Film Guide

Kodak Portra 400NC

A double exposure layers golden mountains over empty tennis courts. Kodak Portra 400NC. 01A Frame 1 of 12

Kodak Portra 400NC

The Natural Color half of the old Portra 400 pair. Kodak sold 400NC beside the more vivid 400VC until 2010, when the two were merged into a single Portra 400. It was built for portraits and weddings, with calm color and natural skin tones.

How it behaves

Color runs restrained for a 400-speed film. Skin tones stay natural and contrast stays moderate, which is why portrait and wedding shooters tended to pick the NC over the VC. Grain is fine for its speed, especially in the larger formats. Any roll shot today is long expired, so storage history matters more than the box ever did, and a little extra exposure is a reasonable starting point.

Questions people ask

What does the NC in Portra 400NC stand for?

Natural Color. Kodak sold two 400-speed Portras: NC for calmer, more natural color and VC (Vivid Color) for extra saturation.

Is Portra 400NC still made?

No. On September 14, 2010 Kodak announced the unified Portra 400 would replace both 400NC and 400VC, and supplies were expected to last to the end of 2010. Any roll you find now is expired.

How is 400NC different from the current Portra 400?

The current film sits between the two old ones in saturation and has finer grain, borrowed from Kodak Vision motion picture technology. The NC is the quieter of the family.

How should you shoot expired 400NC?

Give it extra light. The usual starting point is about one stop per decade past expiry, and cold-stored rolls hold up far better than warm-stored ones.

If you like this, try

Kodak Portra 400the unified film that replaced it in 2010, a touch more saturated and finer grainedKodak Portra 160the same calm family at a slower speed, for brighter light

The full set

All 12 frames, in the order they came off the rolls. Tap one to see it full screen.

A double exposure layers golden mountains over empty tennis courts. Kodak Portra 400NC.
Late light falls on a mountain front above a park of autumn trees and tennis courts. Kodak Portra 400NC.
The sun drops through pine trees at the edge of a grassy park. Kodak Portra 400NC.
A large brick building with a white columned porch and dormer windows. Kodak Portra 400NC.
A young woman in profile, backlit by the setting sun beside a quiet road. Kodak Portra 400NC.
Sunset glows through a chain link fence above a road. Kodak Portra 400NC.
Green and gold leaves fill the frame against a clear blue sky. Kodak Portra 400NC.
Golden leaves hang over a pale evening sky and distant treetops. Kodak Portra 400NC.
A brick house sits on a grassy rise with mountains behind it. Kodak Portra 400NC.
White porch columns frame a lawn, parked cars, and mountains beyond. Kodak Portra 400NC.
Clouds hang over a mountain front above an autumn valley. Kodak Portra 400NC.
Red autumn leaves and bare branches reach into a pale sky. Kodak Portra 400NC.