Buying large quantities of film "Bricks"

tiberiustibz said:

Bulk rolling is not any cheaper here in the US. Plus I use mostly MF.

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Funny, that is not my general experience.

Maybe you're referring to E6 which is the same or even more expensive than buying by the roll to cut from bulk.

However C-41 and B&W are still much cheaper than by-the-roll from bulk.

It's about $3/36 exp. roll of C-41, and $2.50/36 exp. roll B&W

That's easily half off if you're careful with counting.

I always bulk load in the dark to get the full 20 rolls out of a 100-footer.

You can also buy 70mm for half of retail on certain internet auction sites and get it for $3 for a 220 roll equivalent.

tiberiustibz said:

Bulk rolling is not any cheaper here in the US. Plus I use mostly MF.

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In the USA, it can certainly be cheaper...I save 25% when I buy in bulk (100ft rolls). Perhaps you're buying at the wrong place?

I haven't had the courage to "roll my own" since I was a student. My teacher made it clear: "If you're doing a job or something important, buy new cartridges. Don't roll your own." I consider every frame I shoot as important, so I never try to save what is, after all, only a couple of quid.

Cheers, Paul.

I agree with you Paul, if you consider how much we spend on the hardware of photography, in terms of results to cut corners on the software by taking risks of using outdated film stock is to me false economy, film is the cheapest part of photography.