Browse Film Cameras at KEH.com →
Film Photography — Real light. Real film. Film Photography

Real light. Real film.

Kodak Portra 400

What Kodak Portra 400 actually looks like — 38 photographs shot on it by members here.

ISO 400 · Color negative · 38 photographs · 9 developing recipes

Kodak Portra 400 is the color negative film many photographers treat as the default: natural, slightly warm skin tones, fine grain for its speed, and gentle contrast that scans and prints easily. It was designed for portrait and wedding work, but it is just as common for travel, landscapes and everyday shooting, in 35mm, 120 and sheet film.

Its biggest strength is exposure latitude. Portra 400 handles two or three stops of overexposure with little harm — many people rate it at 200 on purpose for brighter, cleaner color — while underexposure brings muddy shadows and grain sooner than most expect. When in doubt, give it more light. For finer grain and softer contrast see Kodak Portra 160; for more saturation, Kodak Ektar 100; for a less expensive 400-speed roll, Kodak UltraMax 400.

Photographs shot on Kodak Portra 400

Land's End - Sonoma Coast, CA — Kodak Portra 400, Leica M6TTL Land's End - Sonoma Coast, CA FogdogPhoto Fire in the Sky — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Fire in the Sky Ken Mullinix The Red Maple — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N The Red Maple Ken Mullinix Pine Needle — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Pine Needle Ken Mullinix Fall Colors — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Fall Colors Ken Mullinix The Sugar Maple in the Fall — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N The Sugar Maple in the Fall Ken Mullinix Bumble Bees — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Bumble Bees Ken Mullinix Amanita chrysoblema — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Amanita chrysoblema Ken Mullinix PFDs - Marshall, CA — Kodak Portra 400, Leica MP PFDs - Marshall, CA FogdogPhoto Studebaker Lark - Pt Reyes Station, CA — Kodak Portra 400, Leica MP Studebaker Lark - Pt Reyes Station, CA FogdogPhoto Sunset - Bodega Head, CA — Kodak Portra 400, Pentax Spotmatic F Sunset - Bodega Head, CA FogdogPhoto Love on the Beach — Kodak Portra 400, Canon F-1 Original Love on the Beach FogdogPhoto Just a Walk on the Beach - Bodega Bay, CA — Kodak Portra 400, Canon A-1 Just a Walk on the Beach - Bodega Bay, CA FogdogPhoto Seattle Public Market - Seattle, WA — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon F100 Seattle Public Market - Seattle, WA FogdogPhoto Flowers and berries — Kodak Portra 400, Pentax K1000 Flowers and berries Terry McDaniel Backlit — Kodak Portra 400, Pentax K1000 Backlit Terry McDaniel Old walkway — Kodak Portra 400, Pentax K1000 Old walkway Terry McDaniel Rough-leaf Dogwood berries — Kodak Portra 400 Rough-leaf Dogwood berries Terry McDaniel A Wine Country Fall - Napa, CA — Kodak Portra 400, Pentax Spotmatic A Wine Country Fall - Napa, CA FogdogPhoto Lake Hashawha — Kodak Portra 400, Leica M6 Lake Hashawha Ken Mullinix Hashawha — Kodak Portra 400, Leica M6 Hashawha Ken Mullinix A Foggy Morning — Kodak Portra 400, Leica M6 A Foggy Morning Ken Mullinix Nathalie — Kodak Portra 400, Leica M6 Nathalie Ken Mullinix Film photograph by staceylamb — Kodak Portra 400, Minolta xg-m staceylamb entered as “Portra 400” Distant Thunderstorm. — Kodak Portra 400, Holga 120n Distant Thunderstorm. Terry McDaniel Love is in the air — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon F2 Love is in the air Justin Kruse Beauty in Odd Places — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Beauty in Odd Places Ken Mullinix Film photograph by Ken_Mullinix — Kodak Portra 400, Hasselblad 500cm Ken Mullinix Lanterns — Kodak Portra 400, Mamiya 6 MF Lanterns rguzmanphoto Lanterns — Kodak Portra 400, Mamiya 6 MF Lanterns rguzmanphoto Twilight reflections off a building facade — Kodak Portra 400, Fuji Klasse Twilight reflections off a building facade thinbegin entered as “Kodak Portra 400 (expired)” Photographer in an art installation — Kodak Portra 400, Fuji Klasse Photographer in an art installation thinbegin entered as “Kodak Portra 400 (expired)” Reflections — Kodak Portra 400, Leica M6 Reflections Ken Mullinix Invasive or Beautiful? — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N Invasive or Beautiful? Ken Mullinix No Entry — Kodak Portra 400, Nikon FM2N No Entry Ken Mullinix Wachusett Reservoir — Kodak Portra 400, Hasselblad 500cm Wachusett Reservoir Ken Mullinix The old church — Kodak Portra 400, Hasselblad 500C/M The old church turkeylegs4lyfe entered as “Kodak Portra 400VC” The Musketeer — Kodak Portra 400, Pentax Spotmatic II The Musketeer Tollef

How members developed this film

9 of the 38 photographs here include developing details, recorded by the photographer. Times and temperatures are what they each used, not a recommendation — and the negative each one produced is right there beside it.

Cinestill Cs41 4 photographs
Rough-leaf Dogwood berries
340:40·102°F (38.9°C)·Twizzle stick every 30 seconds.
by Terry McDaniel
Twilight reflections off a building facade
5:45·95°F (35°C)·10 seconds of rotation every 30 seconds
by thinbegin
Photographer in an art installation
5:45·95°F (35°C)·10 seconds of rotation every 30 seconds
by thinbegin
Wachusett Reservoir
3:30·102°F (38.9°C)·4 inversions every 30 seconds
by Ken Mullinix
Kodak C-41 4 photographs
Lake Hashawha
3:15·100°F (37.8°C)
by Ken Mullinix
Hashawha
3:15·100°F (37.8°C)
by Ken Mullinix
A Foggy Morning
3:15·100°F (37.8°C)
by Ken Mullinix
The old church
No details beyond the developer.
by turkeylegs4lyfe
Developer not recorded
Love is in the air
Constant rotation
by Justin Kruse

Related stocks

Other films in the same family. Often what you actually want when you're deciding between them.

Abandoned — Kodak Portra 160NC, Univex Mercury II Kodak Portra 160NC Abandoned Bruce Gordon Wicked Sisters — Kodak Portra 160NC, Univex Mercury II Kodak Portra 160NC Wicked Sisters Bruce Gordon A Moment - Sonoma Coast, CA — Kodak Portra 160, Leica M2 Kodak Portra 160 A Moment - Sonoma Coast, CA FogdogPhoto Rust - Pierce Point Ranch, CA — Kodak Portra 160, Nikon FM2n Kodak Portra 160 Rust - Pierce Point Ranch, CA FogdogPhoto After a Storm - Jenner, CA — Kodak Portra 160, Canon New F-1 Kodak Portra 160 After a Storm - Jenner, CA FogdogPhoto Fall - Napa, CA — Kodak Portra 800, Nikon FM Kodak Portra 800 Fall - Napa, CA FogdogPhoto What was once old is now new... Fishing — Kodak Portra 160NC, Leica IIIf Red Dial Kodak Portra 160NC What was once old is now new... Fishing Bruce Gordon entered as “Kodak Portra 160NC @ 100” What was once old is now new... Canoes — Kodak Portra 160NC, Leica IIIf Red Dial Kodak Portra 160NC What was once old is now new... Canoes Bruce Gordon entered as “Kodak Portra 160NC @ 100” Bridge to Nowehere — Kodak Portra 160, Mamiya 6 Kodak Portra 160 Bridge to Nowehere latent_image Green Heron Flying Away — Kodak Portra 800, OM-1 Kodak Portra 800 Green Heron Flying Away theaviananalog
Kodak Portra 160 → Kodak Portra 800 → Kodak Portra 160NC →