Fujifilm vs Canon Colors Blind Test Battle – Here are The Results!

Fujifilm VS Canon – Colors

Canon and Fujifilm both have excellent reputation, when it comes to color science.

Now Andrew compared Fujifilm with Canon RAW as well as JPEG colors.

What we can say ahead:

  • with RAW files, it’s harder for people to have a clear preference
  • with JPEG files, the differences are stronger

The JPEG comparison is more indicative for the so called “color science“, since with RAW files also the converter plays a role.

So, if you don’t have time right now to make the full blind test, I recommend you to go to minute 5:37 of the video and make the JPEG comparison only.

Before I disclose my results, I’d like to say that:

  • I consider Canon colors excellent, and if I should switch brand tomorrow morning , just for the sake of colors, I’d go Canon!

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The Problem

Since I love you so much, in order to give you a more objective feedback, I went through all the comments on the video, and tried to sum them up in a ranking.

It was not easy to summarize, because:

  • sometimes people did not specify enough (example: “Canon is best”)
  • In case of comments like “Canon is best“, I assigned a JPEG point to Canon, although I am not sure those, who made such comments, really made the test
  • In case of Fujifilm, sometimes people did not specify if Classic Chrome or Provia. In which case, I assumed they mean standard Provia
  • In case of close results (just 1 or 2 points of difference), I gave it a “same same”

Overall, reading the comments, I had the impression that those, who said to be Fujifilm shooters, had a very open minded and honest approach to the test. Bravo!

The Results

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FUJIFILM vs SONY Colors Compared: “If You don’t Want to Spent Time Color Grading, Fujifilm is Great”

Max Yuryev compares the Sony vs Fujifilm color science.

It’s a blind test, so you have to go through 10 frames, note on paper if you prefer camera A and B. Of course I did it, and it turns out I prefered Fujifilm in 80% of the cases.

The video frames from 1 to 4 are taken with standard picture profile, whereas from 5 to 10 he compares Eterna to a custom made picture profile.

Some general conclusions Max made, before we watch at the frames one by one:

  • in harsh daylight, with light bouncing, the Sony got some heavy tint, but Fuji’s smart color science got rid of it
  • Sony is usually more accurate, but you have to spend time to get rid of that tint
  • Fujifilm got it figured out, and you don’t have to worry about color tint
  • If you just want to shoot, and not spent time color grading, Fujifilm is great

We remind you that, as reported here, Fujifilm makes a distinction between metric color and memory color. Metric color is more realistic, whereas memory color is interpretation, it’s how your brain sees and remembers colors in a certain scene.

Certain Fujifilm film simulations are not ment to be accurate representation of real colors, but interpretations closer to how you remember those colors.

Other film simulations instead just have to give a unique vibe to the image, think at the vintage touch of the less saturated Classic Chrome for example, great for documentary photography, thanks to the “art of omission” that puts the story/content in the center, instead of colors.

Colors science is a crucial factor at Fujifilm, and we told you already that the engineer, who developed the original Velvia film, has also developed the digital Velvia film simulation.

And now back to the comparison:

1st frame

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Tony Northrup Color Sciene Comparison: Fujifilm vs Canon vs Sony vs Nikon – “Fujifilm Most Hated Brand. Sony Wins, Fuji Second”

Color Sciene

Tony Northrup launched a poll, where people voted which images they considered had the best colors.

He starts off analysing, if we just think a certain camera has the best colors because of brand loyalty.

So what he did is the following: sometimes he labeled pictures with numbers, and sometimes he put the fake brand names on the same images that don’t even match up to the pictures.

The results:

  1. Canon has the highest brand loyalty. Canon users picked an image 3.1 times more likely if marked with “Canon” than with a number, even though it was not a Canon image
  2. Sony 2.2x
  3. Nikon 1.5x
  4. Fujifilm 1.4x – the lowest brand loyalty. Tony says “maybe Fujifilm users are the most rational people“

92% of people picked a different image when numbered or marked with brand name, showing that there was no consistency.

Interestingly, the most popular image when it was numbered (the Nr.1) suddenly became the least popular, when Tony wrote “Fujifilm” on it, even though it was exactly the same picture. It seems there is a lot of hate for Fujifilm by Sony, Canon and Nikon users out there.

Tony speculates that this is because Fujifilm users tend to be the meanest of all and can be very hostile, and kind of give “the whole brand a bad name“.

On the contrary, Fujifilm users downvoted only Sony, and not Canon and Nikon, which tells us about the brand rivalry.

Then back to the colors. He says “fake colors” are ok. People don’t upvote the most realistic colors, which is normal. In one example, the Nikon got the colors completely wrong, much to warm, and people voted it the best.

Color science is overblown, because if you see pictures individually, they are just fine. But photographers tend to compare.

White balance is more important than color science. When he adjusted white balance in post, results where much more balanced.

Tony says he adjusts colors in post anyway, so he never really cared much about “color science”.

The results for the best colors:

  1. Sony (1,336)
  2. Fujifilm (227)
  3. Nikon (-518)
  4. Canon (-605)

Read also

  • fujirumors.com – Sony A9 Vs. Fujifilm X-T2: Who Has Better Colors?
  • fujirumors.com – Fujifilm X-T2 vs Nikon D500 Shootout: Fujifilm X-T2 Wins Overall… and The Fuji Colors Rock Again (at Least For Me)
  • fujirumors.com – The Great JPEG Shootout by TheCameraStoreTV

NOTE – Film Simulations Anyone?

I hope I will not pass for hostile and mean if I point this out, but what about film simulations?

Fujifilm is renown and loved for its color science, not because they created the universal profile that is best for everything, but because they offer the film simulations, which are created to give the best results in different shooting situations or to create a certain mood. Velvia for landscapes, Astia for skin tones, Acros for black and white, Classic Chrome for a vintage touch and when the story should stand out more than the colors, Sepia for nothing ;) etc…

And while I get the point that you can change colors in post, if the camera itself offers you a great starting point, then you simply have less work to do in post, which can save you a lot of time. We should not underestimate the value of passing less time on the computer editing images ;).

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The Evolution of Fujifilm Colors from X-Pro1 to Fujifilm X-T3 and Why DPReview RAW Lab Tests Don’t Show Fujifilm Colors

Fujifilm Colors

I am one of the few on this wonderful globe, to have had the privileged to own and shoot with all X-Trans cameras (except the X-Trans 4, until now).

And when in these days I read that the colors on X-Trans 4 might be slightly different from those on X-Trans 3, this does not surprise me at all.

In fact, Fujifilm has always slighlty fine-tuned and changed colors with every Fujifilm X-Trans/processor generation. And they even say it openly here, that they change colors trying to reach “the ideal vision” or “the ideal color reproduction” by taking advantage of new technologies (new sensors/processor).

It’s all about improving Fujifilm colors/film simulations, mostly based on customer feedback.

For example, when people complained that red colors with X-TransII in Velvia are too strong and lose texture too quickly, Fujifilm desaturated the reds a bit with X-Trans III.

So, there is nothing like “THE Fujifilm colors“.

Fujifilm colors change with every new sensor and processor generation. Then it’s up to you to see if they changed for the better or for the worst.

The Problem With DPReview Lab Test

The problem with DPReview lab test is that their Fujifilm X-Trans RAW samples we pixel peeped yesterday don’t show you the Fujifilm colors.

Why?

Because RAW file colors depend on the RAW converter you use (and in case of the X-T3 it’s even just a beta support). And as far as I know, RAWs don’t really have “colors”, but “luminance”. Colors are created during the demosaicing (correct me if I am wrong).

To get the closest results to “real” Fujifilm colors in Lightroom, you would have to apply to the RAW file one of the Fujifilm film simulations presets in Lightroom (Astia for example is great if you want the best skin tones), and then continue to edit your image from there… if there is any need for editing at all, given how amazing Fujifilm film simulations are ;).

Of course, the film simulation profiles in Adobe Lightroom do not match 100% the “in camera” film simulations (or “in X RAW STUDIO”), but they are Adobe’s attempt to get as close as possible to Fujifilm colors, which is already much better than their standard stuff ;) .

So when yesterday some of you compared the RAW file colors, just know that these are not really the “Fuji colors”.

Down below you will find the results of RAW and JPEG from X-Trans I to X-Trans IV, as you find them on DPReview.

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