Spool your own film Economics 101

[venchka]

Last week I was in the last remaining camera shop in east Texas between Dallas, Houston & Shreveport. Poking around on the shelves I discovered a new Watson 100 Loader and two boxes of empty 35mm cannisters. Now, way back in the Dark Ages I did a little "roll your own" loading because it seemed like the economical thing for a pennyless student to do.

Given that Tri-X bulk rolls are fading quickly over the horizon abd Plus-X is probably not too long for this world, does it make sense to buy a loader, cartrides and a some 100' rolls of endangered film?

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[rogue_designer]

I always ended up with scratched negs - tried three different rollers and types of new and used spools.

Not worth the savings for me if I'm losing shots.

 

[David Goldfarb]

It used to be that you could generally save about 50% by bulk loading, but with all the pricing variables, grey market, and such, you have to do the math for the film you want to see if it's worth it. Figure 18 rolls of 36 per hundred feet.

I used to bulk load Provia for bird photography, but at some point, grey market pre-rolled film became almost as cheap as 100 foot rolls in the US from B&H, so I stopped rolling.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Not worth the effort in my book, but for those who are interested:

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/ps how choose cassetes.html

and

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/ps how load bulk.html

Cheers,

R.

 

[Ororaro]

makes the roll at about 2$, which is a steal! You certainly will never see me pay the 8$$ per roll Kodak and Fuji and Ilford are asking, so I bulk load and laugh all along.

 

[Michael I.]

I bulkload for 3 years now,obviously the manufacturer rolls are easier(no issues) but I rarely had problems and never serious ones.

 

[jan normandale]

for some films that are becoming discontinued and you want to lock up a source .. it would seem to make sense then. Otherwise I'm usually able to source most film at a decent price if I wait. I'd agree with what some others have said; the "roll yer own vs tailor made" equation appears to be a"wash"

 

[venchka]

I have been most fortunate to lay in what is probably a lifetime supply for an old Geezer like me of 120 & 220 color negative and B&W film. However, I have not managed to hit the Mother Lode of 135 B&W film like I did with the medium format film. That's why I'm thinking of going the bulk load route.

Thanks!

 

[Tom A]

There are several reason why I roll my own. One is the obvious, price. Buying Double XX movie stock (bl/w 250 asa) at $140/400 ft spools - it is LESS than $2/roll. The second reason is storage. A 400 ft can of film takes up far less space than 75 rolls!
To avoid scratches, I use either Leica IXMOO cassettes or the Nikon cassettes. These open "wide" and virtually eliminate scratches. The "standard" cassette can and ultimately will scratch the film (i use these cassettes 3 times and then chuck them).
When I travel I tend to use "pre loads" as the current paranoia seems to think any all metal brass container is a cartridge for some weapon.
OK, admittedly - loading 75 or 150 IXMOO;s is a really boring way to spend an evening, but if I tell myself "I am saving $200 or $400" it is not too bad. Loading 800 ft (150 IXMOOS) takes about 3-4 hours and that gives me saving of $100/hour.So it doesn't really make sense, but it cuts down on the procrastination!

 

[Morca007]

I've considered it, but I hold off due to laziness, and the fact that I already buy cheap film. $1.79 per 24exp roll of Arista at Freestyle...
However, if I were somehow able to get HP5 or Tri-X near that by bulk loading, I would probably switch.

How is the initial investment?

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Ralph (Rover) used to load his own... and then sold the whole thing because he never got around to loading film enough to use. When I saw his FS ad, I thought "There I go myself."

Sometimes, just for the heck of having another toy, I play with the notion... but then, I don't shoot that often or that much, and with my luck, I'd scratch all my film from day one. Hence, I stay with the standard.

 

[dagabel]

It works for me, but I use Freestyle's Arista.EDU Ultra and 1x throw-away canisters that I pick up for free from the Walgreen's mini-lab. The price comes in at about $1 per roll of 35-40 frames, a little less than 1/2 Freestyle's price for their individually boxed rolls.

Duane

 

[wde60]

I like to roll my own because I can make 18 frame rolls for quick one day shoot and develop.

 

[David Goldfarb]

I used to roll short rolls, but I don't bother anymore. If I only want to make a few shots, I can shoot medium or large format usually. If I process the roll before it's finished occasionally, the waste is fairly modest and worth the tradeoff for the ability to organize my negs more easily (i.e., the whole roll is one event).

 

[Trius]

I rarely have problems with scratches ... here's a tip. First I keep my empty cartridges in an airtight container. (I use Lock-n-Lock, which I think is the best on the market.) Second, before every load I lightly run masking tape over the cartridge felts to pick up any dust that might have adhered.

That said, I'll look into the IXMOO and Nikon cassettes as well.

 

[NickTrop]

makes the roll at about 2$, which is a steal! You certainly will never see me pay the 8$$ per roll Kodak and Fuji and Ilford are asking, so I bulk load and laugh all along.

Agree... 1000%. I always roll my own. Especially XP2 Super, which is pricey-ish. Get spent cassettes from your photo store. A few months ago I got a shopping bag full of cassettes. Free, of course. Use green 35mm splicing tape. Don't reuse cassettes and be careful with the open/close settings of the light trap and you won't scratch your film. I currently have rolls of FP4 Plus, XP2 Super, Tri-X, and Agfa Optima Color. Spool up you film while watching a Netfilx movie, or while at a Starbucks. It's a good "give me something to do at a coffee shop" chore, or mindless multitask activity watching Tee Vee.

Another upside - apart from being much less expensive (do the math), is your favorite film is always available.

 

[moonwire]

I roll my own - Neopan 400/1600 and Tri-X. It's about half the price of buying it pre-rolled and I like making the rolls so I get 30 shots out of it. I get free cartridges from my local mini lab. There's something very relaxing about rolling your own -- and it's cheaper than a therapist.

 

[Tom A]

Some of us like it! Well, OK, maybe just me.

Seriously though, where does one get hold of movie stock? Can just anyone order some, and then does one buy from Kodak, or where? I've looked at Kodak's Swedish website, for some kind of information on retailers or something. No such luck, and with a couple of clicks one's at the US site anyway.
As I'm in Sweden there's probably not much use in me buying from overseas, but I'd like to know where to start. Honestly, I don't think I shoot enough to justify it, but I'm still curious to know.

I would not know where in Sweden you can get it, though if you look under Movie Production facilities in the phone book, you should be able to find a supplier. I get the stuff from Kodak Motion Picture Division (either Canada or US). 400ft @ $140 is a good deal. The trick is to find some other shooters and"pool" the purchase. By a couple of 1000ft and the freight is not bad. 400 ft only represents 72-74 rolls anyway.

 

[rxmd]

I guess the economics really depend on the film. If there's a lot of gray market canisters available, it doesn't really work out. It used to be that way with Ilford before they cut down on the resellers. Now relabeled Ilford film is next to impossible to find. I bulk load my XP2, for which there was next to no reseller market anyway, and I end up saving about 50% with a little work while saving storage space.

Also you get a lot of added flexibility. The economics of bulk loading get a lot better if you spool less than 36 frames on a roll. Need to test a camera? Spool yourself a 10-frame roll and save twenty frames. Etc.

 

[itf]

It works for me, but I use Freestyle's Arista.EDU Ultra and 1x throw-away canisters that I pick up for free from the Walgreen's mini-lab. The price comes in at about $1 per roll of 35-40 frames, a little less than 1/2 Freestyle's price for their individually boxed rolls.

Duane

I've been thinking of getting some Arista.Edu Ultra because it seems like an amazing deal, and I've heard it's rebranded Fomapan 400. Just seems too good to be true. How do you find it?