Bulk Film Reels

SilverGlow · Dec 10, 2008

I was curious if there are many that buy film in bulk reels anymore. I just bought 100ft of Arista ISO 400 35mm for $29.95, and it comes out to about $1.49/roll of 36 exposures. I also bought this bulk film dispensor made in Spain by a company called AP. It was easy enough to load and I loaded my first roll.

Anyone else do this? Is it worth saving 50 cents/roll to anyone?

David A. Goldfarb · Dec 10, 2008

It used to be consistently about 50% cheaper to bulk load most films, and bulk loading gives you flexibility in loading short rolls.

Nowadays with all kinds of grey market film sourcing, rebranding, and pricing schemes, you have to price out the actual film you want to see if the price difference makes bulk loading worth the effort.

asp.artist · Dec 10, 2008

I do. But rarely, I mostly shoot medium format any more. Its good for me because I seem to like to shoot about 20 pics, not 24 or 36. Then again, my FTb ql hates how I roll the film. It won't take them.

Anne

Alex Bishop-Thorpe · Dec 10, 2008

I've got three loaders in my fridge. One with HP5+, one with Pan F+, and one with Kodak Hawkeye surveilance film, just for fun. Here, it's still reasonably cheaper to just bulk roll, especially since the Australian dollar has taken such a dive in the conversion rates.

Mick Fagan · Dec 10, 2008

I have five bulk film loaders, one of which is loaded with colour film.

I haven't bought any B&W film that wasn't in bulk form for well over 30 years.

In this country it is still way cheaper, around $3.50 a roll bulk loaded, compared to close to $9.00 a roll for B&W film.

Mick.

Ian Grant · Dec 10, 2008

When I used a lot of 35mm I always bought bulk film, FP4 and E4 then E6 slide films, it saved me a fortune. When I was at University in the early 70's we sold film at a touch over cost from bulk loads to other students. I guess I stopped when I switched to MF then LF, at the same time moving to Agfa films & I couldn't get bulk loads. There's no real saving now in the UK, bulk lengths are expensive.

Ian

Mike Wilde · Dec 10, 2008

I'm a bulker

On medium format even - slit down 70mm Portra 160NC, and reload onto hoarded up 120 spool and backing paper. It's a pain in the neck night, standing in the dark for few hours to load about 25 rolls.

But then the cost is $2 per roll. If I buy them locally they are $8.5 indiviudually.

I buy up all sorts of old stuff in bulk at camera shows. Fine grain positive release, so-279 dupe - good for duping c-41 negs, also low contrast dupe for duping slides, and 6556 ortho, to name the wierd ones.

Then there is pan f, fp4, hp5, plus x, tmax 100, tmax 400 partial rolls hanging around too. I have weaned myself down to 2 bulk rollers, because the loaders became too many to fit any food in the freezer they lived in. Plus it is a lot easier to keep moisture out of a taped shut film can than a zip lock put over a loaded bulk roller.

jim appleyard · Dec 10, 2008

Bulk is the only way I buy it. Low speed, medium speed and high speed all set to go in bulk loaders.

Get good masking tape and re-loadable cassetts or the used-once kind from the mini-lab and you're good to go.

fschifano · Dec 10, 2008

As far as I'm concerned, it's the only way to go if you do your own processing. I haven't bought factory loaded film in ages. Once in a while, I get short ends of B&W negative cine film and that's the only way to avail yourself of these films. Bulk loading is not as inexpensive as it once was when you could get "grey market" Kodak films, but it still offers some economy.

trexx · Dec 10, 2008

I reload a lot, Just found some Agfa APX in bulk that I cannot find preloaded.
I also have one 150 foot roll of techpan in the freezer. I keep several loaders ready with various B&W and E6 films.

jim appleyard said:
Get good masking tape and re-loadable cassetts or the used-once kind from the mini-lab and you're good to go.

So what is a good tape for attaching to the spools? I have tried some wit varying results. I generally use what is lying around but have never found one that gave consistent results.

I have also tried trimming the end to hook on the slot of some spools. Works great if I hand crank but if the motor drive is too strong, breakout the changing bag.

b1bmsgt · Dec 10, 2008

So what is a good tape for attaching to the spools? I have tried some wit varying results. I generally use what is lying around but have never found one that gave consistent results.

I use black electrical tape. Never had a problem. It sticks well, but comes right off when you put the film on the developing reel, leaving no residue.

Russ

Neal · Dec 10, 2008

Dear SilverGlow,

I bulk load all the time. I prefer to load the entire roll at once rather than do it piecemeal. I do it in a changing bag while watching television. If the shows aren't too interesting I can finish during a single show.

Neal

Mick Fagan · Dec 10, 2008

I use the same tape that book binders use for the small receipt books that local printers manufacture.

It is also the same tape that legal people locally use for making their small legal book like folders for court.

The tape is a cloth type of make, you can tear it along the strand lines .

The main thing is that it does not leave a residue, comes off cleanly, yet, still sticks like you know what, to a blanket!

Mick.

ron110n · Dec 10, 2008

I have in bulk... Tri-X 400, Tmax 400, FP4+, Delta 400, Fuji Presto (Neopan) 400.
I use an electric tape or masking tape for the spool. At one time I cannot find either tape, I used a piece of duct tape. It worked a little too good.

You don't really have to replace the tape each time. I have a cassette with masking tape and it already had 10 loads on the same tape. Cassette labels... lazy me... masking tape and a pen so I can write the ISO when I push or pull.

pentaxuser · Dec 10, 2008

Never had a problem with using ordinary masking tape. However the camera struggles a little more with rewinding the re-usable cassettes compared to factory cassettes. However as long as there's about an inch of factory cassette film left at the end you can attach the bulk film to that and use the factory cassette again.

Most mini-labs machines cut the film with about an inch to spare and have 100's of cassettes which otherwise go to landfill sites. You might ask for the used cassettes and I am sure you'd get them for free.

pentaxuser

gainer · Dec 10, 2008

I use black electricians tape, though any color will do.

jim appleyard · Dec 10, 2008

I use masking tape, however, I highly recommend the good stuff. You'll know by the price/brand. I once made the mistake of bulk loading some film with the house-brand of a local hardware store; I'll never do that again! I had the film come off inside the camera as I wound to the last frame. Guess what? No changing bag! End of today's photography! I had to re-tape all the rolls (an entire bulk roll!) with the good stuff.

David A. Goldfarb · Dec 10, 2008

I always use masking tape--3/4" or 1" usually. Tape one side of the film and around the spool to the other side of the film.

trexx · Dec 10, 2008

I like the idea of the book bindrers tape, have access to it at the day job.

I have shy'd away for electrical tape thinking it would leave a residue on the spool but will try that also.

Thanks all

b1bmsgt · Dec 10, 2008

If you leave the roll sitting around for 5 or 6 years, then you might get some residue, but I have used rolls that I loaded a year or so before with no problem...

FWIW,

Russ

fschifano · Dec 10, 2008

I use 3M's green masking tape. Not the cheapest stuff around, but works great. Use just enough to wrap once around the spool with an inch left over for attaching the spool to the base side of the film only. Not once has it failed, and it leaves no residue. I use the same tape and a Sharpie for labelling the cassettes.

nsouto · Dec 11, 2008

Hmmmm, it's reading messages like these that makes me bless the moment I decided
to get the F6: it stops at any given, programmable frame.
I set it to stop on 37 in my bulk-loaded rolls and never had it pull the end of a film yet.

Mike Wilde · Dec 11, 2008

Blue Max Film Splicing tape

trex said:
So what is a good tape for attaching to the spools? I have tried some wit varying results. I generally use what is lying around but have never found one that gave consistent results.

Blue Max splicing tape - it is what labs use to splice film end to end to send though continuous processors. My roll cost me $20, but it will last me for years. It doesn't stick too much to anything at random, but sticks to film like mad. Waterproof adhesive - handy when loading 2- 120 films onto one paterson spiral.

bobwysiwyg · Dec 11, 2008

Hmm, all I have ever used was garden variety masking tape, thin strip. Never had problems.

jim appleyard · Dec 11, 2008

bobwysiwyg said:
Hmm, all I have ever used was garden variety masking tape, thin strip. Never had problems.

There's always one in the crowd...

There are many varieties of masking tape, good, bad & ugly. The really cheap stuff is the type that failed one me. Perhaps yours isn't quite so cheap?

Bulk Film Reels

SilverGlow

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

asp.artist

Alex Bishop-Thorpe

Mick Fagan

Ian Grant

Mike Wilde

jim appleyard

fschifano

trexx

b1bmsgt

Neal

Mick Fagan

ron110n

pentaxuser

gainer

jim appleyard

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

trexx

b1bmsgt

fschifano

nsouto

Mike Wilde

bobwysiwyg

jim appleyard

Bulk Film Reels

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency