Per frame

Whomever

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What is the per frame cost?
36 exp roll is $7.90 but the bulk 100' roll is $107.00. Thank you
 
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That depends on many variables. Are there shipping costs in either scenario?
Are you processing the film yourself? If so, you'll have to add in the cost of the chemistry. If not, how much will processing cost per roll - and is there an additional scanning cost?
If you aren't including processing costs in the question, then the equation gets simpler. If you are using a daylight bulk loader to load the 100' roll into cassettes, then you'll likely end up with ~18 rolls of 36 exp. plus one short roll of ~20 exp. So, we'll figure 668 frames in total.
$ cost / (number of rolls * frames per roll) = $ per frame
$7.90 / (1*36) = 22c per frame
$107 / (18*36 + 1*20) = 16c per frame
Note that the second price does not include the cost of the cassettes, tape, and daylight loader and/or dark bag.
You may also be able to squeeze closer to 20 36-exp rolls from the 100' roll if you roll the cassettes in total darkness.
Even better, if you're using a manual-advancing camera, you could load/unload the camera inside a darkbag and squeeze closer to 38 or 39 exposures out of each 36 exposure roll.
That leaves the best case scenario of:
$107/ (20*39) = 14c per frame.
 
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Whomever

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You made me smile, that is true we will assume there is no shipping cost that for rather ever else was in our car let us meet the rqirement for free shipping, we already have cassets, tape and sisors, a d it bothers cases we eould be processing so we are just evaluating the per frame cost of the film stock bulk vs pre loaded.
 
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Whomever

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My personal view is if you are concerned about the cost per frame of 35mm film, you are not taking enough pictures.
I am just trying to see if there is still a financial benefit to it as there was years ago
 

abruzzi

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today, the cost of bulk loading is not a huge savings, in fact the cost of the equipment to do the bulk loading will eat any savings off your first couple of bulk rolls (assuming that you purchase a loader and reloadable cassettes, you could however do the entire process with nothing more than scissors, a roll of tape, and a bunch of old 35mm cassettes that you saved.) Nonetheless, bulk loading is still valuable and worth considering. I do it because I like shorter rolls, so it gives me the freedom to make ~15-20 shot rolls.
 

Chan Tran

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For the price you listed I don't feel it's worth the trouble. Do they give you discount by buying 20 rolls instead of 1?
 

Bill Burk

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There really isn’t much cost benefit but there is a huge learning benefit. You get to know one film well. You have a steady supply of this film. You start to think in terms of possible projects.
 

wiltw

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I am just trying to see if there is still a financial benefit to it as there was years ago
In 2003, via B&H
  • 135-36 Tri-X = $4.25
  • 100' roll Tri-X = $41.00
So the ratio of 7.9:107 is disadvantaged today vs. 4.2:41 ...you are now paying a larger amount 'per roll' when purchased in bulk, than we did 18 years ago.

Way back 'in the old days' when I was photography editor on high school newspaper, we rolled our own. The biggest benefit was being able to spool off custom loads, so if someone was sent on a quick assignment, spool off 20 exp (or even less).
 
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Whomever

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Pk, for what its worth I like 14 netter that 24 or 36 and still have all my equipment and wanted to know ro if U was saving any cash ir just feeling good about roll controle.
 

runswithsizzers

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The math is simple enough, but - unless I missed it - so far, no one has mentioned one key number. How many 36 exp rolls per 100 ft roll?

Each frame, plus the gap, takes up about 1.5" so we know 36 frames will require at least 54" or 4.5 ft of film. But what I don't know is how much extra should be allowed for the leader on one end, and the unexposed part that is wrapped around the cassette spool on the other end. Is 5 ft per roll enough? If so, then a 100 ft roll can make 20 rolls of 36 exp each. So $107 divided by 20 = $5.35 per roll, just for the film.
 

Horatio

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The length of wastage depends on the loader. I have a Watson and lose between five and six inches per roll (plus two skipped frames when using an autoload camera.) I think the Lloyd's bulk loader is less wasteful. I guess it's a reasonable tradeoff for loading in daylight. However, I will be ordering pre-loaded rolls for times when I need to count on an accurate number of available exposures.
 

Huss

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For the price you listed I don't feel it's worth the trouble. Do they give you discount by buying 20 rolls instead of 1?

Ilford gives a discount on HP5+

At B&H, 100ft roll = $105 = $5.25 just for the film (no cassette or film loader etc included in the price)

At B&H, 1 36exp roll = $8.12

At B&H, 50 pack of 36 exp = $270 = $5.40/roll 36exp.
 
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Whomever

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I didn't think we would get this much traction, makes me smile to see 6here ate people out there that still think.
Nut zi don't think wast of a bulk loader can acuritlt be assess because that if the number of frames per cassest isn't contant the wast from.thevbulk loader could increase as easily as decrease.
 

wiltw

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Each frame is 36mm, there is a gap between frames of 2mm...35 * 38 = 1368mm or 53.86". That lleaves 6.14" for leader and tail, so 5' estimate for 36 exp roll is very reasonable for estimation...factory leader is 4" to where the film is full width. I used to keep sacrificial rolls of 135 and 120, but I cannot find the 135 factory load right now, or I would measure it for you. A
 
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Whomever

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Thank you, onlybis shops broken it down like this before digital, there eould had been more people bulk loading.
 

Horatio

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If you’re willing to try something other than Ilford or Kodak bulk film, you can cut the cost in half. I’m bulk loading Ultrafine Finesse 400 and it compares favorably to HP5+. Foma/Arista Edu is slightly more expensive, but the 200 ISO film is really nice.
 
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Whomever

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Been looking st foamapan but what filter th use so its more like true and tmax? It seems to have more red then the higher end film
 

Bill Burk

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@laser gave a list of film sizes on page 57 of the first edition of "Making Kodak Film".

For 135-size: 36 exposures is 64 inches long.
 

Cholentpot

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I get bulk shortends. Sometimes super cheap.

I'm shooting at less than a cent a frame at times. Now, shooting half-frame loaded from a 400 foot recan that is sorta fresh enough i.e. expired within the last five years. It's pretty affordable.
 

MattKing

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It is about 18 rolls of 36 exposure per 100 feet, give or take.
As a result of the increased wastage due to the leader and trailer, you get less than 27 rolls of 24 exposure.
I don't recommend it for economy, although it can help a bit.
But in the interests of flexibility it is great - custom length rolls serve a need.
And four 100 feet rolls take almost no space in a freezer.
 

Pitotshock

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No one has mentioned the packaging reduction aspect. If you are using reloadable cassettes, then there is less waste generated per roll than with standard prepackaged rolls.

I roll my own just for the fun of it, not really the cost savings or the environmental impact, just for the fun of it. I'm into film because it is more tactile and I get to interface with the tangible world, and loading my own film is just one more part of that interaction.
 

removed account4

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My personal view is if you are concerned about the cost per frame of 35mm film, you are not taking enough pictures.
+1
There really isn’t much cost benefit but there is a huge learning benefit. You get to know one film well. You have a steady supply of this film. You start to think in terms of possible projects.
couldn't agree more !
+1

==
best benefit of shooting self rolled film is you can shoot short rolls, you can nail down processing and shooting situations you can really learn how to judge light and know one's equipment, AND one can get a LOMOKINO or eyemo or inexpensive camera and make movies too
 

foc

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Considering what some people spend on Golf Club fees, I am not too worried about my cost per 35mm frame.
The amount of enjoyment I can get from shooting a roll €6.50 of film,(€0.18 per frame) and developing it myself in Ilfosol 3 and Ilford Rapid fixer( €0.90 per film or €0.025 per frame).
That's a total of €7.40 per film or €0.205 per frame.
Where else could you have as much fun and enjoyment for so little? (please no clothes off comments)
 

grat

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I took 7 frames this weekend at a total cost of $12.66, or roughly $1.82 each. And that's ignoring the cost of developing, scanning or printing.

Once you shoot 4x5, 35mm cost per frame seems insignificant.
 
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