I get asked all of the time when to use which Film Simulation Recipe. With over 350 in the Fuji X Weekly App to choose from, it can be difficult to know when each Recipe should be chosen, especially since many of them are specifically intended for sunny daylight conditions. With only seven Custom Presets on your Fujifilm camera (for most of you, anyway), which ones should you have programed? When should you select them?
The problem with trying to answer this question is that it’s a highly subjective endeavor. While I might like a certain Recipe for a particular situation, you might not. There’s not a right or wrong answer, just what works for you and what doesn’t—and I cannot say whether any particular Recipe will work for you or not. Only you can answer that for yourself, and you have to try a Recipe to know. With that said, I do attempt to give good advice. I’ve written many articles related to this topic, including the series Which Film Simulation Recipes, When? While that has likely been the most helpful, it’s nearly two-years-old now, and a lot of new Recipes have been published since. I think it’s time to update the series for 2024.
The premise of the original series is that Jason Kummerfeldt of Grainydays, a YouTube channel about film photography, gave some advice on when to use which film emulsion in a video entitled Which Film Stock, When? Since film choice is such a personal thing, how do you say when to use which? It’s the same thing for Film Simulation Recipes. His solution was simply to demonstrate what he uses and state what he likes, and maybe you’ll like it too. In my series, I copied that approach for Recipes—I told you my preferences, and invited you to try them too. We’re going to follow that same formula for this update with just a small twist, which I think makes a little more sense.
Below are seven Recipe suggestions for you to program into C1-C7 on your Fujifilm camera, with advice on when to use each. Since Recipes are (for the most part) generationally specific, each article will cover a different group of cameras. Part 1 is X-Trans V models, which (as of this writing) are the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, and X-T50. You can use these Recipes on the latest GFX cameras; however, they will render slightly differently (try them anyway).
C1 — Kodak Portra 400 v2 — Sunny Daylight #1
Kodak Portra 400 v2 does well anytime during daylight hours, but especially for “golden hour” near sunrise and sunset. As the name suggests it is a good option for portrait photography, but is excellent for many genres. This really could be your primary use-all-of-the-time Recipe, and that’s why I suggest placing it in C1. Personally, I use this one frequently.
Some alternatives to consider:
Kodachrome 64
Kodak Gold 200
Classic Kodak
Kodak Negative
Nostalgic Americana
C2 — Vibrant Arizona — Sunny Daylight #2
I like to reserve C2 for bright midday photography. The old rule of thumb was once the sun was high in the sky, it’s time to put the camera away. While Vibrant Arizona can be used anytime the sun is out (also, try it at dusk and dawn), it is my favorite option for middle-of-the-day situations, and proves the old adage wrong.
Some alternatives to consider:
1970’s Summer
California Summer
Kodak Portra 800 v3
Kodak Portra 160 v2
Kodak Vericolor Warm
C3 — Fujicolor Film — Sunny Daylight #3
This is a good spot to have an alternative aesthetic compared to C1 and C2—as I don’t think you’d want to have all three up to this point to be essentially similar—and the Fujicolor Film Recipe provides exactly that. With the ones I’ve suggested, you’ve got a good set for all sorts of daylight situations no matter your subject.
Some alternatives to consider:
Fujicolor Reala 100
Fujicolor Superia 100
Fujicolor Natura 1600
Pushed Analog
Kodak Vision3 250D v2
C4 — Pacific Blues — Overcast
Pacific Blues is excellent for sunny daylight photography—it was specifically designed for a summer day at the beach—but I have fallen in love with it for overcast and foggy days. For dreary conditions, this Recipe is hard to beat.
Some alternatives to consider:
Kodak Ultramax 400
PRO Negative 160C
Emulsion ’86
Thommy’s Ektachrome
Superia Xtra 400
C5 — Reala Ace — Versatility
I like to have at least one Recipe programmed into my camera that’s highly versatile and can be used no matter the situation. There are several excellent options, but my personal favorite is the Reala Ace Recipe (which, incidentally, uses Classic Negative and not the new Reala Ace film sim).
Some alternatives to consider:
Fujicolor Super HG v2
Nostalgia Negative
Timeless Negative
Easy Reala Ace
1976 Kodak
C6 — CineStill 800T — Nighttime
Most Recipes are intended for sunny daylight; while some can still do well at night, and the versatile options above are definitely good for after-dark, there are some Recipes that are specifically intended for night photography. Of those, CineStill 800T is my top recommendation.
Some alternatives to consider:
Pushed CineStill 800T
Fluorescent Night
Expired ECN-2 100T
Agfa Ultra 100 v2
Kodak Ektachrome E100VS v1
C7 — Kodak Tri-X 400 — B&W
I love black-and-white photography. As far as Recipes go, the monochrome options tend to be less popular than color; however, my favorite Recipe—and the one that I choose if I could only ever photograph with one—is Kodak Tri-X 400.
Some alternatives to consider:
Kodak T-Max P3200
Ilford FP4 Plus 125
Ilford HP5 Plus 400
Monochrome Negative
Kentmere Pan 400
IQ — X-T50 Film Dial — Bonus
Whether or not you have a Fujifilm X-T50, you can program the universal Film Dial Recipe into your IQ Menu as a bonus option (explained here). With the X-T50, the Film Dial allows you to achieve up to 12 different looks (essentially 12 bonus Recipes); with other cameras, program one of the FN buttons to activate the Film Simulation submenu, and you can achieve up to 14 different looks (14 bonus Recipes). This adds a ton of versatility to your camera.
Find these Film Simulation Recipes in the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
Stay tuned for Part 2!