"Lucky 400" film is Lucky C400, also sold as Lucky Color 400: an ISO 400 color negative film from China Lucky Film, developed in standard C-41 chemistry. As of 7 October 2026 it sells for $13.00 to $15.99 a roll at the US shops we checked and £11.49 in the UK, which puts it level with Kodak Gold 200 rather than below it. It is still 35mm only: no shop we checked lists it in 120.
When we first covered it in March 2026, Lucky C400 was the film that made a 36-exposure roll of color cost less than a sandwich. That launch price never reached Western shelves. The question is no longer "is it cheap enough to risk?" but "is it good enough to choose?", and this review answers it with prices read on each shop's own page.
Lucky C400 isn't Portra, and it doesn't pretend to be. At Kodak Gold prices, you choose it for its look, not to save money.
Which Film Is "Lucky 400"?
Searching for "Lucky 400" turns up two different films, and the names do little to help.
Lucky C400 is the ISO 400 color negative reviewed here: C-41 process, 35mm, 36 exposures. Shops list the same roll as "Lucky Color 400", "Lucky Color C400", "Lucky Colour C400", "Lucky Film C400" and "Lucky C400 Colour 135". Its Chinese designation is 乐凯C400.
Lucky SHD400 is a black-and-white film. If you were looking for the monochrome stock, it has its own Lucky SHD400 review. Lucky's slower color film, Lucky C200, is covered in our Lucky C200 review.
The Lucky Film Backstory
China Lucky Film was founded in 1958 in Baoding, in Hebei province, and was for decades China's largest maker of photographic film. In 2003 Eastman Kodak signed a 20-year agreement with it: Kodak paid US$45 million and supplied an emulsion-making line for color products in exchange for a 20% stake. Kodak pulled out in 2007, citing the growth of digital cameras in China (Wikipedia).
That history is part of why the new color films attract attention, but it does not make C400 a Kodak film. Lucky has not said how C400 relates to any Kodak emulsion, and we found nothing that shows it does.
What the Images Look Like
Lucky C400 has a color palette of its own. Reviewers describe tones slightly muted compared to Kodak's consumer films, less warm and less saturated, with a cooler cast that leans faintly green in some light. Some call the look "cinematic", and the restrained palette does sit closer to motion picture film than to the punch of Ektar or Gold.
Grain is visible at ISO 400, as you would expect from a consumer 400 film, and reads as even rather than harsh in well-exposed frames. In underexposed frames it gets coarse quickly, so metering matters (more on that below).
Contrast is moderate. Shadows keep detail when exposure is right, and highlights hold without clipping harshly. The latitude is narrower than Portra's, so treat overexposure as your safety margin rather than underexposure.
Track this in the app: Film Roll Tracker
Lucky C400 vs Kodak Gold, Ultramax and Fujifilm 400
At today's prices, Lucky C400 competes with the established consumer films rather than undercutting them. Here is what the same two shops charged for each on 7 October 2026, for a single 36-exposure roll of 35mm:
| Film | ArtByPino (US) | 21STUDIO (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky C400 | $13.65 | £11.49 |
| Kodak Gold 200 | $13.21 | £8.99 |
| Kodak Ultramax 400 | $11.00 | £10.30 |
| Fujifilm 400 | $38.92 for 3 (sold out) | £12.49 |
Against Kodak Gold 200: Gold is warmer and more saturated, with Kodak's familiar amber-gold signature. Lucky C400 is cooler and more neutral. Gold is ISO 200, so C400 has a full stop more speed for indoor and overcast shooting. They now cost about the same in the US, and Gold is £2.50 cheaper at the UK shop above.
Against Kodak Ultramax 400: this is the like-for-like comparison, same speed and same process. Ultramax was cheaper than Lucky C400 at both shops on 7 October. If price per frame decides it, Ultramax wins; if you want a cooler, quieter palette than Kodak's, try Lucky.
Against Fujifilm 400: priced a little above Lucky C400 in the UK, and the 3-pack works out at about $12.97 a roll in the US when it is in stock.
If you shoot ten or more rolls a month, the arithmetic that once favoured Lucky no longer does, so pick on rendering rather than on cost. If you want character rather than savings, LomoChrome Classicolor plays in a similar space with a much stronger vintage look.
What Lucky C400 Costs in October 2026
Every price below was read from the shop's own product page on 7 October 2026, not from a search result. Stock on this film moves, so treat the last column as a snapshot.
| Retailer | Price | In stock? |
|---|---|---|
| dubblefilm (US) | $13.00 | Yes |
| ArtByPino (US) | $13.65 | Yes |
| MPEX (US) | $15.99 | Yes |
| 21STUDIO PHOTOLAB (UK) | £11.49 inc. VAT | Yes |
| Analogue Wonderland (UK) | £13.95 | Sold out |
| Ikigai Film Lab (AU) | A$17.50 | Yes |
Supply has improved. On 1 September, three of these six listings were sold out; on 7 October only one was. dubblefilm has also dropped its price from $14.00 to $13.00.
We still could not find a single retail listing at the $7 figure this film launched on. That number came from Chinese domestic pricing and direct-import routes, and it does not describe what a Western buyer pays. If you see it quoted, check the date on the source.
In the European Union it is harder to find. Nation Photo in France lists Lucky Color 200 and Lucky SHD 400, but not C400, and Kamerastore in Finland returned no result for it on 7 October. EU buyers currently pay UK or US shipping on top of the roll price, which makes a 3-pack the sensible minimum order.
Does Lucky C400 Come in 120?
No. As of October 2026 it is 35mm only.
The confusion has a traceable source. When 35mmc previewed a pre-production roll on 31 May 2026, the article said: "This film will be available in both 35 mm and 120 medium format rolls at launch." It shipped in 35mm only, and that forecast is still repeated as though it were fact.
None of the eight shops we checked on 7 October lists C400 in 120. Lucky's medium format color film is Lucky Color 200: Nation Photo lists it in 120 at €9.90. If you need a Lucky color film for a 120 camera, that is the one.
Lucky may yet coat C400 in 120. It has not announced it.
Shooting Tips
Meter accurately. Lucky C400 doesn't have Portra's generous latitude, so sloppy metering shows. A reliable light meter (or careful use of your camera's built-in meter) makes a visible difference.
Overexpose by half a stop. Rating the film at ISO 320 instead of 400 gives the shadows a little more detail and keeps grain in check. Rating it at 200 works too, at the cost of some contrast. If re-rating film is new to you, our film ISO guide explains how speed, grain and exposure interact.
Daylight is where it shines. Like most consumer C-41 films, Lucky C400 looks its best in natural light. Under tungsten or fluorescent light the green cast becomes stronger. If you want neutral tones, stick to daylight or overcast conditions.
Process promptly. Don't leave exposed rolls in a hot car for weeks. Shoot it, develop it, move on.
Who Should Try Lucky C400
The curious: if you have shot Gold and Ultramax for years, a roll or two of Lucky C400 shows you a different, cooler rendering for the price of a roll of Gold.
Shooters who want a quieter palette: if Kodak's warmth is not what you want and Portra costs too much, C400 sits in between on look, though not on price.
Not the budget shooter any more: if cost per frame is what matters, Kodak Ultramax 400 was cheaper at both shops we compared. For a cheaper Lucky, look at Lucky C200, which 21STUDIO sold at £8.99 on the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lucky 400 film the same as Lucky C400?
Yes. Lucky 400 color film, Lucky Color 400 and Lucky C400 are the same ISO 400 C-41 color negative film from China Lucky Film. Lucky SHD400 is a different, black-and-white film.
How much does Lucky C400 cost?
On 7 October 2026, $13.00 at dubblefilm, $13.65 at ArtByPino and $15.99 at MPEX in the US, £11.49 at 21STUDIO in the UK and A$17.50 at Ikigai Film Lab in Australia, for a 36-exposure roll.
Is Lucky C400 available in 120?
No. As of October 2026 it is sold in 35mm only. A May 2026 preview said it would come in 120 at launch, but it did not. Lucky Color 200 is the Lucky color film sold in 120.
Is Lucky C400 cheaper than Kodak Gold?
Not any more. On 7 October 2026, ArtByPino sold Lucky C400 at $13.65 and Kodak Gold 200 at $13.21; 21STUDIO in the UK sold them at £11.49 and £8.99.
What ISO should I shoot Lucky C400 at?
Its box speed is ISO 400. Rating it at ISO 320, half a stop over, gives a little more shadow detail; it is a C-41 film, so any color lab can develop it normally.
Track Your Results with Pellica
When you are testing a new film stock, your exposure data matters more than usual. You are learning how this emulsion responds to different light, subjects and metering. Without notes, all you have is a vague sense that "it looked okay" or "that roll was off."
Pellica's film roll tracker lets you log each frame with its exposure settings, and it records GPS and weather on its own. When your Lucky C400 scans come back, match each image to its data. After two or three rolls you will know how the film handles overcast light against direct sun, how much overexposure suits it, and whether the green cast bothers you or becomes part of its character.
Shoot the same subjects on Lucky C400 and on your usual Gold or Ultramax, then compare the two side by side: that is how you find out whether Lucky earns a place in your bag. Use the lab finder to locate a C-41 lab near you.
Correction, 7 October 2026: an earlier version of this article said Lucky's Baoding factory was once a Kodak OEM plant making film to Kodak's specifications, and that Lucky had traded under the "ERA" brand. Kodak in fact held a 20% stake in China Lucky Film from 2003 to 2007 and supplied an emulsion line for color products; we could not confirm the ERA claim and removed it.