Tonight, on Top Emulsion...
I load a camera with a film named after a man who lives at the North Pole. We find out if a professional emulsion can justify costing more than a small car. And I finally settle the debate: Is "expensive" actually better, or are we all just being swindled by a box from upstate New York?
The Contenders
In the left lane, we have the Kodak Portra 800. This is the Mercedes S-Class of the film world. It is smooth, it is dignified, and it handles skin tones with the grace of a butler serving tea on a silver platter. It’s been around forever, and despite its age, it still makes everything look like it belongs in a high-end magazine that makes you say "mood" when you go through it. But, like a Mercedes, it will cost you a significant portion of your soul every time you go to the counter.
In the right lane, wearing a bright red suit and smelling faintly of teenage-reindeer, is SantaColor 800. Now, don't let the festive branding fool you. Underneath that Northern tuxedo, we suspect it’s actually Kodak Max 800—the sort of film usually found inside a disposable camera you’d buy at a petrol station on a Friday night. It’s scrappy, it’s punchy, and it’s significantly cheaper.
The Interior: Texture and Detail
Usually, this is where I’d tell you if someone’s face looks like a peach or a beetroot. But since we’re looking at street photography (literally streets), we have to look at the "upholstery" of the film.
Portra 800 is like a hand-stitched leather dashboard. The transitions between the highlights and the shadows are smooth. If you’re shooting a brick wall or a rusted gate, Portra renders it with a sort of expensive, clinical precision. It’s "accurate," which is a bit like saying a Volvo is "safe."
SantaColor 800, meanwhile, feels like it was put together in a shed. But a fun shed. There’s more grit here. The textures feel more tactile, just more “fun”. If Portra is a high-definition recording of a symphony, SantaColor is a live bootleg of a punk band. It’s got more "bite" in the mid-tones, making everyday objects look a bit more... dramatic.
(100% crop from original image, both overexposed +1)
The Dynamometer: Dynamic Range & Highlights
Since I didn't go out at night, I tested these in the "Midday Sun"—the natural enemy of all film photographers.
Portra 800 has the dynamic range of a telescope. You can point it at a bright white cloud and a dark doorway at the same time, and it just... copes. It’s got latitude for days. It’s virtually impossible to "break" this film. If you overexpose it by three stops, it just looks even more expensive.
SantaColor 800 is a bit more temperamental. Because it’s a consumer-grade rebel, it likes to "clip" its highlights a bit sooner. The whites get brighter, faster. It’s got a much narrower "power band." If you don't get the exposure right, it’ll let you know about it with some fairly aggressive contrast. It’s not a film for the lazy; it’s a film for someone who knows how to use a light meter. (That’s why I used the Sekonic L-758D)
The Verdict
So, what have we learned?
If you want a film that is technically perfect, incredibly forgiving, and has the pedigree of a Triple-Crown winning horse, you buy the Kodak Portra 800. It is the sensible, professional choice. It is the gold standard.
But, if you want your photos to look like they were taken by someone with a personality—someone who likes a bit of grit, a bit of punch, and doesn't mind a bit of "drama" in the highlights and the occasional color shift—get the SantaColor 800. It’s faster, louder, and significantly cheaper. It’s the film for people who think Portra is a bit too... "posh."
And on that bombshell, I’m going to go buy some Portra 400 and push it to 800.
Photographs were made with two calibrated Nikon F2s and a 55mm Micro Nikkor f/2.8. Negatives were scanned in Negative Lab Pro with the brand-new VALOI easy35 v2 with the updated Integration Light Dome light source.
Friendly reminder: This article was actually written by a human being. We take a lot of pride in putting in the research, photographing and writing it down for you to expand your knowledge of photography. Artificial Intelligence often make mistakes like misinterpreting data, a good example of this was it once mentioned the Nikon F2 only worked with a battery, but it's a fully mechanical camera. Only after a back in forth it understood that the F2 Photomic needs a battery to operate its light meter, but the camera functions regardless! Anyways, happy photographing!
