Which film simulations are best for low light?
Of course everyone has their personal opinion, but which do you have best experience with? Due to technical reasons, I try to avoid slog and hlg based recipies, I find the bring to much noise into the picture, which I personally doesn’t like.
Which gamma and color modes do you feel gives lowest amount of noise?
It really depends on your personal style and the kind of lighting on your street. If you're dealing with sodium vapor lights—those super orange-tinted ones—most film simulations will end up looking pretty similar. That’s because sodium vapor light has such an intense amber cast that it’s notoriously difficult to color-balance.
That said, I’ve put together several nighttime recipes—like Vespera, Veniliqum, and Gold Lux—each offering a unique look after dark. They’re all designed to handle sodium vapor lighting pretty well, so you’ve got some creative flexibility even in tricky lighting.
Now, about gamma curves and noise:
Still gamma tends to produce the least noise because it crushes the shadows more aggressively. The downside is that you might lose some detail or end up with darker images.
You can pair it with the Black & Black gamma to bring back some of those shadows if you want a bit more balance—or lean into the crushed shadows for a dramatic look.
Movie gamma is a bit gentler than Still, offering more subtle contrast and preserving more shadow detail.
Cine1 and Cine2 have the softest contrast profiles and benefit from strong internal noise reduction. Cine2, in particular, was designed with low light in mind.
So really, you can use just about any film simulation built on these gamma curves. The rest comes down to your preference in color, mood, and overall aesthetic.
Also, which gamma and color modes do you find, bringing the lowest amount of noise when using high ISOs (6400-12000)?