Break down: Why film costs what it does

StoneNYC · Jan 21, 2013

polyglot said:
Nice theory. Except Acros costs the same as TMX now (though Acros used to be a high-priced outlier) and there is no substitute for TMY2 - Delta400 isn't as good and it's not even available in sheets.

Once you get into traditional-grain films though, you are right. There's no Plus-X compared to the excellent pricing on FP4+ and the eastern-EU offerings.

I haven't used Delta 400 yet but the D3200 is so sweet I can't imagine the Delta is that bad.

HP5 personally I find really nice, just smooth.

To each their own.

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 21, 2013

Delta 400, TXP, HP5+, TMY2, and Acros each are excellent films with different looks. Visually, one isn't a substitute for the others.

Quinten · Jan 21, 2013

Film is super cheap, specially if you shoot medium format or bigger for big prints. Try to get that quality with digital and you are looking at some seriously expensive digital backs that only get you close.

dr5chrome · Jan 21, 2013

I really haven't ready what everyone else has written, but I am sure the reply is along the same lines... This question at it's root is, well,, stupid. I don't even reply to this question that come to me directly anymore. If you have to ask it, you should not be doing photography to begin with. Just remember one thing. Those of us left [except the big god-complex stores], are not in it for the money. We are in it for photography.

silvergrahm said:
Which components or processes or forces that go into the manufacturing and distribution of silver halide emulsions contribute the most to the price we pay on the shelf, and to the rise in the cost of film? Is it the silver? The labor? The gelatin? The base? Reduced demand? How much faster has film risen compared to inflation?

I hear a lot about silver being the root. But I have it on good authority that one mole of silver is able to coat 1600 sqft of film. With silver being a bit less than a dollar a gram, that's about ~$100 per 1600sqft since one mole of silver is 107 grams or so. How many rolls of 35 doth 1600 sqft make? I'll tell you in the AM after I get some sleep.

Oh. And I also would LOVE some historical charts on the price of film, even just one emulsion, and even even just anecdotally.

BrianShaw · Jan 21, 2013

... so why did you respond to this question if you don't respond to these questions anymore?

pbromaghin · Jan 21, 2013

Checking 100 ft lots in the last Freestyle catalog, Arista film ranges from $1.90 to $2.25 per roll. Delta is as low as $3.05, HP5 $2.70. T-Max tops out at $4.50 With their LegacyPro chemicals processing a roll costs about $.65.

What the hell are people complaining about?

polyglot · Jan 21, 2013

pbromaghin said:
What the hell are people complaining about?

Personally, I whinge about $3/sheet for C41 in 4x5" and $2/sheet for top-tier B&W. And I whinge about the 3x Australia-markup, but that's pretty easy to avoid.

However I mostly shoot 120 Acros, which is dirt cheap and produces flawless 16x20s. In the grand scheme of things and compared to historical pricing, film really is quite cheap. If you shoot bulk 35mm, it's practically free!

dr5chrome · Jan 22, 2013

..for this very reason, your smart-ass reply.. thanks for posting it.

[read my reply again]

BrianShaw said:
... so why did you respond to this question if you don't respond to these questions anymore?

BrianShaw · Jan 22, 2013

dr5chrome said:
..for this very reason, your smart-ass reply.. thanks for posting it.
[read my reply again]

tit for tat, amigo.

I actually read your reply multiple times looking for content, but only found the irony. Anyway, that was a rhetorical comment. But thanks for the reply.

BrianShaw · Jan 22, 2013

dr5chrome said:
Just remember one thing. Those of us left [snip], are not in it for the money. We are in it for photography.

... but let me address this because it is very important. I'm very happy that there are still folks processing for the art rather than the profit. I was once blessed with a local guy who spoke just like you... but then he wasn't able to feed his family and had to close shop. I still see him and the part that hurts is that after re-wickering his business he still can't feed his family. He was always satisfied being a "poor artist" but being a starving artist is something he simply can't share with his family. As I said... I'm very happy that there are still folks like you and I hope you continue to be profitable enough to stay in the business and eat/feed yourself an dyour family too.

Break down: Why film costs what it does

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