Portra 400 vs Portra 800: Which Kodak Film Should You Buy?

Yes. Since March 24, 2026, Eastman Kodak has sold the Portra emulsions in its own boxes as Kodak Ektacolor Pro 160, 400 and 800, while Kodak Alaris keeps selling Portra-branded boxes. The new name exists because Kodak Alaris holds the Portra trademark, according to PhotographyTalk, so US shelves now carry both.

The Darkroom lab says Portra 800 and Ektacolor Pro 800 are the exact same emulsion, made by Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York. Analog.Cafe's advice is simple: since the films are identical, buy whichever box is cheaper. One small difference it did report: the new Ektacolor Pro 400 base felt noticeably thinner and more prone to curling than Portra 400.

The two boxes are not always priced the same. On October 28, 2026, Glazer's Camera listed Ektacolor Pro 800 at $18.50 against $19.49 for its Portra 800 roll, and Reformed Film Lab had Ektacolor Pro 800 at $21.00 against $22.50 for Portra 800.

If you order by part number, Kodak lists Ektacolor Pro 800 as 7519531 (35mm, 36 exposures) and 7519614 (120 five-pack). Ektacolor Pro 400 is listed as 7519606 (120 five-pack), 7520786 (4x5, 10 sheets) and 7523129 (8x10, 10 sheets), and US stores such as the Film Photography Project Store and Glazer's also stock it in 35mm.

800T

One stop is twice the light. Switching from Portra 400 to Portra 800 lets you keep 1/125 second where 400 would need 1/60, or shoot at f/4 instead of f/2.8 at the same shutter speed. In a bright room that is a convenience; in a dim church, a restaurant or a reception after sunset it can decide whether the frame is sharp.

Medium format is where one reviewer finds Portra 800 hardest to do without: Decaf Journal's reviewer calls it almost essential at times, because those lenses tend to be f/2.8, f/3.5 or f/4. Kodak Alaris sells Portra 800 on best-in-class underexposure latitude and says it can be pushed to 1600 when you need more speed.

Both films are daylight balanced, so artificial light renders warm. Shoot It With Film found Portra 400 leans heavily yellow and orange in artificial lighting, and Kodak's data sheets give both films the same 80A blue filter for 3200 K tungsten light, which drops Portra 400 to EI 100 and Portra 800 to EI 200. Decaf Journal's reviewer prefers CineStill 800T at night because it is tungsten balanced.

If stops and EI ratings are new to you, Film ISO Explained covers the basics.

Yes, and your format decides how much it shows. Kodak's 2016 data sheets rate each film on a Print Grain Index: lower is finer, 25 is roughly where grain becomes visible, and four points equal one just-noticeable difference. For a 4x6 print from 35mm, Portra 400 scores 37 and Portra 800 scores 48, an 11-point gap, or almost three noticeable steps (11 divided by 4).

Analog.Cafe puts that 48 in context: it is close to the 44 that Kodak Gold 200 gets for the same print. Decaf Journal's reviewer sees noticeably more grain from Portra 800 in 35mm, and Carmencita Film Lab says any Portra shot in 35mm shows more grain and slightly less depth of color than in medium format.

Format moves the numbers as much as the film does. A 4x6 from a 6x6 Portra 800 negative scores 36 on Kodak's scale, about the same as 35mm Portra 400 at 37. The gap between the two films stays 11 points in 120 (25 against 36), but both start from a finer base, and Decaf Journal's reviewer says concerns over grain are mostly negligible in 120. 35mm vs 120 Film explains why the bigger negative matters so much.

For the whole family, Blue Moon Camera says Portra 800 is grainier than 400 in the same way 400 is grainier than Portra 160. Kodak Alaris still markets Portra 400 as the world's finest-grain high-speed color negative film.

Labs and reviewers mostly agree Portra 800 is the punchier film. The Darkroom says it has more saturation and slightly higher contrast than Portra 160 and 400, Carmencita Film Lab calls it higher in saturation and slightly grainier, and Fstoppers' medium format side-by-side found it the most saturated Portra, sometimes over the top.

Portra 400 sits in the middle. The same Fstoppers comparison says its middle-of-the-road saturation, low grain and dynamic range still make it the film to beat. On skin tones opinions split: The Phoblographer's reviewer felt Portra 400 lightens and warms skin, while Portra 800 is more color accurate.

The two work side by side. Blue Moon Camera says Portra 800 was tweaked to stay consistent with Portra 400 and 160, and that you can shoot a roll of each in the same session. That makes a simple split possible, such as 400 for a daylight ceremony and 800 for the reception.

One technical footnote you may see online: sources disagree on whether Portra 800 uses Kodak's Vision3 technology. Carmencita says only Portra 400 does, The Darkroom says 800 does too, and Kodak's own data sheets credit Vision film technology only on the Portra 400 sheet. It does not change how you choose between them.

Both films have a lot of dynamic range on paper, and the sources here lean toward giving them extra light. Analog.Cafe estimates about 12 stops for Portra 400 and 12.5 stops for Portra 800.

Portra 400 is easy. Rhode Island Film Lab recommends rating it at ISO 200, a full stop more light than box speed, and The Phoblographer's reviewer also exposes it at 200. Box speed works too: Kodak Alaris rates it at a true ISO 400.

Portra 800 splits opinion. The Phoblographer's reviewer gets the best results at box speed, ISO 800. Decaf Journal's reviewer meters it at ISO 400 to make sure the shadows are exposed, and Carmencita says it looks great overexposed, even by four stops, but turns grainy with muddy colors when underexposed.

Reading across those sources, a sensible default is to meter Portra 800 at 800 when the light is tight, and rate it at 400 whenever you can afford the extra stop.

For one stop, often yes; the sources differ mainly on how close it gets. Carmencita says pushing Portra 400 one stop usually gives more satisfying results than Portra 800 at box speed. Blue Moon Camera says a pushed roll of 400 gets fairly close to real Portra 800, and Rhode Island Film Lab reports minimal visible change in grain at 800 with accurate color.

Pushing does change the look. Shoot It With Film found Portra 400 pushed one stop picked up noticeable contrast and a little saturation. Past one stop the balance tips toward 800: Blue Moon Camera says pushing Portra 400 to 1600 gets a bit iffier, though it can be done, Kodak Alaris says Portra 800 can be pushed to 1600, and Analog.Cafe pushed Portra 800 two stops to EI 3200 without a big jump in grain size.

Not everyone agrees. Carmencita calls Portra 800 the least pushable Portra, though it still does the job rated at 1250 and pushed one stop, and in an older Flickr Film Photography Podcast thread a member who shot both at 1600 preferred Portra 400 for its much finer grain.

The money is close to even in 35mm. At Looking Glass Photo on October 28, 2026, Portra 400 was $16.99 and Portra 800 was $19.59. The Darkroom's order page lists a $3 push add-on (its FAQ still says $2). Added to the Looking Glass Photo price, one pushed roll of Portra 400 comes to $19.99 ($16.99 plus $3), 40 cents more than the 800. The catch is that the whole roll gets pushed, so every frame has to be shot at the same rating. Our guide to pushing and pulling film covers how to mark the roll; write the push on the order form, as The Darkroom asks, and see our mail-in labs list for where to send it.