ouch! film price up

back alley

back alley

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the local pro shop does not have delta 400 in 24 exposures but only 36, they are not sure why...might be ilford or it might be their decision - the salesman was not sure.
they do so little film sales that the counter staff really don't pay much attention to details about film anymore.

can't really blame them.

and now the price of film has gone up about 2 bucks a roll for the 36exposure delta 400.

this is killin' me!
20 bucks for every 10 rolls i buy. i usually buy 10 at a time.

joe
 
Hmmmmm.....did you check Freestyle's prices? Delta Pro 400/24 sels for 3.09 US. Dunno what happens to customs charges with mail-order stuff, but maybe worth a look. freestylephoto.biz

Regards!
Don
 
100ft rolls the only way to shoot black and white . one roll of ilford pan f is $41.00 at adorama . Equal to 20 rolls of 36 exposures $2.00 a roll . i prefer 27 exposures . i find that 36 binds in the patterson reels towards the end of the roll . i use Lloyd's bulk film loader can be found on EBAY for a doller or two .
 
I know what you mean, Joe. I've tried to support local merchants too, but the big box stores and internet sales have forced most of 'em out of business. I'm a victim of the same thing. I owned a one-man fishing equipment operation...rod/reel sales, service, custom rods, custom modifications, etc... Couldn't compete for product pricing with the big vendors, so I sold everything I had, kept a few rods, etc., and retired.

So it goes...

Don
 
if you are buying ten rolls at a time, you might as well buy bulk and roll your own, IMHO. Ilford sells 30.5m rolls of Delta 400, so just ask your shop for it. They can order it for you if nothing else.
 
If I owned a camera shop, I would be bending over backwards to serve the film users. I would keep my film prices as low as possible, maybe even sell near cost (just cover the cost of slow inventory turnover) ... here's why. Film photographers are hard core. They are dedicated to the craft and are valuable asset when it comes to word-of-mouth advertising. Also, they tend to appreciate quality accessories.

When they need a filter, a bag, a tripod ... they will come in and buy good quality if it is in stock. They will pay more for that quality and for the convenience. Last time I needed a filter and couldn't wait for mail-order, I ended up buying a Tiffin ND filter. I wanted better ... B&W, Heliopan, Hoya MC, etc. I'm not putting down Tiffin, but I was ready to pay more if there had been selection.

Film is the staple that a film guy/gal needs. If I can get Tri-x (or whatever) in a local shop at a decent price, I WILL SHOP THAT STORE MORE REGULARLY. I will tell everyone I know to go there. I recently had someone at work who wanted a digicam ask me for advice. They were going to Costa Rica soon, so didn't have a lot of time to shop. I gave them a few tips, but didn't direct them to a camera shop, I just agreed that Circuit City would be as good a place as any to go. I didn't have a strong affiliation to a local camera shop because no local shop has earned my loyalty.

"Back in the days", I was loyal to Linden Photo in London, ON, then Stan C. Reade earned my loyalty. I sent people there because of the fair prices and the service. Did I pay more than mail order? Yes. Did I get more for my money? IMO, yes.

Sorry for the long-ish rant, but the current state of photo retailing really burns me.

Earl
 
The local merchants don't "support me", they don't "support" black and white, so I don't support them apart from getting color C41 prints there. In 35mm bulk loading is the way to go. Freestyle, J&C, Ardorama, B&H, eBay, Photowarehouse... get used to it. In the future it will all be mailorder. They have better deals and bigger selection anyway. if ya gotta pay the freight - so be it. At retailers you pay sales tax, gas to get there, plus your time. It's a wash, really.

Recommendation - get empty 35mm cartridges from your photo shop for loading. There will be a little bit of film sticking out the end - an 8th of an inch or so, where they cut it. Use green 35mm film splicing tape (cheap but surprisingly a little difficult to find) to splice the film in the loader to the cartridge. Work the spliced part back into the cartridge by hand.

I have run this through C41 machines too many times to count using both color and XP2, never had an issue. I have a trash bag full of cartridges, and I only use them once.

Once you start bulk-loading, you will seldom ever buy single rolls. The local shop gouges for Tri-X, $4 - $5 bucks a roll!!! His biggest customer for this are photography students! No wonder they're put off to shooting b&w.

I have three loaders and 100' spools of Agfa Optima Professional (C41 color), FP4+, Tri-X, and XP2 Super. I, obviously, am not wanting for black and white.

I shoot with cheap fixed lens rangefinders in 135. GSNs, CCs, Konica S3's, Lynx 14e. All CLA'd and all users. I'm of the mindset that paying $1000 for a lens silly, I'll put that money into film and processing. I can't sensibly afford to do both doing this as a hobby, not earning a penney for anything I shoot. If I was a pro selling photos, yeah, I would have those lenses since I could write them off and depreciate them...

I find it amazing when I read posts from people who complain about film and processing costs (not you), but never even tried to develop or print a roll of black and white, but when your look at their camera list, it's M8, MP, a Leica lens or two in every focal length, Zeiss Ikons, Hexar RFs, Mamiya 6, every "name" camera under the sun.

It is to laugh.
 
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i don't have the patience for bulk loading. it just seems like so much energy wasted. i know that may be short sighted on my part but i never claimed to be a perfect person.
i can buy larger amounts of film locally and get a slight discount and now that i have decided to stick with the delta films i may do that.
as for the local shop, they are good people, part of the problem is that what i want they don't carry...rf cameras, film cameras, odd sized filters, heck, even b&w film is a no go as far as sales are concerned - what film they do sell is mostly colour.

maybe i'll sell the car and buy a bus pass and an m8!

joe
 
I just roll up the rolls I need as I need them. Takes less time than running to the store. If my time at work is energy used, then money and time saved rolling my own over spending my money and time running to the store for film, then bulk loading is energy saved, not wasted. Just IMHO, of course 🙂

There are downsides to bulk loading. You lose the last frame or two on a roll, so I've learned to put 27-29 exposures on a roll, then considering the roll done at 24. The last few shots are throw-aways. Use them to see if your shutter works at all speeds, or to see how well you can handhold at 1/4th 🙂 Or, just change film at 24.
 
back alley said:
i don't have the patience for bulk loading. it just seems like so much energy wasted. i know that may be short sighted on my part but i never claimed to be a perfect person.
i can buy larger amounts of film locally and get a slight discount and now that i have decided to stick with the delta films i may do that.
as for the local shop, they are good people, part of the problem is that what i want they don't carry...rf cameras, film cameras, odd sized filters, heck, even b&w film is a no go as far as sales are concerned - what film they do sell is mostly colour.

maybe i'll sell the car and buy a bus pass and an m8!

joe
Click to expand...

Really???

I don't find it an issue at all... it's enjoyable in a zen sort of way, a mindless activity I usually do at the nearby Starbucks (in the future there will be a Starbucks on every corner - btw) over a cup-o-joe or two or three.

C'mon. Roll yer own, mahn! It's a bit cheaper, but more importantly you never run out of your favorite black and white film. Use the splicing method I suggested, easier, imo, than the cartridges they sell (at $.50 a pop). Photoshops are glad to give them to you.
 
I bulk roll, and have a few cartridges salvaged from a lab ... but I'd never really tried to use them ... hadn't quite thought how to do the splicing bit. Thanks for the tip.

Right you are, Bill. I have to stop thinking about it, it makes me crazy.
 
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