This isn’t a new Film Simulation Recipe, but simply a tweak of the X-Trans IV Kodak Ultramax 400 recipe to make it compatible with X-Trans V cameras. Because blue in Classic Chrome is rendered deeper on X-Trans V than X-Trans IV, Color Chrome FX Blue needs to be set to Off instead of Weak. Otherwise, this recipe is identical to the X-Trans IV version. For those with an X-T3, X-T30, or X-Trans III camera, there’s a version for you, too.
Kodak Ultramax 400 is a consumer grade ISO 400 color negative film. Kodak has sold Ultramax 400 under many different names, beginning in 1987 with Kodacolor VR-G 400, rebranded Gold 400 one year later, called simply GC at one point, and finally, in 1997, Kodak settled on Ultramax 400. Kodak still sells Ultramax 400, although it’s not the same film as Kodacolor VR-G 400. This film has been tweaked and updated at least nine times over the years; however, the overall aesthetic is still substantially similar between all variations.
This Kodak Ultramax 400 Film Simulation Recipe is intended for Fujifilm X-Trans V models, which (as of this writing) include the X-H2, X-H2S, and X-T5 cameras. It’s compatible with newer GFX models too, but will likely render slightly different on those cameras. This recipe is highly versatile—a great option for daylight, overcast, indoor, nighttime, landscapes, portraits, etc.—really, it’s good most any type of photography.
Film Simulation: Classic Chrome
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Weak
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, +1 Red & -5 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR-Auto
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +1
Color: +4
Sharpness: 0
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +3
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Kodak Ultramax 400” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T5:
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Fujifilm X-T5 in black: Amazon B&H Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver: Amazon B&H Moment
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Dear Ritchie, I have recently discovered your site and I would like to say that you are doing a wonderful thing with these profiles. I have been playing with Kodak Ultramax and I am planning to get more profiles on my cameras from your site. I wonder if it is possible to create a preset in LR which will mimic each profile (eg Ultramax) on the RAW files. Have you tried such approach? Regards.
I’m so glad that you found the wonderful world of film simulation recipes! 😀
As to your question…
Almost two years ago I briefly worked with a leading expert on RAW editing software in an attempt to turn the recipes into presets. It didn’t work out for several reasons.
I guess it’s important to understand that Lightroom can apply its version of its interpretation of some (but not all) of the JPEG settings to the RAW file. You cannot 100% match the file to the SOOC JPEG, but with enough fiddling you can get close. The problem with a preset, however, is that while it might be “right” for one picture, when applied to another it is all wrong. You see, the camera settings have to be “right” when you capture the picture. So, for example, if you captured a picture using the Kodak Ultramax recipe, then applied a Kodak Portra 400 v2 preset (if one existed) to the RAW, it would not be correct in several ways, including dynamic range and white balance. You would have to fiddle further to get it to look “right”. There are, of course, other challenges, and so ultimately the project was abandoned. I hope this makes sense.
Thank you very much for your answer and yes it makes sense.