A Roll of Kodak Portra 400 and Nikon F3 HP
The Coveted Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is arguably one of the most popular film stocks in the current market and as I type this it is indeed sold out at B&H Photo, again. In my local photo store, it is often the same scenario and when new stock arrives it usually happens with fanfare and announcements on social media.
Despite the rising cost of film, the Kodak Portra 400 still seems to be in high demand. A five-pack will set you back $79.95 at B&H Photo working out to $16.00 per roll. Add to this the cost or effort of getting the film developed and scanned and perhaps it makes you think twice before loading a new roll.
The Cost of Film is Going Up
The increased cost of film is certainly one of the reasons that I have scaled back on shooting film but in the same breath, I really enjoy it when I do so. The entire process is very tactile. From picking up the film, loading it, manually advancing it, removing it from the camera when the roll is done, taking it to the lap, and picking up the developed film when it’s ready.
I have a system of copying the negatives and can set it up in a few minutes. I rarely make prints but recently did a photo book where several of the photos were from rolls of film shot over the last couple of years and the results were stunning.
Image Quality
Kodak Portra has a wonderful palette of saturated colors and each color will stick out in your photos. When properly used these colors can indeed be the focal point in your photos or what may draw the viewer in.
Images have a nostalgic feel as we associate this look with days gone by. In my series of photos in this post, I particularly love how the yellows have a vibrant richness but in the images below you could say the same about the reds and blues.
Forgotten Photos
Remember back in the day when you had a film developed that was in the camera for months and you would not remember what photos would show up? I had this happen with this roll as the first frames on the roll were shot in September last year and I finished the roll in January.
One of the reasons it took me so long to get through a single roll of film is the fact that I have been preoccupied with my GFX 50R, a digital camera I partly chose as it is able to create very film-like images. If you are interested you can read an article on that topic here:
Fujifilm GFX 50R and the Film Look
After getting this roll of film back from the lab I am, however, encouraged to shoot more film again. I have loaded a roll of black and white, Tri-X 400, so we will see what happens.
Technical Info
For the photos in this post, I copied the negatives using my Fujifilm X-Pro2 with an AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D, and a Skier Sunray Copy Box 3 with the 120 film holder. The X-Pro2 RAW files have been converted using the Negative Lab Pro plugin for Lightroom.
The photos in this post are made using the following photography gear and processes
Links to my review:
Nikon F3 HP
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-S
Copying negatives with Skier Sunray Copy Box
Converting negatives using Negative Lab Pro
