Agfa Vista 400 - Bargain on UK e-Bay

I suspect that this should be in the Product Availability forum so moderators please move if required.

I was browsing the film section tonight on the UK e-Bay and came across what seemed an amazing bargain which I thought worthy of mention on APUG due to the interest from some APUGers about Agfa products.

Briefly a seller known as "spendoholics" and with a shop called Clevercraft Collectibles which seems to specialise in Agfa film is selling a block of 50 rolls of 35mm Agfa Vista 400 at £14.99 plus 2.99 postage and packing. The film is date 02/2007 so only 12 months out of date and the claim is that it has been stored in a cold dark warehouse. I could hardly believe it. Each film had 30 frames and works out at 30p per film. Even the postage and packing seems ridiculously low at £2.99 for 50 rolls. I can only assume that postage is by weight which is why it is so low.

It would take me forever to use 50 rolls and I don't think I would want to stick to one film for the time it would take me to use 50 rolls but for all you Agfa fans I offer this information for what it is worth. The seller will send outside the U.K.

The seller has a string of commendations but I admit to be a little suspicious still and yet on the surface there seems nothing wrong. In the past I have seen in date, if only just in date, Fuji Superia occasionally sold for about 60p per roll but this was mostly the 12 frame cassettes and have seen nothing for some time. So one year out of date Agfa may be right at 30p per film but still seems very cheap to me.

Might be worth checking it out. Needless to say and hopefully unnecessary to say, I have no connection with the seller.

pentaxuser

I have some bulk Agfa Optima film in the freezer due to the fact I liked its color characteristics. I would be certainly be interested in purchasing some inexpensive 400 speed Agfa film. Thank you for the alert.

Thanks very much!

Better than even my 8 quid box of 20 Press 400, which I've nearly used all of now anyway

I have been having great success with very inexpensive Vista 400 bought via ebay from Ffords.
A good buy.


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Charlie

Charlie-J said:

I have been having great success with very inexpensive Vista 400 bought via ebay from Ffords.
A good buy.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/2300251063_5774a3f340_o.jpg

Charlie

Click to expand...

Interesting and useful source Charlie. Best price is for the 50 pack as you'd expect at 89p per roll. Quite a bit more expensive than the source I quoted at 30p per roll but of course you have Ffordes behind it. Strangely of the stock quoted this is the only one without any expiry date mentioned. The best expiry date is in fact almost in date at 02/2008 and at 79p per roll is very good value. If you are prepared to settle for slightly older stuff with an expiry date of 08/2007 then this is better value at 99p per roll because this is 36 frame and not 27 so 25% more expensive but results in 33% more film. These are both 10 pack orders.

I have simply done the maths, correcty I hope, in case anyone wants to compare. Couldn't find Ffordes' postage and packing charge so can't compare but at £2.99 for a 50 pack from the e-bay source, Ffordes are unlikely to be cheaper.

pentaxuser

I have used it and I liked it very much.

a happy vista man

I bought a case of 100 rolls of in date 27 exposure 35mm stuff back in 04 for $CAN2.30 each to feed my wife's point and shoot with mostly. Having a common film, and common print paper leaves getting the prints right down to printing exposure and filter preference, and how close to dead the print developer is if you have been careful and consistent in porocessing the c-41.

I too have a bit of optima 100 from long rolls left, and I liked it as well.

The vista 400 we are down to about 35 rolls. The kids are in school, and my wife is back to work, so the volume of everyday snaps is a long way down from what it was when they were still toddling about and she was an at home mom.

I'm not sure if buying from the US is an option for you (shipping gets costly) but the big mail-order houses in New York (B&H and Adorama, among others) have grey-market Fuji Superia film, 135-36, for around $2 US per roll. I tend to buy about 40-50 rolls once a year (and the shipping ends up being more reasonable per roll; I also tend to order a few other things along with the film). Fresh film (generally a year and a half to two years before expiry) and longer rolls, too, plus it's film that's still produced so it doesn't drive the minilabs quite as insane to find the right channels.

I'd buy some Agfa film at the right price, but if I can get something still in production for close to the same price with a more distant expiry date, I would rather do that.

It looks as if Ffordes will ship to the U.S. from its site but I don't know the cost. As I said, it is possible to pick up Vista which has an expiry date of Feb 2008 so in date as near as damn it. This is an expiry date as close to the current date as I've seen with Vista. If you are a fan of Vista in N America then it might be worth checking out the shipment cost from Ffordes.

pentaxuser

Walmart in the USA (Washington State) sells 5 roll packs of Kodak Gold 200 - 24 exposures for just under $7.00. It is current stock, and not short-dated.

The same packaging in Canadian Walmart stores is at least $13.00.

Matt

Vista 400 form Ffords

I did look at the other vista offer on the bay.
But I chose Ffords thinking that the film had been stored properly.
I had been buying 120 RSX II from them, This film was very good, so I put my trust in Fford.
There has been some great print film offers on the bay, I bought 20 rolls of Kodak gold for £10 inc P&P this film is dated late 09.
I think some people are carrying to much stock and are offloading it on ebay.

Charlie

My 50 rolls arrived today. All looks as expected. Cost the poor guy £6 of the £18 to post them.

It's good Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim fodder, or XA2. Either way if the colours aren't quite as good as they were, it won't really matter.