Ilford FP4 4x5 price increase...

TimVance · Mar 31, 2020

Just yesterday I saw that B&H raised the price of 4x5 FP4 100 sheets by 30$. It was 149$ and now it's 179$. Was this the price increase that was coming?

I wonder how long before HP5 goes up...

Yeah film is not going to get cheaper...

odell1618photography · Mar 31, 2020

Film is about twice as expensive today as it was in 1985.
100 sheets of FP4 from B and H photo in 1985 would cost you $72 in 2020 prices.
While the demand for film is certainly higher today than even a year ago, it's not enough to maintain the
price structure from 15 years ago. Not a surprise really nor unexpected.
Personally, I'm happy to have our analog film products and pleased that the industry has survived and is expanding.

Ko.Fe. · Mar 31, 2020

Thanks to Ill-ford. One more reason to ditch film.

Stanislav Boščík · Mar 31, 2020

It can be related: https://emulsive.org/articles/due-t...lford-photo-to-temporarily-halt-manufacturing

BrianShaw · Mar 31, 2020

Commodity pricing????

Price gouging????

IDK...

BradS · Mar 31, 2020

supply and demand.

NortheastPhotographic · Mar 31, 2020

I think Ilford like Kodak usually announces price increases and they have not done so. It could be related to demand but just as likely to could be an import thing that changed. In the current climate who knows what it currently costs to get a shipment of U.K. goods in the States... If you believe the folks from Adox they believe Ilford has been able to underprice their film and will have to raise prices at some point. One thing I can say for sure is that this thing we do is a luxury, and it ain't cheap. Still, 100 sheets of 4x5 would likely last me over a year.

At Freestyle it's currently $160 btw. Always price compare.

Alan9940 · Mar 31, 2020

$158.99 at Freestyle, but with shipping it comes to $174.98. Not much of a savings over B&H.

wy2l · Mar 31, 2020

Illford: The longer film production halts, the higher the probability production will cease forever. Good luck with that business plan.

MattKing · Mar 31, 2020

Roberts Camera is the US importer and distributor for Ilford products. Amplis is the Canadian importer and distributor for Ilford products. Harman is the UK distributor for Ilford products. There are other Ilford importers and distributors around the world.
Each will have its own costs and distribution issues, independent of its FOB cost at the Ilford factory. And in these strange times, the possibility of extra distribution costs is very real.
A price change at one (large) retailer is not necessarily related in any way to a price change from the manufacturer.

138S · Mar 31, 2020

TimVance said:
Just yesterday I saw that B&H raised the price of 4x5 FP4 100 sheets by 30$. It was 149$ and now it's 179$. Was this the price increase that was coming?

I wonder how long before HP5 goes up...

Yeah film is not going to get cheaper...

Well... a roll is $6.5 and new price for four 4x5 sheets (same surface) now it's $7.16, a 10% more expensive in sheets than in rolls. A fair LF price, compared with LF pricing from other manufacturers.

I would be happy if we could enjoy the same policy with LF color film, my view is that in the long term this would allow younger people to engage LF color, expanding a bit market and alowing higher profits from lower fixed costs per unit, thus enhancing color LF survivality.

mpirie · Mar 31, 2020

I'd love to be able to buy 100 sheets of FP4 5x4 for $180.....in the UK where it's made, it's $215 per box.

Mike

Tom Kershaw · Mar 31, 2020

mpirie said:
I'd love to be able to buy 100 sheets of FP4 5x4 for $180.....in the UK where it's made, it's $215 per box.

Mike

Yes, the magical process that makes ILFORD film less expensive once it has crossed the Atlantic ocean.

BradS · Mar 31, 2020

mpirie said:
I'd love to be able to buy 100 sheets of FP4 5x4 for $180.....in the UK where it's made, it's $215 per box.

Mike

...ah, but that's with tax - yeah?

Tom Kershaw · Mar 31, 2020

I'll double check this. 100sh FP4 Plus 5"x4" from Morco £142 inc VAT. or about £118 ex VAT. 118 GBP to USD = 147 USD.

Sirius Glass · Mar 31, 2020

This made me order five rolls of 120 Ilford FP4+ to use in my Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Camera.

mshchem · Mar 31, 2020

Film is a miracle. 4x5 film for a buck fifty a sheet. That's a steal. Those that want to coat blue sensitive glass plates...........

Peter Schrager · Mar 31, 2020

Funny how I just did an order from b+h last week for fp4 in 4x5 and 8x10. .plus some tmy400 in 120 size
Ilford says they have plenty of film and are not shutting down..
Kodak is shipping iso propyl alcohol to make hand sanitizer..go kodak!!

destroya · Mar 31, 2020

the wine i love went up 30% in december for "unknown" reason. when those reason are no longer, the wine will still be at the current price as the producers will kepp the margin and the price as is. things are priced as they are. if you want them use them, if not move on. I am sad the film price went up. I had planned to buy a 4x5 box next week. now i will look for other choices, not that i have many.

we love a small, niche product. if we hope to continue to use it then we must accept the prices that the we are offered. if not move to digital. I won't, but you need to decide for yourselves. enjoy things as long as we have them. think happy thoughts, great photo spots and great results. life is to short to think otherwise

john

RalphLambrecht · Mar 31, 2020

TimVance said:
Just yesterday I saw that B&H raised the price of 4x5 FP4 100 sheets by 30$. It was 149$ and now it's 179$. Was this the price increase that was coming?

I wonder how long before HP5 goes up...

Yeah film is not going to get cheaper...

Whatever it takes to keep these products available!

Sirius Glass · Mar 31, 2020

RalphLambrecht said:
Whatever it takes to keep these products available!

+10,000

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 1, 2020

mpirie said:
I'd love to be able to buy 100 sheets of FP4 5x4 for $180.....in the UK where it's made, it's $215 per box.

Mike

No VAT taxes here in the US. With all the printing the US is doing, I suspect inflation is going to raise prices a lot for everything. I just hope we all stay healthy through this crisis so we can enjoy photography and just stay alive at whatever the price.

mpirie · Apr 1, 2020

I hear what you're saying Alan, but the more the price increases (regardless of where we are) then the fewer people will be willing or able to afford to keep buying film (regardless of who makes it).

In the current situation there are a lot of people losing their jobs or facing severe cutbacks (or even worse), so now is not the time to increase prices. To do otherwise smacks of profiteering from world troubles.

Mike

pentaxuser · Apr 1, 2020

Tom Kershaw said:
I'll double check this. 100sh FP4 Plus 5"x4" from Morco £142 inc VAT. or about £118 ex VAT. 118 GBP to USD = 147 USD.

Tom. doesn't this suggest that without our VAT which the U.S. doesn't have, Morco is actually charging less than at least B&H in the U.S. so based only on Morco so far the U.K. price is in line with or better than the U.S.?

Or is there a flaw in my above reasoning?

pentaxuser

Alan Edward Klein · Apr 1, 2020

Mike, With all these problems, I assume demand is down which would tend to lower prices. So if prices continue to go up, it seems there would be other drivers of it. There are raising prices from distributors, shippers, and other middlemen. Food and other supplies of all kinds of products on Amazon have gone up a lot. PRobably due to limited demand, lower supply, and greed.

Ilford FP4 4x5 price increase...

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