PolarPro’s New Lens Filter Tries to Replicate the Look of Portra 400 Film
Digital photographers typically try to recreate the look of classic film stocks using presets and emulations. PolarPro is taking a very different and unique approach with its latest product, a physical filter designed to recreate the look and color profile of the beloved Kodak Portra 400 film stock.
The PolarPro Portra Filter promises to deliver the “soft, organic” look of Portra film in-camera. To achieve this specific look, the glass filter has a warm tone, white mist diffusion, and a chroma polarizer, which creates warm highlights, natural-looking skin tones, and reduces unwanted glare. Looking at PolarPro’s sample photos and videos, the filter clearly delivers a softer, diffuse image with lower contrast. PolarPro notes that the diffusion strength is quite low, equivalent to a 1/4 diffusion filter.
It is an interesting concept, and PolarPro claims that achieving this classic look through a filter makes it more consistent and repeatable, and certainly much easier than trying to apply a similar appearance during post-processing. As the company says, photos and videos are “finished at capture,” meaning that creators don’t need to rely on any digital presets or perform heavy manual grading.
Although this is, so far as PetaPixel is aware, the first filter explicitly said to replicate the look of a specific film stock, this is not the first time PolarPro has channeled a vintage film look with its filters. The company’s CineGold filter, for example, aims to recreate the colors and contrast of film. PolarPro’s CineBlack filter aims to make photos and videos look more “cinematic,” which really means they look like they were shot with older, generally worse glass. In 2024, Sandmarc tried to achieve the same vintage look on mobile with its Retro Filter for iPhone. Vintage is undeniably still trendy.
The PolarPro Portra filter is available in standard sizes from 49mm to 82mm and in a coarse thread version in 86mm and 95mm diameters. It is also available for the PolarPro Helix maglock filter system, which utilizes a magnetic twist-lock mechanism to attach filters to lenses. Prices for the standard filters range from $89.99 to $129.99, while the Helix version is $249.99.
Image credits: PolarPro
