A frequent question that I get asked is: which Film Simulation Recipes are good for travel photography? Typically, it’s something along the lines of, “I’ll be visiting [insert location here], and I’d like to know which Recipes I should add to my C1-C7 for this trip.” Since this is a common question, I thought it worthwhile to dedicate an article to the topic.

What makes a Recipe good for travel photography is very difficult to answer. I think it’s one that will produce results that are typical of historic or current travel photography aesthetics. For example, Kodachrome 64 is an iconic slide film for travel photography thanks to photographers like Steve McCurry, so the Kodachrome 64 Recipe is an obvious one. The vibrant colors of many European cities like Copenhagen, Prague, Reykjavik, Burano, etc., are ideal for a Velvia-based Recipe. A trip to Japan wouldn’t be complete without a Classic Negative Recipe. A roadtrip across the American southwest in July would be great for 1970’s Summer. While some Recipes might be good for any trip, others might be more specific to the location and even the season.

For this article, I decided to suggest a Recipe for each C1-C7 Custom Settings preset: one set for fifth-generation cameras, and one for fourth-generation cameras (the X-H2s and X-H2 has C1-C6; the X-S10 and X-S20 has C1-C4). Because you can program a “bonus” 8th Recipe into the IQ Menu on fifth-generation models, I included one for that (the X-E5 has the option for three additional Recipes on the Film Dial… I didn’t account for that in this post). For a number of these suggestions, they could be for X-Trans IV or V, so feel free to swap them out if you prefer one over another—I didn’t want to repeat any, but have 15 different Recipes. Fifth-generation Recipes are compatible with the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III, as well as the GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. Fourth-generation Recipes are compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II (the X-T3/X-T30 is its own category), as well as the GFX100S. Clear as mud?

I found the 15 Fujifilm Recipes below in the Fuji X Weekly App. If you are a Patron subscriber, you can Filter By a number of things, including Camera and Category (among others). Because the X100-series is the most quintessential X-series model for travel, for the fifth-generation Recipes I chose to Filter By X100VI and for the the fourth-generation I chose to Filter By X100V. In both instances, I also selected Travel as the Category. While this narrowed the results some, it was still a lot of Recipes, an almost overwhelming number to choose from. To narrow it down much further, I chose some other Filter options (in addition to Camera and Travel) to help me find the best Recipes for each set. I’ll explain it below.

Fifth-Generation (X100VI):

C1 — Kodachrome 64

Kodachrome is the most iconic film, gracing the covers and pages of magazines like National Geographic and Arizona Highways for decades. While the film was discontinued awhile ago along with the chemistry to develop it, the soul of it lives on (quite ironically) in Fujifilm cameras. Because I wanted C1 to be an ideal Recipe for an American roadtrip, I chose Americana, Film-Like, Street, and Travel as my Filter By Category options, and that’s how I found the Kodachrome 64 Recipe. For those with fourth-generation cameras, there’s a version of Kodachrome 64 for you.

C2 — 1976 Kodak

For the second slot, I prioritized versatility. Specifically, I wanted a Recipe that uses Auto White Balance, for instances when the light is tricky, and a daylight-balanced Recipe might be disappointing. Of course, I also wanted the Recipe to be good anytime, not just in tricky light. To find the 1976 Kodak Recipe, I chose Classic and Travel as my Filter By Category options, and also Filter By Auto White Balance. Reala Ace is an alternative to strongly consider for this spot, but I was specifically thinking of a Kodak-like aesthetic.

C3 — 1970’s Summer

For the third slot, I wanted a warm and grainy Recipe, so I chose Grain, Travel, and Warm as my Filter By Category options. While 1970’s Summer won’t be for every subject and situation, in the right circumstances it can be amazing. I debated between this and Kodak Portra 800 v3, but I personally like the 1970’s Summer Recipe just a little more, so I went with it.

C4 — 1-Hour Photo

This is one of my new favorite Recipes. I just absolutely love it! But, 1-Hour Photo is an App Patron Early-Access Recipe, so it’s only currently available to Patron subscribers. I found it by selecting Grain and Travel as the Categories, and also Filter By Classic Negative Simulation. Classic Negative is one of my top favorite Film Simulations, so I wanted to include it in my travel set.

C5 — Classic Amber

I kept Filter By Classic Negative, but changed the Categories to Travel and Warm. Classic Amber is another new personal favorite Recipe, but it requires the right situations—when it works, it really works; when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t.

C6 — Vivid Velvia

No C1-C7 for travel would be complete without a Velvia Recipe, so I selected Filter By Velvia and Filter By Travel to find Vivid Velvia. This Recipe is dramatic and vibrant, and is perfect when the situation calls for something bold.

C7 — Kodak Tri-X 400

The final slot demands a black-and-white Recipe. I chose Dramatic and Travel for the Categories, as well as Filter By B&W. Of course, Kodak Tri-X 400 is one of my all-time favorite Recipes, so it would be a shame to not include it.

IQ Menu — Film Dial Recipe

On the newer cameras, whenever none of the C1-C7 Custom Settings presets are selected, the camera will use whatever is programmed into the IQ Menu set, which means you get a bonus 8th Recipe. For this, the Film Dial Recipe (which is not one, but 14 Recipes) is perfect. It adds a ton of aesthetic versatility. The best part is that it doesn’t require a camera with a Film Dial; just like the Universal Negative Recipe set, it can be used on any fifth-generation model. I found it by selecting Film-Like, Landscapes, Nighttime, Street, and Travel as the Categories, which revealed Fujicolor PRO 160C Warm, one of the 14 Film Dial Recipes. Simply change the Film Simulation to turn it into any of the other Film Dial Recipes.

Fourth-Generation (X100V):

C1 — Kodak Portra 400 v2

This is one of my all-time favorite Recipes, and is especially great when the sun is low to the horizon. I found it by choosing Americana, Film-Like, Golden Hour, Street, and Travel as the Categories. For those with a fifth-generation camera, there’s a version of Kodak Portra 400 v2 for you.

C2 — Reggie’s Portra

This was the most popular Recipe on Fuji X Weekly in 2025. Like in the fifth-generation set, I wanted a Recipe that uses Auto White Balance for C2. I found it by selecting Filter By Americana and Travel Categories, as well as Filter By Auto White Balance. Having a versatile Recipe like Reggie’s Portra in your C1-C7 can be invaluable when traveling.

C3 — Vintage Color

For the third slot, the Categories I chose are Grain, Retro, and Travel. That narrowed it down to a handful of options, and of those I chose Vintage Color. This is a Recipes that really works when it works, and really doesn’t when it doesn’t. For those with a fifth-generation model, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak instead of Strong.

C4 — Nostalgia Color

It’s time for a Classic Negative Recipe. I used the same Filters as C4 in the previous set (Grain and Travel for the Categories, and Classic Negative for the Film Simulation), and picked Nostalgia Color for the Recipe. For those with a fifth-generation model, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Off instead of Weak. Initially I had Fujicolor Natura 1600 in mind for this spot, but it’s not compatible with the X100V because it uses .5 Tone Curve adjustments.

C5 — Pacific Blues

I found Pacific Blues when I used the same Filter By options as C4 (Grain and Travel for the Categories, and Classic Negative for the Film Simulation); since it’s one of my top favorite Recipes, I knew that I needed to include it in this set. For those with a fifth-generation camera, there’s a version of Pacific Blues for you.

C6 — The Rockwell

Just like in the previous set, this list wouldn’t be complete without a Velvia-based Recipe. I found this simply by selecting Filter By Travel and Filter By Velvia. When the situation calls for bold Recipe, The Rockwell will accomplish that, delivering vibrant and sharp results.

C7 — Ilford HP5 Plus 400

There’s got to be at least one black-and-white Recipe, and I chose Ilford HP5 Plus 400. There are plenty of good ones to pick from, this is just one of many that would work well for C7. I found it by selecting Travel as the Category, as well as Filter By B&W.

There are so many different C1-C7 combinations that one could create that would do well for travel photography, the 15 Recipes above merely constitute two examples. One should consider the weather, the potential light situations, the genre of photography, and one’s preferred aesthetics. In the Fuji X Weekly App, you can use the various Filter By options to get as specific as you want—the more specific, the fewer results. For example, if you want something for your X-T30 III that’s good for cloudy conditions and nighttime photography, plus is grainy, retro, and film-like, and is good for travel, you can find that Recipe. Or if you have an X-E4 and want a Velvia Recipe for nighttime street photography, there’s a Recipe for that, too. If you’re simply searching for a good set of travel Recipes for your C1-C7 Custom Settings presets, the two suggestions above will be a good starting place—if you don’t like one or two of the Recipes, exchange them out for ones that you do like. If you are traveling somewhere soon and are really unsure which Recipes to program into your fifth or fourth-generation Fujifilm camera, I think you’ll appreciate these options, as at least one of the Recipes should work well no matter where you are and what situation you are in.

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