Kodak Ultra Color 400UC

Hello everyone,

I will be shooting my first wedding at the end of April and would

like to know if I can use the professional Kodak Ultra Color 400UC on

sale at Walmart, or should I strictly purchase film at my local

camera shop or B&H? Are there potentially any differences between

this pro film sold at Walmart and those sold at B&H? Thanks in

advance for your help.

""Are there potentially any differences between this pro film sold at Walmart and those sold at B&H?""

 

Nope.But I would shoot a test roll on similar subjects(people), before shooting a weddding.

For wedding work, I prefer Fuji's NPH. However, the Kodak 400UC, is a very good film. I rate it @ 320. Wal-Mart bought (Kodak 400UC) film is fine.

 

Russ

There might be differences in the storage conditions, but I haven't been able to tell the difference. I've shot probably 10 rolls of the walmart stuff, and it seems find. Never shot a wedding with it though, so ymmv.

I'm not sure if you've used UC before based on your post, but I would be careful. It truely is an Ultra Color film and can affect skin tones pretty harshly. My experience with UC film on people is that they come out looking sunburned. I would recommend Kodak Portra 400 VC before I'd use or recommend UC.

oh... I was just about to say how great I thought skin tones came out with the 400UC, but then I read Andrea's post...

 

The question would be how long does their stock rotation take and, if slow, do they keep the stuff in the fridge?

Unless I am shooting in bright sun, I use UC. The grain is finer than NC and VC 400. If the colors are bad it's due to the printing.

Well, that's just been my experience. I use UC all the time for nature and pet photography - and love it as the colors are so vibrant, but whenever I've snuck in a photo of a person, the pictures have come out with more red/pink tones in the skin color. Maybe it is my lab, but it has been consistent. Maybe shooting a practice roll before the event would help you determine if you like the warmer tones, or if you don't see a difference.

Just check the expiration date and see if it's reaching the point where it may

start to experience quality loss. I've used a few rolls of fuji from Walmart and

really hated the results- unfortunately I didn't look at the expiration date- but it

performed like it was past its prime.

For your first wedding you are going to have enough concerns without having to worry about the film. Get the film at a pro shop where they keep it refrigerated.

Hoang - One of the most important parts is making sure the film is not expired. The Kodak Portra series (of which UC400) is/used to be part of doesn't have the super-long shelf life that some consumer film does. Most of us love a bargin, but make sure it won't cost you in the long run.

 

As far as skin tones - I've found that UC400 is fine when processed with Kodak chemicals, but the times I've had it processed on Fuji Frontiers I have been unhappy. All the Wolf/Ritz Camera shops use Fuji Frontiers. If you have a way of checking the processing machinery, go for it. Otherwise, stick with NC or VC. Both are pleasing. NC is hard to beat when working in contrasty settings such as a black-and-white wedding.

I haven't priced it at Walmart, but the prices at B&H are wonderfully low, even with paying

for standard shipping, since you pay no tax in most states. Not to mention they keep it

fresh and ship it super fast (again, even with standard shipping).

 

As for the type, I use Portra 400 VC or Portra 800, depending what my conditions are. I

love the brightness of the color I get from both. It just seems to pop, but maybe it's just

my lab that I love.

Like Steve says, Kodak films work better if processed on a Noritsu processor not a Fuji Frontier. The opposite is true of Fuji films. Consumer films are sent out not quite ripe and allowed to age on the shelf or in the buyer's closet. Professional films are sent out at the peak of their optimal performace level. Film manufacturers know that they will be sold and used quickly. Why is this film on sale at Wal-Mart? How long has it been on the shelf, unrefrigerated, and now must be cleared out?

My local Walmart sells 400UC for $11.85 for a 3 roll box (98 prints).

The last box I bought has an expiration date of 4/2007. The 5 roll box I got last week from B&H has an expiration date of 5/2007. The pack from B&H was $24.45 + $4.45 shipping. From now on, I'll buy it at Walmart.

 

My local 1-hour lab processes the film on a Fuji machine and prints on

Konica-Minolta paper. Colors and skin tones come out great, from both sunlight and flash. I love 400UC.