Kodak Film Guide
1st Oct 2021
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Portra 800 is a high-speed daylight-balanced film optimized for use in difficult lighting situations when its 400 speed counterpart isn’t applicable. This film has notable underexposure latitude, meaning it can be pushed to ISO 1600 with maintained quality. A pastel color palette can be achieved by overexposing by at least .5 EV. Portra 800 thrives in vivid color saturation and low contrast. Portra 800 has a neutral color accuracy and pleasing skin tones. This film stock has consistent performance and excels in scanning and enlarging.
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Commonly used for commercial work, Portra 400 has a fine grain structure, low contrast, and vivid saturation. The smooth and natural color palette makes this most applicable for studio work and even mixed lighting conditions. It can handle ± 1EV with appropriate developing times and exhibit minor contrast and color shifts. An all-around performer, Portra 400 is great for general use and photo work where consistency is a must.
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Similar to Portra 400, this film stock performs well all around, but is often handpicked to be natively shot at a lower speed in broad daylight or studio lighting. Lower ISO leads to finer grain, which is a benefit to choosing Portra 160 over 400.
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Fine grain, true-to-life (actually, even better) color saturation, and high sharpness are all qualities of Ektar 100. Please note that overexposing this film will reduce its saturation characteristics and blow out highlights. Portraits taken on this film is not recommended for darker skin, and fairer skin will often turn orange. Ektar 100 is best suited for nature or travel photos which may later be enlarged. Golden light renders very well, as well as green and blue hues.
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Kodak Gold is a versatile film stock for those looking for a cheap alternative to Portra or Ektar. It is best suited for indoor flash photography and outdoor scenes. Many disposable cameras are pre-loaded with this film because of its general use suitability. When underexposed, shadows are deep and have a green color shift when pulled out. Kodak Gold is highly recommended to those who are seeking to buy larger quantities of daylight-balanced film on a budget.
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Great for travel slide transparencies, Kodak’s E100 is low-contrast and exceptionally sharp. The grain is virtually nonexistent and captures golden light/yellow tones well. A low, minimum density allows for brighter, whiter whites. This film stock scans fantastically and is well worth the premium price.
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Being Kodak’s ultra-high speed film, P3200 can be shot at EI 400-25,000 when pushed or pulled. This is great for handheld shooting in difficult lighting and near-darkness. We recommend this film to photographers who desire to shoot indoors, at concerts, and sporting events.