My wife, Denae, and I have been shooting mostly with Fuji gear for a few years now with excellent results. However, like many people, I suffer from a bit of “Leica lust”. I’ve always had this irrational, devilish whisper in the back of my head, saying, “Leica will make you happy.”
The Leica Q
I’m sure this is partly because of so many photographers arguing that color is why they chose Leica over other systems. “Oh, Leica! No one does color like Leica.” Even if this is true, I’m still left with several questions: “Which system is more valuable in improving my photography?” “Is a slightly different color philosophy more important than being able to capture moments with fantastic and reliable auto-focus?” “Would I really prefer the Leica color philosophy to the Fuji color philosophy?”
In reality, I’d probably end up taking worse photos with a Leica camera. But still, the itch is there. So, one of the reasons I wanted to make this video was to scratch that Leica itch and answer some of my questions. Maybe by the end of this comparison I can stop being haunted by these powerful temptations. (Just leave me alone Leica - I can’t afford you.)
To this end, I’ve created a blind test to compare Fuji colors with Leica colors. In this comparison, I’m not going to worry about specs; all I want to do is compare some color. I’ll be sharing photos with you that are extremely similar. For each scene, one shot is from a Fuji device, and the other is from a Leica device. I won’t tell you which is which until the end of the post. You’ll keep track of which shots you like better and, at the end of the video, you’ll be able to see which camera color philosophy is going to work best for you.
The Fuji X-T3
For this comparison, the Lieca Q, (kindly provided by KEH Camera), will be representing team Leica. For team Fuji, I’ll be showing photos shot on our always faithful and heavily used Fuji X-T3.
This blind test will actually serve as two color comparisons in one. First, I’ll let you compare the colors of these cameras in their RAW format and then we’ll do the same photos again in their JPG format. The reason I’m comparing colors in both formats is important; different people have different work-flows and want different things out of their camera. A lot of photographers, myself included, really love the JPG output from Fuji devices. While I usually shoot in JPG and RAW, I will often use the JPG file with only minor tweaking to hues and curves. (If I mess up exposure though, it’s really nice to have that RAW file.)
I often choose to use these JPG files because I absolutely love Fuji’s film profiles. I used to spend an exorbitant amount of time tweaking colors on RAW files as I attempted to build a massive library of custom Lightroom presets that would be perfect for me. The more experience I’ve gained though, the more fed-up I’ve become with my own color philosophy in comparison to the great things Fuji does with their colors. I feel less and less need to mess with color. Fuji’s profiles feel more timeless and future-proof than some of the faded film or enhanced orange & blue type presets I used to experiment with. So, for photographers like me who aren’t too cool for JPG, I have added a JPG color comparison after the RAW color comparison.
For the RAW test, I will be showing you four, similar or identical images at a time. The first two images are RAW files from Lightroom, one from each camera. The next two are RAW files from CaptureOne. (I know a lot of you Fuji people use this processor.)
Now, there are a couple things to keep in mind here. First, when I import RAW files, I reduce their sharpness. Lightroom tends to mess with the noise in RAW files when over-sharpened, so I usually apply sharpening to Fuji files after exporting them in JPG format.
Secondly, the only tweaking I did with these shots was to ensure exposure was as close as possible in every photo. I shot everything in daylight balance to keep it simple and ensure I didn’t ruin the comparison by shooting with different white balance settings.
When capturing photos on the Fuji X-T3, I did use a few different Fuji lenses during the process. Some of this was due to expedience; I just used whichever lens I had on me at any given time that was close to a 28mm focal length. Of course, we know that the lens you use has an effect on color, but I doubt anyone shooting Fuji will stick with just one lens for the rest of their life. The Leica Q, of course, has its fixed, 28mm lens.
As you go through this comparison, try not to over-analyze the quality of bokeh or field of view in order to “figure out” which camera took which shot. While I may have had different equivalent depths of field in many of the shots and my field of view might be slightly off, trying to reverse engineer the capture process defeats the purpose of taking a blind test. If it makes you happy, go ahead and try. But I think you’ll enjoy this comparison more if you simply focus on which colors grab you the most.
During the JPG comparison, I will only show three images for each scene. One shot will be form the Leica shot in their Standard JPG mode, with no tweaking to the JPG in-camera. The other two shots will be from the Fuji camera -one shot in Classic Chrome, and the other shot in Provia. While there are several film profiles I could have used for Fuji, I was selfish and chose my two, favorite profiles. (Sorry Velvia, Astia, or Pro-Neg shooters.)
Enough chit-chat - on with the blind test:
RAW Comparison
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
JPG Comparison
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Now that you’ve compared these photos and picked your favorites, here are the identities of each shot from both the RAW and JPG comparisons.
The Big Reveal
I’m really curious to know how you rated them. Did the respective color philosophies match your expectations? Were you surprised by the results? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
In general, I think people tend to make a bigger deal out of "color science" in RAW than is necessary. I’ve heard so many Fuji shooters claim that Sony’s color is awful and that Fuji’s is far superior. But after a similar color comparison between Sony and Fuji that I created a couple years ago, I was surprised by the number of people who admitted how similar the photos appeared when compared in their RAW output. (At one time, Sony did produce some seriously yellow skin tones, but around the time they released the A9 camera, they updated their color science to more closely align with Canon’s.)
That study really did show that when shooting RAW the differences were extremely small. There was no landslide preference for one brand over the other.
In general, Fuji definitely produces cooler tones than Canon, Sony, and Leica, but the other differences that show up in the RAW output are small enough that choosing a favorite is going to be arbitrary for most people. The idea of a superior “color science” really shouldn’t factor into your camera purchasing decision. With a RAW file, you can change your color as much as you need.
For me, Fuji’s JPG outputs in Classic Chrome are as good as it gets. I like to view colors like photographers used to view them. In the “old days”, photographers chose a color film stock that resonated with them and best represented their art style - and that is all they shot with. Their options were more limited but it gave them consistency. That’s what I love about only using one or two Fuji profiles in my work right now - consistency.
This approach also helps me avoid saving a less-than perfect image for post process color tweaking. Instead, I’m free to focus on getting the shot right in-camera. It’s a more timeless way of doing photography, something like shooting with film. Also, it helps control any tendency to chase fads.
Those are some of my opinions and philosophies on color photography. If you disagree, that’s totally fine. There is unlimited room for opinions here. Do what works for you and gives expression to the way you see the world. (If we all produced the same kind of images, the world would be a pretty boring place.)
I hope you found this video helpful in your quest for the perfect color philosophy. For a Black & White comparison of these two camera brands, check out the Leica vs. Fuji Black & White - Blind Test.
Until next time, do good with your camera. We’ll talk to you again real soon.