Kodak Ultramax 400 35mm Film (C-41)

Kodak Ultramax 400 is a versatile ISO 400 colour negative film built for photographers who want reliable, vibrant results across a wide range of conditions. It's daylight-balanced, C-41 processed, and designed to handle everything from bright outdoor light to dimly lit interiors without breaking a sweat.

At ISO 400 it's fast enough for indoor available light, zoom lenses, and moving subjects, while still delivering the punchy Kodak colour signature the brand is known for. It's one of the most popular films in the world for good reason.

Price is per roll.

Why photographers love Ultramax 400

Ultramax has a look that's distinctly Kodak — warm, punchy, and saturated with a colour palette that makes everything look a little more vivid than it did in real life. It's not trying to be neutral or clinical. Greens are lush, blues are bold, and skin tones have that classic warm Kodak glow.

The wide exposure latitude makes it genuinely forgiving to shoot. It handles overexposure well, copes with mixed lighting without too much fuss, and produces usable results in conditions where a slower film would struggle. This makes it an excellent choice for point-and-shoot cameras, disposables, and any situation where you don't want to be constantly metering.

It’s one of the better value ISO 400 colour films in Australia, sitting nicely between budget consumer stocks and professional emulsions like Portra.

A bit of film history

Ultramax 400 has been a staple of Kodak's consumer lineup for decades, going through various name changes (Gold Ultra, Max, Ultra 400) before settling on the Ultramax branding. It's consistently been Kodak's flagship consumer ISO 400 colour negative film — the stock designed to handle the widest possible range of shooting situations in one roll.

Processing

Ultramax 400 requires standard C-41 colour negative processing. We process C-41 in-house at Ikigai Film Lab in Melbourne, with scanning available on our Fujifilm Frontier and Noritsu HS-1800 scanners.

Common questions

How does Ultramax 400 compare to Kodak Gold 200?

Gold 200 is slightly slower with finer grain and a similarly warm Kodak palette. Ultramax 400 gives you two extra stops of speed, making it the better choice for indoor shooting, overcast days, and situations where you need to freeze motion or shoot without flash. If you're shooting mostly outdoors in good light, Gold 200 is a great option. If you need flexibility across conditions, Ultramax is the more practical pick.

How does Ultramax 400 compare to Kodak Portra 400?

Both are ISO 400 C-41 films but they're aimed at different photographers. Portra is a professional emulsion with finer grain, more neutral colour rendering, better exposure latitude, and a higher price point. Ultramax is a consumer stock with more saturated, punchy colour and a warmer look. For portraits and weddings where accuracy matters, Portra is the pick. For everyday shooting where you want that vibrant Kodak look at a more accessible price, Ultramax delivers.

Is Ultramax 400 good for point-and-shoot cameras?

Yes — it's one of the best films for point-and-shoot cameras. The ISO 400 speed handles the variable lighting conditions that point-and-shoots encounter, the wide exposure latitude covers for automatic metering that isn't always perfect, and the vivid colour rendering tends to produce consistently pleasing results straight from the scanner.