I have decided to take some Portra film as a backup for my DRebel next week for a senior portrait shoot. Also, the mother and aunt of the girls I will be shooting takes a lot of photos too, so I told her I would get her a pro quality film, and she should bring her camera too. The shoot will be all outside, mid afternoon, to evening. What do you suggest, 160 or 400 speed film?

If it is daylight the whole time - you mentioned "to evening" - the 160 would be fine. If you're getting into dusk, you might want to bring a few rolls of 400. Wonderful film btw. ;)

Liz

I have decided to take some Portra film as a backup for my DRebel next week for a senior portrait shoot. Also, the mother and aunt of the girls I will be shooting takes a lot of photos too, so I told her I would get her a pro quality film, and she should bring her camera too. The shoot will be all outside, mid afternoon, to evening. What do you suggest, 160 or 400 speed film?

Thanks Liz, that's kinda what I was thinking, but a 2nd opinion is always nice!!! Thanks again. :)

400NC is fine in daylight - but it likes to be overexposed a bit. I usually set it at ISO250, then just meter normally (that gives you +2/3 stop) and have them process at 400. I might go a little higher if I was inside a dark building, too. Color neg is a different world than slide - and especially digital.

You should be OK with 160 too, but I haven't used it personally. I used only 400 at weddings just to keep life easy.

One more question.

What's the dif. between 160VC, and 160NC?

Ok, I think I just found the answer myself. Looks like NC stands for Natural Color, and VC stands for Vivid Color. That's my very simplifed definition. Anyone have anything more specific to add?

You're right about the differences. Supposedly, all of the Portra films will give you excellent skin tones, but vary the amount of color saturation. I really only have experience with NC, and I understand it's kind of the "gold standard" for skin tones with color neg.

I guess I'd use VC if it was maybe more of a fashion type shoot, or brightly colored costumes (festivals, etc) - or maybe environmental portraits depending on what you had in mind. Then there's UC (ultra color) which is a step (or three) beyond that.

The thing is, it's probably best to go to a place that's familiar with these films. Any pro lab (especially one that specializes in portraits/weddings) should be a good choice. You won't get the full benefit of these films at one-hour type places.