This film can have such a unique color palette that is flattering for many types of subjects and light conditions, but it’s also one of the films that I’ve gotten the most questions about when it comes to metering and shooting. Read more about our affiliate disclaimer.If you’ve been keeping an eye on my recent work you’ve probably noticed that I’ve got a passion for Portra. We only recommend products we would use ourselves and recommend to our friends and family. Gridfiti is supported by its audience – when you buy something using the retail links in our posts, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Sample photos by do you think of these Kodak Portra 400 alternatives? Are there other film stocks you can suggest? Let us know in the comments below!
As it leans more towards the pro users, it’s a great film stock for those who are willing to take their time and expose in favor of 100 speed. It’s great for landscapes, or any images requiring lots of detail however, the exposure latitude on the stock is a bit limited due to its 100 speed – so exposure and metering needs to be just right. The extremely fine grain is a result of the 100 film speed, but this does come with a prerequisite of shooting in a well-lit environment. Lastly, the finest grained stock of them all, Kodak Ektar 100 is the high quality, pro-sumer alternative to Kodak Portra 400. Kodak Gold 200 does also suffer from lower dynamic range, where you lose some details in shadows, but nonetheless, a great secondary stock to Portra 400! The 200 speed is hungry for light, requiring lots of either natural or artificial lighting. Packing C-41 chemistry, a vintage aesthetic with some fine grain, and great natural light capabilities, the aptly named Kodak Gold 200 lends itself to warmer settings. This is why it’s another great cost-effective Kodak Portra 400 alternative.īack to a Kodak-made film stock, but cranking the film speed down to 200 ISO, Kodak Gold 200 is a widely available, and much more affordable Kodak Portra 400 alternative. This Lomography 400 stock lends itself to this mantra by being forgiving in different exposure settings allowing you to act fast and not miss the moment. Lomography as a brand stands for taking your camera everywhere and capturing life in its essence – to capture as freely as possible. Said to be a reborn Fuji Superia, Lomography 400 brings the same C-41 developing chemistry as Portra, provides great saturation for photos with a nice upped contrast, and also low grain at the box 400 speed. Second on our list is the great, the punchy, and the cost-effective Lomography Color Negative 400 film stock. Sample photos by Lomography Color Negative 400 All this combined with great dynamic range that respects the highlights and shadows, Kodak UltraMax 400 sits at the top for our Portra 400 alternatives. The color balance makes UltraMax 400 a versatile stock that can adjust to portraits, cities, and landscapes. UltraMax produces gorgeous highly-saturated images, yet still remaining true-to-life with its colors.
Built with the same C-41 chemistry as Portra, you can take the roll to just about any lab for development. Kicking off the list with not only another Kodak stock, but one at the same film speed, Kodak UltraMax 400 is a great alternative to Portra 400.