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Observation tonight about distribution. 35mm ISO 400 B&W Film.

cmacd123

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Location
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I decided to try and get some Ferrania P30 from B&H. I was mostly curious if the stock they had used a higher numbered Bar Code.

my first surprise is that they were limiting P30 to one roll a customer.
so I put together a wish list of 135-36 TRI-X, HP5 and Kentmere 400. HP5 was out of stock. added some EDU.ULtra 400, some Tri-X and a couple of rolls of P3200 to the cart, and set it aside for a day in case I thought of anything else. B&H ships orders over 99 dollars US free shipping to Canada.
Came back tonight, and the total shown was 77 dollars, and the Tri-X was missing from the cart. SO as of this evening BOTH Tri-X and HP5 as well as Kentmere 400 were out of stock.
I guess I will have to advance order even more film.
 
I never understood many people's fascination with only using 400 speed film. Its like its 400 or nothing. They even shoot 400 on a bright sunny day, when even 50 speed would be good for that. Its versatile, but hardly the only choice to use. Enough of that tangent. I got some TMY and Tri-X from B&W this past week from B&H, and had no issues getting it, but I did only order 1 roll each.
 
You should try assembling an order of more than 2 different 135 colour films.

By the time you are ready to hit the buy button at least one of them is not in stock anymore. Now, if you make a mistake and go searching for a replacement for that film, at least one other film you had in your cart is not available anymore, etc...

I used to do a couple of larger purchases per year which is now virtually impossible to do. Now, when you see something in stock you just buy it. Shipping and environmental costs be damned.

In such times I would really like to have an ability to place a reservation on items in your cart so that you can wait for other items you want to become available and then make one purchase of everything you like. But I'm perfectly aware that this would be a total nightmare for retailers.
 

I use ISO 400 films: C41 color, Tri-X and Rollei IR 400,
  • so that the light meters do not have to be reset
  • so that I have a large depth of field
  • so that I do not have to use a flash as the illumination goes down
So in answer to your question, there is something magical about ISO 400.
 
I understand 400 is quite flexible, but its also more grainy with not as good tones/ colors compared to a 100 speed film. Its all a tradeoff. I just find if you are shooting outdoors in sun, use a slow speed film.
 

I'm with you. With 400 in the camera I don't have to worry if I have the right film. Nothing worse than not shooting enough during the day and as evening approached and your inspired you have only 2 shots made on that roll of 100.
 
braxus said:
Its like its 400 or nothing. They even shoot 400 on a bright sunny day, .... Its versatile, but hardly the only choice to use.
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My own take is that I have several Cameras, and like to keep them loaded. Having 400 in most of them, (I have been playing with P30) means that I am ready to go.
My first couple of 35mm cameras only had a 150 shutter speed, so my first couple of years of learning I was stuck with Plux-x or Agfa ISS, (yes it was that long ago) so once I could get away with shooting Tri-X All the time, I was laughing.
 
@braxus To provide a datapoint for your question: I almost stopped shooting ISO 100 film once I dialed in my Delta 400 dev+scan processes and now it looks squeaky clean at practical magnifications. There is also XP2+ which I treat as ISO 200 film, which basically looks almost digital (see two 2000px wide attachments for Delta and XP2).

I am not saying ISO 100 films have no use, but let's just say it's easy to live without them even with a small negative. If anything, I am now introducing 35mm HP5+ into my workflow as I'm starting to crave some grain.
 

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For years I used an ND filter for the WideLux F7 which has the fastest shutter speed of 1/250 second and smallest aperture of f/11 with ISO 400.
 
T-Max 400 is significantly different from T-Max 100, even if there are some commonalities. If I want what T-Max 400 gives me, I use it. With its fine grain, I'm not giving up a lot.
I did like having Plus-X as an alternative that was even more different than T-Max 100.
 
BTW, I looked last night and all four were shown in stock.. (HP5, Kentmere 400, EDU.Ultra 400 and Tri-x 36.) Go figure.
 
pick up the phone; call and get what you want
never had a problem at B+H
 
Adorama will do back orders and not charge your card until it arrives.
 
You may be in luck; I checked on their website and it states:

"Due to high international shipping costs and taxes and duty fees, we cannot ship any international order that includes backordered items. We will hold the order until all items are in stock and available to ship. Contact us if you wish to cancel or change these items."

 
I will have to check their site again, last time I looked they wanting a LOT to ship to Canada.
 
Yes, shipping cost is out of control; especially in between international borders.

I just had to return a Kiev 88 to Ukraine for warranty service. Ouch.
 
Patrick Robert James said:
Try MPEX. I just ordered from them for the first time after being a BH zombie for the last two decades.
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I assume you mean "Midwest Photo" they seem to only offer free shipping in the USA. Likewise Adorama also dos not seem to have Pre-paid taxes. When something comes from the States via a Company like UPS, the shipping delivery firm often charges as much or more than the Tax, in order to collect the tax. (and at 13% the tax is quite enough to add to the price)
 
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