How about a thread on reducing costs associated with film photography - it does get expensive. Here are my tips for keeping it affordable (others please add your tips):
- For 35mm negatives - get them developed at Target for only 94 cents, next day development only. Buy the $100 photo gift card to save another 20%, or about 76 cents a roll for negs only. Add the Target Photo CD for 2.99 if you need it. Includes both hi and low res scans. Better quality and less expensive than the Kodal CD they also offer. (Kodak has lower res scans, but you get a pretty yellow Kodak disc rather than a red Target disk)
-Get a Costco or Sams Club membership. Those negs you got developed at Target can be printed at Costco on a top of the line Fuji Frontier using Crystal Archive paper for only 15 cents a frame for 4x6 or 37 cents for 5x7 or 1.49 for an 8x10 or 8x12. Need even larger? As I said, they have the most expensive/best Frontier you can buy, and can do 11x14 or 12x18 prints for only 2.49. Plus, their quality is great, as good as any pro lab. If you have a film scanner, you can get pro color profiles and e-mail in your order, But I figure, why waste Your time scanning when they will do it for you and print it for only 15 cents? Plus, even with my Minolta Scan Elite 5400 top end film scanner, I notice that with high speed grainy film , their scanner and algorythyms do a much better job at reducing grain and smoothing the image out.
Sadly, they used to do send out slides for 3.19/4.19 a 24/36 exp. roll, but cancelled the sendout program last Fall.
-For Kodachrome, use the much hated Walmart via their sendout envelopes for only 3.88/4.88 a 24/36 exp roll. But sleep well at night knowing that it is not Walmart, but Fuji Processing and Dwaynes Photo in Kansas getting the business.
_For Medium Format, again there is a great deal, but you will have to walk into a Walmart store. I hate walmart too, but I keep my consious cleen by remembering that their sendout service is to Fuji Labs. Fuji is keeping film photography alive, and still bringing out new films. I would rather support them, than that over priced pro lab down the street that has sold out to digital and delivers mediocre quality and poor customer service. Even if Fuji were more, I would use them. But the beauty is that they are not. In fact, they have great prices. Check this out: 1.80 for negs developed AND 16 3x5 prints from 120 film. Strangely, it is 6 bucks if you use 220 film with 32 prints. 120 OR 220 E-6 slides for only 4.88. Fantastic deal - and fantastic quality. Use the send out envelopes, and mark the Special Instructions box at the bottom, for example: 120 size C-41 negative film, 3x5 matte prints, 2 week special service. Or, 220 E-6 slide film, 2 week special service. Dont worry, it never takes 2 weeks, usually about a week.
For 35mm slides, you have 2 choices: Use Fuji Processing thru walmart or get the Fuji Slide mailers. THe slide mailers will get you better looking slide boxes and mounts, both printed with the Green Fujichrome label. Thru walmart you get an ugly black plastic box and 1960's style slide mount printing ("Color Slide" printed in a funny looking red font). Sendout thru the store is 3.88/4.88 a 24/36 exp roll. The mailers are 5 bucks each thru BH Photo or Adorama. To save on postage, mail 2 or more at a time in a larger envelope and postage will only cost 40-60 cents a roll.
BW (not C41) film - get negs only developed at Fuji Labs thru Walmart. About $1.50/roll. Have best frames printed for 30 cents ea. or so.
Film - order online from BH Photo and Adorama both out of NYC. Shipping is 5 dollars, so order several rolls at a time. But their prices are unbeatable, as well as a huge selection of films still available.
www.bhphoto.com or
www.adorama.com
Hope this helps others keep on shooting without going broke or digital. Any other tips would be great.
