GA — 073 Color negative

KodakPortra 400 VC

Vivid but balanced color, natural skin tones (Kodak)

Manufacturer
Eastman Kodak
ISO
400
Type
Color negative
Process
C-41
Formats
135, 120, 220
Datasheet
E-4040

Status checked [4]

After: beech forest, with the preset inspired by Kodak Portra 400 VC (GA — 073 / P) applied (simulation). Before: the same beech forest, base development without a preset.
fig. 1 · GA — 073 / P · simulation on a digital RAW, not a film scan Drag, tap or use the arrow keys

Character

Contrast
Medium; the NC version is low
Grain
Print Grain Index 42 (35 mm, 4×6 print)
Latitude
Up to 2 stops under and 3 over, for the Portra family (Kodak, 2006)
Best for
Flat or overcast light, low light, on-camera flash (Kodak)

Kodak Portra 400 VC was the “Vivid Color” version of Kodak’s ISO 400 professional color negative film for C-41 processing. It was sold next to the “Natural Color” 400NC, with slightly higher contrast and stronger color, and both were replaced by a single Portra 400 in late 2010 [1] [4]. It is not the same film as the current Portra 400.

Look and color

  • Vivid, but balanced. Kodak’s datasheet lists “vivid colors” for the 400VC and “well balanced color saturation”, and recommends it for “vibrant color” in flat or overcast light [1]. It suggests the VC for low light or on-camera flash, where the NC gets “natural colors” [2].
  • How big was the gap with the NC? Casual Photophile calls the VC “more saturated” and the NC more subdued [3]. Camera-wiki says that, according to Kodak, the difference between the last NC and VC versions was under 5%, without giving a source we could check [6]. Sources therefore disagree on how large the difference was; we found no measurement.
  • Skin tones. Kodak lists “smooth, natural flesh tones” [1]. We found no independent test of skin rendering on the VC.
  • Expired film misleads. Rolls used today are old: the Casual Photophile author found reduced saturation, more noise and flatter tones, and metered at ISO 50 to 100 to compensate [3]. That is aging, not the original look.
  • The scanner still matters. Kodak’s datasheet says that scanner output depends on the scanner’s sensitivity to the film dyes and that color balance can be adjusted afterwards [1].

Tonality

  • Contrast. Medium for the VC, low for the NC. The datasheet describes it as “slightly higher contrast” to add snap to flat light [1].
  • Curve. The three characteristic curves run nearly parallel, with a short toe and no visible shoulder on the plotted range. The green curve slope reads at about 0.6, our reading of the graph [1].
  • Latitude. The 2006 datasheet lists “forgiveness for up to two stops underexposure or three stops overexposure” for the whole Portra family [2]. The 2009 datasheet claims “extended latitude” without a figure [1].
  • Long exposures: no filter correction or exposure compensation from 1/10,000 s to 1 s [1].

Grain and sharpness

Kodak rates grain with the Print Grain Index (PGI). A value of 25 is the approximate visibility threshold, and the scale cannot be compared with RMS granularity [1].

Film (35 mm negative, 4×6 print) Print Grain Index
Kodak Portra 160VC 34 [1]
Kodak Portra 400NC 40 [1]
Kodak Portra 400 VC 42 [1]
Current Kodak Portra 400 37 [8]
Kodak Portra 800 48 [1]
  • Enlargement drives it: 64 at 8×10 and 93 at 16×20 from 35 mm. From a 120 negative, 30 for a 4×6 and 42 for an 8×10 [1].
  • The 400VC was a little grainier than the current Portra 400, as the PGI shows. The Casual Photophile reviewer also saw a “bit grainier” look than today’s Portra, on expired rolls [3].
  • Sharpness: Kodak publishes modulation transfer curves but no resolving power figure [1].

Spectral sensitivity

The datasheet prints one spectral-sensitivity graph for both the 400NC and 400VC. The blue-sensitive layer stays on a plateau from about 400 to 475 nm, the green-sensitive layer peaks near 550 nm and the red-sensitive layer near 620 nm [1]. The Grain Archive style is tuned from the datasheet and the reviews above, not computed from these curves.

fig. 2 · spectral sensitivityKODAK PORTRA 400 VC · DATASHEET KODAK E-4040
Spectral sensitivity of Kodak Portra 400 VC, by layerThe datasheet prints one spectral-sensitivity graph for both Portra 400NC and 400VC (same figure code E4040G), shown here on the 400VC page. Blue-sensitive (yellow-forming) layer: plateau around 2.4-2.6 from about 400 to 475 nm, dropping to 0.3 at 515 nm; green (magenta-forming) peaks at 550 nm (2.43) with a secondary bump of about 1.55 near 400 nm; red (cyan-forming) peaks near 620 nm (2.48). Blue and green curves cross near 484 nm, green and red near 578 nm. 400450500550600650700 10.50 λ (nm) relative sensitivity
The datasheet prints one spectral-sensitivity graph for both Portra 400NC and 400VC (same figure code E4040G), shown here on the 400VC page. Blue-sensitive (yellow-forming) layer: plateau around 2.4-2.6 from about 400 to 475 nm, dropping to 0.3 at 515 nm; green (magenta-forming) peaks at 550 nm (2.43) with a secondary bump of about 1.55 near 400 nm; red (cyan-forming) peaks near 620 nm (2.48). Blue and green curves cross near 484 nm, green and red near 578 nm. Each layer is scaled to its own peak. Color styles are tuned from the datasheet and published reviews, then measured; they are not computed from these curves. Source: datasheet p. 11, traced from the vector graph in the PDF.

Datasheet digest

Kodak Alaris datasheet E-4040, edition 2009-02 (One datasheet for Portra 160NC, 160VC, 400NC, 400VC and 800). Read the datasheet (PDF) on business.kodakmoments.com Source: manufacturer. The Grain Archive does not host datasheets.

Key figures for Kodak Portra 400 VC
ItemValueSource
ISO speed400 in daylight or electronic flash; 100 under 3200 K tungsten with an 80A filter; 125 under 3400 K photolamps with an 80B filter[1]
Print Grain Index, 35 mm42 (4×6), 64 (8×10), 93 (16×20)[1]
Print Grain Index, 120 (6×6)30 (4×6), 42 (8×10), 64 (16×20)[1]
Grain visibility thresholdPGI 25; a higher number means more visible grain[1]
Characteristic curveThree nearly parallel curves, short toe, no visible shoulder on the plotted range (read from the graph)[1]
ReciprocityNo filter correction or exposure compensation from 1/10,000 s to 1 s[1]
Resolving powerNot given; MTF curves published[1]
Base0.13 mm acetate (135); 0.10 mm acetate (120, 220)[1]
ProcessC-41 (Kodak Flexicolor chemicals)[1]

Names, status and history

  • Family. Portra films were introduced in 1998 [4] [7]. The 400 came as two versions: VC for vivid color and NC for natural color [5].
  • Replaced in late 2010. Kodak introduced a new Portra 400 that replaced the NC and VC versions, using technology from Kodak’s Vision motion picture films. Wikipedia gives as the reason that most prints were made from digital scans, where contrast and saturation can be adjusted [4].
  • Sizes. The 2009 datasheet lists the 400VC in 135, 120 and 220. Sheet film is listed only for the NC versions [1].
  • Other version. Camera-wiki lists a Portra 400UC among the discontinued versions, without describing it [6].
  • Today. Only expired rolls remain. The current Portra 400 is a different, single emulsion.

Alternatives

  • GA — 004 Kodak Portra 400

    The current Portra 400, which replaced the NC and VC versions: finer grain (PGI 37 against 42) and lower saturation

  • GA — 006 Kodak Portra 800

    Same datasheet, one stop faster: PGI 48 against 42 for a 4×6 print from 35 mm

  • GA — 005 Kodak Portra 160

    Same family at ISO 160: the 160VC listed a PGI of 34 in the same datasheet

  • GA — 009 Kodak UltraMax 400

    Consumer ISO 400 negative film, still sold, with stronger color and more visible grain than Portra in a lab comparison

  • GA — 007 Kodak Ektar 100

    Kodak's professional negative film built for high saturation, at ISO 100

Get the look in darktable

The GA — 073 / P preset, inspired by Kodak Portra 400 VC, is a darktable 5.6 style of 5 native modules, with no LUT. It sits on top of your own exposure and tone mapping.

Measured on test RAW files, CIELab
ZoneMetricBefore → after
skyC (chroma)27.5 → 30.0
seaC (chroma)22.2 → 24.8
skinC (chroma)16.4 → 23.4

Settings, all measurements and limits of the Kodak Portra 400 VC preset

GA — 073 / P · darktable preset

Portra 400 VC
for darktable

Full pack · 87 presets · yours to keep
.dtstyle file, darktable 5.6 or later

$20 Get the full pack

Try the free pack first · What the full pack contains

See real photos

Scans of real Kodak Portra 400 VC film, published by others:

Questions about Kodak Portra 400 VC

What is the difference between Portra 400 VC and 400 NC?

VC stands for Vivid Color and NC for Natural Color. Kodak's datasheet gives the 400VC slightly higher contrast, meant to add snap in flat or overcast light, while the 400NC is low contrast. Grain also differs slightly: PGI 42 for the VC against 40 for the NC on a 4×6 print from 35 mm. [1]

Is Portra 400 VC discontinued?

Yes. Wikipedia reports that Kodak replaced the 400NC and 400VC with a single new Portra 400 in late 2010, on the assumption that most prints came from scans, where contrast and saturation can be adjusted digitally. Only expired rolls of the VC remain. [4]

Is Portra 400 VC more saturated than the current Portra 400?

Kodak described the VC as vivid but with well balanced saturation, while reviews of the current Portra 400 call its color restrained. No test that measures the two side by side was found. Camera-wiki reports, without a verifiable source, that Kodak's last NC and VC versions differed by less than 5%. [1] [6]

What ISO should I use for expired Portra 400 VC?

Kodak's speed is ISO 400 for fresh film. One reviewer of expired 400VC and 160NC metered at ISO 50 to 100 and still got flat, faded images typical of aged film. Fog and speed loss depend on how the roll was stored, so a test roll is the only reliable guide. [1] [3]

Sources

  1. 1DS Kodak Professional Portra 160NC, 160VC, 400NC, 400VC and 800, technical data E-4040 (February 2009)
  2. 2DS Kodak Professional Portra 160NC, 160VC, 400NC, 400VC and 800, technical data E-190 (October 2006, superseded; copy hosted by filmcolors.org) Accessed September 30, 2026.
  3. 3C Casual Photophile: Kodak Portra 400 VC and 160 NC (January 7, 2020) Accessed September 30, 2026.
  4. 4C Wikipedia: Kodak Portra Accessed September 30, 2026.
  5. 5C Fstoppers: Sibling rivalry, a comparison of Kodak's Portra 160, 400 and 800 Accessed September 30, 2026.
  6. 6C Camera-wiki.org: Kodak Portra film Accessed September 30, 2026.
  7. 7C Analogue Wonderland: The perfect Portra Accessed September 30, 2026.
  8. 8DS Kodak Professional Portra 400, technical data E-4050 (January 2025)

DS: datasheet · C: review or community