Film is coming back but where's the film?

Film at my local pro shop is about $0.50 to $1.50 more per roll vs. B&H. Film at the local university bookstore's art department is at least 2X more per roll than at B&H. When I want to get gouged, I go to Urban Outfitters where film and toy cameras cost even more (3X+). I've heard students say they love using film but they can't afford it... When the prices at at $10 to $15 for a warm roll, I can see why.
 
jtm6 said:
Film at my local pro shop is about $0.50 to $1.50 more per roll vs. B&H. Film at the local university bookstore's art department is at least 2X more per roll than at B&H. When I want to get gouged, I go to Urban Outfitters where film and toy cameras cost even more. I've heard students say they love using film but they can't afford it. When the prices start at $10 to $15 for a warm roll, I can see why.
Click to expand...

This has always been the case for most products though, retail is expensive. If I want to pay £55 for a bottle of Lagavulin, I buy at my local shop. If I want it for £43, I buy at a shop a few tube stops away, or online.
 
Why (large format) film came back for me

Why (large format) film came back for me

I went digital a few years ago with the Leica M8 and will probably buy the new M. However, within the past year, I bought a B&J 8x10 camera and an Industar 300 mm and a Konica Hexanon GR 2 150mm. Why? Scanned, this is equal to 1000 megapixels as well as the unique "look" of large format. There is no cost effective replacement for large format unless you want to stitch images or buy very expensive scanning backs. Most of the time I use my digital M but I am comforted by the fact that in certain situations, I can pull out my heavy artillery and shoot 8"x10" film!
 
braver said:
The big ones have their production lines all set up for massive volume. Massive volumes of color negative film also. They have to make changes to keep smaller volumes of a different b&w/color mix viable. It's an entirely different market now, not everyone is ready for it.[/QUOTE

Which is why Kodak will have trouble selling film and paper division. I suspect it will go for give away prices. It also would be very complicated to move as it is all anchored to bedrock.

Ilford can make smaller runs of monochrome film. Color a whole new ball game and probably 10x more complicated.

Fewer and fewer paper prints are being made. I don`t know where that leaves the paper division.

I hope for the best, expect the worst.
Click to expand...
 
I'm always hearing about lines being 'set up for massive volume' which isn't really true, possibly partly but certainly not the main reason.
Both Kodak and Ilford have the standard 54" wide coating machines. The Coaters can coat a maximum of 11,000 ft and a minimum of 2000. Ilford representatives have said they need to coat 5000ft of master before they make a profit, so in order to make it cost effective to coat they need to make around 25,000 rolls of 135.

Kodak have the added issue of coating colour emulsions some of which include some very esoteric chemicals, acutance dyes chemical scavengers etc which obviously pushes up the cost per finished unit.

That said they have the most efficient plant, and if we compare like for like emulsions Kodak have lower costs than any of the remaining players for the final end product.

The problem is in a contracting market is for companies to cut the cloth of production so that the end product produced match sales. With digital pretty much directly eating films lunch it makes it hard for companies to make long term strategies for future production.

Kodak's film unit is profitable and the film sells well and often is competitively priced compared to other players and yet they still make a good profit from falling sales–this isn't a case of an inefficient manufacture, there are other reasons for Kodak's failing.
 
thegman said:
This has always been the case for most products though, retail is expensive. If I want to pay £55 for a bottle of Lagavulin, I buy at my local shop. If I want it for £43, I buy at a shop a few tube stops away, or online.
Click to expand...

I probably should have posted actual prices. If you can buy it at a good shop or online for £43, using my example it would cost over £100 at store that sells it to the university crowd.
 
thegman said:
This has always been the case for most products though, retail is expensive. If I want to pay £55 for a bottle of Lagavulin, I buy at my local shop. If I want it for £43, I buy at a shop a few tube stops away, or online.
Click to expand...

But there's expensive and expensive, whilst I'm aware that I could save some cash by buying online, but I also like to support the bricks and mortar stores, in my own small way, so that hopefully film will be something I can continue to pick up in person and start shooting that day, rather than send away for, and wait for delivery.

This week I went into a store in Manchester that I know always has film, and bought a single 35mm roll of Fuji Pro 400H and had to pay £10.25 for it.

It took an awful degree of self control not to swear when the assistant told me the price.

I checked the receipt later to confirm that I'd been charged for the right thing, and sure enough I had.

I had been wondering whether they'd priced it alongside the transparency films, but looking at their site now the prices are ridiculous

Superia 200 is £7.19 for a 36exp roll (or £1 with Agfaphoto printed on it from the poundland)

Superia 1600 is £10.79

5 packs of Reala in 120 have jumped £11 in one go

Whilst the film in there is stored in a fridge, which isn't always the case from other retailers, I can't see myself making a return trip there any time soon.
 
I have read on the web by someone who interviewed film manufactures at Photokina (sorry I did not bookmark it), that Kodak is not trying to sell their film manufacturing business, but trying to find someone to take over sales and marketing. To me, that sounds more like they realize they do not have the expertize to exploit the current film market (they historically deal with studios and mass marketers, and those markets are pretty much dead), and are looking for a partner that has that expertize.

On the other hand they may now be in the hands of a cannibalizer. I remember DEC when they sold off all the remaining profit centers and then went belly up; the guy that did that walked away with many millions of dollars in his pocket.
 
My guess is that E-6 will go away soon, followed by C-41 after that. In my lifetime (I'm 29) I can see having only BW film left and having to send it out to a few places around the world, or doing it at home. I don't think BW will go away.

Eric T said:
Black and white film will likely be with us for some time (at least from niche manufacturers). I hope it isn't so - but color film may not be with us much longer.
Click to expand...
 
Film is dead, If BW film is still available, the price will be out of reach for most people. Yes you still can buy Polaroid, but do you willing to pay the price?
 
film wont die, just like painting didnt... just the manufacturers have to get used to producing a niche product. thats all

in a way the same thing that happened to leica... drifting off to a niche product since SLR became popular. and the company is still with us.
 
magicianhisoka said:
I just wish I could buy film at a reasonable price here in Portugal. In the meantime, I'm burning whatever I have left.
Click to expand...
I was in Portugal a while back and was running low on Film. One visit to a shop was enough: They charged € 8 for a roll of TRI-X. I saw several boxes of various ilford films in the window. I asked about them: Answer was: They are empty boxes, we cannof afford to have film in them...
 
graywolf said:
I have read on the web by someone who interviewed film manufactures at Photokina (sorry I did not bookmark it), that Kodak is not trying to sell their film manufacturing business, but trying to find someone to take over sales and marketing. To me, that sounds more like they realize they do not have the expertize to exploit the current film market (they historically deal with studios and mass marketers, and those markets are pretty much dead), and are looking for a partner that has that expertize.

On the other hand they may now be in the hands of a cannibalizer. I remember DEC when they sold off all the remaining profit centers and then went belly up; the guy that did that walked away with many millions of dollars in his pocket.
Click to expand...

The buyer of Kodak film business REALLY has to do some thinking. To me the situation with Kodak was surreal: You could not buy Kodak in USA and have it sent to europe. The stuff that european dealers were selling was made in USA, cut and loaded in cassettes in Mexico, shipped to Brazil where it is sent to europe as "grey market" product. The price is about double to what we pay for european film (maco or Ilford)
 
Rangefinderfreak said:
I was in Portugal a while back and was running low on Film. One visit to a shop was enough: They charged € 8 for a roll of TRI-X. I saw several boxes of various ilford films in the window. I asked about them: Answer was: They are empty boxes, we cannof afford to have film in them...
Click to expand...

Gosh, it seems someone ripped you off, as the current Tri-X price in Portugal, per single roll, is almost half of what you paid: http://niobo.pt/shop/kodak-rolo-pb-trix-400-13536-p-1774.html
The highest price I actually saw by myself last time I was in Lisbon was 4,80 Eur.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
  • Featured
  • Article Article
What's happening with Photographic Film in 2025? Is this robust niche still growing?
2 3 4
Replies
71
Views
5K
wlewisiii
W
J
  • Featured
  • Article Article
What exactly is a point & shoot camera? Glad you asked!The Kodak of 1888 may have been the first, and even Leica got into the act!
Replies
16
Views
571
Jason Schneider
J
J
35mm Still-Picture Photography: It began with scale focusing cameras! Back To Basics. Part 1, From the first to half-frame 35s of then and now.
Replies
10
Views
461
Jason Schneider
J
J
  • Article Article
The Amazing Saga of 120 Film: The Last Paper Backed Roll Film
Replies
19
Views
12K
Ambro51
Ambro51
J
  • Article Article
Collecting Cameras: It can be an obsession, but a little rationality helps!
2 3
Replies
50
Views
3K
laservampire
L
Back
Top Bottom