Kodak Portra 400 was launched in 1998 and replaced the older 'Vericolor' emulsion in Kodak's range. Originally there were two variants of Portra: 'Vivid Colour' and 'Natural Colour' but a technical update in 2010 made the difference redundant with a new and improved film.
Portra is famous for its outstanding replication of skin tones. The 400 speed is the most versatile of the family (there is also a Portra 160 and a Portra 800) and it can be pushed/pulled while still delivering gorgeous results.
 
When you look at the ratings for this emulsion online, well over 90% of them are five-star. "Fantastic skin tones" are referenced in many of them! In fact Portra 400 is the top recommended film for portrait on our entire store.
 
Of course that doesn't mean that you have to just use it for portraits and everything else will look terrible - there are many gorgeous architectural, landscape, pet photos in the reviews as well.
Ultimately this is a premium film with very powerful chemistry, and the photos it will produce for you are going to be beautiful