About the film
Kodak High Definition 400 is a Kodak colour negative film for everyday shooting, ISO 400, 135 format, 24 exposures, C-41 processing. It was sold in the mid-2000s and has long been discontinued; film photographers widely believe it was Kodak Royal Gold 400 under a new name. This roll is expired and carries no exact date. I have just the one.
Look
Kodak sold it as a finer-grained step up from its ordinary Gold and Max films: saturated colour, noticeable contrast, good sharpness. People who shot it fresh compare its colour to the neutral Portra 400NC.
What to expect from an expired roll
The film is at least twenty years old. Over that time an ISO 400 colour film loses speed, the grain becomes more visible and the colour can drift — most often towards magenta or warm. Nobody can say in advance how this roll will behave: it depends on how it was stored. The gallery samples come from different HD 400 rolls, some of them expired too.
Shooting and developing
Give it extra exposure: the usual rule for colour negative is one stop for every ten years past the date. I would rate it at ISO 100–200 and shoot in good light; the negative forgives overexposure, not underexposure. Processing is standard C-41; I can develop and scan it for you.
Specifications
- Type: colour negative
- Format: 135, 24 exposures
- Speed: ISO 400 (I suggest 100–200)
- Processing: C-41
- Expiry: expired, date unknown
- Stock: 1 roll
