Anybody buying Kodak B&W films nowadays?

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Marcelo Paniagua

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Not at the moment, but since I normally do my film purchase on December, I expect to buy some 120 and probably a bulk TMax 400 100ft bulk. Will use it on my "serious jobs", those I want the best, when the expenses of shooting (traveling, time, money,etc.) are great and want to use whatever give me the best results (for me at least). I use bulk reloaded Aviphot and Foma for my daily/testing shooting, or when I can afford the results not to be the best.
 

Todd Niccole

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Yes, but only for certain limited applications. General shooting I'll use Foma or Ilford. I don't understand who keeps buying Porta films pushing $20. I suppose that's why Alaris went up for sale. Perhaps their management realized the writing is on the wall. Silver reserves are supposed to run out by the end of this decade.
 

Pioneer

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I bought a lot of TMAX in bulk rolls way back and have been working off of that for the last few years. It is getting a bit old but it continues to hold up well.

Once that stock runs out I'll have to make some decisions but I am happy I'm not paying for it at today's prices.
 

Sirius Glass

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I do and will continue to buy Kodak black & white film.
 

koraks

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lamerko said:
But there are loopholes.
Click to expand...

Would they be country-specific, those loopholes?
It's been a while since I've received anything that wasn't intercepted and charged in accordance with our local tax law. I just keep it in mind when ordering and then it's all fine by me (or not, in which I case I just don't place the order). I guess marking a box as 'gift' might sometimes work, although I have my doubts about that...

Btw, even with taxes & fees, it might be worthwhile to get a 400ft roll of something nice from frame24. Sure, it hurts a bit, but it takes a while to shoot through 400ft in a stills camera. At least it takes me a while.
 

David R Williams

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If I was shooting Tri-X, I'd have switched to HP5+ in a heartbeat.

However I don't believe that there are any substitutes that provide the qualities of TMY-2 and TMX that I appreciate, so they continue to be my go-to, and I'll continue to invest my time in trying to get as much as I can from them.

I'd rather spend a few extra $'s on a film that I know, understand, and can predict, than burn the time to relearn, retune, and rejig my processes to adjust to a different film. Film is still relatively inexpensive, even at a few extra $'s per roll - unless one is shooting large volumes - is a relatively small part of the total cost of this hobby for many.
 

GregY

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Well-said David Williams.
 

faberryman

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I noticed you are from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I don't know the cheapest place to buy Kodak and Ilford film in Canada, so I just checked amazon.ca. The least expensive price listed for TMax 100 is $23.85 CAN and for TMax 400 is $29.99 CAN. The Ilford alternatives are Delta 100 at $24.99 CAN and Delta 400 at $23.99 CAN, so pretty much comparably priced. Ilford FP4 and HP5 are less expensive.

I have been bulk rolling Ilford Delta films for a long time. I can't remember the last time I shot a roll of Kodak film.
 
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GregY

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Amazon prices are high. The closest store to me an hour away in Calgary The Camera Store, has 35mm TMax 100 for $19.99 C ($15.21 USD), and Tmax 400 for $20.99 ($15.99 USD). Ilford prices for 35mm are $11.75 C ($8.94 USD). and FP4+ $11.98 Cad.... Delta 100 for $15.99 C.
 

Jon Buffington

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I was shooting 3-6 rolls a week on avg (sometimes much more) up until the recent price explosion. Now, I am having a hard time shooting. I still have a bulk roll of TMX and TMY-2 in the fridge unopened but hate to roll it up and shoot it as I know I won't buy anymore at current prices. When it was 100 or less, I would gladly shoot it. Now I am shooting the cheaper stuff. Ordered a bulk of delta100 last week because I do like quality film and will substitute that for TMX for the foreseeable future. I still have Portra from when it was $35-40 for a pro pack of 5 and ektar back when it was under 10 a roll. I am having a hard time shooting that as well as c41 has gotten ridiculous! I used to primarily shoot it as it was so cheap. Now, rarely. I do still buy film and shoot film, but now I am much more budget conscientious. My next big purchase will probably be a 400' roll of double xx straight from EK. I ordered 100' and the whole thing was fogged from one of the bigger film retailers. Won't go that route again due to cost of film. That was a wasted C note.
 

Agulliver

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Not here. Partly personal history, I started out in B&W on Ilford FP4 back in the late 70s and have generally gravitated to Ilford films. But I did have a soft spot for Kodak Plus-X in the past. To be honest the only Kodak B&W stock I am shooting now is Tri-X in super 8.

It's not that I dislike Tri-X compared to HP5+. I have used old and new Tri-X and I am sure that with very little work I could make it do everything I do with HP5+. Same with TMAX Vs Delta 400 though I rarely use Delta 400. But why would I when the price is so high?

There is one exception. I prefer TMAX 3200 over Delta 3200 and will seek out deals on the Kodak product.

For colour, I prefer Fuji Superia 400 but the better availability of Kodak Color Plus (2nd choice) and Ultramax 400 (3rd choice) means I use more of them.
 

Cholentpot

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If I'm not paying I shoot Kodak.

Otherwise it's whatever I scrounge up.
 

Paul Howell

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Kodak has maintained quality control, Tmax 400 can be shot at 800 without an increase developer time, at 1600 a 1 stop push, which comes in handy when traveling light. Although Delta 400 is a pretty good film, it is not as versatile as Tmax 100. In terms of color, I no longer shoot color film, as soon as I shoot my few rolls of Ektar and Porta I will shoot digital for color.
 

faberryman

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So a nice savings substituting Delta films for TMax films. Still, if you prefer shooting TMax films, that's what you should do.
 
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Radost

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Bulk Kodak is not such a great saving like before.
 

David R Williams

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TCS prices are within reason for 35mm, but not so much for 120.

I gave up on 35mm bulk rolling when I realized that my inability to effectively max-out the savings due to leader and other error wastage, and the much increased likelihood of film damage and scratches during loading when done by myself - I'll happily pay the difference for perfectly rolled 35mm cartridges.

...and for me, there's no way I'd ever consider the possibility of even entertaining the idea of thinking about buying film from Amazon, for innumerable reasons.
 

GregY

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faberryman said:
So a nice savings substituting Delta films for TMax films. Still, if you prefer shooting TMax films, that's what you should do.
Click to expand...

.....if you buy from B&H in New York.... TMax 100 in 35mm is $1 less a roll. Tmax 400 is $1.50 less a roll than the Ilford Delta products. Kodak is also cheaper in 120 than Delta.....at B&H
With free shipping, B&H has been my go-to for years because of their selection of enlarging paper. Even now with less choice.... it's still my go-to.
 

mshchem

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I still shoot mostly Kodak. I have a refrigerator full of various films and papers, I stocked up on TMY-2 in 120 @ $5 a roll. I'm running low on Fujichrome, that's going to be a shock to replace. It's the way of the world. I hope all the manufacturers can stay in business.
 
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