How dependent on the internet is your continued use of film?

How dependent on the internet is your continued use of film?

  • Most of it.

    Votes: 296 67.6%

  • Very little of it.

    Votes: 60 13.7%

  • A combination of online and conventional retail.

    Votes: 82 18.7%
  • Total voters
    438
I would guesstimate that I buy 80% of my film online and 20% locally -

Fuji Velvia: B&H
Kodak Tri-X: B&H
Fuji C41 ISO 400: Local retailer

B&H has the best prices, although Velvia is hideously expensive these days. Still, there is no substitute IMO. I can order film on a Monday morning and it is delivered by UPS on the following Wednesday, and his is with ground shipping which is always less costly than the 7% sales tax my state takes.

B&H is pretty hard to beat for film purchases.
 
In "german-speaking-Europe" I use to buy 80 % online. Because of the wide range of brands and types. And do to the fact it is more convenient and cheaper.
Still I buy 20 % lucky punches walking in at stores in Switzerland (like Eschenmoser, ProFoto) and Germany (DM, until 2012 also Schlecker).
 
DM indeed has a quite impressive collection given that they're actually a drug store. They usually have APX100, Agfa Precisa/Fuji Sensia, relabeled ISO 200 and 400 C41.
Nevertheless I buy 90% my film as I don't use the aforementioned films too often and FP4+ costs 8.95€ locally (compared to 3.75€ from a 100' roll).
 
3rdtrick said:
I do buy most of my gear from my local shop but I get my film from B&H. About the only film I am using now is the Fuji pack film for my Polaroids and it is quite pricey in local stores if they even carry it.
Pete
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+1 B&H. easy to order- save time-good prices- works for me….
 
Canadian retail is often ripoff, unfortunately film is no exclusion.
Buying it from B&H and on e-bay.
 
I try to support my local camera shop in Seattle as much as I can as they have always been wonderful to me. Their film prices are very competitive as well, so the only thing I find my self buying else where is AP from freestyle really.
 
100% of my film is bought online now and has been for about the last 10 years or so. There is simply no viable alternative in Cornwall due to high prices and lack of availability of retail stores. It also a shame that Ilford film is pricier than Kodak by a huge margin. Not the only reason, but certainly a factor in my continued use of Kodak Tri-X instead of HP5+ or Delta 400, as I would support the domestically produced product if it was more economical to do so !
 
I buy mostly online for economical reasons. It's simply much cheaper (-20% at least, sometimes more).
I can buy every film i want in a shop in a 20 mile radius but only do if i want to try another film or need only a few rolls.
 
I do one big order a year from Freestyle. Their shipping prices are still kind of messed up, so I choose the cheapest option and have it sent to a relative in the States, then have it sent in a cheap flat rate box to me. It is hard to argue with their Arista Premium (Tri-X) prices.

I usually supplement throughout the year, here and there, by buying at Yodobashi, but their film selection is definitely diminishing.

db
 
John Bragg said:
It also a shame that Ilford film is pricier than Kodak by a huge margin. Not the only reason, but certainly a factor in my continued use of Kodak Tri-X instead of HP5+ or Delta 400, as I would support the domestically produced product if it was more economical to do so !
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Observed that before, and guess it has to do with Kodak and Ilford pricing aggressively in their foreign markets, as I believe HP5 has been availably ridiculously cheaply in the US, just like TriX is available pretty competitively in Europe.
 
Now that the Kodak disposition is happening, Tri-X will apparently be managed as a UK product. Certainly it is in the interests of producer and user alike to keep this iconic film going, and for many/most of us the best way to get it is through the Internet.
 
More than using the internet for buying film online, I depend on all the info on film and chemistry etc available.

I honestly might never have started doing home developing and B&W if not for the Massive Development app for iPhone! :)
 
i went from buying my film at Walleyworld(buy 4-get 5)until they went belly-up film wise .Next it was a combo of Goodwilleys and out of date sales from that big sale site. But what filled my freezer space was a tint discount store that sells out of date can goods and items that are "discontinued" from drug stores and big box stores. At .25 a pop I stopped after "She Who MUST Be Obeyed" informed me that I had NO more room in her freezer. Lots of Kodak, B&W(I'm saving that stuff) and color. All the rest is drug store re-brands. All has worked well so far the biggest expense is the processing and transferring to CD's. Would not print most anyway. "It's a skill thang"
 
Totally dependent on the internet for film purchase; Hawaii is in the middle of the ocean and buying anything that isn't cheapo Wal-Mart film is ridiculously expensive.

I buy all of my B&W chemistry (D-76, Xtol, Rapidfix, generic Stop Bath, Photo Flo, Hypo) from a local shop to support local biz, but I've noticed that liquid chemistry, especially anything hazmat, is getting harder and harder to ship out here given that it's gotta fly to Hawaii.
 
I try very hard to support Gordon's Photo Service in Reno, NV, so I buy film there whenever I go (250 miles one way), but I use a lot of film so the majority is obviously bought on-line.
 
Im in Nuremberg, Germany and buy 99% of the stuff i need online. I wish i would not have to. Whenever i buy something at one of the 3-4 local shops that sell films and equipment, i enjoy hanging out there and talking to people. But the store prices are just too high for me, e.g. 8€ for a roll of delta, thats just a joke. I understand that for most small stores selling analog stuff is not a very profitable business anymore, but come on...

Maybe that will change soon as im about to set up a darkroom and might need not only equipment but some advice and tips :)

seb
 
It's quite high. For me, without Freestyle or B&H it would be hard to keep using film. Local shops have given up on film essentially. One local place has a bit of Ilford but that's it. Selection is extremely limited and prices are twice what you pay online, if not more. On top of that comes sales tax. I'd be shooting far less film without online shopping for my films.
 
Black said:
Just to add a bit of balance to this thread, I buy almost exclusively from Mathers of Lancashire, in store - whose prices are very competitive. I'm lucky enough to live only a short car ride away (12 miles).
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Got my Tri-X from Mathers mail order. Their price was about the best I could find. Others I've used for mail order are AG Photo, Silverprint and Maco Direct. When the price is right, I get the local-ish Calumet (20 miles) to ship to the shop and I pick it up. Nowhere locally selling film apart from Boots, but their range and stock levels are rubbish, and the prices way too high compared to online.
 
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