Portra400 - what ISO do you shoot at?

tomfrh · Jan 13, 2018

What’s your favourite setting for this film for general purpose shooting?

David T T · Jan 14, 2018

400 to 800. Usually 400.

Cholentpot · Jan 14, 2018

Papa Yellow knows best.

If fresh, 400.

P.johnson14 · Jan 14, 2018

Box speed.

Portra doesn't sit around for long here. Portra 400 and 800 along with Ektar 100 are my go to c41 films.

Chan Tran · Jan 14, 2018

I shoot Porta 160 at 100. If I use Porta 400 I would use 400 because I can't see why I want to spend the extra money and having to accept the extra grain without getting the extra speed.

Sirius Glass · Jan 14, 2018

David T T said:
400 to 800. Usually 400.

Cholentpot said:
Papa Yellow knows best.

If fresh, 400.

P.johnson14 said:
Box speed.

Portra doesn't sit around for long here. Portra 400 and 800 along with Ektar 100 are my go to c41 films.

Chan Tran said:
I shoot Porta 160 at 100. If I use Porta 400 I would use 400 because I can't see why I want to spend the extra money and having to accept the extra grain without getting the extra speed.

Kodak and all the other film manufacturers have already done more scientific research on the film speed then you will ever do. Plus the exposure latitude on print film is wide enough to compensate for any errors. Most of the people who use EI, either take light readings including the sky or have defective light meters or defective shutters. Save yourself endless repetitive useless testing and just shoot box speed.

By the way most EIs turn out to be 1/3 f/stop or 1/2 f/stop which will not make a bit of difference.

Chan Tran · Jan 14, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
Kodak and all the other film manufacturers have already done more scientific research on the film speed then you will ever do. Plus the exposure latitude on print film is wide enough to compensate for any errors. Most of the people who use EI, either take light readings including the sky or have defective light meters or defective shutters. Save yourself endless repetitive useless testing and just shoot box speed.

By the way most EIs turn out to be 1/3 f/stop or 1/2 f/stop which will not make a bit of difference.

I use EI 100 with Portra 160 because of the characteristic curves published by Kodak and also by testing.

Cholentpot · Jan 14, 2018

Sirius Glass said:
Kodak and all the other film manufacturers have already done more scientific research on the film speed then you will ever do. Plus the exposure latitude on print film is wide enough to compensate for any errors. Most of the people who use EI, either take light readings including the sky or have defective light meters or defective shutters. Save yourself endless repetitive useless testing and just shoot box speed.

By the way most EIs turn out to be 1/3 f/stop or 1/2 f/stop which will not make a bit of difference.

I shoot at box and if I feel like it I'll edge to slight over exposure I don't under expose color film, looks nasty.

WilmarcoImaging · Jan 16, 2018

400 for client work, in studio and on location/outdoors. I recently did a roll at 800 for personal travel images. I like Portra 400 at EI800, the saturation and grain are nice, plus the flexibility of ISO 800.

These are Portra 400 at 800:

Black Forest, Germany

Strasbourg, France

Portra400 - what ISO do you shoot at?

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