Drummond Ranch – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
I was asked by a couple different Fuji X Weekly readers if I could create some film simulation recipes that mimic the look of renown photographers Ernst Haas, Luigi Ghirri and William Eggleston, each of which are known for their unique style. As I was contemplating how to go about this, I learned that all three of them used Kodachrome film. Although none of them used Kodachrome exclusively, they all used it extensively at one time. If I could make a Kodachrome recipe, I would have something that covers Haas, Ghirri and Eggleston. To copy their look using this recipe, simply find color and light in the same manor as those famous photographers did (easy, right?).
You might be thinking, doesn’t Classic Chrome already look like Kodachrome? No, it actually resembles Ektachrome more than Kodachrome, but it is a good starting point since it has a general Kodak aesthetic. What about the Kodachrome recipe I already made? Actually, that mimics an earlier version of the film, which has a little different look than what I was going for here. You could use that, as I’m certain that some of Haas’ early color work was shot on that era of Kodachrome. Primarily, the Kodachrome that Haas, Ghirri and Eggleston used was Kodachrome II and Kodachrome-X.
In 1961 Kodak replaced the original Kodachrome with a new and improved version called Kodachrome II and a higher-ISO sibling called Kodachrome-X. These films had more accurate color, finer grain and faster ISOs (ISO 25 and 64, respectively, compared to ISO 10 of the original) than the previous version. It was a big leap forward for color photography, and so it is no surprise that the innovators of color photography in the 1960’s and 1970’s relied heavily on it. It’s also the version that Paul Simon sang, “They give us the greens of summer, makes you think all the world’s a sunny day.”
Kodachrome II and Kodachrome-X produced a very similar look to each other. The main differences were in grain, contrast and saturation, but overall the variations were quite minor. Kodachrome-X was slightly more bold while Kodachrome II was slightly more clean. Even so, comparing slides, it’s tough to distinguish one from the other (conveniently, I have my grandparents old slides at my home). Even though I have named this film simulation recipe “Kodachrome II” I think it more closely resembles Kodachrome-X, but I find it to be a reasonable match for both.
Chair Shadow – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Because of the toxic chemicals used in the development of this era of Kodachrome, plus the complexity of the process, Kodak changed from K-12 development to K-14 development, which ushered in new Kodachrome in 1974, called Kodachrome 25 and Kodachrome 64. This version of the film is the one that I have personally used. Interestingly enough, even though this version wasn’t all that much aesthetically different than the previous, there was a big outcry among photographers, and a large group who used Kodachrome II and Kodachrome-X did not appreciate the change.
I believe that Haas, Ghirri and Eggleston continued to use Kodachrome even beyond 1974 when the new version came out, but it seems they used it less extensively, especially Eggleston, who became known for his work with color negatives. Still, each of these three photographers captured some of their most recognizable images on the second era of Kodachrome. And that’s the look that the film simulation recipe below is based on.
Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +2
Color: -1
Noise Reduction: -3
Sharpening: 1
Grain Effect: Weak
White Balance: Auto, +3 Red & -4 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photos, all straight-out-of-camera JPEGs captured using my Fujifilm X-Pro2 Kodachrome II Film Simulation recipe:
Roof & Sky – Wichita, KS – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Small Green Hill – McAlester, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Ranch View – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Foal Shy – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Blackberry Lemonade – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
From Dust To Dust – Great Sand Dunes NP, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
McDiner – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
McTaos – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Pawhuska Reflection – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Open Window Reflection – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Kitchen Flowers – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
White Water Lily – Princeton, TX – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Park Boys – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Rural Sunset – Pawhuska, OK – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
Weed At Sunset – Montrose, CO – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm “Kodachrome II”
See also: My Fujifilm X-Pro2 Vintage Agfacolor Film Simulation Recipe
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Hey, just discovering your blog after joining the Fuji family (again) with an X-E2s. Super excited about trying these and very impressed by the dedication and workmanship you out into them and your work – a few people pointed me in your direction. Thank you 🙏🏾
You are very welcome! I appreciate your kindness and encouragement!
Thank you very much! I just stumbled upon this. I always love the red and the mood in Kodachrome from some of my favorite photographers. Saul Leiter, Steve McCurry, Williams Eggleston, Fred Herzog, to name a few. But I don’t know so much about film. This film simulation gives me the deep red that I always love in Kodachrome. I use this in my XPro2 and I can’t stop using it, even though I just bought the XM5 but I can’t find the recipe to match this, so it’s not getting much love. I really appreciate your work and I would love to try this exact recipe on my XM5 in the future.
Try this on your X-M5:
https://fujixweekly.com/2021/04/05/two-fujifilm-x-trans-iv-film-simulation-recipes-kodachrome-ii/
However, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Off (instead of Weak).
I also recommend this for your X-M5:
https://fujixweekly.com/2024/05/16/fujifilm-x-t50-film-dial-settings-14-new-film-simulation-recipes-yes-14/
Thank you so much, you’re the best!
I appreciate your kindness 😀
This is my favourite recipe on my X-T20 but I just upgraded to an X-T50 and found it has more advanced grain options. How would you set this up to match the style? Thank you so much!
I would try this:
https://fujixweekly.com/2021/04/05/two-fujifilm-x-trans-iv-film-simulation-recipes-kodachrome-ii/
Except set Color Chrome FX Blue to Off instead of Weak.
I love the way the sample pictures look, I just got an Xpro 2 and I am unable to find a way to set the ISO and the color part of the auto white balance for the recipe. Is that something that needs to be manually done on the Xpro 2 each time? I couldn’t find any answers on the broader internet. Love the content and film sims!
For ISO, look here:
https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x-pro2/parts/dial_shutterspeed_iso/index.html
https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x-pro2/menu_shooting/iso_auto_setting/index.html
It’s on the top of the camera, on the Shutter knob. Auto ISO must be set within the Menu.
For WB Shift, look here:
https://fujixweekly.com/2020/08/19/fujifilm-white-balance-shift-what-it-is-how-to-use-it/
https://fujifilm-dsc.com/en/manual/x-pro2/menu_shooting/white_balance/index.html
The WB Shift must be set through the WB Menu found in the IQ Menu set. The camera will remember one WB Shift per WB Type, so consider using Recipes with different WB Types.
https://fujixweekly.com/2022/11/15/which-film-simulation-recipes-when-part-iii-x-trans-iii/
I hope this helps!
Thanks for the recipe. I LOVE the look of Haas’s work and this recipe is fantastic. I want to understand the thinking behind some of the adjustments, if I may ask.
When shooting film, there’s no way to adjust for the color of light without using a filter in front of the lens to balance back to whatever the film is. Was Haas using such filters to make adjustments? My assumption is that most photographers would not change filters to balance for the color temp of their film.
Therefore, I want to understand why so many recipes use Auto white balance. Is this just for convenience in editing for those who always adjust whites to be white? I don’t do that. I’m happy to let whites be whatever they are and keep the film emulation set to a fixed WB.
Well, back in the day, it was common to carry around color correction filters. I still have some from my film days, which has actually received new life with my recent infrared experiments. So Ernst Haas probably did use color correction filters, at least sometimes. It was just a common thing. And AWB is essentially the modern day equivalent of that.
As to “why so many recipes use AWB”, most don’t. About 25% use AWB, and about 75% of them don’t. I do feel that NOT using AWB is more film-like (aside from the use of color correction filters), but is less versatile.
There are two camps: those who want the most authentic analog experience that is possible, and those who want versatility with a roughly analog-like experience. If I make Recipes with AWB, the first group will question that; if I make Recipes without AWB, the second group will question that. So I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. And that’s ok. With over 400 Recipes, there’s something for everyone.
I hope that answers the question.
Sorry if I’ve missed it but can’t find a Kodachrome 64 recipe for x pro 2. Is this similar? Thanks
This Recipe mimics the 2nd generation of Kodachrome; Kodachrome 64 is the third generation. There isn’t a version of the Kodachrome 64 Recipe for the X-Pro2, but this one is the best option for you: https://fujixweekly.com/2019/08/02/my-fujifilm-x-t30-kodachrome-64-film-simulation-recipe/. Ignore Color Chrome Effect. It won’t look 100% the same on the X-Pro2, but it will still be very similar.