Cost of 4x5 colour film in Canada

[Ces1um]

So I'm looking into trying out 4x5 photography using a pinhole camera. I went to the local camera shop today to inquire about 4x5 sheet film. I was told 10 sheets of 4x5 portra costs $70cdn. Ektar was $55 for 10 sheets and fuji was 20 sheets for $70. Does this sound right? I didn't figure this stuff would be cheap to shoot, but I didn't think it would be $7 a photo either. Black and white was considerably better at 50 sheets for $120. Does this sound reasonable to people? Remember, prices are in Canadian dollars.

 

[hsandler]

That's about right; in fact, the Fuji price seems lower than I would expect. I buy my film from B&H in New York. If you buy over $100 at a time, shipping is free and it usually arrives in 3 days. Make sure to tick off the box to let them handle the customs brokerage. Even with the exchange rate, they beat Canadian prices. 10 sheets of Portra is about $44 US.

I would suggest going with black and white first, until you get to know your 4x5 pinhole camera and the exposure it requires. Colour film is an expensive way to learn.

 

[John Koehrer]

For pinhole you can use common printing paper OR X-ray film. Either one is much less money.
Speeds are much lower too.