Expensive film!

Rhodes · Feb 3, 2012

After a afternoon of shooting a few films, I went to (possibly) last photoshop that sells films here in my home town. I ask if they have b&w film and at what price.

They show me several apx 100 (35mm) and say that each film is 7.5!!! And after asking the price of t-max professional and of the 120mm films that they have (mainly fp+ and hp5+), the person respond that all are 7.5.

Elite chrome and agfa color film and I think all the color film was also the same price...

JBrunner · Feb 3, 2012

Rhodes said:
After a afternoon of shooting a few films, I went to (possibly) last photoshop that sells films here in my home town. I ask if they have b&w film and at what price.

They show me several apx 100 (35mm) and say that each film is 7.5!!! And after asking the price of t-max professional and of the 120mm films that they have (mainly fp+ and hp5+), the person respond that all are 7.5.

Elite chrome and agfa color film and I think all the color film was also the same price...

Get thee to the internets!

mark · Feb 3, 2012

Those mom and pop shops are neat but the prices are INSANE!!!!!!!!!! I order from the net.

BradleyK · Feb 3, 2012

Rhodes said:
After a afternoon of shooting a few films, I went to (possibly) last photoshop that sells films here in my home town. I ask if they have b&w film and at what price.

They show me several apx 100 (35mm) and say that each film is 7.5!!! And after asking the price of t-max professional and of the 120mm films that they have (mainly fp+ and hp5+), the person respond that all are 7.5.

Elite chrome and agfa color film and I think all the color film was also the same price...

B&H Photo, NYC. Enough said.

sandermarijn · Feb 3, 2012

Just out of curiosity, to the OP: where are you? Rhodes, really?

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 3, 2012

I'm lucky to have a camera store nearby that keeps prices competitive.

As others have suggested, check out the prices on the internet instead, and order in quantity to justify the cost of shipping.

The prices you mentioned will, unfortunately, probably have that camera store out of the business of selling film.

cantore · Feb 3, 2012

BradleyK said:
B&H Photo, NYC. Enough said.

+1 and X1000... B&H is the best.. Prices/Shipping! Unless you shoot or print Adox, then you have to use Freestlye.

ME Super · Feb 3, 2012

For those of us on the western side of the pond, Adorama in NYC is a good place to buy film too. Much cheaper than my local camera store, who wants $13 for a roll of Provia 100f. i can get it for about half that from B&H or Adorama.

Brian C. Miller · Feb 3, 2012

Uh, guys, the OP is someplace in Europe. I'm sure that shipping from US suppliers to Europe would eat up any minor savings. Fact is, the OP will have to watch the shipping cost vs. buying local. If a roll of film is 5, shipping is 5, then there's no savings, right?

JBrunner · Feb 3, 2012

Brian C. Miller said:
Uh, guys, the OP is someplace in Europe. I'm sure that shipping from US suppliers to Europe would eat up any minor savings. Fact is, the OP will have to watch the shipping cost vs. buying local. If a roll of film is 5, shipping is 5, then there's no savings, right?

True. But (usually) the more quantity you buy the cheaper shipping becomes, to the point where if you buy a good supply, the shipping becomes a small percentage.

mbsmith · Feb 3, 2012

My local shop tries to be competetive with online retailers... And even gets close most times. Except for Ilford products, which are much cheaper online.

Chemistry is another matter which baffles me. My local shop is usually 10%-20% less than online sellers
I'm guessing they take a loss on that. But it keeps me coming back!

MattKing · Feb 3, 2012

My local sources are about 25 - 30% higher than the least expensive internet sources for something like TMY 120. I have to pay tax on top, but no shipping .

If I travel down to Seattle, Glazer's is close to internet prices, but some tax gets added there as well.

I'm comfortable paying the difference.

Rhodes · Feb 3, 2012

Sorry, forgot that I do not have the location information in my user. I am from Portugal, little town of Figueira da Foz.
I order my films from the onlineshops of Lisbon or Porto. Prices are good, apx at 2.50, tmax/tri-x at 4.60, etc. I just wanted to share a bit of insane prices due to be b&w films (or just films). If the prices in that photographer were cheap or at least "normal", I glady buy it, but with a film being 5 more, no way.
I understand that they do not sell film as they sold year's ago, but with those prices, I think they will not sell at all.

removed account4 · Feb 3, 2012

film IS expensive !

prices of 4x5 film has pretty much doubled ( more than doubled ) in the last 10years
( in 2001 100sh box of tmy SHIPPED from b+h was 65$, last year, 50sh box from b+h SHIPPED 75$ )

photography is an expensive pursuit, but lots of fun.
look for expired film, sometimes you can get a deal on it, and sometimes you "get what you pay for"

i mainly shoot expired film ( all formats 110-8x10 ) and expired paper ( for prints, as well as paper negatives 4x5-7x15 )

happy hunting !
john

keithwms · Feb 3, 2012

Freestyle still has some very good deals.

wblynch · Feb 4, 2012

Some stores figure that since they sell less film than before they have to charge more.

It reminds me of the old depression story of the boy selling apples. A well dressed man in a long limousine pulls over and asks the boy,"how much for an apple, kid."

The boy replies, "$1,000 !"

The man chuckles, "You're not going to sell many apples at that price, son."

Kid answers, "I only gotta sell ONE, mister."

sandermarijn · Feb 4, 2012

wblynch said:
It reminds me of the old depression story of the boy selling apples. A well dressed man in a long limousine pulls over and asks the boy,"how much for an apple, kid."

The boy replies, "$1,000 !"

The man chuckles, "You're not going to sell many apples at that price, son."

Kid answers, "I only gotta sell ONE, mister."

Actually I think I pay less for most analogue supplies (film included) than in the goold old analogue days. Back then everything came from brick & mortar, today I get it online. It makes all the difference.

Jeff Kubach · Feb 4, 2012

Heck go to the internet. I sure that you can find some place that will sell some film.

Jeff

Aristophanes · Feb 4, 2012

wblynch said:
Some stores figure that since they sell less film than before they have to charge more.

It reminds me of the old depression story of the boy selling apples. A well dressed man in a long limousine pulls over and asks the boy,"how much for an apple, kid."

The boy replies, "$1,000 !"

The man chuckles, "You're not going to sell many apples at that price, son."

Kid answers, "I only gotta sell ONE, mister."

Retail price is largely determined by volume. If the gross volume declines due to a drop in demand, the price rises. This is usually driven by the channel ordering process through distribution costs. Retailers often have little control. They either drop their margins or drop the product. Dropping margins is financial suicide, so they charge what they have to. Dropping the price of film will not increase sales in the face of digital, unfortunately. That price decrease would have to come from the factory.

K-G · Feb 4, 2012

From a european point of view I would recomend you to look at the web-pages for Fotoimpex in Berlin and Silverprint in London. They both have a good suply of both film and paper. When it comes to film, Fotoimpex is slightly less expensive and when it it comes to Ilford paper
Silverprint has definitely the best prices. Silverprint can not send chemicals out from the UK but Fotoimpex can send out of Germany. To Fotoimpex you pay in Euro and to Silverprint in GBP ( Pounds ). Within Europe the costs for postage are not astronomical. Both companies are well organized and reliable. I enclose links to their web-pages so you can look for yourself.
Good luck !

Karl-Gustaf

http://www.fotoimpex.de/
http://www.silverprint.co.uk/

sandermarijn · Feb 4, 2012

Add to that Macodirect (DE) and Ag-photographic (UK)- both are reliable and competitive.

keithwms · Feb 4, 2012

Good links, bedankt Sander.

Pat Erson · Feb 4, 2012

And don't forget the super-cheap (and super-reliable) PHOTOSTOCK...

3.60 per TRI-X 135 if you order 10, only 3.10 apiece if you order a box of 100 films!

http://www.photostock.fr/films-noir-et-blanc-format-135,fr,3,178.cfm?tri=&marq=6

sandermarijn · Feb 7, 2012

Not entirely fair. Photostock's 3.10 euro/film price only goes for 02/2012 dated Tri-x. Also, you're not allowed to order >10 films of their freshest Tri-x stock. Yes, the French are weird!

(Disclaimer: I like French fries, have been to France several times, can order a bread and talk about the weather, know French people who are all very nice & France is the most beautiful continental European country that I've visited.)

Expensive film!

Rhodes

JBrunner

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mark

BradleyK

sandermarijn

Thomas Bertilsson

cantore

ME Super

Brian C. Miller

JBrunner

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mbsmith

MattKing

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Rhodes

removed account4

keithwms

wblynch

sandermarijn

Jeff Kubach

Aristophanes

K-G

sandermarijn

keithwms

Pat Erson

sandermarijn

Expensive film!

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