Fujifilm X Series Tips & Tricks

Fujifilm X-Pro2
The Fujifilm X Series Cameras are quite unique in their operation and look of the images they produce. Here are some tips I have picked up from my time with the Fujifilm X-Pro2. Most of the tips will apply to all of the X Series, but some may be more specific to the X-Pro2.
Where the X cameras really shine and beat out the competition is in their colour rendition. It is mentioned in nearly every review you read and it was the primary reason I gave Fuji a shot in the first place. The different film profiles give you more options and creativity when shooting but you will notice that if you are shooting RAW, you lose those profiles once you import them to Lightroom.
This is because Lightroom is applying it’s own Camera Calibration/colour profile by default when you import your Fuji files and is disregarding all of that hard work that Fuji has put into their colour rendition. There is no automatic way to retain the specific colour profile you chose when shooting but at the very least you can set your default profile to Provia (or whatever profile you shoot most in) so that you are at least starting from one of Fuji’s bases and not Adobe’s Standard.
To change this default setting:
Adobe keeps updating Lightroom so that it plays a bit nicer with Fuji RAW files but it is still slower than working with other camera’s files. There is not much you can do about this but here are a few tips to optimise your Lightroom performance/workflow.
If you are a Canon shooter you may have noticed that the shadow recovery in their line of cameras is quite miserable and you get a much better result if you overexpose your image and then recover the highlights in post. The Fuji X cameras seem to be the opposite and work much like Leica’s (and maybe Sony & Nikon?) in that the shadows are quite forgiving but recovering highlights doesn’t appear to be as smooth. Thus, you are better underexposing with the intent to save the highlight information and then recover the shadows in post. Of course, there is an extent to how far you can push the shadows, but you will have much more room for movement if you shoot to the left. You don’t need to underexpose the image completely, just enough that any highlights are not clipping/blowing out.

Shoot to the left (or expose to keep detail in the highlights)

Although extreme in this example, you can see that the shadow recovery is quite forgiving.
Classic Chrome is a nice desaturated and subdued vintage look that shifts the cooler colours more into the cyan range. But you don’t always have to use this profile for that desaturated washed out look. You can push up the vibrance and saturation to bring these colours back to a more “normal” or over saturated look and the shift toward cyan will give your files a nice little bit of flair and uniqueness.
Acros+G is a good all round black and white option but if you have really dark skin tones compared to the rest of your scene you could use Acros+R to brighten the skin which should be more in the red channel. Just make sure the skin still has detail and doesn’t look like its glowing.
When editing your files, pick your colour profile first, before doing any adjustments. Different profiles have different levels of contrast and saturation and you want to be applying the right amount of each RAW slider for whatever base you are starting with.
For back button focusing on the X-Pro2, the AF-L button is on the right side of the camera, directly under where you grip the camera. I find that my thumb extends past the button and does not find it naturally. I switch the AF-L function to the AE-L button which is in a better position for my thumb, even if ergonomically it is still not perfect. This may just be a personal preference as I have large hands but try out both and see what works for you.
Some shots from my X-Pro2
Follow me on Instagram
General Photography – @ShaunMaluga | New York Street Photography – @fujifilmxpro2