C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Nikon F-401s (sold as the N4004s in North America) is the second iteration of Nikon's entry-level autofocus SLR line, succeeding the F-401 (N4004) and preceding the F-401x. Introduced around 1990, it updated the original F-401 with improved AF performance and minor refinements. The body is polycarbonate, runs on 4x AA batteries (convenient but bulky), and offers program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual modes. DX-coded film rail. Aimed squarely at the consumer who wanted AF convenience and full P/A/S/M control without paying for the F-601 or F-801 tier.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
Mid-generation update to the F-401. Consumer AF SLR with improved AF, DX coding, and AA battery power.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Nikon F (AF, AF-D) |
| Years | 1990–1994 ~ |
| Shutter | 30s – 1/2000s, electronic |
| Flash sync | 1/100s |
| Meter | TTL matrix / center-weighted |
| Modes | Program, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual |
| AF | Single-area autofocus |
| Battery | 4x AA |
| DX coding | Yes |
The F-401 line (F-401 / F-401s / F-401x) was Nikon's mainstream consumer AF entry point during 1987-1997, positioned below the F-501, F-601, and F-801 tiers. The F-401s updated the original F-401 (1987) with improved AF module performance. It was followed by the F-401x which added further AF improvements and a slightly revised body. The whole F-401 series shared the same basic polycarbonate form factor and AA battery power scheme - practical for travellers who preferred AA cells over proprietary packs.
The F-401s is a functional, affordable way to run AF Nikkors in 2026. Used prices of $30-80 make it among the cheapest working Nikon AF SLRs. Full P/A/S/M exposure modes give more control than point-and-shoots of the same era. Trade-offs: single-area AF (not multi-point), 1/100s flash sync (slow), pentamirror finder, and the AA battery compartment adds bulk. The F-401x (successor) is similar and equally cheap; the F-601 offers better AF and flash sync for slightly more money.
AF and AF-D Nikkors autofocus. AI and AI-S manual focus lenses mount and expose in program or manual modes (no AF coupling). Pre-AI lenses do not mount without modification. DX coding reads ISO from canisters automatically.
Built-in pop-up flash. Accepts dedicated Nikon Speedlights with TTL through the hot shoe.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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