Kodak UltraMax 400 Color Negative Film Review | All About Film

[@michaelc4917]

It takes a professor to explain film and inspire film photography. I am glad we have David Hancock on our side.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you, Michael!

[@geinko]

Always look forward to these. Thank you as always, David.

[@DavidHancock]

:D Thank you!

[@josephstanger873]

Good honest review of this film, I have used it extensively and agree with your observations on light performance. as a note on the whole condition of the market, I think people need to stop buying Kodak films until they get their act together on pricing, being 1 of 2 major color manufacturers, they have decided to gouge the market, and it’s the consumers fault for still buying stock and supporting this unsustainable business model, whereupon everyone will eventually be priced out and nobody will buy film from them, unless that is what they want.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! Yeah, I'm taking (either entirely or almost entirely) next year off Kodak stocks on the channel because of the cost. Watching the costs recently made me really glad I got Gold and UmltraMax out of the way and have shot all the Portra 160 and 800 needed for those videos.

[@nathanpiperphoto]

@@DavidHancock Excited for those two videos and to hear your thoughts on those stocks! Cheers.

[@nathanpiperphoto]

It's pretty much a monopoly at this point because Fuji's pretty much done and not manufacturing anything new. Everything "new" that Fuji's sending to market is coming from their freezers. Odds are it's only going to get worse. Unless something changes, Kodak will have their monopoly and have their way with the market.

[@nathanpiperphoto]

I share your frustrations and agree with your thoughts on this film stock. It's a bad film stock in poor lighting. Even the slightest underexposure is a real killer IMO, you have to shoot this in bright full daylight/bright golden hour settings. Like you said, even then you can feel underwhelmed by it's desaturated and muted tones in certain shots. Overall I feel it's a lackluster option compared to Kodak Gold which I believe is the most comparable alternative in terms of pricing and use.

[@DavidHancock]

Concur fully. If I were told it was this or Gold 200 for the rest of my life, Gold 200 is an easy choice. I started both the Gold and UltraMax videos not caring for both stocks, but Gold changed my mind and it's one I like a good deal.

[@lesl2944]

Great practical and technical review, thanks for sharing as I will be testing on an upcoming trip to Portugal 🙏😊

[@DavidHancock]

@@lesl2944 fantastic and thank you!

[@RickMahoney2013]

If the photos you displayed are not photoshopped they look great and is something I can live with.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you and I do very little Photoshop on the images in these videos -- dust cloning and a very minor unsharp mask typically.

[@marcuscook5145]

I have pretty good luck with consumer films as long as I keep the shadows well exposed. I usually run it at 200 ISO and meter the shadows then make any needed adjustments after scanning.

[@DavidHancock]

That's a great approach to getting the most from UltraMax.

[@thorstenjaspert9394]

@@DavidHancock you have to scan Ultramax with a flat scan curve. With this adjustment, you can get most information out of the dark and the highlights.

[@ceticmilan]

Well, having in mind that now it's almost impossible to buy a roll of Ultramax anyway (at least in Europe) I'm not going to miss it anyway.

[@DavidHancock]

Yeah, if it's hard to get then it's not likely to be worth the serious effort.

[@chencheating4677]

helpful video! What iso 400 color film you recommend then? Is fuji x-tra 400 or fuji premium 400 any good?

[@DavidHancock]

I grew up using Superia 400, and it's fine. I honestly like the color cast in UltraMax more than in Superia. For 400 ISO C-41, Portra and 400H, if they're in the budget, are great. I haven't tried the new CineStill 400 yet. As for the balance of the 400 C-41 options, I'm not sold on any of them as most (for example the DubbleFilm offerings) don't seem suited to consistent performance and predictable results. They can be fun, but don't appear to be designed for serious use.

[@nathanpiperphoto]

IMO 400 speed color films are the most overrated because they are overpriced and are too generalist. The consumer stocks (Ultramax and Superia Xtra) are overpriced for the quality you get As for the "professional" stocks, 400H doesn't exist anymore in 35mm and Portra 400 is a bit overrated for the price which is absurdly high. Others like Cinestill and Lomography have 400 speed color films but they seem to be sold out a lot. IMO it's better to plan your color film shoots around working with 100,160, 200, and 800 speed stocks. These stocks are usually better priced and more available typically. Day shoots with 100, 160, 200 speeds... 800 for dreary winter days, difficult lighting situations or night photography.

[@3SGrover]

Good day, David! It would be very interesting to see the review of Ilford Ortho Plus 80 and Ilford sfx 200. Pleeeeease :) 🙏

[@DavidHancock]

Those are both WAY out into the future. SFX isn't on the horizon. I have shot some Ortho rolls, but it's not arriving soon. These videos just take a long time to produce so I plan them about three years out. Right now what I can say for sure is that in 2023 I'll be able to release Portra 800 (June), Portra 160 (August), Ultrafine FInesse 400, Fuji Acros II, Foma 400, and Fuji Superia X-Tra, and maybe a surprise drop on Christmas Day. Next year is looking like it will include Portra 400, CineStill 50D, PoPho Luminar, and a bunch of others. Right now I have Ortho booked in for 2025, SFX some time after 2026 (that's as far out as I have planned right now.) So I hope that what's coming in this series in the next few years is still interesting and helpful, even if Ortho and SFX aren't near-term releases.

[@3SGrover]

@@DavidHancock I really hope that in 2025 we will still be able to take pictures on film. Thank you David, for your work.

[@DavidHancock]

@@3SGrover thank you and I suspect so. At minimum, I think that black and white film will be a viable medium for some time.

[@3SGrover]

​@@DavidHancock, I'm planning to shoot some Ortho Plus 80 and Ilford sfx 200 reels this year. I'm ready to share the pictures with you if you're interested David.

[@weisserth]

I think with the March 1st price increases this film is not worth it anymore over Kodak Gold - in spite of Kodak Gold's lower sensitivity.

[@DavidHancock]

And Gold has some advantages over UltraMax in terms of color, contrast, and latitude, too.

[@alponton]

Thanks for this

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@MarksPhoto]

Nice a9 1/12000 flex at about 9:20 The rest of you have nothing to worry about...

[@DavidHancock]

:D

[@MakersTeleMark]

You can just say it's garbage. It's OK. Color Plus on the other hand has some real merit. Good luck finding it in the U.S. though as it is primarily marketed overseas.

[@DavidHancock]

:D It's not a house favorite. ColorPlus has been VERY hard to find here. I luck into it every once in a while but haven't seen it in about a year.

[@Jay-nt2ew]

huh..I like ultramax much more than color plus