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Old 14th September 2017, 03:40 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is online now
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Default Portra 160

Does anyone use this regularly? If so, does it work best in daylight rated at 160, or is 100, or 80 a better bet? I don't have time to try it out before going on holiday!
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Alex.


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Old 14th September 2017, 04:07 PM
DaveP DaveP is offline
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I used a roll or two this summer, I think I rated it at 125 or 100. I get the impression anywhere from 80-160 will be basically fine.
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Old 14th September 2017, 04:56 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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I have never tried this, Alex but from the pictures I've seen, especially those of people, it looks good stuff. It appears to give a very natural look to any scene.

Mike
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Old 14th September 2017, 06:43 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is online now
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Thanks, Dave and Mike. I had read somewhere that colour negative film gave better results with a bit of over exposure. I have tried it with some other films, and results were better than those I was achieving some years ago when I was using colour more often. I may bracket some shots to see if there's a noticeable difference in the end result.
Alex


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Old 14th September 2017, 09:06 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Alex, I've had great success with Portra 400 (sorry, not the 160, but I imagine it would be similar) and Fuji Pro 400H rated at 1/2 box speed. Here are a couple of links that might help you, with plenty of example images.

http://www.twinlenslife.com/2010/12/...light-new.html

http://canadianfilmlab.com/2014/04/2...rtra-and-fuji/

I don't shoot much colour neg film, but the word on the street is that a 1-stop overexposure should be standard practice for almost all films.

Apparently the only colour neg film that does not overexpose well is Ektar 100, which should be metered as if it were a chrome film. It is said to have much less exposure latitude than the Portras and Fuji. This was borne out by my (limited) experience shooting a couple of rolls -- it really does not like overexposure at all. I unknowingly followed the usual practice of +1 stop and more, and it looked terrible, especially on some high contrast scenes. I will try it again at box speed and expose more carefully next time.

Hope this helps...

Svend
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Old 15th September 2017, 10:15 AM
EdmundH EdmundH is offline
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I've used a lot of this film, in medium format, so I know its properties well. Like all colour negative films, underexposure with Portra, even by one stop, very soon creates muddy colours. However, Portra has such superior latitude compared to cheaper film, that the highlights will probably not blow out in any event.

The stated speed is really the minimum exposure for good colours, and works beautifully if you have even lighting, or meter important shadow areas carefully. However, if you are relying on in-camera metering, or use a basic light meter, then it's often a lot safer to give Portra a head start by rating at half the stated speed.
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Old 15th September 2017, 12:02 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is online now
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Default Portra 160

Thanks Svend and Edmund. The links in Svend's post are interesting, although they relate to the 400 version. That was too expensive! I'm going to be using TTL metering, so will rate it at 80 or 100 to be safe.
Alex


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Old 15th September 2017, 12:56 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Good plan Alex. I have found Portra 400 and Pro 400H to be very forgiving of overexposure, and do look great at 1/2 box speed. Pretty hard to blow out the highlights of either of those. As you suggest, you might bracket a couple of frames and see how the P160 responds....should also be fine.

Wonderful warm tones in the Portra. If you get a chance, try the Fuji some time - I find it more neutral-toned but can have a beautiful soft luminosity to it, especially on older vintage lenses.

Let us know how you get on with the P160.

Best,
Svend
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