I'm starting to panic

[Joel_L]

I looked in my fridge and noticed my B&W rolls are almost gone, 1 roll of Delta 400 ready to go. No problem, I'll roll some more.

I grabbed my loader with FP4+ in it, got two rolls plus one short roll out of it. No problem I'll get my XX out and roll some in the morning. Grabbed my 400 ft loader of XX and it is feeling pretty light, not sure how many rolls I'll get out of it.

As I was moving things around, I notice my 400ft roll of E100D feels pretty light, same with my Vision 3 250D.

Once my 400 foot rolls are gone, I figure I won't be shooting those films anymore. The cost of pre rolled film has gotten so crazy, it will be a rare treat to buy a few rolls. I just looked at what a 100ft roll of FP4+ cost, $137 crazy, I remember when I bough 100ft rolls of E200 for 89 dollars.

I have tried some of the less expensive B&W emulsions but they always see to have emulsion defects, ( Foma and Arista ).

These days with the cost of life in general going crazy I'm feeling the strain. Soon I'll have to be satisfied with grabbing a camera, winding the crank and going click.

Even though film is out there, it is too expensive.

Anyway, rant mode off, think I'll just go sulk the rest of the night.

 

[Kino]

Kentmere is around $80 for 100 feet of 35mm on Freestyle.

Haven't heard of any coating issues with that film stock and I love shooing it in 120.

Great film.

 

[Joel_L]

I don't think I have tried Kentmere, I'll take a look at their offerings.

Thanks

 

[xkaes]

One thing I learned from 4x5" large format work -- even when film was "cheap" -- was to put more time into each image. Don't just run through a 36 exposure roll and end up with one or two good shoots.

I translated that approach a long time ago to all of my smaller roll film formats -- and nowadays it saves me a lot of moolah.

And if you just can't resist snapping away endlessly, get a half-frame camera -- or a Nickelodeon PhotoBlaster with 150 separate pictures on a 36-exposure roll!!!

 

[ags2mikon]

I always look at Kodak TMY 4x5 for pricing before I order any film. Then I order some Ilford 120 and feel like I did okay.

 

[Cholentpot]

Ultrafine Extreme 400 is back and I love the stuff. Push a stop or two with no issues. It's not as cheap as it once was but it's still better than paying Tmax prices.

 

[mshchem]

Kentmere is perfectly good film, both the 100 and 400. I shoot mostly 120, I have a ridiculous amount of film. Lucky film will displace a lot of Kodak/Fuji oligarchy in color negative film.

I'm extremely fond of Kodak TMY-2. Can’t live without it.

 

[grahamp]

Track your bulk loader usage, then you may be able to avoid the shock of multiple purchases!

A big order of film and paper can really add up. My next one may be delivered by armored car...

 

[Europan]

Like to expose 2000 pictures on one strip of film? Use a Double-Eight millimeter camera that has the single-frame function. After flipping the rolls you can go for another 2000.

A 16-mm. film camera loaded with 100 feet allows to take 4000 frames in a row.

The problem with the small formats is that no orthopan or panchromatic fine-grain stock is available. Although I got negative feedback on ACUG when I raised the idea of a Fomapan R 20 I hold it up. As a reversal film it would have a real speed of ISO 10 the reversing process increasing effective sensitivity to the double. I think an ISO 10 emulsion would have a good resolving power and fine enough granularity so that decent pictures will come out. When I shoot ORWO PF 2 in Double-Eight, around 8 ISO, I get rewarded with projection. Still have some from Kahl, Germany.

 

[Lachlan Young]

If you're bulk loading film and misusing ECN-2 for stills, you clearly value false economies over qualitative common sense.

 

[Don_ih]

If you're bulk loading film and misusing ECN-2 for stills, you clearly value false economies over qualitative common sense.

Geeeee. Go get Kit Kat or something....

 

[koraks]

misusing ECN-2 for stills

Vision3 is absolutely splendid for stills, especially when optically printed onto color paper. I prefer it over Portra.

 

[Agulliver]

Yeah I'll put my hand up and say that Vision 3 is gorgeous used for stills, either scanned or optically printed.

Maybe FP4 used to be $80 per bulk roll, but then I used to be able to go to my local pub and get beer at a pound a pint. Time marches on, and many factors (all discussed at length) mean that cheap film is likely gone forever.

That doesn't mean we can't still be frugal in some ways. Switch to Kentmere or investigate whether Fomapan suits you. Look out for deals on short dated bulk rolls. Check out Freestyle's house brands and so on.

 

[What About Bob]

I have used Kentmere 120 films and their VC select papers for a while now and am quite satisfied. One time I ordered two luster packs of Kentmere paper and instead received one luster and the other glossy. I am not too much of a fan of glossy paper but Kentmere's glossy paper is really nice and the gloss is just right, not too much to my eyes.

I agree with xkaes. Don't rush the process. Take things in. You could do some journaling while setting up for the shot. By checking around where you are and writing things down you could get some ideas on how to go about making some good images.

@Cholentpot: That is good news that Ultrafine is back. That was the film I used when I got back into photography in 2019, after a long time away. Ultrafine film and Adorama paper.

Right now I have been playing around with Tri-X and will be with T-Max 100 soon. Partly because I treated myself and partly because I am testing how these films perform in BT2B. Tri-X works great with BT2B. Kentmere films and BT2B are a great combination.

 

[retina_restoration]

Kentmere is perfectly good film, both the 100 and 400. I shoot mostly 120, I have a ridiculous amount of film. Lucky film will displace a lot of Kodak/Fuji oligarchy in color negative film.

I'm extremely fond of Kodak TMY-2. Can’t live without it.

And right now, TMY is as cheap as it has been in five years. Lats week I bought some TMX and it was $7.23 per roll of 120. It hasn't been that cheap in years.

In 35mm I still buy 100' rolls of Delta 400, and even though it hasn't been that many years since it was under $100 for the roll, it's still so much less expensive than buying it in cassettes. (Currently about $140 per 100' roll, which means you can roll 36 exposure rolls for about $6.50 each, which is really good for a premium "fast" film)

That said, you can buy Kentmere in 100' rolls for $80, which is about as inexpensive as it gets. Kentmere has its limitations, but it's a perfectly serviceable film if treated wisely. I've used the 100 and 400 speeds and found it very respectable. Yes, I can see a difference in how it performs in terms of tonal scale and sharpness/acutance, but it's a very good film for its price. (Examples here and here and here) Sharpness can be enhanced by using an acutance developer - PMK or Pyrocat HD do exceptionally well.

Sure, film was so much less expensive ten years ago (I remember buying 25 sheet boxes of FP4 for about $90 in 2017!) but everything has become expensive. Buying a respectable latte somewhere is now between $5.00 and $8.00, which seems pretty outrageous compared to five years ago. That's life. Costs rarely go down. Photography has always been expensive.

For me, the bottom line is: putting a price on my emotional wellbeing. If I gave up film photography, I would be very unhappy, and emotional health is priceless.

 

[Tel]

For me, the bottom line is: putting a price on my emotional wellbeing. If I gave up film photography, I would be very unhappy, and emotional health is priceless.

+1. Amen to that.

 

[Lachlan Young]

Vision3 is absolutely splendid for stills, especially when optically printed onto color paper. I prefer it over Portra.

There's nothing wrong with using V3 films for aesthetic preferences, but here it's blatantly for cheapness.

V3 rendered easy to use (e.g. Cinestill) in multiple formats has no real savings over Portra - and if people cost out removing remjet themselves (no thanks, not without the proper machinery) to a competent level, they might be a little more realistic.

 

[koraks]

I agree it can (ideally should) be an aesthetic choice. However, I can also get behind the argument of economy. If you're afraid to push the shutter button because of the cost per frame, and as a result, fail to learn/develop the craft of photography - well, that's a missed opportunity and from that perspective, I can see why someone would want to try and get hold of the cheapest film possible. Of course, one could also divert to digital capture. Nothing wrong with that, either.

 

[MarkS]

50 years ago 100' of 35mm Tri-X cost about $20. My good part-time job paid $2.43/hour.
Those days are gone. So:

Take the motor drive off your camera. (e.g. Think before pushing the button.)
Keep track of your film usage so you're not surprised when stocks run low.
Works for all formats, not just 35mm.

 

[MTGseattle]

There's some short date stuff on sale here and there. B&H, Freestyle, possibly more.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Not panicking, but maybe a bit of anxiety in regards to the stash of films, hoarded for the past few years, in my freezer, that I may not get to before base fog kicks in...

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

I keep my eye open for deals on Marketplace and some local buy and sell sites.
Apart from some killer deals on fiber base paper I have bought 100ft rolls of Tri X and TMX100 for pennies.
Finding good pricing on 120 film is more difficult.
I too may try the Kentmere route.

 

[brian steinberger]

For me, the bottom line is: putting a price on my emotional wellbeing. If I gave up film photography, I would be very unhappy, and emotional health is priceless.

+1. Love this!!

 

[MattKing]

There is a listing in the Classifieds right now for a 20"x100' roll of Grade 2 AZO paper - so those who wish to return to the past - there is your chance!

 

[Paul Howell]

I shoot Fomra 35mm and 4X5 2/14X3/14 and just bought a few rolls of Ultrafine xtreme. also Catlab 80 120 for my walking around film, for travel or new project I use Tmax 400 and 100 along with HP5 in 4X5. Some say that Ultrafine is the same as Kentmere others Ilford Pan. pretty good film. My local Camera shop is now selling ILford Pan 100 and 400 in 35mm.