If you’ve ever wished your photos could shout just a little louder, Ektar’s got you. This film stock leans hard into colour, clarity, and contrast. It’s like your scene rendered in candy-wrapped detail. Shadows with bite, highlights that flirt with perfection. This is Kodak Ektar – the film stock that doesn’t whisper, it screams. And if you haven’t loaded a roll yet, well… maybe this is your sign.
Welcome to a little love letter to one of Kodak’s most saturated offerings. Whether you’re looking to light up your landscapes or add some extra oomph to your city strolls, here’s everything you need to know about how to shoot Kodak Ektar – plus why it might just sneak into your top five films of all time.
What to Expect from Kodak Ektar
ISO 100, daylight-balanced film
Best suited for bright, outdoor conditions – think golden hour or harsh Aussie sun.Extremely fine grain
Crisp, detailed, and ready to print without much faff.Punchy, saturated colours
Reds and blues go hard. Greens? Lush. Skin tones? Tricky. Use with care.Not the easiest for portraits
But with thoughtful metering and soft light, it can sing with people in frame.Loves a bit of contrast
This certainly isn’t Portra 400. No flat, pastel colours here – just pure saturated contrasty images.
The Loop Take: Ektar in the Wild
I shoot Kodak Ektar at box speed – ISO 100 – and meter mostly for mid-tones, sometimes nudging toward highlights so as to every so slightly under-expose the scene. This isn’t a film I’d recommend metering with wild abandon. It rewards careful, deliberate exposure. And when you get it right, you really get it right.
For me, Ektar hits hardest where colour is important. Think late arvo shadows, faded signage, oddball architectural lines, or even random leather jackets discarded in the wilderness – scenes that deserve a little pop. It’s not afraid to go full throttle on colour, and I love it for that.
That said, I’ve used it for portraits too. When I nail the exposure, the results can be exactly what I envisioned. But yes – Ektar is not the most forgiving film for skin tones. If you’re not metering carefully, it might pull warm, a little too magenta. Still, when I want bold over beige, I’ll risk it.
Ektar just looks good. It renders the way I remember things, maybe even the way I felt them – punchy, rich, a bit nostalgic.
Favourite Frames & Ektar Moments
There’s a photo I took recently – a skating in a underpass tunnel. It all just worked exactly, no, better than imagined. Another one, shot from a freeway overpass, has this magenta shadow that makes the whole image feel something more. These are the kinds of images Ektar helps me make – the kind that stick.
It’s not subtle. It’s not soft. It’s Ektar.
Should You Shoot Kodak Ektar?
Yes. At least once.
It’s not the every-situation film that Portra pretends to be. But if you’re chasing punch, clarity, and colour that cuts through – Kodak Ektar deserves a spot in your camera bag.
You’ll find it stocked at Loop, right alongside other favourites like Portra 800 (divine) and, sadly, no longer Fuji Pro 400H (RIP). So grab a roll, shoot slow, meter well, and see if this film stock doesn’t seduce your eyeballs a little.