Film prices in Australia!

[Johnmcd]

I had a reminder last week of the reason why I don't buy any film in Australia. Walked into Fletchers in the city (Sydney) to just kill some time and found myself at the film fridge at the back of the store.

$15 for a single 36 roll of Delta 100! 120 film wasn't any cheaper. And the only film cameras on sale were novelty 'Lomo' style plastic things (no surprise).

Thank god for the internet and the good 'ol US of A where I can buy 100ft of film and roll my own for less than $3 each.

Can anyone explain why Australia is getting stung so much? It doesn't happen with other goods (or certainly not to this degree).

Cheers - John

 

[Keith]

I wonder the same thing John?

Film will die here well before other parts of the globe as a consequence IMO ... and where it really starts to look strange is when you consider the prices of advanced digital compacts here. They are the same or cheaper than the US!

I think they are charging us this much purely because they can.

 

[Scrambler]

Probably not enough of us buying it so suppliers have little competition, probably meaning another tier in the supply chain etc.

Aussies are known to be early adopters of technology: this is the flip side, that we are also early rejectors of "superseded" tech.

I can't get ANY B&W film (even chomogenic) locally, nor get a 35mm B&W professionally developed for less than $25.

I'm seriously considering buying a used minilab just to be sure I can get film developed! And yes I know I can do it myself but for $19 (http://www.graysonline.com/lot/0003...ji-minilab-fp232b-model-240v-plug-in-186569-3) why not? It's cheaper than getting a single roll developed.

 

[Keith]

I was just checking the price of a 36 exp roll of HP5+ at Vanbar ... $12.10

Do people seriously pay these sorts of prices?

 

[skibeerr]

I was just checking the price of a 36 exp roll of HP5+ at Vanbar ... $12.10

Do people seriously pay these sorts of prices?

Vanbar here is a joke, they ask double the Freestyle price for old paper,

a "promo" set of 8x10 Ilford multigrade came with three free rolls of HP5, expired in 2010 😱

 

[Keith]

Vanbar here is a joke, they ask double the Freestyle price for old paper,

a "promo" set of 8x10 Ilford multigrade came with three free rolls of HP5, expired in 2010 😱

Welcome to Oz ... so why did you come here? 😀

 

[pitadotcom]

does anyone have a beginners guide to minilabs, because if its easy, i wouldnt mind buying one haha

heres one on gumtree
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydn...lab-fp232b-film-processing-machine/1020513049

 

[Scrambler]

I'd seen that one but Sydney is a long way away. And it's still overpriced compared to Gray's!

I reckon you should be able to bodge the chemistry and develop black and white provided you aren't answerable to Fuji.

 

[skibeerr]

Welcome to Oz ... so why did you come here? 😀

Because of the good Melbourne weather 😎

On the other hand importing film etc. is relatively cheap and customs don't punish you with a 25% surcharge like in Belgium.

Although for the cost of getting permanent residence , yes Keith it seems your'e stuck with me, I could have bought a Leica m240 fair dinkum.

 

[haempe]

Well, sounds like a easy part-time job to import some stuff and run a little online shop with resonable prices.
No crisis in australia? No one to find who would do this for you?
😉

 

[Photo_Smith]

Absolutely! sounds like someone in OZ could have a nice sideline if they could get their supply side worked out.

If the big guys don't want the film business, a minnow might eat the crumbs...

 

[jmilkins]

yup. ridiculous money.
For those not bulk loading, the buy heaps and split between mates model is a good way to go if a little admin heavy.

 

[michaelwj]

I was just checking the price of a 36 exp roll of HP5+ at Vanbar ... $12.10

Do people seriously pay these sorts of prices?

But you can get 100ft of tri-x or tmax 100/400 for ~A$70, plus all your chems there too. It suprised me that ilford is more expensive here, from memory hp5+ is about A$80, and delta ~A$100.
What would be worse would if vanbar were to close and we had nowhere to get chems from, then we're all f'ked...
Really, if you're buying individual rolls of 100-400 speed b&w, rather than the bulk, you're asking to be taken for a ride imho.
Michael

 

[skibeerr]

But you can get 100ft of tri-x or tmax 100/400 for ~A$70, plus all your chems there too. It suprised me that ilford is more expensive here, from memory hp5+ is about A$80, and delta ~A$100.
What would be worse would if vanbar were to close and we had nowhere to get chems from, then we're all f'ked...
Really, if you're buying individual rolls of 100-400 speed b&w, rather than the bulk, you're asking to be taken for a ride imho.
Michael

I have no problems buying chemicals from Europe, Macodirect is my friend.

Only wished the guys at FotoImpex would get the bug fixed, every attempt to pay with PP ends in an error.

 

[Richard G]

New processing outfit in Melbourne. Maybe they'll get into importing too...

http://hillvale.com.au

 

[Film dino]

New processing outfit in Melbourne. Maybe they'll get into importing too...

http://hillvale.com.au

An interesting mode of operation. I'm not in Oz but I hope they do well

 

[lynnb]

I get C-41 for free... just go into charity stores and take out the partly exposed rolls of film from all the old film p&s cameras, trim off the exposed section and cut a new leader... bingo! Oh, and ask first. I've never been refused. 🙂

I really need to get a bulk loader for bw. I have paid $9.50 for Tri-X, which is still daylight robbery.

 

[ChrisN]

I'm pretty sure I've bought the last film I'm ever likely to want, as I still have >1000 feet of 35mm film in the fridge in bulk rolls plus several years worth of 120 at my current rate of consumption. I figure by the time I use that lot up I'll be pretty bored with the whole exercise.

Getting developer locally might become a problem. Maybe I should buy another couple of litres of Rodinal and some ID-11 packs for long-term storage, just in case.

 

[agricola]

Allchromes in Brisbane are not too bad with film prices - don't have time right now to compare with Freestyle or B&H. Develop & scan low res gets a bit exxy. Photo-Continental on Logan Road (Brisbane) develop C41 for $3.00 per roll - and I scan it myself. Both have websites.

 

[yanchep_mike]

In Perth it is even harder to buy film, only a couple of shops left, and they see you comin.
I have become a horder of film and chemicals, about 250 rolls of various 35mm B&W and about 150 roll 220 in the freezer, developer 30 odd packs of 5l ID-11, 20 or so gallon packs of d-76 plus 10 packs of MIC-X and 2 bootles unopened Rodinal and stacks of Fixer and so on.
Every time when i get some money as a present from the kids and family i will collect and once or twice a year i put an order in to Freestyle and my stash is growing. I guess not before long i have all the supplies i need, and then i'm a happy man.