Why Can't We Get Regular C41 Color Film in 100 Foot Rolls?

[das]

With the explosion in the popularity of motion picture film stocks for 35mm still usage, with their rem jet / no rem jet, and alternative processing techniques (ECN, etc.), why do manufacturers not offer regular C41 color film in 100-foot rolls? Like Fuji 400 or Kodak Gold 200 or whatever. It has been a long time since any C41 color film was available in that package. Seems like it would go some way to making color films cheaper if manufacturers could just give us the long roll we can canister ourselves. Black and white and Ilford XP2 (C41) is still available in 100 foot rolls, so it's not like it cannot be done.

 

[jsrockit]

Seems like it would go some way to making color films cheaper if manufacturers could just give us the long roll we can canister ourselves.

What makes you think they want to make it cheaper for you to buy?

 

[das]

What makes you think they want to make it cheaper for you to buy?

Fortunately, my cynicism has not grown so deep... yet. If film companies are just trying to screw everyone today, Kodak should also not be selling Tri-X in 100 foot rolls and just charge $15 per pre-rolled cartridge. With Kodak looking to hire more people and film sales growing, I would think that the companies would want to get the supply/demand/price equilibrium restored. 100-foot C41 color stocks used to exist -- there is no reason they cannot exist again. It certainly would be cheaper to produce.

 

[BWF]

It’s a great question. I think I’ve heard people say the pool of people who would roll their own film and develop C41 at home is too small. I know some labs process hand rolled film though (like Indie). And I for one would 100% buy and shoot more color film if I could hand roll it at a good price.

 

[KoNickon]

I was going to say -- I didn't think many people developed C41 themselves.

 

[das]

I was going to say -- I didn't think many people developed C41 themselves.

My lab has no problem running self-loaded film through the machine and to give the reusable cartridges back. I would imagine most labs can do this.

 

[rulnacco]

I would think this could go some way toward solving the low supplies of film problem--wasn't the confectioning process (putting it into the cassettes, sealing it in the boxes) one of the places where Kodak was being held up by a lack of the necessary bits, since they now outsource the production of those items?

They'd obviously need new boxes, the aluminum/steel cans, and the plastic spindle in the center of the reel, so that could be a problem. But considering a user can get about 18 36-exposure rolls out of a 100-foot reel, it should help reduce the number of the necessary parts.

It's actually pretty easy to develop C-41 at home, if you've got the ability to keep fairly moderate temperature controls and don't mind waiting until you've built up enough rolls for several runs so that you don't have to worry about the chemistry going bad. (There's loads of info about home processing available, particularly on Photrio and Photo.net.)

And at least in Orlando, it's pretty easy to get the local labs to process your hand-loaded film (one does it in house, the other sends it out) and return the cassettes to you for re-use. There are plenty of places, I'm sure, where folks can either get that done locally or send it off to be done.

It's only going to happen if it makes financial sense for the companies; but I for one would love to see it return. (I still have a 100-foot reel of Kodak E100VS in the freezer I'm going to get around to loading up and shooting one day.)

 

[Ko.Fe.]

C-41 is expensive even at single 24 frames roll now.

Instead of 100/30 bulks they have to come back to 12 frames rolls now.

 

[neal3k]

I've got a 100' roll of Santacolor coming before Christmas. As I've developed more and more of an eye for B&W shooting, the Santacolor should last a while. And maybe they will keep supplying it. Kodak Aerocolor seems to be the stock (not Aerochrome.)