
Misty Mountain Sunset – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Color 100”
Several different Fuji X Weekly readers have asked me to create a film simulation recipe based on Lomography Color 100 film. Lomography is essentially low-fi film photography, and it’s also the name of a company that sells cameras and film. One of their negative films is Color 100. It’s a popular film among lomographers, but even those who wouldn’t consider themselves a part of the lomography movement have taken notice of it. I’ve never used this particular film myself, as it didn’t exist when I shot a lot of film, so I only had the internet to assist me with creating this recipe.
Besides the fact that I don’t have any first-hand experience with this film, another big hurdle for creating these settings was the film itself. As I researched it, I discovered that Lomography Color 100 film isn’t one single emulsion. In fact, at least two, possibly three, and maybe even four different emulsions have been sold under the name Lomography Color 100! At least two of those, and maybe all of them, are Kodak films. Lomography bought these emulsions at a discount, either because too much was manufactured and the film was approaching its expiration, or because it didn’t pass quality control, and Kodak sold their unwanted film cheaply to Lomography. Which films, you ask? Gold 100 and Pro Image 100, for sure. Ektar 100 possibly. The fourth, if there is a fourth, would be a non-Kodak film, possibly Fujifilm Fujicolor 100, but there’s a good chance that a fourth emulsion for Color 100 never happened.

Curious – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Color 100”
Another hurdle with this film simulation recipe is that a lot of people use alternative techniques with Color 100, such as push-process. There’s a big variety with how it’s typically handled by photographers, which makes creating a look that resembles Color 100 quite difficult. Results may vary would be the best description of the film. Despite that, I do believe that this recipe is in the neighborhood of the film, and those looking for an aesthetic that’s close to Color 100 film will appreciate this facsimile of it.
Velvia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +1
Color: -3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: +1
Grain Effect: Weak
Color Chrome Effect: Weak
White Balance: Cloudy/Shade, -3 Red & +7 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Color 100 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:

Yellow Cottonwood – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Morning Yellow – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Cold Backyard Autumn – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Tree Snowfall – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Ball Hitter – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Girl In Bright Sunlight – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Autumn Leaves – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Backyard October Winter – South Weber, UT

October Snow – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Ice Cold Leaf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Camera Shelf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

R Decor – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
See also: My Film Simulation Recipes

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Hey Ritchie
Did you see that film look?
Looks quite interesting…
https://m.dpreview.com/samples/2763085863/sample-gallery-and-impressions-we-shot-a-test-roll-of-lomography-s-new-metropolis-film?utm_source=self-mobile&utm_medium=marquee&utm_campaign=traffic_source
Those are beautiful pictures! I wonder if Classic Negative will be a good starting point.
I really liked the look too… the comments over at DPREVIEW speak a different language though :-))))
The Classic Negative could be a good starting point since it has a wide dynamic range… but I’m just guessing !
Another interesting look, straight out of the Joker movie
https://coloristfactory.com/2019/10/15/how-we-recreated-joker-cinematic-look-with-our-free-luts/
Cheers Nicolas
I’ve been wanting to create some film simulations intended for video, but I haven’t done so yet. No need for LUT when you can get the look straight out of camera, right? I’m not really a video guy, though, but it would be fun to try.
I think this sort of look requires the right subject matter. The film is called Metropolis and the example images are from a city. Would the images look as appealing if they were shot in suburbia or a rural/farm landscape?
That’s a good point. The film simulation has to match the subject, which can be tricky to figure out.
Agreed!
There should be a tool to read out values and colour casts…
On the other side the trial and error phase has its benefits!
🙂
That’s very true!