Cinestill 50D film simulation | Sony a6700
- Veres Deni Alex
- Mar 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 18
A gorgeous film simulation with a 50's vintage feeling. Amazing for its nostalgic and deep colors.
Cinestill 50D offers a warm nostalgic feeling with highly magenta tinted images, with what for me feels like an authentic film look and color.
I think it's great for travel, memories, portraits, and spring landscapes, but don't limit yourself only to these recommendations. It all depends on your personal style and I highly encourage you to test it on different subjects to fully understand its capabilities.
Discovering CineStill 50D: A Cinematic Gem for Photographers
CineStill 50D is one of those films that really stands out if you’re after that cinematic vibe in your photos. Originally Kodak Vision 3 50D (also known as Kodak 5203/7203), it was a motion picture film, but CineStill repackaged it for still photography—and they nailed it.
Cinestill 50D has a super fine grain. It gives your photos amazing detail and smooth textures, which makes it perfect for everything from portraits to landscapes. Whether you’re capturing the hustle of city life or the calm of nature, this film adds a professional, cinematic feel to your shots.
But what makes CineStill 50D stand out is its gorgeous pastel color palette and impressive exposure latitude. The "D" in the name means it’s daylight-balanced, so it’s perfect for shooting in bright, natural light. It handles skin tones beautifully, especially when it comes to portraits—many even prefer it over popular films like Kodak Portra, especially for tricky skin tones.
The film’s colors are a bit softer, with lower saturation and contrast compared to films like Kodak Ektar or Fuji Pro400H. This softness lets the subject take the spotlight without colors taking over. That soft touch makes it great for a vintage feel or capturing those quiet, everyday moments without the colors being too loud.
CineStill 50D Film Simulation on Sony
This film simulation is based on real film references, so it captures similar colors—but with one big twist: the blues shift towards magenta.
After checking out the references, I noticed the colors aren't quite true to life—they lean into that nostalgic vibe. Skin tones take on a slight amber tint, yellows shift towards a greenish yellow, and blues usually end up somewhere between violet or cyan, with that magenta tint subtly covering the entire image. It’s definitely a tricky film to recreate.
To recreate this look in camera, without the complex tools of Lightroom or Capture One, I had to sacrifice the blues to get the rest of the colors right, or at least closer to the authentic look. I also feel my recipe has more saturation compared to the film, and that is to add more life to the image.
Get the Cinestill 50D Recipe for free!
CineStill 50D Color science
With this film recipe, you might notice the blues shifting—sometimes leaning towards a violet blue, other times more cyan, or somewhere perfectly balanced in between. The color of the sky, in particular, can change depending on the time of day, the position of the sun, and even your camera model. Each Sony camera has its own color science, so while we can get pretty close with these recipes, expect some differences to pop up.
One cool thing to play with is how adjusting the color filter affects your shots. If you push the filter towards green, you’ll see the blues start to fall into place, but it’ll also tweak other colors. As you make those adjustments, your whole image might pick up a bit of a greenish tone. Reds and oranges could shift to a yellow-amber look, and yellows might even turn lime green. It’s a fun balancing act that lets you get creative, but it does take some trial and error to get it just right.
Understanding Color
Sony's Picture Profile menu is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your photography experience. Many people don’t realize just how much control they have over their images. With options to adjust color depth and phase, you can fine-tune your photos to achieve the look you desire.
For instance, if you want deeper blues for dramatic skies or more vibrant reds for sunsets, tweaking these settings can make a world of difference.
While Fuji cameras are often praised for their color science, Sony offers some unique advantages. With Sony’s Color Depth options, you can adjust not just red, green, and blue channels but also cyan, magenta, and yellow. This flexibility allows for greater customization and helps in achieving that film-like quality many photographers strive for.
Experiment with the Settings
As you dive into using these recipes, don’t hesitate to experiment! Try adjusting the color filter and see how it impacts your images. You might find that certain settings work better for specific lighting conditions or subjects.
If you're using an older camera with magenta cast, try lifting the Color Phase by +2 and shifting the Color Filter towards Green by 1 stop. Remember that every adjustment can lead to different results based on your environment and lighting conditions. So take your time to play around with the settings until you find what resonates with your style.
Join Our Community
If you're pumped to dive into these film recipes and want to swap stories or get advice, come join the Forum!
Connecting with others who are playing around with Sony’s Picture Profiles can spark some great ideas and give you fresh perspectives.
So, what’s your take on these film recipes? I'd love to hear what you think! Drop a comment and let me know what your favorite recipe has been so far!