There has been a lot of discussion about X-Trans and Bayer Sensor layouts since the introduction of X-Trans by Fujifilm in 2012, but it is also worth noting where Fujifilm got its inspiration: Film.
I recently read Dan Bailey’s analysis of why X-Trans looks so film-like on the Fujifilm X-T2, and it made me go back and do some reading about color film in general, which is an interesting topic that inspired me to build on what is out there. Since sensors and film have been covered pretty in depth, I thought about how X-Trans does indeed look similar in design to the photo above, but I know of no one who has scaled up the diagrams to see how they compare the bigger they get.
So, I created a 9×9 grid of the Bayer pattern and X-Trans pattern from the stock marketing image above. The X-Trans pattern still looks very film-like, to me, in layout compared to the bayer design at this size. I then tried to scale it to make the pixels match the magnified film image, and here are the results.
The patterns aren’t as pretty as film, but the green stands out on the X-Trans side, which is similar to film, while on the Bayer side, the green blends in and the pattern looks busy.
