Nik Collection vs FilmPack: A Tale of Two Emulations

In a quest to preserve the essence of analog image-making, DxO Labs embarked on an ambitious journey to create two revolutionary emulations: Nik Collection and FilmPack. Both emulations were designed to pay homage to film photography, ensuring that its spirit would never fade.

To achieve this goal, DxO's team of experts tracked down the world's last remaining rolls of classic films, including Agfa Scala, Kodak Ektar, and Fujifilm Astia. These precious resources were then shot in various scenes at different apertures and focal lengths to capture their unique characteristics.

The team partnered with renowned darkrooms, such as Picto in Paris and Dugall in New York, to develop and print the images using state-of-the-art technology. The resulting prints were digitized using museum-grade scanners, and every aspect of each film's rendering was meticulously modeled, including grain, contrast, and color.

The outcome was FilmPack, an emulation so accurate that even iconic photographer Sebastião Salgado used it to match the rendering of his beloved Kodak Tri-X 400. In recognition of its achievements, DxO created Nik Collection as a tribute to analog image-making.

For scientists, perfection was the only acceptable standard. For passionate photographers, however, there was a deeper motivation: a desire to give back to the art form that had given them so much. As photography entered a new era with digital technology, the authentic aesthetic of film and its cultural significance were in danger of disappearing.

The beautiful aura of film, characterized by the use of chemicals and waiting for images to appear in the darkroom, was about to be forgotten. Photography's groundbreaking chemical processes had created an aesthetic that shaped our perception of the world over almost 200 years.

With the advent of digital photography around the turn of the 21st century, the world changed once more. DxO Labs' Nik Collection and FilmPack emulations aim to preserve this cultural heritage, ensuring that film photography's unique spirit continues to inspire future generations.

Nik collection vs filmpack