Switch to Bulkfilm?

[RF-Addict]

I am wondering if I should switch to bulk film instead of buying individual rolls all the time.

Here is what I figure I'd need:

bulk loader
re-useable cartridges
changing tent or dark room (I have a darkroom - so that's easy)
and of course film
Anything else?

How many 36 exposure rolls do you get out of 100feet? What are the pitfalls and what in general should I watch out for? Do you use DX coded cartridges? How big is the risk that the film will be scratched during loading?

Is there color bulk film as well?

 

[kully]

Some cellotape and a pair of scissors.

And that's it.

For the cartridges I would recommend asking your local minilab if you can have (or if they can save in a bag) the empty cartridges. Full 'em up, use them once and then throw away.

I don't use DX coding as none of my cameras read that anyway, but you can buy stickers to code your cartridges.

 

[mmikaoj]

100 feet will give you about 20 rolls.
I dont use dx-coded cartridges, since my camera doesnt support DX-coding

Just make sure to keep your cartridges nice and tidy and scratches wont occur!
I use Fomapan 400 since it is much cheaper then Tri-x or Illfords 400 film.

 

[mmikaoj]

also you should put like freezing tape or something on your cartrides so you can note what iso and contrast, pushing and so on! forgot it last time and had to process them all the same way..

 

[palec]

I use Fomapan 400 since it is much cheaper then Tri-x or Illfords 400 film.

You could try Ilford Pan 400 bulk, which is about the same price as Fomapan 400 and is said to be very close to HP5+

 

[Dogman]

I have been considering rolling my own lately. I used to do it 30-odd years ago because I couldn't afford pre-rolled film. I always considered it to be something of a PIA. But with film prices constantly rising, it may be on the horizon for me.

I think you can buy reloadable film cassettes with the DX coding if you need it for your camera.

 

[lns]

...
How many 36 exposure rolls do you get out of 100feet? What are the pitfalls and what in general should I watch out for? Do you use DX coded cartridges? How big is the risk that the film will be scratched during loading?

Is there color bulk film as well?

I started a few months ago, and if I can do it, anyone can. I really benefited from advice on this forum and elsewhere; there's a lot of useful information here and elsewhere. I don't use DX coded cartridges. I either use discarded cartridges from my photo store (for one time use), or I use reusable uncoded ones from Freestyle. I just put on a piece of masking tape with the film information. I've never scratched the film during loading. Oh, except one time when I started loading the film into the cartridge before I had opened the film gate; I just threw that bit out. There is color bulk film, but some labs won't process it, so you should ask first.

 

[rich815]

100 feet will give you about 20 rolls.

I've never been able to get more than 18 rolls out of a 100' bulk roll myself.

 

[chrish]

as far as color film goes, if i load the cartridge with and shoot at 400 and the cartridge is dx-coded for 200, will it come out fine? I heard somewhere that all c-41 film gets processed for the same time and it would work but wasnt sure if that was true or not...

 

[NickTrop]

Just do it. It's not hard. Some disagree but I don't know how, but I think there's a %-wise pretty significant cost savings (check out the per-roll cost of XP2 vs. the per roll cost) But an equal advantage is always having your favorite film on-hand.
See Kully's post - that's what I do. I also use green spicing tape used for 35mm film. (That was oddly a little hard to find but I found it...)

 

[Keith]

If I ever go to bulk fim it will be for shorter rolls. Twenty four exposures is better for me a lot of the time I've discovered ... but twenty fours from the major retailers aren't great value compared to thirty six's.

100 feet would give a lot of rolls of this length ... let me see now ... if you get 20 thirty six's from 100 feet you'd get ... hmmm! I think I better get my calculator! 😛

 

[amoz]

I always considered it to be something of a PIA. But with film prices constantly rising, it may be on the horizon for me.

One quick off-topic remark: the price of Tri-X dropped slightly here in Belgium (from 4.10 to 4 EUR), and I was told at the camera store that Ilford is working on a new high ISO b&w film. That was a good thing to hear.

 

[Jonathan R]

Set up a gauge on your darkroom bench for 20 and 36 exp films. Alternatively you can simply pull off an arm's length, but for me uncertainty about when the film will end in the camera is quite annoying.

I scrounged plastic film pots from a local processor, which are necessary if you want to store the film in the fridge and probably save scratches. I bought new empty metal cassettes from Silverprint in London. They're like the old Ilford ones (if you're old enough to remember), easy to open with a thumbnail, made in Spain. I'll use these until I start seeing scratches, then buy a new batch - but scratches from this source actually seem rare.

You know, I don;t think home loading is any cheaper, but it does allow you to salt away some bulk rolls in case some favourite brand gets discontinued.

I wish I'd kept a lot of the old Ilford plastic pots with colour-coded lids, so if any kind reader has a load they don't want, I'd appreciate hearing from them!

 

[Santafecino]

Bulk loading is easy. I prefer to buy plastic cassettes with screw-on tops; it makes the whole process less violent. But there really is nothing to it.

 

[dpetrzelka]

The ability to roll short rolls is another great benefit of bulk loading - 12& 24 frames when you have a quickk project to work on.

Bulk loading is pretty easy - go for it!

 

[rich815]

as far as color film goes, if i load the cartridge with and shoot at 400 and the cartridge is dx-coded for 200, will it come out fine? I heard somewhere that all c-41 film gets processed for the same time and it would work but wasnt sure if that was true or not...

Yes, in fact many c-41 films benefit from a bit of overexposure. Easily compensated for at printing time and the latitude of the film will make little difference. Heck of a lot better than underexposing for sure, and many people underexposure when their meters are fooled but a lot of sky in an image anyway. This will make up for that too assuming you do not compensate for such.

 

[arowe]

I used to do this years ago - orwo films (which I used because of funds) used to come with a plastic cassette with a removable top - so they could be used again easily. How do you get 'lids' back onto the cassettes from 'normal' films if you get them used from a film processor? When I take the lids off normal films they tend to get bent, and even in daylight it's virtually impossible to push them back on so they stay there. - What's the trick?

Anyone know if fomapan is available in bulk in the UK / EU?

 

[Didier]

Before I went digital, I had given up bulk loading for several reasons:

- New, this means not outdated, bulk rolls are not so much cheaper than prefab individual rolls

- Bulk cans should be dumped after 2 or max. 3 usages because the filthy slit starts to scratch - that's another cost factor

- I had significantly more scratched negatives with bulk rolls than with bought ones

- some rolls were not well scotched so I pulled them out of the can after picture 36

- from time to time, a roll was not lightight because I had not screwed it well (may happen when you make 100 rolls in one rush)

All in all - just too much troubles to save a few bucks...
Didier

 

[RF-Addict]

One of the attractions is indeed the capability to roll a 12 exposure roll - I collect cameras and like to try them all out before they go on the shelf and often 36 exposures is just too much for that purpose. A 12 exp. roll, souped in Diafine (which lasts forever) could be a good and cheap way to do the testing.

Thanks everyone for the advice - I think I'll give it a try. Assuming I get 20 rollls at 36 exp. out of it, then it would half the cost of my B&W film consumption (not taking into consideration the loader and the re-usable cartridges.

 

[kully]

No need to break the top off arowe - just cellotape the bulk film to the little bit of film sticking out of the canister from the minilab - all of them have it. Well, with some of them the tongue has retracted into the canister and I'd need to use a 'film picker', but because I get so many rolls from the minilab I just chuck them.

I also chuck any cheapo canisters or ones which look minging.

Didier, I always tape the bulk film to the tongue of film in the recycled canister perpendicular to the length of the film, allowing it to go around to the back of the film as well. It's survived going through motordrives fine.