Kodak Portra 160: It’s Not a Jack of All Trades (And That’s a Good Thing)

In the last 6 years of shooting film, I’ve come to appreciate the distinct personality each stock can have. Much like cameras and lenses, I keep a variety of film stocks on hand to use for specific purposes. There are some scenarios that I know exactly what the right film is before I even pick up the camera.

One of those films is Portra 160.

If you’ve read my piece on Portra 800, you already know that it’s my favorite film stock. But just because it’s my favorite, doesn't make it perfect for everything. There’s two areas in particular that is has drawbacks; very sunny days, and in studio. When I’m working with strobes, shooting portraits in controlled light, or reaching for my point and shoot on a bright afternoon, Portra 160 is what goes in my camera. It’s a specific tool for specific situations, and in those situations, it’s exactly what I need.

Most of my experience with Portra 160 lives in two places: in-studio and bright daylight.

In the studio, I’m almost always using it with strobe lighting. The Mamiya 645AFD is my first choice here, primarily because it has excellent autofocus and a sync speed of 1/125. That, combined with a large negative, controlled light, and Portra 160’s fine grain, allows me to create portraits with a high level of detail and sharpness. Plus, the low ISO opens up opportunities to be more experimental with my aperture and strobe output.

In daylight, I’ve used it for commercial and lifestyle work where I want a cleaner, more muted look. Portra 160 is less saturated than both Portra 400 and Portra 800, and for certain situations, that’s exactly what I want. Skin tones are wonderful, colors aren’t too aggressive, and there’s a slight coolness to the shadows that I really enjoy.

Skin tones in studio light. This is, without a doubt, my favorite part of Portra 160. I love using strobes, both in and out of studio. Under controlled strobe lighting, the skin tone rendering is phenomenal. It provides exceptional detail and handles a wide range of skin tones and lighting ratios beautifully. This is my go-to film stock for any portrait work that includes artificial light.

Fine grain. Like I mentioned in my Portra 800 article, I love grain, but that doesn’t always mean my clients do. When I need to create clean, professional looking headshots or promotional images, Portra 160 delivers in spades. The grain structure is very pleasing and adds a bit of texture to the image, but it’s not nearly as in your face as a higher speed film.

Controlled color saturation. Portra 160 is much more muted than its faster siblings. When I want a more refined, subdued palette, whether that’s in a studio portrait or an editorial lifestyle shoot, the color rendering on 160 does just that. It feels elevated without being overly desaturated.

Performance with strobe lighting. A low ISO film gives you way more flexibility with strobe power settings, aperture choices, and depth of field. This is an excellent film to start with if you’re just beginning to learn how to use artificial light in or out of studio.

Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about it. I know exactly where Portra 160 fits into my camera bag, and it does it’s job beautifully for the contexts I use it in.

That said, it’s worth being clear about what it isn’t. It’s not a versatile all-day film the way Portra 400 is, and it’s definitely not a low-light workhorse like Portra 800. You need to have a clear vision of what you’re photographing when you load in Portra 160. I’ve mistakenly loaded it when I thought I was certain I would take more photos, only to miss my window of good light and be stuck with a low speed roll of film as blue hour is settling in. That’s a mistake you learn from really quickly.

I usually rate it at box speed or just over at ISO 100. This always gives me my favorite results.

This is a phenomenal portrait film stock, and I think it especially shines with artificial lighting. If you’re not comfortable with strobes yet, use a constant light to start!

Throwing a roll of 160 in a point and shoot and adding a bit of fill flash during the middle of the day is super fun.

It’s not a great film for changing light, handheld low-light work, or situations where the environment is shifting a lot.

I don’t always do this, but I think this is one film stock that actually looks really cool when it’s underexposed. Definitely worth experimenting with if you want something different or moodier!

I think Portra 160 is an unbeatable film stock for studio photographers, portrait shooters, and anyone who works regularly with strobe lighting. If you shoot editorial or lifestyle images in soft, hard, natural, or artificial light, you should buy some rolls immediately, because I think you’ll absolutely love the look.

It’s also worth nothing that Portra 160 is much less expensive than 400 and 800, so if you often find yourself in brighter settings or working with controlled lighting setups, opting for Portra 160 could save you some money.

Where it’s not the right call is anywhere the light is unpredictable, low, or fast-changing. For that work, Portra 400 sits in a sweet spot between the fine-grain precision of 160 and the low-light capability of 800. If you want one film that covers most situations, 400 is the more practical answer. And if low light is your primary environment, you already know where to look (cough my favorite film stock cough).

At the end of the day, Portra 160 fills a very specific spot in my camera bag. I wouldn’t reach for it the way I reach for Portra 800, and I don’t use it as a default, either. But when I’m in the studio with strobes, or loading up for a sun-soaked session, it’s unbeatable.