FujiXWeekly's Best Recipes, Ranked by a Working Photographer

Ritchie Roesch at FujiXWeekly has done more for the Fujifilm community than anyone. His recipe catalog is massive and free. But with hundreds of options, which ones are actually worth loading onto your camera? I've shot with most of them. Here's my honest ranking of the top ones.

S Tier: Always on My Camera

Kodak Gold 200

The GOAT. This recipe just works in almost every situation. The warmth is natural, not forced. Colors are pleasant without being oversaturated. It handles mixed lighting better than most recipes because the warm base smooths out ugly color casts. If I could only have one recipe, this is it.

Kodak Tri-X 400

The best black and white recipe available. Period. The contrast is perfect for street -- strong enough to separate subjects from backgrounds but not so heavy that you lose shadow detail. The grain is visible and adds real texture. This is what Acros was made for.

A Tier: Excellent for Specific Uses

Cinestill 800T

Stunning at night, under neon, or in any artificial lighting. The blue/teal shadows and warm highlights create a cinematic mood that no other recipe matches. The catch: it looks strange in daylight. This is a specialist recipe, not an all-rounder.

Kodak Portra 400

Beautiful for portraits and people photography. Skin tones are flattering in a way that feels effortless. But I find it a bit flat for landscapes and architecture -- the low contrast that makes skin look good can make buildings look dull.

Kodak Ektar 100

A landscape weapon. The saturation is bold and the colors pop hard. Blue skies look electric, greens are deep, and autumn colors explode. Not for every day, but when the scene calls for punch, nothing else comes close.

B Tier: Good but Not Essential

Fuji Superia 400

Nostalgic and fun but the slightly green shadows can be hit or miss depending on the scene. Works great for casual everyday shooting where you want a consumer film vibe. Less reliable in tricky lighting.

Ilford HP5 Plus

Nice and soft for B&W portraits, but if I'm shooting monochrome I usually want Tri-X's punch. HP5 is the choice when Tri-X feels too aggressive -- quiet scenes, soft light, contemplative subjects.

The Takeaway

Roesch's work is incredible and everything on FujiXWeekly is worth trying. But loading all 200+ recipes onto your camera defeats the purpose. Pick 3-4 that match how you actually shoot and learn them deeply. You'll get better results from knowing one recipe intimately than from switching between twenty.

For golden hour specifically, most of these free recipes are general-purpose. My Golden Light recipe was purpose-built for that one condition and tuned over hundreds of frames to get it right. Different tool, different job.

For detailed reviews of these recipes with full settings, see the Kodak Gold 200, Ektar 100, and Superia 400 recipe breakdowns. And browse the 10 best free recipes for even more community favorites. For a premium golden hour recipe, grab Golden Light.