Calling Portra 160NC experts....

[sperera]

...so I'm liking Portra 160NC big time (for shooting fashion/portraiture) and was wondering how many people concurred on how to shoot the film...any tips and tendencies and nuances you can comment on would be welcome.....so far only shot it at box speed with good results in my opinion....

[Brian Legge]

Timely. I'm going to shoot either 160NC or 400NC this weekend. It will be my first time using whichever I go with. I've been shooting primarily consumer films until now.

[sperera]

well, I've shot about 10 rolls of 160NC so far and there's something special about it with skin tones etc....I'm shooting it at box speed and was wondering whether there's more to it than I see so far.....

[imokruok]

I would stick to box speed initially. Some people shoot it at 100 and develop normally, but I think it actually is a 160 film...experiment to your preference.

Nice film for tripod shots of cityscapes.

[Bruce Watson]

It's going to depend a bit on how it's processed. C-41 is a standardized process, but one lab will be a bit different from another. The lab where I get my film processed is a Q-lab, and box speed is spot on with them.

If Photographer's Formulary starts selling a C-41 kit so I can do my own processing with a Jobo and 3010 tank (for 5x4 film), I'm sure I'll have to retest to be sure of my EI.

[DanielStone]

if I shoot with strobes(in studio), I generally rate it at 160, sometimes 125(darker clothing, just to ensure detail).

otherwise, I personally like lower contrast than the 160nc gives me, so I generally shoot outside with it at iso 125, and give development 3:00 instead of the 3:15(N) timing.

most of my color work is now hybrid only for printing, except for contact sheets.

160/400nc are great films, right now I bought up a glut of 400vc in 220 so I have to shoot through that first before buying more film...

-Dan

[2F/2F]

It is a great film (as are most films that are left).

I shoot it at EI 160 and use an incident meter. I will overexpose it manually in a high-contrast composition, but I never re rate it.

What constitutes a "high-contrast composition", in which I will overexpose, is determined by first getting to know how much contrast the film is capable of grabbing.

So, the key to good exposures at box speed, as with all films, is having an eye for contrast (and/or a spot meter to check where tones fall in relation to the middle grey placement recommended by your incident meter), and making adjustments in exposure as necessary.

Make sure you try the 400s as well. There is an NC and VC, unlike Fuji. If they go away, our palette available from 400 films is seriously reduced.

[naugastyle]

I shoot pretty much everything at box speed, and like 2F/2F, manually change my exposure for certain scenes, like when I'm sure I want more shadow detail or it's backlit or whatever. I think this film is meant to be 160. I like VC for some applications but am more a fan of NC.

For some reason, I find the Kodak 400 versions are a bit more similar to 160 versions in comparison to Fuji's 160S/400H.

[Ektagraphic]

I have always shot Kodak films at box speed and I have gotten very good results.

[Sirius Glass]

I have always shot Kodak films at box speed and I have gotten very good results.

What he said.

ditto

There is a reason that there is a box speed.