Film is getting expensive

[emraphoto]

those are CRAZY prices to pay!

local i buy hp5 for $6.95/24. online, like Bill has linked too already and even cheaper to my door.

 

[sevo]

I dont think it is the case anymore.
Remember when you can go to dm or rossman and buy a pack of 3 or 4 rolls for 75 cents.

That was the clearance sale period, when demand crashed and their film shelves were cut from a peak of maybe 100 each of thirty film types to the current ten each of five. Before that, when film still reigned, it was not that cheap...

Nowaday only kodak gold, ultramax, vista, apx and precisa. Nothing more. And everything go to CEWE. Film sales is dropping, for sure.

Sure. But other than in the US, where drug stores often went from a massive film support infrastructure (with in-house lab and all) to none, they gradually downsized to a scale which might last forever. CEWE supplies them with photo books, posters and anything else the print kiosks can't offer, so film does not even require a separate system of courier transport - dm recently even increased their CEWE presence to proper counters in some shops.

 

[HHPhoto]

I dont think it is the case anymore.

You should not think. If you would have visited the dm and Rossmann drugstores in the last years you would know.

Remember when you can go to dm or rossman and buy a pack of 3 or 4 rolls for 75 cents.

Nonsense. That has never been the normal case. That have never been the normal, regular prices! In some shops there have been clearance sales for the house brand films with of course then lowered prices. That's it, nothing more.

Nowaday only kodak gold, ultramax, vista, apx and precisa. Nothing more.

That is the supply of different film emulsions for many years. The Fuji emulsions which were sold in the last years as Rossmann or dm house brand are the same as in the curent AgfaPhoto Vista films. So if you have liked the house brand films, just continue with the Vista line, and be happy.
A Twin-Pack of CT Precisa reversal film is only 10,95€ at dm.
A Three-Pack of Gold 200 is only 7,95€ at Rossmann.
If you consider inflation, these films are much cheaper today compared to the "film era" 20 years ago.
I know for sure, because I've grown up in the film times. I am taking photographs for about 40 years now.

And everything go to CEWE.

Again total nonsense! Besides CEWE also Fuji Eurocolor, allcop, Orwonet and dplab as mass volume labs are very active in this business with drugstore and photo shops. Depending on the region and the drugstore company, the films go to these labs for developing and printing.

Cheers, Jan

 

[David Hughes]

I noticed the same on my last vacation in Scotland, last summer: Ilford film cost in shops was about double in UK, where it's made, than over here in Italy.
XP2 at Jessops in Inverness was priced a whopping 10 Pounds Vs. 6-7€ over here.
And, as far as I know, VAT is not higher.
Really crazy!

Yes, I agree but I wouldn't buy a specialised film like HP5+ in a High St. shop. You can shop around in your own country but it's difficult as a tourist. Luckily RFF can help...

Regards, David

 

[ravilamir]

It is true that film prices are getting higher, but it is still relatively cheap.
I buy bulk rolls.
Fomapan 400 and the Kentmere films are now both at £43 a roll.
That is about £2.40 a roll.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Roll film users should take a look at large format sheet film prices and count their blessings.

Chris

 

[rbsinto]

My concern isn't the cost of film, but rather the cost and turnaround of processing.
I have hundreds of rolls of various slide films, all given to me by my now-digital photobuds. Nearly all the stocks were fridge or freezer stored, and I keep them all frozen.
But it is the availability of processing that is for me, the real problem.
Only one lab in Toronto doing E-6 locally at about $25.00 per roll and a 1-6(!!) week turn around (because the person only runs the business part-time), and one other camera store that has it done in Montreal at about $28.00 per roll with a 1-3 week turn around.
Still, these are the crosses we bear in order to shoot what we prefer.
Robert

 

[mani]

My concern isn't the cost of film, but rather the cost and turnaround of processing.
I have hundreds of rolls of various slide films, all given to me by my now-digital photobuds. Nearly all the stocks were fridge or freezer stored, and I keep them all frozen.
But it is the availability of processing that is for me, the real problem.
Only one lab in Toronto doing E-6 locally at about $25.00 per roll and a 1-6(!!) week turn around (because the person only runs the business part-time), and one other camera store that has it done in Montreal at about $28.00 per roll with a 1-3 week turn around.
Still, these are the crosses we bear in order to shoot what we prefer.
Robert

I've thought about this situation - for a while I worried my brilliant, local (and cheap) pro-lab might not survive, and then I thought I'd simply start home-processing even color. How hard can it be?

Incidentally the pro-lab is REALLY busy these days. Was out the back fondling the brand new Imacon scanner a few days ago... The only problem is I always have to queue to pick-up my negs nowadays. So we can always find a cloud to the silver-lining.

 

[Ronald M]

Yes, same for me. I live in Sweden, and buy my film at macodirect.de. Get about half the price compared incl. shipping to Sweden. Why?

Two thing I guess, supply and demand, and taxes.

EU has a VAT tax that is buried in the price of goods so you don`t know exactly how much you are paying or who in the supply chain is paying, actually all.


This is what happens with a socialist government where too many things are "free." Someone actually does pay so you can get the freebe.

Politicians love the buried tax. A few of ours are trying to start one.

Two things to cut costs. Learn to see the picture so you do not snap away half a roll trying to get what you want and learn to expose so you need not bracket wasting film.

Large format is a great learning tool.

 

[jsrockit]

I think film photography is an amazingly cheap hobby.

How so? Vs. say... basketball?

 

[Bill Clark]

I don't need to replace the film camera like digital with planned obsolescence, new technonlogy whatever marketing used to entice buying a new camera.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

My concern isn't the cost of film, but rather the cost and turnaround of processing.
I have hundreds of rolls of various slide films, all given to me by my now-digital photobuds. Nearly all the stocks were fridge or freezer stored, and I keep them all frozen.
But it is the availability of processing that is for me, the real problem.
Only one lab in Toronto doing E-6 locally at about $25.00 per roll and a 1-6(!!) week turn around (because the person only runs the business part-time), and one other camera store that has it done in Montreal at about $28.00 per roll with a 1-3 week turn around.
Still, these are the crosses we bear in order to shoot what we prefer.
Robert

www.argentix.ca from Quebec sells E-6 developing kits. It is same procedure as C-41, easy DIY.

 

[jsrockit]

I don't need to replace the film camera like digital with planned obsolescence, new technonlogy whatever marketing used to entice buying a new camera.

No you don't... but if you use your digital camera a lot, you save on film costs. There's always a way to justify this stuff. 🙂

 

[HHPhoto]

www.argentix.ca from Quebec sells E-6 developing kits. It is same procedure as C-41, easy DIY.

That, or Robert may have a look at our detailed thread about E6 labs.
There are some options for Canadians mentioned as well:

http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137289

Cheers, Jan

 

[RichardPhoto]

Roll film users should take a look at large format sheet film prices and count their blessings.

Chris

Exactly my thought when I read the thread!

 

[Kent]

That isn't quite true, because in Germany the drugstore chains dm and Rossmann offer film and development (C41, E6, BW).
They are even in smaller towns. And they offer CN film, slide film (CT Precisa) and BW film (APX New).

The availebility and prices of film are excellent compared to other countries. Because Germany has a relative high film per person consumption.

Cheers, Jan

In our local dm store, I can get two or three different types of colour negative film if at all, no b&w, no 120, no slide film.

Perhaps in SOME dm stores the availabilty is better but that's not the rule.

 

[sojournerphoto]

No you don't... but if you use your digital camera a lot, you save on film costs. There's always a way to justify this stuff. 🙂

And, if you work full time and have a family and another interest, then the timesaving makes photography possible, rather than the impossible dream of actually getting from a roll of HP5 to one good print.

I fear that I will soon only shoot film in large format - which is selective by its nature

Mike

 

[Bill Clark]

jsrocket,

Sure you can take the machine gun approach with photography using digital capture. That's not how I ran my business.

To illustrate, one of the associate photographers who worked with me, a year older than me, used film most of her career. She used digital capture.

She did a wonderful job, capturing photographs using available light. She could pose the bride and take one, maybe two photographs, then, move on to something else. She had posing, lighting and composition down for making classical style photographs. Same basic rules were applied to making pj (candid) style photographs.

She made 250 to 300 photographs for an entire wedding. Clients loved what she did as the photographers didn't monopolize a wedding.

That comes from a basketful of ingredients one of which was growing up with film, making each exposure count.

 

[rogue_designer]

120 color negative films have essentially doubled in the past two years. I'd been avoiding digital MF backs as prohibitively expensive for my clients (and personal projects on it are getting unreasonable) - but that might change soon, if this pattern continues.

 

[jsrockit]

jsrocket,

Sure you can take the machine gun approach with photography using digital capture. That's not how I ran my business.

Bill, machine gun approach and digital aren't synonymous for me... I have a BFA in photography and went to school in the 90s. We didn't use digital. I'm familiar with film and knew a few machine gunners back then too. Especially skateboarding photography... it was all sequence based.

Use your friend as an example... 250-300 exposures x how many weddings during the lifetime of a digital camera? That adds up to a savings in film in my opinion.