I think Portra is the most widely acclaimed film among those who photograph with film.
It was launched as a negative film for professional use and steadily increased its users, including film enthusiasts, from the time it was first released. I am one such portra-lover.
I like this film so much that I have been using it for more than 10 years, almost exclusively Portra, and have used several hundred of them.
Features of PORTRA 400/160 (PORTRA 400/160)
Camera: Richo GR1s
Portra features the same “white color” or “skin color” as Kodak features.
Kodak is an American brand, so its colors are more in line with Caucasian skin, with strong yellows and blues. Fujifilm, a Japanese brand, tends to have strong red tones to match Japanese skin tones.
Portra is one such Kodak that has a strong blue color. In other words, the whiteness of the white is emphasized and the color is a fresh blue. (The red is weak, so the color is not lumpy.)
The color is not intense, but it can be characterized by its soft, bright hue and clear white.
Example of PORTRA 400/160 (PORTRA 400/160)
Lens: Ai Micro-nikkor 55mm
First of all, this is one that emphasizes portra-ness. It has the transparency of white and a slightly yellowish color.
Camera: Richo GR1s
Another Portola-like hue. Portra’s portrayal of a sunny day is not gaudy and comes together nicely.
(On the other hand, if the environment is cloudy and colors do not come out well, the image will be quite subdued.)
Camera: Richo GR1s
It is a delicate and soft color flutter.
Lens: Ai Micro-nikkor 55mm
This photo was taken in lower light than the previous ones and with a smaller aperture, so the color trends are different.
Although the black areas that make up the entire photo may appear hard, the bright areas are portrayed in a way that is typical of Portola.
Camera: Richo GR10
This is also a slightly different picture. The strong sunlight in the shade makes for a clear image.
Lens: Ai Micro-nikkor 55mm
It is under complex light and color conditions, but it is well put together.
Camera: Richo GR1s
In the shade, this kind of color flux is lacking. I think it may be due to a little bit of camera shake.
Note: The idea of negative film color is a bit strange to begin with.
As you can see from the name “negative,” and as you can also see from the negative itself, there is no color. It is easy to understand if you think of it as putting color on something that has no color, in accordance with the settings.
Also, the data received from the camera shop after developing the negatives is color-corrected. Even if you ask for uncorrected data, the color will change depending on the machine that converts the data.
In other words, there is no such thing as an absolute portrait color, but only a color trend, so please understand this before looking at the examples.
Features visible in the examples
Clear white, leaning blue/yellow.
Three-dimensionality.
Vivid and delicate colors
Well balanced on sunny days, colors are a bit lacking on cloudy days
Of course, it depends on the lens and light conditions, but I think these are the characteristics of portraits.
