Can we still afford film?

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Platinum RF

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The film price has been increased, maybe to a point I do not want to pay for it. The digital RF is still so expensive, I may have to give up RF until afforable digital RF made available.
 
Platinum, I don't know where you are, but in the UK I would think that film has never been cheaper. 22 years ago I used to pay £12.00 for ten rolls of Orwo NP27 - by far the cheapest b&w film you could buy, and at least £25 in today's terms. The other day I bought ten Agfa APX for £16.00, whilst £25.00 will get you 12 HP5 from 7 day shop.

Pricewise I think that we have little to complain of - and prices in the US seem positively utopian :)

Cheers, Ian
 
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What is so expensive? Ilford's prices have shot up dramatically in the last year or so, but what else? And is that really a major concern?
I always spent more on paper and chemicals than film anyway, but I also shoot relatively slow. Of course some of that is made up for by using medium format, so only 8-15 frames per roll...
Even slide film is still 'cheap' last I checked, compared to the cost of getting it processed, and especially if you consider the hassle.
Maybe its just because nobody processes locally any more?
 
Yes Ilford's prices have gone up but the answer to that is to buy bulk rolls. If you are in the US B&H have bulk XP2 that works out at 1/2 the cost of boxed cassettes. Just look around - inexpensive film is everywhere... :)
 
Speaking of XP2 or BW400CN, where is the best place to buy (US supplier)? Do they offer 24 exposure rolls anymore? I'd prefer not to go bulk, but I might consider it if they no longer offer anything but 36 exposures in regular cassettes...
 
I go out and shoot 3 rolls of b&w film. I come home and process it. I've still spent less than US$10.

Let's see what else I can do for $10? I can sit on the couch and watch TV. Or, I can surf the internet. I can even go for a nice walk. But not much more than that.

Now that 3 rolls of film and chemistry that now costs $10 once cost $7. But what's $3 these days? Eat a "value meal" one day for lunch one day and I've saved that.
 
digitalintrigue said:
Speaking of XP2 or BW400CN, where is the best place to buy (US supplier)? Do they offer 24 exposure rolls anymore?
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A few months ago from UltraFineOnLine, I got ten 3-packs of Kodak BW400CN 24 exp, short-dated, $4.98 each 3-pack, total $49.80+$5.95s&h = $55.75 for 30 rolls. This was from their eBay store, which I keep an eye on periodically, as they have various stuff on special pricing at different times.
 
I have stopped buying Ilford films since Harman took over. A roll of FP4+ (36 exp) with taxes and - my discount comes out to $8.00 Cdn (same in US$). If I buy Tri X in volume (100+ rolls) it still costs me close to $5/roll. It used to be $1.99/roll from Unique Photo in N.Y. (again volume buy 500-1000 rolls at a time). I am serious;ly thinking of switching to Fuji 400 instead. Even from B&H I can get it for $ 2.99/roll. So you say it is not a big deal. If you shoot 600-800 rolls a year, it adds up. Saving $2/roll can buy me a airline ticket to Europe and even a used M2 to go along.
I do use bulk film while at home, but the Leica IXMOO cassettes attracts attention from security at airports "Sir, this looks more like a 50 caliber cartridge than a film cassette!" and they are heavy to boot.
I am stocking up on film and feel nervous if I have less than a years supply in the freezer.
 
I agree with buying expired film; the local pro store sells their rolls for $1 each as soon as they expire and they've been refrigerated all along...

My main stock is my beloved Ultra 50 though, have 50+ rolls left still. :)
 
Yep,

I have stocks of 3 year old + expired Ektachrome color slide for crossprocessing that I bought @ $2 a roll, frozen for over 4 years, almost everything I shoot is expired film except some of the black and white I use and @ less than $4 each a roll who`s complaining? :D

I develop it all and transfer over to CD so it`s just as cheap as digital and has LESS post production work in the long run

:)

Tom
 
A lot of film can be purchased for the price of a digital sensor. A M8 costs $1500 more than a M7. For a pro who shoots many thousands of frames a year, digital makes economic sense. For some like me, who shoots one or two rolls a week, film is cheaper.

Adjusted for inflation, film seems cheaper now than thirty years ago.

Richard
 
I find Freestyle to have good deals on film, both boxed and bulk, plus the have a large variety of emulsions.

Earl
 
I have used a lot of BW400CN since I took up photography a couple of years ago. The first roll from the local Kodak 1hr cost me $10.00 ... then I started buying from a Hong Kong eBay seller at $6.00 a roll ... my last lot which I stumbled over on eBay one night was $1.95 per roll ... I bought sixty rolls!

I find if I'm looking for cheap film constantly ... it's there all the time ... but the internet and eBay are a bonus I must admit! :)
 
Wobbly said:
Think of all the money you'll save on not having to upgrade computer, monitor, printer periodically, not to mention the camera (as sensors and hardware/software consantly evolve). Also the money saved on not having to continually purchase batteries and strorage/backup storage for your images. Pick up a 20-50 dollar RF film camera and you'll be taking photos as good as cameras that are orders of magnitude more expensive. Photography is in the eye and on the shutter release. Expensive equipment won't make you better (film or digital). Plus, film is cheap!! Film is archival. viva la film!
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Right On! When I look at $5,000 and up for just a camera, not to mention another $5,000 for a computer/scanner/printer set-up, film looks really cheap. I already have more photo equipment than I can ever use - I'll just keep trying to use it all. :cool:
 
I don't know where you live or where you buy film, but over here in the States, film (Kodak, Fuji, house brand) C41 color negative type in common speeds is commonly available for less than US$2.00 per roll.

It's the processing that's the expensive part of it.
 
dmr said:
I don't know where you live or where you buy film, but over here in the States, film (Kodak, Fuji, house brand) C41 color negative type in common speeds is commonly available for less than US$2.00 per roll.

It's the processing that's the expensive part of it.
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That depends: if I'm not hung up on having a pro lab soup my C41 (and, as mentioned before, my local Rite Aid's photo lab has a crackerjack staff), I can get my film processed in under a half-hour, uncut and unprinted, for $2.50 a pop. So for me, film is cheap. It all depends on the approach. How long it will remain so, of course, is anyone's guess, but I'm putting my money where my preferences lie (Or is that "lay"?).


- Barrett
 
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