"We never really needed expensive film to make good pictures."

Everyone's film bag has a "save it" pocket and a "burn through it" pocket. UltraMax 400 usually lands in the second one. You can grab one more roll without thinking twice, and it never feels out of place in any camera. Then you get the scans back from the lab, and you always feel a little bad about where you put it.

The first thing to say about UltraMax 400 is that it never got any help from brand positioning. By lineage it follows on from Kodak Gold 400, but once it stopped sharing the "Gold" name, it slipped out from under the loyal following Gold enjoyed. On top of that, being filed under "consumer film" earned it the assumption that cheap means so-so. The plainer packaging didn't help either. When Kodak simplified its design across the board, plenty of people shrugged at the change.

People say they don't judge by looks, but first impressions count for a lot. Put Ektar next to UltraMax and anyone would say Ektar looks more "pro." Still, writing UltraMax off as "just a consumer film" would be a pretty big mistake.

Base Kodak Gold 400 lineage (Consumer color negative)
Emulsion T-Grain technology from the Kodak T-Max family
Process C-41 (any regular lab)
ISO 400
Look Balanced color, easygoing grain, natural skin tones

Not a film to take lightly

UltraMax uses the same T-Grain emulsion technology as Kodak T-Max. That's why color and detail hold up even at a generous ISO 400. Here is how Kodak pitches it: steadier, better pictures in all kinds of situations, less underexposure in dim places, good results even with zoom lenses, longer flash range, sharp shots of fast-moving moments, and less blur from shaky hands. What holds all of that up is the ISO 400 speed. It buys you a beat of faster shutter when the light isn't great. For everyday snaps, there's no better tool.

Color, this film's real weapon

UltraMax 400 sample: a carousel lined with gold ornaments and white horses, and people wrapped in red cloth
Gold trim and white horses on a carousel. The reds and golds don't smear together, and each keeps its own saturation. ⓒ Noh Ae-gyeong @ella__gertrud

UltraMax color is bright, clean and crisp. Blue skies come down deep, reds and oranges come out lively, and greens are rich without going over the top. The key is that nothing leans too hard toward one color, and the overall balance is good. It handles subtle in-between colors neatly, and skin tones look natural. It does have a habit of turning skin slightly yellow when overexposed, though, so don't push your luck that far. Neutrals stay clean, with no color bleeding in.

UltraMax 400 sample: the yellow wall and red bricks of an old building, with a pale sky opening above
The yellow wall of an old building, the red of the bricks, and a pale open sky above. It keeps the balance so no single color jumps out. ⓒ Park Soon Yeol @4rest_graphy

Honestly, for a consumer film, being average would be enough. UltraMax color goes past that. Forget "value film." It's closer to an all-rounder that can take on just about any scene with one roll.

Grain: more personality than flaw

UltraMax 400 sample: close-up of a headlamp and orange turn signal set in a white car body, with leaf shadows falling across it
A headlamp and orange turn signal set into a white car body, right down to the leaf shadows. Fine grain leaves a filmic texture on the smooth surface. ⓒ Jang Hyeong-su Brisnap TV

Let's be honest: UltraMax grain isn't outstanding. It isn't rough enough to bother you, either. It's more personality than flaw. Is it as fine as Portra 400? No. By Print Grain Index, Portra 400 sits at 37, UltraMax 400 at 44 and Portra 800 at 46. On the numbers alone, UltraMax grain lands close to Portra 800. But remember that Portra 800 is an 800-speed film, and at that speed, grain like that counts as "fine." In the end, grain is a matter of taste. Some people love it, some try to avoid it. In our experience, UltraMax grain has never ruined a picture. You'll notice it in scans and prints, but it actually gives the image a filmic texture. Anyone who has shot film for a while will find it familiar and comfortable.

A film that can handle people, too

UltraMax 400 sample: bare feet and slippers, and a small dog staring straight at the camera
Bare feet, slippers, and a dog staring right into the camera. At proper exposure, skin tones settle in naturally without turning yellow. ⓒ Jang Hyeong-su Brisnap TV

UltraMax gives good answers with people, too. Ektar pulls fair skin toward strong orange and red, while UltraMax settles any skin tone naturally at proper exposure. The trick is simple: shoot it at box speed (ISO 400). Push or pull it hard and you can get subtle color shifts. Sure, those are easy to fix after scanning, but there's no reason to strain an ISO 400 film. Sticking to box speed is the shortest road to the best results.

Still, UltraMax

So can UltraMax pull off a punchy landscape the way Ektar or Provia can? It can. The grain isn't as ultra-fine as pro film, but it has plenty of resolving power for sharp, smooth images. What if we were shooting a paid job, though? We probably wouldn't load UltraMax. That spot goes to Portra.

Even so, there are plenty of reasons to pick UltraMax. It costs about half as much as pro film. It's a bit pricier than Fuji's consumer films, but we find UltraMax more consistent and predictable. And the most important reason is something else: with this film, good pictures come easily.

UltraMax 400 sample: a shop window with long sunlight, light falling between a wooden chair and potted plants
A shop window with the sun reaching deep inside. A wooden chair, potted plants, and the light falling between them keep an ordinary afternoon warm. ⓒ Park Soon Yeol @4rest_graphy

Wherever you go, whatever you shoot, whatever camera you carry, the moment you load UltraMax you know you'll get pictures as good as your skill allows. It isn't a grand promise. But isn't that really all we want from a roll of film?

The pictures in this issue started from that same confidence. No special gear, no special day, just an ordinary one. A roll of UltraMax was enough.

Get Vol.01

A day on UltraMax, through three photographers

Park Soon Yeol, Noh Ae-gyeong and Jang Hyeong-su. Our first issue goes deeper into the ordinary days these three photographers recorded on Kodak UltraMax 400.

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