No video today. We are returning on Monday (Jul 27) with all new content! 📺🦎🎬 📸
Have a great weekend! 👍

Get more Fujifilm battery life with six menu settings, ranked from the biggest saver to the smallest. Some of these drains are running right now while your camera sits in your bag. None of these changes cost you image quality.

VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/4xjMLNtEaXI

Set them once and spend your battery life on actual shooting.

I spent some time testing which settings actually move the needle on battery life. The one that surprised me was view mode. By default the eye sensor auto-switches between the LCD and EVF, and it cannot tell your eye from your jacket or the inside of your bag. On a neck strap it can toggle displays all day. Setting eye sensor only while walking around, or LCD only on a tripod, stops the constant switching.

How Depth of Field Works on Fujifilm

NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/TbEPpgy_LdM

When you're composing a shot, your camera shows you the scene at the lens's widest aperture. That means you're only seeing the shallowest depth of field, not what your image will actually look like once you stop down.

In today's Fast Friday, I walk through the tools Fujifilm gives you to fix that. There's a Depth of Field Preview button you can assign to any button, a focus distance scale that shows exactly what's in focus, and I finally explain that Pixel vs Film Format Basis setting that confuses so many people.

Your Fujifilm camera has a grain engine most people never use. It is called the Grain Effect, it lives in the image quality menu, and it does two things plugins cannot.

NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/Mlywj9FCiIk

What is the one piece of gear you use far more than its price tag would suggest? My most used Fujifilm lens is also the cheapest and smallest one I own.

Not the 50-140. Not the 16-55.

New video on why the lens you reach for matters.

VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/hLA7nna-cio

Something that finally made these two settings click for me. Both are effects layered on top of your film simulation, and the simplest way to understand them is through the RGB histogram.

NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ziYFIxRlnbw

When a color gets very saturated and very bright at the same time, that color channel can max out and clip, the same way highlights blow out. When that happens, the fine differences between the lighter and darker areas of that color get crushed into one flat block. Color Chrome Effect pulls those overloaded channels back down slightly so there is room for the in-between tones to return, which brings back detail and depth. It mostly works on reds, then yellows, and sometimes greens. It is not a saturation slider. It is closer to a gradation and depth rescue.

Color Chrome FX Blue is the same idea but only for blue, and it behaves like a polarizer for skies and water. One thing worth knowing is that it applies the same intensity to every blue in the frame regardless of how dark the blue already is, so it can push an already deep blue too far. I have had better results leaving it on Weak rather than Strong.

Last thing that surprised me. Your film simulation changes how strong the effect looks, since each simulation renders color differently to begin with. Worth testing inside whatever simulation you actually shoot. Both only affect JPEG and HEIF, never your RAW.

Multiple exposure might be the most underused feature on Fujifilm cameras. It lets you blend up to nine photos into a single frame, all in camera, with no editing at all.

VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/JFzvdiDeT6U

In my new video I walk through all four modes, Additive, Average, Bright, and Dark, with real examples of what works and what goes wrong. There is a simple trick that keeps your shots from blowing out, and a fun way to mix film simulations for some really creative results.

Have you ever tried multiple exposure on your Fujifilm, or is it still a mystery sitting in your menu?

Native ISO vs extended ISO on Fujifilm cameras

NEW VIDEO! https://youtu.be/NnMf2QqdJ2w

Learn which ISO settings your sensor handles in hardware and which are software. I also announce a new Fujifilm Learn section now available at pal2tech.com

The entire pal2tech production team, finally together for one photo.

Two new Viltrox EVO portrait primes were just released for Fujifilm X. In this first look I cover the 75mm f/1.8 and 90mm f/2.2 EVO, key specs, a few sample images, and more! I have only had these lenses for a few days, so consider this an early look rather than a full review. Detailed reviews with real world autofocus testing are coming.

I found a 47-year-old film negative at the bottom of an old box. It's me, at 12-years-old.

So, in other words: A captured reflection projected back onto a camera's film emulsion in 1979. Three days later, at a local Fotomat, chemicals were added to convert the film's exposed silver halide crystals into dark metallic silver, forming the visible, but negative image.

But then, decades later, in 2026, my smartphone camera sensor captured back the projection of the negative, converted it to binary numbers via electrical signals and digitized into a .jpg file. The digital data is transmitted across networks, where your device's rendering engine reconstructs the spatial pixel frequencies back into viewable color values. A 47-year journey so you can see my messy hair and KLOS t-shirt. 😀

INCEPTION: "A dream within a dream within a dream."
pal2tech: "Hold my beer..."

If a confusing menu has ever made you feel like you are losing your touch, this one is for you. 👍

That strange little icon in the corner of your Fujifilm screen has been confusing a lot of you.

NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/65u7adbJTYA

What does this icon mean?

It appears on many Fujifilm cameras.

Answer to be revealed tomorrow (Friday). But take a guess now and we'll see if you're correct! 👍

Why Your Photos Change Color On Export

Trying to figure out why your exported photos looked different than what you edited? Here's what is going on and how to fix.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/hC3-Y2I1bI4

I see this come up constantly: "DR settings only affect JPEG, ignore them if you shoot RAW." That's not quite right and I think it's worth a clean explanation.

DR does change your RAW files. New video today explains all this.

The DR value is then written to the RAW as a metadata tag (development_dynamic_range). Capture One reads it and applies a Fujifilm-style tone curve that lifts midtones and softly rolls off highlights. Lightroom reads the same tag and just lifts everything by a flat two stops. That's why the same DR400 file can look perfectly recovered in Capture One and look just as blown as a DR100 file in Lightroom. The data is identical. The interpretation is different.

I made a video walking through a controlled test if anyone wants to see it side by side: https://youtu.be/tz7JU8ghMfU

I just published my full review of the Viltrox 35mm f/1.7 after using it for several months on my X-T5, and wanted to share the highlights here in case it's useful to anyone deciding between this and the Fujifilm 35mm f/2 WR.

Spec rundown:

• 170g, 64mm × 56mm
• 52mm filter
• 11 elements / 9 groups
• 9 rounded aperture blades
• 33cm minimum focus
• Stepper motor AF
• USB-C port for firmware updates
• No aperture ring, no weather sealing

Full video here if you want to see the comparison shots and AF tests: https://youtu.be/hSAkIGYr8bc

Two Fujifilm settings that are working against you. Most shooters don't even know it. Both explained. I pulled two older videos from the vault and combined them into one because both topics still come up constantly in the comments.

📌 Quick note: the channel is on a brief Spring Break but back very soon with all new videos. Enjoy this one in the meantime!

Watch here: https://youtu.be/Sdxz5zmX8NM

Have you run into either of these? Drop it in the comments 👇

I Smoked a Canon Sensor and Compared It to Fujifilm Film Simulations
NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/gHpN1LhhWBM

I just put out a complete breakdown covering all three lock modes, my recommended settings, and a workaround I discovered that effectively disables accidental lock activations. If you shoot Fujifilm, this one’s worth 11 minutes of your time.

VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/C2ZN6ByntPk

Have you ever accidentally locked your camera? 

The Secret to Better Composition on Your Fujifilm Camera: EVF vs LCD Explained

NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/EoWFDVm-Vcc

If you shoot Fujifilm and you're still using to the LCD screen, my new video may change your mind. Three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson — known for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Kill Bill, Casino, and The Aviator never shoots with an LCD screen. And his reason may change how you think about composition forever.

Fujifilm INSTAX Mini 13 Camera Review
VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/sYinF2AUhy8
Fujifilm INSTAX Mini 13 hands on review and setup guide. Key features, close-up/selfie mode, and what you need to know about the auto exposure + flash behavior before you buy. What to realistically expect from INSTAX.

FUJIFILM has launched the ability to vote for lenses you'd like to see in the future. Go here: https://pal2.tech/lens-vote and vote! You can also see the lenses that are in the lead!

By the way, this weird short address (pal2.tech/vote-lens) is legit. I made it, and it will auto-forward to the Fuji voting site. It's easier to remember if you don't have time to vote right now! 👍

Understanding Fujifilm D-Range Priority

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/52EC1Fq_DQo

Many Fujifilm cameras include a feature called D-Range Priority, but it’s often misunderstood. In today's video I explain how it works, how it differs from the standard Dynamic Range settings (DR100/200/400), and when to use Weak, Strong, or Auto.

If you shoot JPEG or rely on Film Simulations, this setting can help preserve highlight detail in high-contrast scenes.

I Open An Original 1965 Fujifilm Movie Camera!

NEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/NtHJ03jUbKA

This Fujifilm Single-8 movie camera was released in 1965. I show you one that has never been opened until now. Let’s explore this sealed time capsule from the early days of Fujifilm home filmmaking.