Fujifilm is the one brand where shooting log is a genuine trade rather than an obvious upgrade, because the alternative is unusually good.
The Fujifilm-specific question first
Most cameras give you log or a mediocre standard profile. Fujifilm gives you log or a film simulation — Eterna, Classic Chrome, Provia — which are finished looks built by the people who made the film stocks they are named after.
So the decision is real:
| Shoot | When |
|---|---|
| A film simulation | You are not grading, or you want that look |
| F-Log | You are grading, or mixing with other cameras |
| F-Log2 | Same, and the body offers it |
If the footage is going out roughly as shot, Eterna is frequently a better finished image than anything you will grade to in twenty minutes. Log is for when you are actually going to do the work, or when this camera has to match another one.
F-Log or F-Log2
F-Log2 is the newer curve on the X-H2, X-H2S and later bodies, with more dynamic range and a flatter image. It needs its own conversion — the original F-Log LUT applied to F-Log2 footage will not map the extra range correctly, which shows up as flat highlights.
Check the menu. As with Canon's three C-Log versions and Panasonic's V-Log L, the names are close and the conversions are not interchangeable.
The conversion
Fujifilm publishes official F-Log and F-Log2 to Rec.709 LUTs on their support site, free, and they are the correct starting point.
The usual rules apply and are worth repeating because they are where results go wrong:
- Convert first, look second. A creative LUT on raw log gives the muddy, oddly-contrasted result people blame on the sensor.
- A conversion LUT is not a creative LUT. Different files, different jobs — what is a LUT.
- Expose carefully. Log is unforgiving of underexposure, and Fujifilm's shadows are where it shows.
One clip, then a card
Any editor converts one clip in a minute: apply the LUT, adjust exposure, in that order. The routes are the same as everywhere — Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro.
Forty clips is the actual problem, and it is not a harder version of the same task — it is a different one. The conversion is identical every time, so the repetition adds nothing except opportunities to be inconsistent. Adjustment layers cover it when every clip was exposed the same way, which is rarely how a day goes.
How BatchTone handles it
Drop the folder in, pick F-Log or F-Log2, and every clip takes the conversion, with a frame pulled from each and previewed so the judgement happens on your own footage.
- Per-clip strength for the shots that need less.
- Audio copied across untouched rather than re-encoded.
- The Mac's hardware encoder does the work, so a card is not an overnight job.
- Originals never written to.
- 10-bit from the X-H2 and X-T5 read directly.
Same problem, other bodies: C-Log for Canon, V-Log for Panasonic, S-Log3 for Sony, D-Log for DJI. There is a seven-day trial.
Common questions
Should I shoot F-Log or a film simulation? A simulation if you are not grading — they are finished looks and they are good. F-Log if you are grading, or if this camera has to match another one.
Is F-Log2 better than F-Log? More dynamic range and flatter, which helps if you are grading properly and matters less if you are not. It needs its own conversion LUT.
Where do I get Fujifilm's F-Log LUT? Fujifilm's support site publishes them free, per profile. Use theirs before any third-party look.
Why does my F-Log footage look flat after the LUT? Usually the F-Log LUT applied to F-Log2 footage, which does not map the extra range. Check which curve the body recorded.
Can I match Fujifilm to another camera? Yes, and shoot log on both to do it. Matching a film simulation to another camera's standard profile is much harder than matching two converted log files.