Can You Tell the Difference Between Film and Digital? Fuji X100V vs 35mm Film

[@Reggiebphoto]

Curious how good your photographer's eye is: how many out of 24 did you get right?

[@rizas3006]

I got 20/24!!! did you add more grain on post processing? or is it just the stock grain from the x100v?

[@camsmk4232]

21 correct for me! This was fun!

[@Reggiebphoto]

@@rizas3006 it's stock from the x100v grain adjustment. nothing was added in post.

[@Reggiebphoto]

@@camsmk4232 glad you enjoyed it!

[@KwyjiboVanDeKamp]

14 right

[@rickygrossmann5730]

22/24, loved this video. The x100v does an amazing job at giving that film look, but it has a crispness to the photos that gives it away… most of the time. As a few others pointed out, the grain (especially in the shadows) points to the film almost every time. The images with less dynamic range/contrast were harder to choose from than those with tougher lighting conditions.

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks for sharing!

[@sararargides4713]

Cap

[@AiramDatoon]

17 out of 24 love this. Will you ever do a walk around of your process of doing this side by side? Like a BTS of the creative thought process or intentionality during a photowalk?

[@Reggiebphoto]

Oh interesting. Can you explain a bit more?

[@ShaQti0007]

about 16. the highlight roll off's really give the clue. The film photos are so pleasant to look at.

[@that_shiwi]

As someone who primarily shoots film when comparing digital to film, it really shows in the shadows and highlights. It could just be me, but I can tell the difference between the two at least 90% of the time from those two things. Awesome photos btw, makes me want to buy another x100V. If only they weren't hitting Leica Q prices lol

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks for sharing!

[@TheRealBCP]

19/24 but been shooting only film basically for the last 4-5 years but this great video still speaks volumes to how well the V does in film simulation wow

[@Reggiebphoto]

yess!

[@datty7]

Great vid, I got 23/24, the digital files from the fuji are so much cleaner, while the film has so much grain, a good tell for me is to look at the shadows which tend to suffer first in complex scenes if not exposed for.

[@Reggiebphoto]

yup, the grain tells it all

[@danileigh1061]

19/24! Film is hard to replicate but the x100v does a really great job at coming close. This was fun :)

[@Dennisoneiljr]

How often do you use the WCL? I love my x100v but not necessarily the 35mm focal length.

[@hongcuong]

15 out of 24 correct guess. I was surprised by how much film-looking the Fuji x100v produces. That was amazing! These blind test is so interesting and engaging. Keep up with those interactive contents! 😍

[@marvinanani4189]

19/24 - I loved this challenge. Incredible how good the X100V simulations you were using look. I am definitely gonna try to match the look on my X100F. Thanks for this video.

[@Reggiebphoto]

I have the film available on my channel or under "Reggie's Portra" on the FujixWeekly app

[@robertoposa1120]

Even easier with the f

[@marvinanani4189]

@@robertoposa1120 really? Which recipe do you think would match this the best for the F?

[@BLoren]

I got almost all of these right, which is wild. Even though the digital ones stood out to me for the most part, the fact that I wasn't confident is a good sign. They all looked great. Thanks for making this!

[@g3ng4rb0i3]

19/24, absolute beginner here, just stumbled onto your video was intrigued. Nonetheless thanks for this video learned alot, I recently got a 1981 Canon ae-1 program from a friend and just absolutely loving the experience.

[@RichardTran0]

Thanks for putting this comparison together. It's exactly what I needed to see. I've been using Fuji cameras for a while now, but I recently got into film photography. I'm happy to say that there's quite a difference between the two mediums. The colors from Fuji film are amazing, but there's something special about the character you get from film shots.

[@Rexyspride]

I thought it'd be way easier than it was. I managed to get 14 correct so at least I was over 50%. This was a super fun video. Being from the UK we have a very varied weather system so I'd love to see you do some film recipes to cover different lighting. Another awesome video dude.

[@Reggiebphoto]

in general i prefer to shoot with directional light. so i'm not sure if i have many examples with flat light, as even in cloudy weather i look for contrasty situations

[@stephaneg]

I got 3 wrong, which pisses me off, because I was looking for a reason to give film up... Great video though. Thank you. I wonder if it would have been harder to guess if you'd add more grain to the digital shots...

[@Reggiebphoto]

Maybe

[@danfarmer_photo]

Got them all. I felt like it was cheating because it was a dead giveaway from the extra contrast in the vignette. If you look close, each film image has it. Apart from that, almost impossible to tell. All this says to me is, you are absolutely smash in it with your film sims in your digital shots, and that’s the reason why I already use your sims myself! Absolutely amazing work! Please keep these videos coming. I’ve learnt so much. ✌️

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks my friend!

[@reidh]

12/24 with no pausing between shots. Some lighting is much more difficult to tell!

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks for playing along!

[@dziaba0303]

I got 21 right and grain was the main clue factor for me. I love the lomography 800 results!

[@pifilos]

18 out of 24. Thank you for sharing both photos in the blog as well.

[@Reggiebphoto]

You're welcome!

[@MastaKeahi]

I got 20 out of 24. I missed 7,10,16, and 22. The main difference I could see is the amount of grain over large similar areas, like the sky, water, and asphalt. Amazing shots though! I just am getting into film and hope to have my first roll developed soon!

[@gaelgarval]

What a good video! I honestly got just one wrong. #20 was really hard to get right

[@ChristopherKou]

The Fuji colors look great. I am now a proud X-H2S shooter, so I'm pleased to see this. However, I was about to tell about 80% of the time. The big giveaway is the lack of halation (red fringing in high contrast edges) in the digital. There are ways to add it to digital images, of course, and then it will be REALLY hard to tell.

[@jean-lucbarmaverain8519]

My take 23/24 . The grain tells almost all ;-) Good job ! Thanks !

[@humanvswork]

19/24. Solid content. It was fun. Thank you.

[@okfinn1]

I managed to get 23/24, despite having no photography background at all. Been on the fence about getting a film vs digital point and shoot but this might have swayed me to film. I thought it might be placebo but you really can tell the difference, and for me it was quite easy. Great video!

[@filterfreephotography]

I got them all right except the dog on the stairs and the kids with the fighter pilot helmet. The grain and sifter colors gave them away, IMO. If you added a slight bit of artificial grain in post, I might have done worse. Great and fun video!

[@Reggiebphoto]

definitely! I wanted to keep them SOOC tho, just so i was giving an accurate depiction.

[@vor_ben]

21/24 and I never shot film before, but I’m in love with Fujifilm Filmsimulations

[@alex.muntean]

Got most of them right, about 22 I think. Great video!

[@TheKamrenB]

22 out of 24 right. The main giveaway to me is the sharpness and almost no crushed blacks on the digitals. I hope to try Fuji's film sims in the future though.

[@salvatorelombardi2313]

21/24 Not bad. I guess the difference is visible then. Great video, btw. Please bring more film related content. It's highly appreciated! Thanks!

[@Reggiebphoto]

What about film do you want to learn/see

[@danettepatrickMP]

I did this test without pausing to pixel peep and I got 20/24 correct. I think the giveaway mostly is there are more depth and separation on the foreground and background for Digital shots compared to the film shots. The ones I got wrong where the Lomography film stocks - it's sharpness and overall cleanliness - I've mistaken them as digital.

[@RingoCalamity]

I went 14 out of 24, with a few more where I shouldn't have second guessed myself lol. In general, with the film shots I felt like the blacks weren't quite as black, there was a little less sharpness, and a bit more noise. All things that could be changed with a couple sliders, and all things that are noticeably less "perfect" but sometimes still pleasing to the eye.

[@Reggiebphoto]

totally. a small black point adjustment and added grain and - clarity would make the digital kinda match it.

[@benjhaisch]

23/24 :) I missed #10 thinking it may have been digital. I guess I just shoot a lot with all of the mediums you used too haha

[@Reggiebphoto]

Haha, yeah, its a pretty "easy" test if one shoots with these cameras/mediums/film stocks haha

[@jorghahn2903]

Colors on film seem to be less saturated than on digital. Do you post process your film photos or are “SOOC” apart from scanning?

[@Reggiebphoto]

I do, but i don’t typically add saturation

[@jorghahn2903]

@@Reggiebphoto Would be cool to see the untouched film photos.

[@Reggiebphoto]

There’s no such thing as an untouched film photo as the scanners and scanner techs settings upon scanning can be way off

[@shekharmaharaj2276]

20/24, the digital ones definitely seemed to look "cleaner". I wonder if a diffusion filter would make them closer

[@Reggiebphoto]

most if not all had a 5% diffusion filter on it.

[@kathleenshaughnessy8546]

I got 15 out of 24! It’s certainly easier to tell side by side. Interesting-thanks for doing this Reggie. I learned on film but haven’t used it in a very long time. I love my Fujifilm cameras and their film recipe options.

[@Reggiebphoto]

Yeah, if I had put them side by side, it'd be super easy. But how often are we taking the same photo with two different cameras? (This doesn't count because I did it purposely for the content, lol)

[@gon4a9]

As it turned out, I can tell which photo is which, only one I miss - #10.

[@Rumplestiltskin7]

21 out of 23, the dog on the stairs got me, also the lady on the wall and number 22

[@jeremysantiago3793]

16/24. Film and digital are equally good. Style of shooting, editing skills, time, budget, etc. are some of the things that will make you prefer one more than the other. Try both to know which one is better for you. Amazing photos btw 🔥

[@Reggiebphoto]

100% in agreement with you. Thanks for playing along.

[@Shotbymace]

22/24 You can really tell the difference between digital and film by the softness, and the highlights!

[@Reggiebphoto]

true that!

[@AllaMayakovskaya]

20/24, this was fun^ thank you for the job! I've got x100v and I love the colors but it's not the film. Something in between.

[@BeingWolfy]

20 out of 24. That was fun. They all looked so similar, really. Most people, non photographers, wouldn't even notice I think.

[@Reggiebphoto]

yup i agree.

[@ASLpixelpaint]

I loved this video and am tweaking a recipe based on your results but I'm curious about one thing. I wonder how the results would have looked using a daylight white balance with your same color shift that you apply to your auto only because the film is daylight balanced so it would be interesting to make it slightly more apples to apples in that respect. (maybe even a little negative clarity ?) It's been decades since I shot a roll of Portra but I still am nostalgic for it.

[@Reggiebphoto]

try it yourself and see.

[@bodeerauscher1361]

Nice pictures ❤

[@Reggiebphoto]

Did you have a favorite photo out of the bunch?

[@jillianr8309]

22/24! Numbers 3 and 20 were tricky :) the shadows are usually the tell for me, great video!

[@Reggiebphoto]

Great job!

[@WYCAN]

18/24. I got the ones right primarily because digital has this “clean” look to it. And also that when photos has clouds, the clouds just looks different between film and digital

[@sneakingelephant]

21/24 for me. I still love how good the x100v looks and how the film looks

[@Ikgeloofhetniet]

19/24. The five I got wrong were all film that I marked as digital. I was thinking the digital was trying too hard to mimic the film. I recommend doing this on a large computer screen. On a phone would probably be impossible.

[@sprocket_holes]

I'm surprosed how easy it was for me to spot which is which. I got 23/24, The digital images just look unnaturally smooth.

[@Reggiebphoto]

it's actually very easy to tell the difference if one is trained to look at the sharpness/grain.

[@daniellefernandes8423]

I actually got all of them right 24 out of 24. I'm kinda shocked. Images in both film and digital are beautiful.

[@Reggiebphoto]

amazing!

[@hamzatosun3696]

20/4. I answered 10-19-20-22 incorrectly. I think the obvious factor is the dynamic range and color pops. Film simulations are nice, but they cannot perform as well as real film in high dynamic range images. very good video

[@IkerZamora]

I'm surprised I managed to guess 21/24 pictures right. I missed at 3, 4 and 19. That was really fun!

[@Reggiebphoto]

Nice! Great job! Do you shoot film at all?

[@IkerZamora]

Film is almost exclusively what I've been shooting the last couple of years! Progressively less color film and more black and white however. And also some digital with a Fuji XE4, even though it's not as fun 😜

[@antnguyen]

18/24, this was surprisingly fun haha!

[@bartromanowski1262]

Got 21 out of 24. Really cool experiment and got me seriously thinking I should get into film shooting...

[@adamdevries8121]

Great video Reggie, 19/24 I'm so happy you did this post, neat seeing how close fuji simulations with some tweaks gets to the film look, curious how you find cineboom 5 percent for people shots? the results your getting are amazing. I really want to try that diffuser for my everyday documenting family, curious was your landscape image image 24? I think it is with the nice the hill in background. its very nice, also love the colour ,was that your porta film simulation? on a side note I still hadn't made the jump from xt2 to xt5 or got the x100v, I'm holding off and planning to wait and see the specs etc of new x100 series or xpro4 and go from there, I feel that 100x series is perfect for everyday family photography, plus im a fan of that 35 mm equivalent focal length, I use my 23mm on fuji 90 percent of my time. all the best Reggie,

[@MegaShapin]

16/24 guessed correctly. it Lomography that got me, I didn't worked with it, so I didn't knew how it looked.

[@CallMeEsteban]

Got 18 right, your pictures are so nice. I started getting in my head towards the end and missed 5 of the last 9🤣

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks for the compliments!

[@m.ehtizan]

Hey Reggie, I just watched your video and I must say that it was really informative and well-made. I was wondering if I could help you edit your videos and also make highly engaging shorts out of them.

[@2071photo]

to be completely honest with you, the main reason i could spot the difference is the focal length difference gave it away, otherwise it would be tough to make the call on some of these shots.

[@Reggiebphoto]

Yup, totally. I should do V2 with the WCL on the X100V

[@2071photo]

@@Reggiebphoto absolutely!

[@TylerAldrich]

19/24 - great comparison video.

[@Reggiebphoto]

Thank you! Just tried to keep it fun and straight to the point.

[@Wilsnap]

Fun idea. 16.

[@timeandtides8701]

I got 19/24! Cool video

[@Reggiebphoto]

Great job!

[@CitySpirit]

16/24! Great video :)

[@davidthephotographer]

Really enjoyed that challenge. Some were much harder than others. I managed a respectable 20/24

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks for playing along!

[@eguanzon17]

24/24 BAYBEE! Some of em were tough. Great video as always and now I want a Fuji Klasse 😅

[@Reggiebphoto]

Yeee! Good stuff bro!

[@andreseloyostos]

18/24 love this test !

[@josephgardner1310]

I got 22/24. For me the easiest tell was the dynamic range (film tends to handle the highlights and shadows better IMO), the resolution (the digital shots were noticeably sharper) and the grain. I can't say I necessarily preferred one over the other except to say there was slightly more 'character' in certain film shots (like this supermarket one of the kids) which is perhaps just adding a slightly nostalgic / retro look to the shots. Nothing wrong with digital but it's very clean / clinical and contemporary looking.

[@Reggiebphoto]

i agree

[@istvann.huszar420]

Great video, thanks! My score is 21/24.

[@provizorfreud]

6 answers wrong out of 24! I'm cool! Cool video man! thanx from Russia!

[@thienlam619]

I got 15/24. Could you share the recipe for #23? The color there is stunning!

[@Reggiebphoto]

the recipe for all the images is the same one and it's "reggie's Portra" on fuji x weekly

[@thienlam619]

@@Reggiebphoto thanks a lot!

[@MagnitudeReviews]

I got 17 out of 24. The film grain is what largely gives it away. Regardless, I do really love the look that the x100v produces. I just hope Fuji is able to produce more so I can buy one at retail price before the end of 2023, or for a possible x100v mark II (or whatever Fuji want to call it). Love the camera, it's retail price seems fair and I'd gladly buy one. But definitely not for $2000+.

[@Mamo878]

Cool vid bro

[@Reggiebphoto]

thanks yo

[@marioruizmoreno1265]

Genial video y grandes fotos! La x100v es increíble ❤

[@Reggiebphoto]

Gracias!

[@andrewprentice7965]

16/24 this was fun

[@robertoposa1120]

Got 20 right but there is so very little difference at first glance and I use fuji also - not so difficult for me

[@Reggiebphoto]

Nice!

[@Termidryna]

Very useful video 👍🏽 thanks!

[@Reggiebphoto]

what did you find useful about it?

[@mith60d]

14/24. That was fun. Will continue to use the trusty X100V and try to fool my friends...

[@Reggiebphoto]

nice!

[@emilioestevez6665]

15/24 I guess, Fuji did a great job.

[@ericj9011]

11/24 when viewed on my phone - 13/24 using an iPad😂

[@hadisatriaganesa3349]

got 15/24 not bad for a beginner like me, I quite surprise how the Fujifilm film simulator turns out

[@hasanali948]

14/24. Both looked good though.

[@jp-wz8uu]

What's your preferred diffusion filter?

[@Reggiebphoto]

cinebloom 5% and 10%

[@skyiswomb1]

@@Reggiebphoto would/do you ever use these for weddings? Or do you think that would cause client issues? Sometimes I find the sharpness of mirrorless is almost too much!

[@Reggiebphoto]

No I haven’t

[@mochimochi572]

only got 15/24. surprised how crisp film photos can be!

[@Reggiebphoto]

yup!

[@checkmybadself]

I got 18 out of 24. Seems like a lot of people are scoring in excess of 50% so it must be a clear difference! For me the digital files were sharper, film had more dynamic range (particularly in the highlights) and film also had a warmer feel to it. There was also some grain in the film (especially the lomo shot in the supermarket) which I was wonder if it was a red herring. Not sure which is “better” really, there is definitely room for both! Until the price changes, I’ll be sticking to digital with the very occasional bit of 120 film.

[@Reggiebphoto]

i don't think there is a better medium. both have their place

[@jim_bocho]

Cool comparison! I got 20 right (10, 13, 19, 20 I got wrong), but there were a few where I only got lucky I guess ;-) Haven't been out shooting film since I got my X100V in October, but I'm just off the phone with my local film guy to see what's in stock.

[@Reggiebphoto]

good job!

[@Kkvta]

23/24 correct. The nice grain, colors and halation on film is hard to match, can somebody please release an actual 1:1 analog digital camera soon :( Would love that.

[@qrion13]

I got 22 / 24. Good test!

[@ReinoldFZ]

14/24 but guessing rather than being sure :o I love my film cameras, I still use them, but what fails to me in my distant corner of the world is the lab processing, I end getting photos that if scanned look worse than old cellphones, I don't have a digital camera good enough to scan my rolls sadly. The prints are good enough but as chemicals and equipment are worn out I think they are not the best they could.

[@pawscribble]

I got 18/24 and I'm shocked. I love both the film and fuji. I can't choose one.

[@tommybarno]

Good for me, i missed only 4,8,10,18,19, 5 out of 24!

[@shira_yone]

It'll probably closer if you reduce the sharpness and increase the grain (I suppose the size?) on the fuji, I demand a rematch

[@norakonieczny7480]

I got 13 right. 7 I thought were digital when they were film and 4 I thought were film when they were digital.

[@Reggiebphoto]

Thanks for sharing your results! Which one was the trickiest for ya?

[@rf.photographs]

19/24...#20 is one of the ones I got wrong. I was CERTAIN that was film. Impressive recipe. Lol

[@jlr_]

Got 21/24... You could generally tell the film were grainier and the digitals were "brighter"

[@asdiesstories2609]

Have 4 mistakes … mostly thought was film but digitalis … not bad the films are punching well in colours…

[@quentindescotte6037]

22/24 but the x100v is really great. I’m hoping for a real kodak portra 400 film simulation on the next fuji’s. There’s still no recipe that mimic this film greatly

[@Reggiebphoto]

hopefully

[@jonathanfostr]

I only got like 3 😅 fr tho Disney needs to hire you to take pics for them, your Disneyland pics are unreal 👌

[@Reggiebphoto]

That's the dream. Send them my name.

[@torebergphoto]

23/24 - i'll take it. it's all in the grain and halation.

[@Reggiebphoto]

which one tripped you up?

[@torebergphoto]

@@Reggiebphoto number 10. it just looks very clean.

[@JustZG]

Got about a 95% correct guess rate. I guess the sharpness and amount of noise was the real tells on whether it was film or not.

[@Reggiebphoto]

yup