Rising Cost of Oil - Rising Cost of Film

[c.poulton]

What with the rising cost of fuel and silver, I have just read in the British Journal of Photography that both Kodak and Fujifilm are to raise the price of film and paper by between 5-10% (Kodak) and 10-20% (Fuji).

This could rise even further if the cost of raw materials keeps on going up!

I am very worried by this as it could hasten the demise of film far faster than expected. If we cannot afford to shoot film as often as before, we buy less, which has a knock on effect on prices, which will rise, and so on, and so on until it becomes un-economical to manufacture or buy film and paper anymore.

Maybe I am just being over sensational here, but I am a very worried film shooter who already has to count the pennies when buying & processing film.....🙁

 

[btgc]

That's true....I too have migrated to ebay film and "soup only" processing. If I'd buy film for regular price I'd consider writing short stories - takes same time and less expenses.

 

[raid]

Prices are going up in almost everything around us. Film is just another item that costs more these days. Our grocery bill has increased by 30%-40% for the same type of shopping.

 

[Michael I.]

Prices are going up in almost everything around us. Film is just another item that costs more these days. Our grocery bill has increased by 30%-40% for the same type of shopping.

exactly.foodwise 150$(in todays dollar) buy what 100$ used to buy 3 years ago.
a 100 feet of trix is 100NIS(~28$) and it used to cost 140 NIS a year ago 🙂

 

[tedwin]

Right now its not so bad. My enlarger (new about $2200NZD) cost $100NZD in mint condition, second hand. There are many other examples where traditional photography items are a great deal cheaper than ever before. My Rolleiflex was a bargain, enlarger lenses - same, I could probably afford a Hasselblad or an old Leica if I felt the urge. Not true a few years ago.

So for starters, the $2100NZD saved on the enlarger is going to go a long way toward the expected price rises in film and paper. And thats before I start counting everywhere else.

I don't think this hobby has ever been more affordable, so cheer up!

 

[btgc]

Good note on prices of used analogue gear (I'm talking about common items not collectables because this is what I can judge). But only because bandwagon is in digital realm now.

Not so with rest of what I want or have to buy. When I were kid I believed scientists apply they efforts to make things better, spare resources and improve recycling. Back then I couldn't imagine about creepy sharks known as PR and marketing crowd, sellers (there are sellers which differ from regular sellers) and finally, those who own resources.

Isn't it sick that in age when people could live just fine we are going to starve because system is built to suck blood out of planet to make nice days for tens of thousands of resource keepers and governors ?

I recently started to think that system when single country having oil under them just "owns" it is very wrong. They haven't done nothing to make oil. I'm happy there aren't yet technologies allowing to grab air and then sell it to neighbors. Probably this system just shows that mankind haven't went too far from medieval times - we just have fancier belongings.

I know how stupid this sounds...well.

 

[c.poulton]

That's true....I too have migrated to ebay film and "soup only" processing. If I'd buy film for regular price I'd consider writing short stories - takes same time and less expenses.

Yes, that's exactly what I do these days - buy film via the internet & get my film souped & scanned via a mail order lab. Although I now feel very guilty towards my local pro-lab where I used to buy film and get my film processed. I know I should support them, but with a relatively fixed income, I just cannot afford to do otherwise....🙁

Even with the cost of film, photography is a cheaper hobby than most these days. Shooting film is clearly an expensive choice when you can use cameras instead that will let you shoot thousands of photos for only the $16 for a memory card. It's a niche that will only continue to get more expensive.

Leicasniper, very true. Digital looks increasingly attractive just for that very reason, however the cost of the camera (M8 or RD1) is rather prohibitive for me, unless I consider an alternative DSLR or P&S.

So, for the time being, I am OK just so long as I can buy film relatively cheaply and get it processed. One option open I guess is to soup myself (Sorry no room for a darkroom in my apartment, much to my annoyance) which will save a bit of money.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I am still buying 35mm Neopan 400 for US$2.99 a roll. ($2.74 for 120 which I shoot a lot of) At 5 rolls a week, that's $15 plus a few dollars for chemistry. Damn cheap.

If film went up by 50%, it would cost me $7.50 a week more. That is insignificant overall. I can make that up by getting a "value meal" for lunch twice a week.

Maybe I would feel differently if I had paid $1,800 to $5,000 for a new digital camera in the last year. But so far photography has been damn cheap.

 

[btgc]

Although I now feel very guilty towards my local pro-lab where I used to buy film and get my film processed.

yeah...kind of...btw they also are screwing me up - one lab has set up policy that souping roll of c-41 without making prints, they want double, that is $4 equivalent. Other place (also stable and good, not so expensive rent, I think) soups same thing for $1. Recently they started to ask additional $1 for sleeving if no prints are made.

I can understand them - prices on rent, electricity are rising, they could want to add to salaries to keep workers.

cost of the camera (M8 or RD1) is rather prohibitive for me, unless I consider an alternative DSLR or P&S.

At moment I even don't consider. I'll do this in future if shooting film will become luxury like driving RR.
As for DSLR - I yet have to adopt them, I like old all-metal-stuff too much to give up right now.

 

[MISH]

I like old all-metal-stuff too much to give up right now.

although my digital friends smirk about not having to spend money on film any more, I notice that almost as soon as they buy a camera they are already looking for something better (your friends may not have this problem)while my 50 year old film beauties are as as good as new for the kind of photography I do

I did get some birthday money in june and when I went to order film from B&h prices for Kodak Black and White had gone up 15-20% but found Adorama still had the prices I was used to.
I guess my challenge will be to be a 15-20% better photographer
as the prices go up

 

[M. Valdemar]

Psssssstt......

It's not so much that the prices are going up, but the silly-money they call the dollar is going DOWN. As in devalued. As in you need four dollars to buy what one dollar bought last year.

They don't even have to PRINT the money anymore. The just SAY that there's another trillion or so available, and poof, there it is. It shows up on a computer screen somewhere. We SAY it's real dollars, so it IS real dollars. Like magic!

Presto-chango. Need another 200 BILLION per month to set up a few wars? No problemo. Here ya go.

Need 10 BILLION to give to Afghanistan so they can pretend not to grow anymore nasty opium poppies? Here it is, fellas. Knock yourself out.

Make the American citizens pay. That's what they're here for.

As long as the saps accept the dollar and refrain from rioting, it won't stop.

 

[kevin m]

I think we are going to have to live with the rising cost of any product that contains or needs oil products to produce, which would be almost everything we use, except firewood...

Nope. Unseasoned hardwood was $100 a cord last spring. It's $150 now. 🙂

 

[M like Leica M6]

Everything is getting more expensive, because our economy is not prepared for high energy prices... I am talking about Germany. In the USA it is much, much worse, because of traditionally very low gas and energy prices and because of the low dollar exchange rate. Everything that needs to be imported becomes very expensive, and as most oil comes from abroad and as all the jobs and factories were moved to China so carelessly... that's a stage setting for a disaster.

Regarding film, I doubt that Kodak and Fuji will be able to dictate prices. They can announce a markup, but there is still some competition, at least in b/w.

 

[dmr]

Since I have to commute via car from where I live, I pay attention to gas prices closely.

I also watch film prices as well.

Fuel has most definitely risen higher and faster than film! A roll of Fuji 200 is still under $2 quite consistently, while gas has risen significantly over the past year!

 

[M like Leica M6]

Since I have to commute via car from where I live, I pay attention to gas prices closely.

I also watch film prices as well.

Fuel has most definitely risen higher and faster than film! A roll of Fuji 200 is still under $2 quite consistently, while gas has risen significantly over the past year!

If there were a country with massive resources of raw film material in the soil you might easily achieve skyrocketing film prices by declaring they have weapons of mass desctruction and send troops... 20 bucks per roll after 5 years, guaranteed. 🙄

 

[rxmd]

If you feel that film is more expensive now than it was 1 year ago, just look at how much cheaper it is than it was 20 years ago. Photography was never cheaper as a hobby.

Philipp