Kodak Portra photography film for beautiful prints
Hailed by photographers everywhere for its unique versatility, Kodak Portra films are daylight-balanced colour-negative films, initially introduced in 1998 for portraits and marriage applications in mind.
The family
Available in three speeds, 160, 400, and 800 ISO, the Portra family film has a lot to offer to photographers, professional and beginner. Prior to the 2011 update, the Portra family film was available in NC (natural colour) and VC (vivid colour) with about 5 percent difference between the two.
NC was developed for portrait situations and for better capture of skin tone, whereas VC was developed for low-light situations and for over-exposure. Although not sold by official Kodak sources anymore, the NC and VC variants are still available.
What is available
The Portra 160 film is best for capturing in a well-lit scene. Extremely fine grain is achieved, meaning that overexposure won't produce too much of a grainy effect, although sharpness may be a little less than desired.
Loved for its versatility and neutrality, the Portra 400 is ideal for portraiture and travel applications, taking beautiful landscape pictures. Overexposed, the 400 can look bright and colourful, giving life to any picture taken.
Underexposed, the 400 gives off moody vibes and a beautiful contrast. Every photographer has the Portra 400 on their repertoire due to how easy it is to use and alter. Both the 160 and 400 are available in 35 mm print films, as well as 120/220 print and 4x5 film/8x10 film print formats.
Kodak's Portra 800 film only comes in 35 mm and 120/220 formats and is the best of the family for dimly-lit situations. With the ability to look good even when overexposed by four stops, the Portra 800 offers punchy and vibrant colours with the ability to maintain the neutral hue of skintones, both dark and light skinned.
Ideal for long lenses, the 800 has a superb sharpness that is only complimented by the length of said lens.
