C-41 bulk film. What are the choices?

One_DaveT · May 12, 2008

I was wondering what color C-41 bulk film is available and where can one get it from in North America? I'd like to find some Kodak Portra 160VC, but would also settle for some Kodak 400UC, 400VC or HD400.

The only bulk C-41 I've found is Kodak Portra 160/400NC and Fuji 160 S. Is there anything else out there? If so, where can it be purchased from?

Thanks,
Dave

One_DaveT · May 12, 2008

sorry, I should have mentioned 35mm.

Bob-D659 · May 13, 2008

I'd guess if Freestyle Photo or BH Photo don't list it, it's not likely available anywhere in NA.

FilmIs4Ever · May 13, 2008

No, that's it unless you are trying to get 15,000 feet of it at a time, in which case Kodak will probably give you 100-foot rolls of anything, albeit at increased cost.

Fuji has ceased all 100-foot lengths of C-41 and B&W film too, so you only have the two Portra NCs to choose from.

I remember seeing VCs available also somewhere and some Kodak E6s, probably just the E series films and E64T now.

dynachrome · May 13, 2008

C-41 bulk film

Freestyle has its own brand of 100 and 400 speed C-41 35mm film in 100 foot rolls. Ultrafineonline.com has 100 foot rolls of Agfa color print film but I can't tell whether this is perforated. If you contact them they should be able to tell you. I don't remember ever seeing the non-professional Kodak color print films in bulk rolls. The prices for Kodacolor 100 and 200 films in 36 exp. rolls are low enough that bulk loading wouldn't save any money. The two NC films are about $55 each for a 100 foot roll.

srs5694 · May 13, 2008

The last I checked, Freestyle's house brand of C-41 color film was Ferrania, so I presume those 100-foot bulk rolls are Ferrania -- not in the same league as Portra, IMHO, although I know some people who prefer Ferrania film.

I agree that the economics of it doesn't make sense to bulk load color film, unless you find a great bargain or have a special need for rolls of unusual lengths.

Tim Gray · May 13, 2008

I know this is heresy around these parts, but I don't print color, so I prefer the NC over the VC. Its not what you stated you wanted, but if you do some kind of hybrid process, it's really easy to tweak contrast/saturation in Photoshop...

One_DaveT · May 13, 2008

Thanks for all the replies. I see the Aristacolor film that free style sells.... I assume that's the Ferrania mentioned.

Well, I was surprised at the comment on Fuji 160S, so I went to buy some today. All out. I just bought a 100 foot roll a month ago. I didn't realize that would be my last. I bought some 160NC and 400NC today because I would hate for that to disappear too.

Dynachrome and srs5694, do you have a source of non-pro films such as 400UC at prices that make bulk purchases financially unattractive? As it is, the cheapest source I have puts it ~50% higher than what I pay for 160NC in bulk 100' rolls.

Thanks,
Dave

FilmIs4Ever · May 13, 2008

One_DaveT said:
Well, I was surprised at the comment on Fuji 160S, so I went to buy some today. All out. I just bought a 100 foot roll a month ago. I didn't realize that would be my last. I bought some 160NC and 400NC today because I would hate for that to disappear too.

Dynachrome and srs5694, do you have a source of non-pro films such as 400UC at prices that make bulk purchases financially unattractive? As it is, the cheapest source I have puts it ~50% higher than what I pay for 160NC in bulk 100' rolls.

Thanks,
Dave

Hey Dave, you can still find the 160S on eBay I'd assume, although maybe this is only unperforated film for school photography.

I'm not Dynachrome or srs5694, but I can tell you that 400UC is NOT MADE in 100 foot lengths, never has been, never will lbe because it is basically the successor to Ektapress and Royal lines, which were designed for fast-working professionals who didn't have time to shave, let-alone bulk-load film. Kodak's approach to 400UC seems to be targeted at killing it anyway though, so best you don't get to know this film too well long term. Again, 15,000 foot minimum for that sort of thing. . .

I'd say your best bet'd be to buy some Portra 400NC and push it all a stop or underexpose it to get the contrast up. Ferrania 100 foot sounds interesting to me. Try that or some Agfa if you can find it since consumer films will have high contrast like UC. They'll be a little-bit grainier, but they're still decent films. Again, Ferrania will probably give you the closest look to UC in terms of contrast.

FilmIs4Ever · May 13, 2008

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fuji-NPS-160-Pr...ryZ74919QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here's some 160S on eBay for $30, although it's outdated. UltraFine is a reputable entity I've dealt with in the past. They probably have a big stockpile of the stuff if they're selling it on eBay. Call them and ask!

FilmIs4Ever · May 13, 2008

http://cgi.ebay.com/20-Rolls-Kodak-...photoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Even better, here's 20 ro. of UC that you don't even have to bulk-load, ~$2.50 ea. with shipping factored in! They're outdated but cold stored, so maybe rate one to two thirds of a stop less than normal and you'll get great results. If they've been frozen all this time, which it sounds like they have been, then even better. Anyway, with 20 ro. just do a clip test on one roll to see for certain.

srs5694 · May 14, 2008

One_DaveT said:
Dynachrome and srs5694, do you have a source of non-pro films such as 400UC at prices that make bulk purchases financially unattractive?

Hmmm... I just checked B&H, and I may have to retract my earlier comment. Although the bulk film isn't available in significant variety (just 400NC and 160NC for Kodak), it does seem to be less expensive than its non-bulk counterparts. I recall checking this a couple of years ago and seeing only a tiny savings in cost for bulk loading. Perhaps the pricing has changed, or maybe I erred when I did my earlier cost comparisons.

FilmIs4Ever · May 14, 2008

srs5694 said:
Hmmm... I just checked B&H, and I may have to retract my earlier comment. Although the bulk film isn't available in significant variety (just 400NC and 160NC for Kodak), it does seem to be less expensive than its non-bulk counterparts. I recall checking this a couple of years ago and seeing only a tiny savings in cost for bulk loading. Perhaps the pricing has changed, or maybe I erred when I did my earlier cost comparisons.

The significant savings is only applicable with B&W and premium priced pro stocks these days like old E6 emulsions and the Portra line.

The E series Ektachromes basically have almost no savings over individual rolls. The real savings was on grey market B&W bullk film back when we had the strong dollar.

srs5694 · May 15, 2008

FilmIs4Ever said:
The significant savings is only applicable with B&W and premium priced pro stocks these days like old E6 emulsions and the Portra line.

As this thread is explicitly about C-41, and as available bulk films in C-41 are very limited (just Portra, old Fuji stock, and rebadged Ferrania from Freestyle, AFAIK), the "only" seems to be a pretty large part of what's relevant to the original query.

FilmIs4Ever · May 16, 2008

srs5694 said:
As this thread is explicitly about C-41, and as available bulk films in C-41 are very limited (just Portra, old Fuji stock, and rebadged Ferrania from Freestyle, AFAIK), the "only" seems to be a pretty large part of what's relevant to the original query.

Hey, do you want to nitpick my use of spelling and grammar too? Excuse me for going beyond the scope of C-41 and being more informative than the poster asked; Jesus. . . .

C-41 bulk film. What are the choices?

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