Price rising, do you still shoot film?

[Einst_Stein]

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7 hours ago, oldwino said:

Shooting film allows me the pleasure of using my 1932 Barnack Leica, or my 1950s Agfa Super Isolette, or my 1990s Nikon FM3a. There is no digital equivalent to the feel and pleasure of using these great film cameras.

Digital is hard to beat in terms of resolution, ease of use, post-processing flexibility, etc. Digital does everything film can do, and does it better, and adds some new things that film could never do.

But, please see my first paragraph...

Similar here.

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[Mute-on]

If I was indifferent between paying $20 AUD for a roll of Portra 400 or Ektar, and $13,500 AUD for an M11, I would stop shooting film immediately. 
Shortly thereafter, I would miss the immense pleasure I derive from the feel of using my M film cameras, and start shooting film again. 
Ultimately I would shoot both, but the number of photos I take currently just can’t justify the cost of an M11 in the short term. Then there is the small issue that I am totally clueless when it comes to any form of digital post processing, so the inertia to overcome to drop film completely is significant. 
 

Having said that, if we manage to book a trip to Japan for December this year, I am contemplating a Leica SL to use with my M lenses, as a more affordable entry point (around $3k AUD). 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Mute-on

[Xícara de Café]

Here in Brazil, film price rises have been exacerbated by the fall in value of the currency. Consequently I've been using films like Kentmere 100, Fomapan and the likes in the last couple of years and I'm always on the lookout for bulk rolls discounted for being near or just past the expiry date. This way I can sometimes get my hands on the better Ilfords. Have managed to cut costs on development by using PMK and Rodinal exclusively - minimal expenditure there and I've never needed to dispose of expired solutions - and I'm digitising negs with a DSLR. Have found no way of cutting printing costs however! 🙂

[oldwino]

I shot a bulk roll of Kentmere 100 in 2020. It’s a surprisingly good film!

[Xícara de Café]

7 hours ago, oldwino said:

I shot a bulk roll of Kentmere 100 in 2020. It’s a surprisingly good film!

Yes, it's my favourite cheaper film. Ilford Pan 100 is also good and both use a decent film stock unlike Fomapan which has always curled madly in my experience.

I was curious about the difference between Kentmere 100 and Ilford Pan 100 some months ago and wrote to Ilford/Harman to ask about the difference. This is how they replied:

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There are only very subtle differences between these 2 brands of products, and as reflected by their slightly lower prices - although both will give very acceptable results, they’re slightly lower in overall quality compared to our prime Ilford film range.

These 2 different products you refer to – are primarily aimed and formulated to be suitable for schools/collages and for customers where certain characteristics are less critical. For example, these 2 brands tend to be less favourable for push/pull photography compared to our Ilford prime films. They will be slightly less sharp, and will show slightly more grain structure. They have less latitude for errors in exposure, and the developers we guide them for processing in, is more limited than with our prime products.

They are both based on traditional formulations however and differences compared to our prime products - are formulation differences in silver content, and formulation changes that impact on certain characteristics.

In terms of which is the better of the 2 brands – they only have extremely subtle differences. So whichever you chose really is unlikely to cause you any issues - or favour one more than the other. Its more around which region you live in – and which you can readily purchase. If you can source both, my advice would be to try K100/K400 films first. (They are best used at nominal quoted speeds – ISO 100 and ISO 400. Same applies to Pan 100/Pan 400).

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[Einst_Stein]

12 hours ago, Xícara de Café said:

Here in Brazil, film price rises have been exacerbated by the fall in value of the currency. Consequently I've been using films like Kentmere 100, Fomapan and the likes in the last couple of years and I'm always on the lookout for bulk rolls discounted for being near or just past the expiry date. This way I can sometimes get my hands on the better Ilfords. Have managed to cut costs on development by using PMK and Rodinal exclusively - minimal expenditure there and I've never needed to dispose of expired solutions - and I'm digitising negs with a DSLR. Have found no way of cutting printing costs however! 🙂

recently  I found Kodak Vision 3 movie film with cost slightly lower than BW 100ft. The source is a nonprofit organization that promotes movie. The short end movie film is about $70/100ft. I bought 200t and 50d in multiple 100ft.

The film developer kit is kind of expensive, but I found buying the raw material is about 25% only.

 
 

 

[edstock]

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I am totally indifferent to the cost of film, and processing. I like film, I don't care for pixels. Nuff said.

[Steve Ricoh]

I have just received an email from dscolourlabs U.K. offering FujiFilm c200 (36 exp) for £15 a roll. (Just 1 roll!)

Who in their right mind would pay that price?

[ianman]

1 hour ago, Steve Ricoh said:

I have just received an email from dscolourlabs U.K. offering FujiFilm c200 (36 exp) for £15 a roll. (Just 1 roll!)

Who in their right mind would pay that price?

Crikey! It's about £5,20 here. Maybe I should invest in some.

[deleted name]

I'm going to stop saying this because photography shouldn't really be primarily about expenses, but I have for some time enjoyed seeing the look on people's faces when I tell them that every time I press the shutter button it costs me £1 (such is the price of Provia 100F plus postage and processing and postage).

 

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[Herr Barnack]

Kodak Tri-X now costs more than Fuji Velvia 50 used to cost.  And then there's chemistry that has to be purchased to develop it in. 

Ferrania P30, Tri-X and and Fuji Acros II are all $12.99 American per roll.  It's no damn wonder I hardly ever shoot film any more. 

There is hope, though.  Kentmere and Fomapan are priced within reason, and are getting decent reviews.  I'm going to have to give their ISO 400 emulsions a test run.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[Guest]

On 4/17/2022 at 9:12 PM, Einst_Stein said:

A s much as I like shooting film, the rising price finally pushes me away. 
 

I’ve only just returned to film, so the prices haven’t risen for me at all, they are what they are. 🤪

[erl]

I own too many film cameras to even consider giving film up!

[TheBestSLIsALeicaflex]

Just purchased 3 x 400' Orwo UN54 directly from Orwo.  They also make a good 400 speed film.  Bulk loaded that'll come out to US $2.50/roll.  Save even more by doing you own developing.  Don't shoot much color, but know you can bulk load some of the Kodak movie film, requiring some special developing.  Film prices really hurt the MF guys and gals.  No way getting around it there.  

Foma/Kentmere/XX are other "inexpensive" bulk loaded options for 35mm B&W.

Try to skip the "middle man," purchase directly from the manufacturer, or get rebranded (e.g., Arista).

Edited September 11, 2022 by TheBestSLIsALeicaflex

[TheBestSLIsALeicaflex]

On 4/25/2022 at 4:19 AM, Pyrogallol said:

Good luck finding the right side of the spool slot in the dark to slip the tapered end into, especially as the two halves of the cassette shell have to be assembled before you load it, unlike the Contax/Nikon cassettes. Occasionally the grip in the spool doesnot grip. You can take it apart to clean but it is quite small and fiddly or tape the film to the spool as I did the other day for one that refused to grip.

Check your cassettes in the loader before you start. As I mentioned before, some of the spools have a fatter cross bar in the end that doesnot fit between the prongs of the Watson winder handle or slips off it. For those cassettes I end up winding the film onto a reloadable plastic cassette and then transferring it to the Leica cassette. I could just use it in the plastic cassette but that is missing the point.

when you have finished the film and are loading it into the developing tank, tear the spool off the end of the film but make sure you have a small piece of film left on the negative  roll side of the spool grip, so that you have something to hold and push through to release the grip’s grip on the bit of film inside the spool if there is not enough to hold and pull on on the pushed through end. If that makes sense?

 

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I have enough IXMOO cassettes for 300' of film and find them very easy to load in the dark.  There's a big indentation on the barrel of the spool, just before the film slot.  Maybe just me, but quickly my fingers learned to feel the correct spots.  Like anything, takes a bit of repetition and practice.  Though these have gotten very pricey recently.  

[Pyrogallol]

If you want expensive, try using 8x10 sheet film !

[FilmSpiel]

i received today 20 rolls portra 160 + 20 rolls of portra 400.

 

i´m officially broke from today on by the way 🙂

 

[erl]

I'm trying to muster the courage to buy a very similar bundle. I don't know what it will cost me but will soon be shocked by the knowledge.

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[rtai]

Cost of film wasn’t the reason why I switched from 135 film to digital monochrom after 30 years. In the end I wanted a digital file and able to print digitally. With film I had to process and scan but Nikon no longer supported my Coolscan 5000ED. I had a lot of negatives that was becoming a burden but didn’t want to destroy them. The possibility of printing in a proper darkroom was zero. Also international travel was wrought with dread over the new CRT type scanners. Most importantly, to be able to shoot at seemingly unlimited iso at 1/4000 opened up street photography possibilities I never had before.

I still have a closet full of 6x6 Rolleiflex and Hasselblad cameras as well as various large format gear so am not completely done with film yet. I shot more with the Rolleiflex than the Leicas but can’t post non Leica photos here.

Edited September 12, 2022 by rtai

[FilmSpiel]

vor 18 Stunden schrieb erl:

I'm trying to muster the courage to buy a very similar bundle. I don't know what it will cost me but will soon be shocked by the knowledge.

I paid 600€ in germany for 20 rolls. 
and added some silbersalz d50 and d250. 
 

so the total cost was about 950€. 
🤪