When your favourite film is discontinued, unavailable, or too expensive, you need alternatives. This guide maps popular films to similar stocks—both current production and alternatives when originals become unavailable.
No film is a perfect substitute for another. Each has its own character. These recommendations get you closest.
Colour Negative Alternatives
If You Like Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 — known for: warm skin tones, excellent latitude, fine grain for a 400-speed film. The professional standard for colour negative work.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Portra 160 | High | Lower speed, finer grain, slightly cooler |
| Kodak Portra 800 | High | Higher speed, more grain, warmer, punchier |
| Kodak Gold 200 | Moderate | Warmer, higher contrast, consumer colour science |
Why each works:
Portra 160 shares the same colour science but at lower speed. Use when you have plenty of light and want even finer grain. The colour palette is nearly identical.
Portra 800 is the high-speed sibling. Expect more saturation and warmth, but the same latitude and skin tone handling.
Gold 200 is the budget alternative. Warmer and less refined, but surprisingly capable. Lacks Portra's legendary latitude.
If You Like Kodak Portra 160
Kodak Portra 160 — known for: finest grain in the Portra family, beautiful skin tones, professional colour accuracy. The finest grain Portra.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Ektar 100 | Moderate | Higher saturation, more contrast, less skin-friendly |
| Kodak Portra 400 | High | More grain, more versatile, slightly warmer |
| Fujifilm Pro 400H | High (discontinued) | Similar latitude, cooler greens, pastel quality |
Ektar 100 offers even finer grain but with much higher saturation. Works for portraits in controlled lighting but can be unflattering in direct sun.
If You Like Kodak Ektar 100
Kodak Ektar 100 — known for: extremely fine grain, high saturation, vivid colours, excellent for landscapes. The most saturated Kodak negative film.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Fujifilm Velvia 50 (slide) | Moderate | Even higher saturation, slide process |
| Kodak Portra 160 | Low | Much lower saturation, better skin tones |
| Lomography Color Negative 100 | Moderate | Similar saturation, different colour balance |
Velvia 50 exceeds Ektar's saturation but requires E-6 processing and has far less latitude. The look is more extreme.
Lomography Color Negative 100 approaches Ektar's saturation with a slightly different colour balance and more vintage character.
If You Like CineStill 800T
CineStill 800T — known for: distinctive halation around highlights, tungsten balance for artificial light, cinematic rendering. The halation king of night photography.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Vision3 500T | High | Same base stock, requires ECN-2, has remjet |
| Kodak Portra 800 | Low | No halation, daylight balanced |
| Lomography Color Negative 800 | Low | No halation, different character |
Kodak Vision3 500T is the actual cinema film CineStill is based on. Requires ECN-2 processing (or remjet removal for C-41). No halation around lights—CineStill removes the anti-halation backing.
For the halation effect specifically, there is no alternative—it's unique to CineStill's process.
If You Liked Fuji Pro 400H (Discontinued)
Fuji Pro 400H — known for: pastel colour palette, cooler greens, exceptional latitude, creamy overexposure handling. The beloved professional portrait film, discontinued 2021.
Closest Alternatives:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Portra 400 | Moderate | Warmer, different greens, different shadow colour |
| Kodak Portra 160 | Moderate | Lower speed, warmer |
| Fujifilm 400 | Low | Consumer film, less latitude |
Portra 400 is the go-to replacement but differs significantly:
- Pro 400H had cooler greens, Portra has warmer/yellower greens
- Pro 400H had more pastel quality, Portra is more saturated
- Pro 400H handled overexposure with a creamy quality, Portra stays more neutral
Digital simulation: Some photographers overexpose Portra 400 by 1-2 stops, then reduce warmth and add slight green to shadows in post to approach Pro 400H's look.
Frozen stocks of Pro 400H remain available (at premium prices) from some specialty retailers. Expect degradation over time despite freezing.
Slide Film Alternatives
If You Like Fujifilm Velvia 50
Fujifilm Velvia 50 — known for: extreme colour saturation, punchy contrast, vivid greens and reds, the landscape photographer's classic. The saturated landscape standard.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Fujifilm Velvia 100 | High | One stop faster, slightly less saturation |
| Fujifilm Provia 100F | Moderate | More neutral, better latitude |
| Kodak Ektachrome E100 | Low | Different colour palette, less saturation |
Velvia 100 is the closest—same saturation philosophy but one stop faster. Slightly warmer than Velvia 50.
Provia 100F dials back the saturation for more realistic colour. Professional choice when Velvia's punch is too much.
If You Like Fujifilm Provia 100F
Fujifilm Provia 100F — known for: neutral colour rendering, fine grain, accurate colour reproduction, versatile for various subjects. Neutral, professional slide film.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Ektachrome E100 | Moderate | Warmer, different greens |
| Fujifilm Velvia 100 | Low | Much more saturation |
Ektachrome E100 is the primary alternative but differs notably:
- Warmer overall
- Different colour science
- Ektachrome has distinctive blue rendering
- Both have similar latitude
If You Liked Kodachrome (Discontinued)
Kodachrome — known for: exceptional colour stability, distinctive warm reds, deep blues, archival permanence, unique colour rendering no other film matches. The legendary film, no longer processable (E-6 doesn't work, K-14 labs closed).
Aesthetic Alternatives:
| Alternative | Similarity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Ektar 100 | Low | Negative film but shares some Kodak colour DNA |
| Kodak Ektachrome E100 | Low | Slide film, different look |
| CineStill 50D | Low | Cinema stock, processed C-41, some claim similar colour |
The truth: Nothing replicates Kodachrome. Its colour stability, contrast curve, and rendering were unique to the K-14 process.
Digital simulation: Some photographers shoot Ektar 100 or Ektachrome E100 and apply Kodachrome-style grading in post. This approaches the aesthetic without the original.
Black and White Alternatives
If You Like Kodak Tri-X 400
Kodak Tri-X 400 — known for: classic gritty grain, excellent push capability, beautiful tonal range, the documentary photographer's standard. The most iconic black and white film.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Ilford HP5 Plus | High | Finer grain, different mid-tone rendering |
| Fomapan 400 | Moderate | More grain, different curve, budget price |
| Kodak T-Max 400 | Moderate | Finer grain, different aesthetic |
HP5 Plus is the closest match:
- Similar versatility
- Similar push characteristics
- Slightly finer grain
- Different mid-tone character (HP5 is smoother, Tri-X is more gritty)
Fomapan 400 is the budget alternative with more grain and a different curve. Some prefer it; it has its own character.
T-Max 400 offers finer grain but a different aesthetic—tabular grain versus cubic grain creates a different look entirely.
If You Like Ilford HP5 Plus
Ilford HP5 Plus — known for: exceptional versatility, smooth mid-tones, excellent push performance, forgiving exposure latitude. The versatile British workhorse.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak Tri-X 400 | High | More grain, more gritty character |
| Ilford Delta 400 | Moderate | Finer grain, T-grain aesthetic |
| Kentmere 400 | High | Budget HP5, slightly different curve |
Kentmere 400 is actually made by Ilford and shares DNA with HP5. Expect similar versatility at lower cost with slightly different character.
If You Like Ilford Delta 3200
Ilford Delta 3200 — known for: genuine high-speed capability, modern T-grain structure, manageable grain for the speed, excellent low-light performance. True high-speed black and white.
Similar Current Films:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Kodak T-Max P3200 | High | Similar capability, different grain structure |
| Ilford HP5 Plus pushed to 3200 | Moderate | More grain, different contrast curve |
T-Max P3200 is the direct competitor. Both are tabular grain high-speed films. T-Max P3200 has slightly finer grain; Delta 3200 has slightly more latitude. Both push to 6400+.
If You Liked Fuji Neopan 400 (Discontinued)
Fuji Neopan 400 — known for: distinctively smooth tonality, fine grain for its speed, beautiful mid-tone rendering. The smooth Fuji black and white.
Closest Alternatives:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Ilford HP5 Plus | Moderate | Different character, similar versatility |
| Kodak T-Max 400 | Moderate | Finer grain, different rendering |
| Fujifilm Neopan Acros II | Low | ISO 100, different purpose |
HP5 Plus provides the versatility Neopan 400 had, though with different mid-tone rendering. Neopan had a distinctive smooth quality difficult to replicate.
If You Liked Fuji Neopan 1600 (Discontinued)
Fuji Neopan 1600 — known for: remarkably fine grain for its speed, good tonal range, excellent low-light capability. High-speed with relatively fine grain.
Closest Alternatives:
| Alternative | Similarity | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Ilford Delta 3200 at 1600 | Moderate | More modern T-grain structure |
| Kodak T-Max P3200 at 1600 | Moderate | Different rendering |
| Ilford HP5 Plus pushed to 1600 | Moderate | More grain, different aesthetic |
Delta 3200 rated at 1600 provides similar speed with modern grain structure. Pull processing slightly reduces contrast.
Discontinued Film Alternatives Summary
| Discontinued Film | Best Current Alternative | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuji Pro 400H | Kodak Portra 400 | Warmer, different greens |
| Fuji Superia X-tra 400 | Kodak UltraMax 400 | Different colour balance |
| Kodachrome | No true equivalent | Digital simulation closest |
| Fuji Neopan 400 | Ilford HP5 Plus | Different character |
| Fuji Neopan 1600 | Ilford Delta 3200 @ 1600 | More modern look |
| Agfa Vista 200 | Kodak Gold 200 | Similar consumer segment |
| Kodak Plus-X 125 | Ilford FP4 Plus | Similar ISO, different curve |
| Kodak Verichrome Pan | Ilford FP4 Plus | Different era, similar use |
Budget Alternatives
When price is the primary concern:
Colour Negative
| Premium Film | Budget Alternative | Price Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Portra 400 | Kodak Gold 200 | ~50% less |
| Portra 400 | Kodak UltraMax 400 | ~40% less |
| Ektar 100 | Fujifilm C200 | ~60% less |
Black and White
| Premium Film | Budget Alternative | Price Difference |
|---|---|---|
| HP5 Plus | Fomapan 400 | ~40% less |
| Tri-X 400 | Fomapan 400 | ~40% less |
| Delta 100 | Fomapan 100 | ~50% less |
| FP4 Plus | Kentmere 100 | ~40% less |
Budget films are perfectly capable of excellent results. The differences become most apparent in large prints, push processing, and critical colour work. For learning, experimenting, and casual shooting, budget films are entirely appropriate.
Making Substitutions Work
When switching films, adjust your workflow:
Colour Films:
- Test the new film in familiar conditions first
- Note colour differences under your typical lighting
- Adjust exposure to match your preferences (budget films often like slight overexposure)
- Communicate with your lab about scanning preferences
Black and White Films:
- Run a development test with your developer
- Adjust development time for your desired contrast
- Note grain and tonality differences
- Some developers suit certain films better
General Advice:
- Give any new film at least 3-5 rolls before judging
- Shoot test rolls in conditions you understand
- Compare directly when possible (same scene, same conditions)
Summary
- Portra 400 alternatives include Portra 160/800, Gold 200 (budget)
- Fuji Pro 400H has no perfect replacement—Portra 400 is closest but warmer
- Velvia 50 alternatives include Velvia 100, Provia 100F (less saturated)
- Kodachrome has no equivalent—digital simulation is the closest approach
- Tri-X 400 alternatives include HP5 Plus, Fomapan 400 (budget)
- Budget alternatives exist for most premium films at 40-60% lower cost
- No substitute is perfect—embrace the differences and learn each film's character
Film stocks have unique personalities. When forced to substitute, treat it as an opportunity to discover a new aesthetic rather than a compromise.