Buying film in bulk?

[CuS]

I get arounf 22 or so from 100'

I tend to load 35 frames. Since I usually kill 1 or 2 frames in camera so I can fit the negs in a printfile sleeve after dev, I don't miss the 36th frame.

As an aside, I really like bulk-loaded film. I mooch at a minilab for empty rolls from single-use cameras - since they're free, I only use them once.

My logic is that since they were never really exposed to the environment outside the factory, save at the time of developing, they should be pretty clean and dust free.

Don't contradict my logic, I have a nice cycle of denial going here and I like it that way

16 rolls of 36 give or take one or two. The problem is reusing cans, after two uses they start to scratch the film, annoying to say the least. I get used cans for free from the local lab (although their supply is dwindling) and I reroll by taping my film onto the end of the old leader and spooling it up in a bulk loader. Never a problem.

 

[bobwysiwyg]

Call me crazy, but I use to bulk load 35mm quite a bit. I guess you could say to save some money, but more because I regularly loaded short rolls, some times as few as five frames because I was after a specific subject. Yes, it cost some leader and tail, but the alternative was to waste the balance of a 24 frame roll, or just shoot it up to get to develop the target shots.

 

[elekm]

I've been bulk loading for a long time and haven't had a problem with scratches. Just lucky, I guess.

Like some others, I occasionally want a short length of film to test a camera or to load certain cameras that can only take a small number of exposures.

For example, I preload Agfa Rapid cassettes -- 12 shots per roll. I suppose I could get a roll of 36 or 24 and cut it in half, but a bulk loader is much simpler.

The Ducati takes 15 half-frame shots, which works out to 8 regular shots or 9 or 10. The Robot cameras also need a special load.

So, lots of good reasons to bulk load your own. Very simple to do. Once you've rolled two or three, it's a piece of cake.