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Kodachrome 64 [X-Trans V] film simulation recipe
Intro
After trying out some of the most popular Fujifilm simulation recipes such as Kodak Portra 160/400/800, Kodak Ektar 100 or even the Fujicolor Superia 800 on some of my past trips (with excellent results), I decided to give the Kodachrome 64 film simulation a try. With spring just around the corner and sunny days being more frequent, I wanted to try a film simulation that worked well in sunny weather and produced great colors and contrasts. Kodachrome 64 fit the bill perfectly.
The Kodachrome 64 film
Kodachrome 64 was a color reversal film introduced in 1974 by Kodak. It quickly became popular for its excellent color reproduction and high contrast, making it a favorite of professional and amateur photographers alike.
Kodachrome 64 had a distinctive color palette, with rich and saturated colors, particularly in the red and green hues. The film's contrast was high, with deep shadows and bright highlights, which gave images a distinctive look. The film's fine-grain structure also contributed to its sharpness and clarity, making it an excellent choice for large prints or detailed compositions.
One of the unique characteristics of Kodachrome 64 was that it was a "chromogenic" film, meaning that it was developed using a dye-forming process rather than the traditional silver-halide process used by most other films. This gave Kodachrome 64 its distinctive color tones, which were not easily replicated by other films.
Kodachrome 64 was particularly well-suited to outdoor and travel photography, where its deeper colors and high contrast could be used in landscapes and natural scenes as well as city scapes. The film was also popular for portraits and fashion photography, where its sharpness and fine grain could capture the details of clothing and textures. However, the film does lend reddish tones to skin color (which could be more highlighted in sunny conditions).
The film is no longer in production as it was discontinued in 2009.
The Kodachrome 64 film simulation
This recipe is based on the Fuji's Classic Chrome film simulation and the recipe is by Fuji X Weekly (an absolute smashing repository of film simulations for all Fujifilm sensors) with a couple of minor tweaks.
Also, note that after I'd returned from photographing I realised that instead of coding in the Kodachrome 64 recipe for the X-Trans 4 sensor on my X-T4, I had coded the recipe for X-Trans 5. (doh). The difference in settings between the two are minimal but it could still affect the outcome as the sensors are different, hence I'm mentioning it here. But I loved the results nonetheless.
Film Simulation: Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Daylight, +2 Red & -5 Blue
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +1 (original recipe has +0.5)
Color: +2
Sharpening: +1
Noise Reduction: -4
Clarity: +2 (original recipe has +3)
ISO: up to 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3
Examples
Below are some examples of this film simulation. We can see that the simulation works really well on sunny scenes the best as it brings out the colors & contrasts quite nicely. Cloudy images are decent too. The reds and yellows look rich and contrasty. The greens looks deep yet not over saturated with a nice contrast.
But I don't think the simulation works well for indoor or artificial lighting as there is a strong cast. It should be possible to alter this by changing the WB setting from Daylight to Auto (or even Ambience Priority)
(move the mouse over the images to pause the slideshow)
Summary
Despite my error where I dialled in the recipe for the X-Trans 5 sensor on my X-T4 instead of the recipe for the X-Trans 4 sensor, I still love the images that I've got using the Kodachrome 64 film simulation recipe.
Overall, I'm quite happy with the recipe although the digital version will have more clarity, saturation and contrasts compared to actual film. Kodachrome 64 was a unique and beloved film that produced distinctive and beautiful images. This recipe brings out the unique qualities and nostalgic charm of the original film. This is why I've started to love the Fujifilm cameras; their SOOC jpegs.
Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.
You are welcome to check other film simulations I've listed on this site with photographs. Kodak Ektar 100 and my own custom recipe Salted Caramel.
You can also check Fuji X Weekly website, which is one of the best repositories for film simulations recipes for Fujifilm cameras.
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