cheap film

[removed account4]

i usually only buy outdated / expired/short date film
had a shop i could call and they would sell me stuff
for a good price, would buy from apug friends both
to help them out, and to feed my addiction.

one of these days i will be out of my stash and want to shoot film
and not paper.
currently in the us of a, what is the cheapest 35mm, 120 and sheet film one can buy ( new ) ?
hopefully from a retailer not from some guy on the corner selling it out of his trunk.
im not tied to any brand ( i've used rebranded from freestyle, photo warehouse, adox, efke, foma, forte
bregger, ilford, and kodak, in most formats, havent used lucky or shanghai ) but it has to be b/w.

any favorite retailers ?
thanks.

 

[keenmaster486]

I get a lot of Arista.EDU stuff from Freestyle. It's the cheapest new B&W film I can find, unless I'm not looking in the right places =)

 

[PhxMedFormatPhotog]

I get a lot of Arista.EDU stuff from Freestyle. It's the cheapest new B&W film I can find, unless I'm not looking in the right places =)

+1

I don't know of any cheaper film that's available than the Arista.EDU from Freestyle. And I just tried out their B&W paper and it is really great (tried the Glossy RC VC, still haven't opened the Gloosy FB VC yet). Much better prices than other film and paper I've seen. Good job, Freestyle!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

For 135 format - BH cheapest film you want to try in 100' bulks. My bet it is going to be Kentmere.

 

[chip j]

Arista EDU 100 is my favorite film! (35mm)

 

[Paul Howell]

Less expensive is Ultrafine 100 and 400 from Photo Warehouse, 36 exp ISO 100 is 3.19 while Arista is 4.49. Not sure who coats for Photo Warehouse, times match Kentmere ISO 100 film. 100 foot roll is under $40.00. I use to shoot Foma and Arista 200 and 400 for my shoot around film, and still use it in 4X5, but Ultrafine makes a nice product, no issues with QC. I have a few rolls of Ultrafine in 120, have not shot any yet.

 

[mgb74]

Less expensive is Ultrafine 100 and 400 from Photo Warehouse, 36 exp ISO 100 is 3.19 while Arista is 4.49. Not sure who coats for Photo Warehouse, times match Kentmere ISO 100 film. 100 foot roll is under $40.00. I use to shoot Foma and Arista 200 and 400 for my shoot around film, and still use it in 4X5, but Ultrafine makes a nice product, no issues with QC. I have a few rolls of Ultrafine in 120, have not shot any yet.

Packaging says "Made in EU"; which doesn't help much. FWIW, font on packaging matches Ilford films. So I'm guessing coated by Ilford. Ilford has said they don't private label their current Ilford films, but that leaves the door open for Kentmere emulsion or even older versions of FP4 and HP5.

 

[Bill Burk]

If you're ever in danger of running out let me know... I occasionally come across bulk rolls and I pick them up because the boxes are pretty colors.

 

[Wallendo]

My experience is that fresh Arista EDU Ultra, Ultrafine Xtreme, and Kentmere are of good quality and usually cheaper than "expired" film.

The only expired films I generally consider are films that are no longer made such as Panatomic X.

I have shot all three films listed above. I would not hesitate to shoot any of them in the future. I do have a 100 ft of Ultrafine Xtreme 100 to shoot, and will do so, but find that Fp4+ and HP5+ are great values in 100 ft rolls from B&H. In 120, Arista EDU Ultra 100 is my "go to" film.

 

[MattKing]

Packaging says "Made in EU"; which doesn't help much. FWIW, font on packaging matches Ilford films. So I'm guessing coated by Ilford. Ilford has said they don't private label their current Ilford films, but that leaves the door open for Kentmere emulsion or even older versions of FP4 and HP5.

Harman Technology (the makers of Ilford and Kentmere products) are heavily into the business of contract coating.
If you bring something to them that requires coating technology, they will give you a quote on what it will cost you to have them produce it for you.
This includes, but is not limited to, photographic film.
Give them the design specifications for what you want produced, and you can most likely get it made for you.
Harman has in the past said that they won't make film for you that is the same as their Ilford or Kentmere products, but that doesn't stop you for asking for something that differs from those products.

 

[John Wiegerink]

John,
The Ultrafine films are very good. A bulk roll of ISO 100 Ultrafine Xtreme is in the $30.00 bracket and that's about as cheap as it get nowadays. Just make sure when and if you order from the Warehouse that you order the "Xtreme" labeled films and you'll have smooth sailing. I don't know how the will respond to being dipped in a cup of java, but they come out excellent in Pyrocat-HDC and Xtol-R. JohnW

 

[jim appleyard]

You can also try eBay. There are several reputable, well-known photo dealers that use eBay as well as some goo private individuals. Sometimes there's lots of outdated film there. Doesn't hurt to look.

 

[PhxMedFormatPhotog]

Less expensive is Ultrafine 100 and 400 from Photo Warehouse, 36 exp ISO 100 is 3.19 while Arista is 4.49. Not sure who coats for Photo Warehouse, times match Kentmere ISO 100 film. 100 foot roll is under $40.00. I use to shoot Foma and Arista 200 and 400 for my shoot around film, and still use it in 4X5, but Ultrafine makes a nice product, no issues with QC. I have a few rolls of Ultrafine in 120, have not shot any yet.

Paul, great suggestion. I'm going to give the Ultrafine Xtreme a test for my 35mm. I had a bad experience with the 120 Arista EDU 200 in my Mamiya RB67. The film back didn't like it and I ended up with significantly fewer exposures than I should have had. Maybe I'll give the Ultrafine a shot for the 120, too, but right now I'm very happy with the results I'm getting with Tri-X metered at 320 developed in D-76 1+1.

 

[PhxMedFormatPhotog]

Well, I tried to order a couple of test rolls of film from the Photo Warehouse website, but they have a "minimum order" of $35, so that's a no go for now. So many complications....

 

[Paul Howell]

If have wet darkroom you might want to try their paper as well. Current I have Mulitone from B&H, in the past good luck with their house branded RC as well. Next would be Kentmere from B&H, not sure what the minimum order is.

 

[PhxMedFormatPhotog]

Thanks, Paul. I'm currently experimenting with various papers, too, so I will definitely check out their house brands. I notice their RC papers are significantly cheaper than the Arista EDU I just tried and liked. They are selling the RC VC 250 count in 8x10 for just under $120. That is a smoking deal. So their paper is worth sampling. (That will bump up my cart total a bit, too)!

 

[PhxMedFormatPhotog]

Okay, order placed, so we'll give Ultrafine a whirl!

 

[Paul Howell]

I think their house paper is also coated by Harmont (sp?) contrast range is same as Multitone. sold by B&H, for quick proofing and work prints it is at a really good price point. I have used their fiber based paper as well but prefer Foma or Salvich. Photo Warehouse sells a lot of out dated film, odd and ends movie film, I have used with mixed results, I usually add an odd roll or two to my order to experiment with.

 

[lantau]

Fomapan and it's whitelabels will have the best price/value ratio. And from what I occasionally read from you, you may quite like it for your creative photography. With PQ developer the 100 and 400 will get close to box speed. At least the datasheet says so about Fomadon LQN, which is PQ. I used it and it does ok. I don't do scientific evaluations, though.

Bulk rolls of Fomapan are dirt cheap. Agfaphoto also offers bulk rolls for their APX 100 and 400, which are good enough films and the bulk rolls are quite cheap in my market. And while more expensive than those two, a bulk roll of HP5+ still results in a low price per roll as well. And that is a premium film.

The APX bulk rolls may not be available or cheap in the US market. Imports of Adox material seem to be quite expensive, at least. How is Ilford pricing in the US?

 

[Paul Howell]

Here is a sample of Ultrafine 400 developed in MCM 100, and 100 also developed in MCM 100 not the best scanner

 

[marcmarc]

I'm cautious about the Arista.edu line. Too many occasions in the past regarding Q.C. issues. I've used the 100 speed Arista.edu 100 in 120 size off and on over the years and have had the backing paper tape come off and stick to the pressure plate which in turn left a sticky residue that rendered the camera/back useless until it could be cleaned. Other people have had scratches and other defects in the emulsion but this may have been batches from long ago. Nonetheless, I wouldn't use this film for anything important. As for the Ultrafine film, I can't say because I've never used it. If it's coated in the Kentmere plant then I would have more faith in its Q.C. then if it's re-branded Fomapan like Arista.Edu is. But there's no way to know I guess. Photowarehouse is odd too...it states free shipping but they charge $8.95 for insurance which is redundant because if I'm correct most credit cards will reimburse people for lost/damaged shipping. So there is in fact a shipping charge and then they state prices reflect cash payment so who is going to send cash in the mail to get their advertised prices? I'm confused. So between that and their odd shipping policy I haven't tried any of their products but at the prices it's tempting. I seem to recall some years ago some of the Ultrafine 120 films had Q.C. issues as well and there was some speculation that they were selling re-branded Lucky film from China which wasn't well known for its quality. Maybe someday if I find some of their film for sale over the counter in some of the camera stores near me I'll give them a try, but for the most part, I think using re-branded film is just too risky. Gone are the days when Freestlye offered re-branded films from Ilford, Kodak, and Fuji.

 

[chip j]

And Agfa as well---Arista II.

 

[dabsond]

I have been bulk loading Kentmere 400 for a while now. 100% reliability. Love this stuff. Very economical when bulk loaded.

 

[trendland]

PolypanF : < 50 cent a roll from bulk 400ft. Not so bad as many say. And you can shot 10 rolls instead of 1 roll.
But the normal limit is 100 rolls from 400ft. ....and today it is discontinued.
with regards
PS : I have just one 400ft bulk...

 

[Pat Erson]

Nation Photo in Paris has a 36exp 400iso b&w film at 2.50€!
http://shop.nationphoto.com/negatif-noir-et-blanc/7441-nation-photo-400-135-36.html