Let’s try something new: Recipe of the Month. The idea is to encourage you to try a Fujifilm Recipe that maybe has gone a bit under-the-radar, that isn’t necessarily popular, but is really good. You could consider this a challenge. Use this Recipe just once to see what it does, or use it exclusively throughout March to truly get acquainted with it, or anything in-between. That’s the idea, anyway.
For the very first Recipe of the Month, I selected CineStill 400D v2. This is an Astia-based Recipe that’s compatible with fourth-generation (except the X-T3/X-T30) and fifth-generation cameras, as well as newer GFX models (for those keeping score, that’s the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-TM5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF). It was collaboratively created by Nestor Pool and myself, and published three years ago. This Recipe is good in a lot of scenarios, but I especially love it for golden-hour photography—if you are just giving it a quick test drive, make sure that you use it during sunrise or sunset, because it’s especially good for that. CineStill 400D v2 is one of my favorite Recipes that use the Astia Film Simulation, and I think many of you will like it, too.
Above: Two pictures I made this morning using the CineStill 400D v2 Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5.
If you do happen to use this Recipe during the next 31 days, and should you post the pictures to Instagram, feel free to tag me. I may or may not see it (I’m not on social media all the time, and I get tagged in a lot of pictures), but I would love the chance to view some of them. It would be a great way to spread the love for this Recipe, and hopefully introduce even more Fujifilm photographers to it.
If you are looking for a Fujifilm Recipe to try, let me recommend to you CineStill 400D v2. If you want to attempt the full Recipe of the Month challenge, starting today and continuing through March 31st, see what pictures you can create using this Recipe. If you simply want to kick the tires, program it into your camera and capture a few frames during golden-hour light, and see if you like it—you might find it to be your new favorite option. If you don’t like it, well, there will be a new Recipe of the Month in April.
My plan for the Recipe of the Month articles is to include some sort of Recipe roundup with it. In other words, it will be both Recipe of the Month plus Recipe Roundup altogether in one post. I’m not sure what exactly that will look like and if it will be the same formula for each month, or if I’ll change up what it is from month-to-month, but there will be a second (or maybe even third) section to the articles. For March, I thought I’d do a quick recap of the Top 25 most popular Recipes of February 2026 (based on website page view statistics), in order of most-to-least popular. There are certainly a few surprises!
Top 25 Most Popular Recipes of February
Reggie’s Portra
Kodachrome 64 (X-Trans IV)
Kodak Tri-X 400
Vibrant Arizona
Kodachrome 64 (X-Trans V)
Kodak Gold 200 (X-Trans V)
CineStill 800T (X-Trans V)
Universal Negative
Kodak Portra 400 v2 (X-Trans V)
Kodak Portra 400 v2 (X-Trans IV)
Fujifilm Negative
Kodak Portra 800 v3
Pacific Blues (X-Trans V)
Pacific Blues (X-Trans IV)
PRO Negative 160C
Kodak Portra 400
California Summer
Reala Ace
Film Dial
Kodak Gold 200 (X-T3/X-T30 + X-Trans III)
1970’s Summer
Easy Reala Ace
Kodak Vericolor III 160
McCurry Kodachrome
Vintage Kodachrome
To finish up this article, below are the 10 most recently published Fujifilm Recipes on Fuji X Weekly, ordered from newest-to-oldest.
Agfa Scala (X-Trans V)
Kodak Vericolor III 160
1-Hour Photo
BewareMyVelvia
Astia Negative
Kodak Farbwelt 200 Expired
FRGMT B&W
Classic Amber
Vivid Velvia
Kodak Plus-X 125
Find these Film Simulation Recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
See also:
Fujifilm Recipe Starter Pack — 7 Recipes to Try First on Your X-Trans V Camera
Top 25 Most Popular Film Simulation Recipes of 2025
10 Underrated Film Simulation Recipes You Probably Skipped (but should try)