Kodak Ultramax 400 – Ultra value

Kodak Ultramax 400 is a colour negative film, designed for general purpose use.  As you can tell by the name, it has a sensitivity of ISO 400.  It is considered a general purpose film because it has a wide exposure latitude.  This means it is aimed at giving good results even if the exposure is not spot on.

I use Ultramax 400 quite often.  It is an excellent film to test a camera, but also to use in a compact camera allowing everyday snaps.  When my son wants to shoot, especially in a camera he is not familiar with, it is an easy choice.  Ultramax 400 will produce results ensuring it keeps his confidence up.

Kodak Ultramax 400 is a colour negative film, designed for general purpose use.  As you can tell by the name, it has a sensitivity of ISO 400.  It is considered a general purpose film because it has a wide exposure latitude.  This means it is aimed at giving good results even if the exposure is not spot on.

I use Ultramax 400 quite often.  It is an excellent film to test a camera, but also to use in a compact camera allowing everyday snaps.  When my son wants to shoot, especially in a camera he is not familiar with, it is an easy choice.  Ultramax 400 will produce results ensuring it keeps his confidence up.

Other films that have been reviewed here are Fujifilm Natura 1600 and Kodak Ektachrome. Another negative film Kodak Ektar was also reviewed with the Fuji GSW690iii in the Combinations series.  Of significant interest though would be where I shot Ultramax 400 redscaled in a Zorki 4. 

History

Kodak, as most people will know, had a long and successful history.  At one point the company had revenue in the billions.  There was not a corner of this world where you could not buy Kodak films. Millions of rolls of film were produced every day.

Of-course, in the early 2000s we experienced the rise of digital photography and Kodak literally and spectacularly collapsed.  The speed it happened was truly terrifying and Kodak, like all the other film manufacturers, went through a massive culling of film stock.

One of the popular lines of film that Kodak relied on for a major part of their revenue was the Kodak Gold line of negative films, including Gold 400.  This specific film stock was produced from 1997 through to 2007, though you can trace its roots to earlier variations.

In 2007 Kodak released Ultramax 400 as the Gold 400 replacement which has been in production in 135 (35mm) format since that year.  Since then it has been one of the most widely distributed consumer negative films for Kodak.

Film Specifics

Kodak Ultramax 400 is a general purpose consumer film with a box speed of ISO 400 (27^o).  It is a daylight balanced colour negative film that is DX coded, so auto exposure cameras will automatically adjust to ISO 400.  

Only available in 135 format (35mm), each cartridge comes in lengths of 24 exposures. It does not require refrigeration, though not recommended you leave it in an overly warm area.  Developing is through the C-41 chemistry process.  

Designed to have a wide exposure latitude, it is marketed at anything from the casual user to the more prolific photographer.  It comes with a higher saturation than professional films with an aim at more attractive photographs for the consumer. Being a mid-speed film, the grain is fairly fine.

With considerable and easy availability, it can be processed almost anywhere and by its nature it will deliver consistent results. The fact it is a more modern formula does also mean it is designed for the digital world including scanning.

The Experience

Kodak Ultramax 400 is a good go-to film for me when I want something where I do not want to be “that person”.  Meaning I do not want making photographs to be the focus, I just want to document an occasion and enjoy the moment.

This may sound a bit snooty, but this is because I have my preferences in shooting artistically.  The decision is related more to my specific colour rendition and grain preferences.  Others may have different preferences and it has nothing to do with any thoughts of Ultramax 400 being deficient.

Every time I have loaded this film into a camera and shot with abandon, I still have a decent number of keepers returned back from the lab.  You can throw a lot at this film and it will continue to perform. 

I trust it so much that it is the film I load into my son’s camera when we travel or head out to a shoot.  He does not shoot film that much, and rather than have him discouraged, I know he will get photographs he will like.

Scanning the results, you can see the grain is more pronounced compared to very fine films like Ektar.  Details, though, are clear and well defined.  The transition of the colours is well captured and reasonably subtle. 

While it seems to be ok with underexposure upto about 2-3 stops, it does get a quite muddy in the darks when underexposed to that level.  The highlights of the frame start to deteriorate considerably at about 4 stops of underexposure.

Interestingly when I use other films like Portra I tend to overexpose.  With using Ultramax 400 in mainly compact cameras which lack manual controls, I can either modify the DX Code or shoot at box speed.  I usually select the latter.

In terms of colour, the results are quite saturated.  In true Kodak fashion, there is a bit of a red cast right off the bat.  Nothing that would be considered detracting in paler skin tones, though when used with a small flash, it can be a little strong. The colours remain nicely saturated across the frame.  The exception being red in extremes of light where they tend to lose detail.

As you would have guessed, I like Kodak Ultramax 400. The fact I put it in cameras to document occasions easily shows how much trust I have in it.  The more important moments with family, friends including holidays are all captured on this film.  These are my family memories and I need to make sure they are captured and well.  As a bonus it is inexpensive and easy to find. Why would you not try it out?

Related Links

James at Casual Photophile confesses how he likes Kodak Ultramax 400 in Kodak Ultramax 400 Film Profile – Confessions of a Film Snob.