cut Premiere Pro or Davinci Resolve, custom color settings are a way of cutting down the editing process, by doing it straight in the camera.
It takes a little bit more time on the spot, but cuts down hours spent in front of the monitor correcting and color grading.
It's a new way of understanding color.
You can see how different Sony’s standard colors with AWB are from Fujifilm’s Classic Chrome film simulation in these images.
Here, Sony’s standard colors are set to auto-white balance with white priority.
Sony’s standard colors have a strong magenta tint, while Fujifilm’s classic chrome has a more green orange tone. Compared to Fuji, it's a completely different look.
By using the Kelvin and color filter settings, you can adjust the colors on your Sony camera to match your Fuji camera. The colors will not be 100% the same, but they come very close. I think they are about 80-90% similar, but I posted the images so you can judge for yourself.
Sony Classic Chrome vs Fuji Classic Chrome
Film Simulation
To match Fuji Classic Chrome, on the Sony I've used a custom Film Simulation and has been set at 3800 Kelvin and A7-G0.25 for the Color Filter. This balances out colors and brings Sony very close to Fuji's look without any color grading skills needed, or hours spent post processing in your dark cave. I explain in more detail why and how later in this article.
P.S. - Except for the Classic Negative film simulation, the Sony Film recipes are very accurate, achieving about 80-90% similarity to the Fujifilm Film Simulations. The main differences are in the reds and yellows. On Fujifilm, the reds and yellows are both shifted towards orange, while on Sony reds are pinkish and yellows are accurate to real life.
Since the Classic Neg cannot be recreated in a Sony camera, I thought of giving the Sony recipe a little twist. Something that will set Sony apart. Check out the new version here
How to Color Match Your Images with in-camera Kelvin and Color Filter Settings
It might seem counter productive to lower the temperature, only to raise it back again in the color filter, but trust me, it makes sense. Let me show you what happens with the colors on the scopes, and finally we'll compare it to Fujifilm's Classic Chrome.
These are Sony's Standard Colors set at Auto White Balance: White Priority
They are not terrible, but they have a lot of magenta cast in them. The greens are too yellow, the reds are too pink and bright, the blues are a bit magenta too, and the magentas are too red. It’s not a very pleasing color combination. So how do we fix this without any hue or saturation tools in the camera?
Sony Classic Chrome vs Fuji Classic Chrome Vectorscope Comparison
By lowering the Kelvin, we are making the colors cooler. This means that the blues and magentas look more realistic, and the greens turn towards teal. And this is exactly what we want.
Sony Classic Chrome Picture Profile with AWB vs 3800K (no color filter)
However, lowering the Kelvin also makes the reds, magentas and yellows cooler, which means red becomes pink, and yellow become slightly green. We don’t want that, so we'll use the color filter settings to bring back some warmth and shift the colors in the direction we want them to be.
The color filter setting lets us add a color cast to our image. We can choose from amber, green, magenta, or blue. We want to use amber, which is a color situated between yellow and orange. By adding amber, we can balance out the reds and the yellows, shifting them towards orange and making them look natural.
Sony Classic Chrome with 3800Kelvin - Color Filter A7
When we add amber to the image, we make the image warmer and the reds more orange. This gives us more natural and earthy skin tones. The reds are still too pink, but the other colors are more balanced.
Now let's see how Standard Sony Colors compare to the Sony Classic Chrome film simulation!
Sony Standard Color AWB vs Sony Classic Chrome at 3900K A7
With the Sony Classic Chrome recipe colors are more accurate to real life.
Greens and blues are shifted towards cyan, reds are shifted back into place, instead of being pink-ish they are almost perfectly accurate, magentas are straight where they should be and the yellows are suffering a bit, it would help to shift them more towards Orange by pushing the color filter at A7-M0.5 or A7-M1, but that would again push all the colors into the magenta side, so I need to settle here.
You can also fine-tune the color filter by adding a little bit of green or magenta, depending on your preference and your camera model. Sony cameras have different color science, so they might look slightly different from model to model.
For example, my Sony a7III has more magenta cast than my RX100 VI, so I use different settings to match them. On my a7III, I use 3800K A7-G0.5, and on my RX100 VI, I use 3800K A7-M0.5.
With these Sony film simulation settings, you only need to adjust the tint a bit and you can match your different Sony cameras with your Fuji cameras. This will make your workflow easier and smoother.
Let's check the results against the Fuji!
We went from this:
Sony Standard Color AWB vs Fuji Classic Chrome AWB
To this:
Sony Classic Chrome 3900K A7 vs Fuji Classic Chrome
It's crazy how similar they are!
The reds are still slightly pink, and the yellows are more realistic, while Fuji shifts them towards amber. But they are very close, and that’s without any editing or post-processing.
Sony Film Simulations are more than replicating Fuji's colors, it's about getting great color straight out of camera, or even creating your signature look without the needs of post processing.
Wanna share your Sony film simulation JPEGs or ask any questions? Join the forum!
Stop Compromising When Choosing Your Digital Camera
And there you have it. The Fujifilm vs Sony rundown. What are your thoughts on this? Do the Sony Film Simulations match Fuji's?
I put a lot of work and passion into making these recipes, and it was not a piece of cake. For the past 2 years I had to experiment with each film simulation and tweak them carefully to get the closest look and colors to each film recipe. I wish Sony would give us hue and saturation control for each color channel, like they did with the color depth in the picture profile menu. That would make Sony cameras truly unlimited.
It’s pretty nice that you can match two different camera brands so close together and get these kinds of looks straight out of camera by only using the picture profile menu. And it’s even more amazing that we are talking about Sony here. Many people criticize Sony’s colors, but maybe we just need to learn how to use our cameras better.
Now we need Sony to add some film grain options and some simple HSL adjustments for each color channel so we can tweak these recipes and even better color straight out of camera.
Try out these Sony film simulations and stop compromising on autofocus, quality, specs, or color when choosing your digital camera.