I was sent a couple rolls of Fuji’s newer 400 film from a friend in the community named Lance. He asked me if I could shoot the new Fujifilm 400 to see what I thought of the rumors of this film just being Ultramax in disguise. I agreed to do it because Fuji Superia Xtra 400 is one of my favorite films and I’ve been pretty devastated since it was discontinued.
This comparison has been done in the past by several others like 35mmC, and they’ve done much more precise testing. I am not really one to do those types of test. So I just wanted to put a little disclaimer that this is not scientific. I’m just showing you my different results with Fuji Superia Xtra 400, Ultramax 400, and the modern Fujifilm 400 film to let you decide if you want to shoot any of these films yourself, or if you prefer one look over the other.
What I Know
From what I’ve gathered from research, the curves on the data sheets for all 3 films are not identical. Therefore, Fuji 400 may just be some other film. Their tests did show however, that under controlled settings, the two films looked identicle.
I have heard that the reason for the change in this film is because Japan started producing their film here in the U.S. at Kodak Facilities during the pandemic. I’ve seen comments here and there that they might start producing the film themselves again, and a glimmer of hope of getting Superia back has flickered here and there. Let me know if you have seen anything more concrete of these rumors.
Comparisons
The following photos are some older and new for the purpose of showing that I have worked with Ultramax and Superia for some years now. These results represent well what I have experienced with these films.
In my experience with Kodak Ultramax, it has always had a yellow look. When under-exposed, like in the Angel pic below, you can see shadows tend to lean towards green. That was something that I didn’t really like and made me shy form using the film.
Kodak Ultramax 400
2019
Ultramax 400
Now, you can see that also in the pic below, shot on the newer Fuji 400, the shadows lean green like Ultramax.
Next, here is a comparison side by side of the modern Fuji 400 next to Fuji Superia Xtra 400. Between these two you can see that the Fujifilm 400 (left) is warmer, and again the shadows lean towards the green spectrum. Whereas the Superia is cooler with more magenta in the shadows.
A Roll of Fujifilm 400
After these comparisons, my feelings for Ultramax and my love for Fuji’s Superia still stand. So what about the new rendition of Fuji 400? Here are some photos from one of the rolls Lance sent me. I actually really liked the results I got with it.
The above picture is actually one of my favorite photos to date. I took this walking downtown and I saw the perfect light shining into this storefront window, I knew I had to take a shot. The greens and yellows really suited this instance. I just love the pop of orange and saturation in the greens.
Final Thoughts on the New Fujifilm 400 Film
While I am not happy with the loss of Fuji Superia Xtra, I’m not entirely hating this new Fuji 400 they’ve given us. I’m not a fan of the results I’ve gotten with Ultramax, but I am a fan of the results I got with these rolls of Fuji 400. However, Fuji Superia and the new Fuji 400 don’t look alike at all to me, but there is a definite comparison for Ultramax to the new version.
I will definitely continue to hope that Superia comes back as we knew it, but in the meantime I don’t mind shooting with this new version. What do you think of it? Did you like the Superia better? Do you prefer Kodak Ultramax? Let me know in the comments. Big thank you to Lance for sending me the film to test out.
If you have found this article or any of my articles helpful, please consider supporting my work by clicking any of the links below. Purchasing a zine or even just subscribing to get my articles in your email helps me keep this going. Either way, thank you so much for reading.
Until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
Contribute
Buy a Roll of Fuji 400 to try out. OR Buy a roll of Kodak Ultramax.
All these photos were taken with a Leica M6 and a Nikon F.
To Shop for 35mm format film camera on KEH – CLICK HERE
Shop for 35mm format film camera on Ebay – CLICK HERE
To Shop for Medium Format film camera on KEH – CLICK HERE
Shop for Medium Format film camera on Ebay – CLICK HERE
These are affiliate links to KEH Camera, Ebay, and Amazon. Simply purchasing through these links, you’re supporting my work with no additional cost to your purchase. It’s greatly appreciated.