The case for hoarding film.

[Huss]

The palm trees in the median of the nearby main road are asking me to ask you what you are talking about?!

First sign of cold induced halucinations.

 

[Agulliver]

FWIW I think this civilisation peaked in the mid 90s. But we're not witnessing "end of times". There will be humans in 10,000 years time just as there were 10,000 years ago. Just not quite this version of civilisation. We'll burn and destroy, and then rebuild....as we do....

Just a personal view but being nasty isn't funny....unless you specifically know that the recipient finds it amusing to be ribbed/joshed. Whereas it can set others off onto PTSD episodes.

As for film.....I have some "hard to get" or "expensive" film that I freeze but other than my last remaining cart of the old ektachrome 100D super 8 nothing has been in there longer than three years, and nothing ever is. If I had space, I would probably have a dedicated film fridge but everything would be used. It would just be a good way to store it rather than under the bed where it does experience temperature fluctuations (damned electric heating).

I do buy when film is available - that is especially the case these days for colour film. Availability of Color Plus, Utramax and Fuji C200 is so unreliable I buy a few rolls when it's in stock even if I don't need it at that time.

 

[Cholentpot]

Insane?? Most definitely not. Extremely lucid, in fact. And well written. I agree entirely with all you said.

The problem we at least down here are facing, isn't that nobody is interested in film any more, rather that we can't seem to get our hands on the darn stuff, and what little there is around costs a kidney and more.

I could not agree more that many will keep shooting film as long as it's available. I intend to be one of them, at least with my Rolleis, even if 120 becomes a dream and I'm reduced to shooting vertical telephoto portrait-like images on ancient Panatomic-X with my circa 1950 Rolleikin 35 kit.

Of course there is always the possibility that the current shortage is a mere insufficiency and/or only short-term or medium-term, and film supplies will eventually start flowing again , if the current mess in the Ukraine doesn't escalate into something global and supply systems get cut off.

A photographer friend is convinced we are entering what he calls the pre-apocalypse era. Another believes aliens from some distant universe are responsible for all these disruptions. Many of us are now not laughing as much as we did...

The next fight will be environmental. The Inquisition will come for film because it's ruining the planet and it's unnecessary. The fun police will crack down on it. It's an easy target that not many will stand up for. They'll frame it as 'coal' or 'leaded-gas' and make it a platform issue that they can stump on because relatively few people care enough to fight it and enough people still know what film is. They'll force the 'luddites' to move into modern times. It's slowly happening and will only speed up when some committee latches onto the idea.

 

[Huss]

..

I do buy when film is available - that is especially the case these days for colour film. Availability of Color Plus, Utramax and Fuji C200 is so unreliable I buy a few rolls when it's in stock even if I don't need it at that time.

Exactly. And as this was at the 'old' price I was all over it. The incoming next batches are markedly higher.

 

[ColdEye]

When those 3 packs of C200 were in stock at BH for the $20 price a few weeks back, I grabbed as many as I could. Imagine shooting 4x5 color film. Back to just 35mm for me.

 

[Paul Howell]

I just counted my color stash, not much left, 3 rolls of Fuji C200, 1 roll of expired Fuji 800, I roll of Extar 100, and one roll of Cinfilm 50, just loaded the Cinfilm and will shoot it, followed by the others, the last color film I will shoot in the foreseeable future.

 

[Down Under]

The next fight will be environmental. The Inquisition will come for film because it's ruining the planet and it's unnecessary. The fun police will crack down on it. It's an easy target that not many will stand up for. They'll frame it as 'coal' or 'leaded-gas' and make it a platform issue that they can stump on because relatively few people care enough to fight it and enough people still know what film is. They'll force the 'luddites' to move into modern times. It's slowly happening and will only speed up when some committee latches onto the idea.

I thought of this, but I wasn't brave enough to say it. Now someone has.

It's true. Sadly, film is the past, when consumption was king and trumped everything else. Now digital is the future.

Many of us won't like this, but the writing does seem to be on the wall, and we can all read it clearly and loudly.

 

[NB23]

Same for inks, for books, for paper... for animal skin tints... paints... carpets, condoms, tin cans, wood, this, that, you and me...
The great environmental bullshit.

I thought of this, but I wasn't brave enough to say it. Now someone has.

It's true. Sadly, film is the past, when consumption was king and trumped everything else. Now digital is the future.

Many of us won't like this, but the writing does seem to be on the wall, and we can all read it clearly and loudly.

 

[Cholentpot]

I thought of this, but I wasn't brave enough to say it. Now someone has.

It's true. Sadly, film is the past, when consumption was king and trumped everything else. Now digital is the future.

Many of us won't like this, but the writing does seem to be on the wall, and we can all read it clearly and loudly.

Crazy thing is digital in the end is far worse for the environment. It's the same people that went after paper bags in the 80's because 'save the trees' and glass bottles because broken glass was a hazard. Look where it got us, plastic everything everywhere. Now they want us to go back to paper/reusable. Until the pandemic hit and maybe everyone bringing their nasty bags to a store isn't such a good idea. Or going after gasoline when avgas is still leaded...The whole thing is a feel good plastic fantastic brown banana movement that doesn't stand up to proper scrutiny but calling it out is tantamount to going against the Edicts From On High.

Film will cross the alter of verboten sooner than later.

 

[NB23]

The planet will always be safe. Always. It survived hiroshima like a joke. Arsenic? It’s natural. Any poison? Natural.

No, the problem is us. We have to save us. But tuat’s not how the media wants us to understand this.

It is a media problem. Economic. Manipulation.

 

[Huss]

Reformed Film Lab still has C200 3 packs @ $20!! $30 elsewhere.

https://reformedfilmlab.com/product...5mm-36-exposure-3-pack?variant=39436820742283

 

[Cholentpot]

The planet will always be safe. Always. It survived hiroshima like a joke. Arsenic? It’s natural. Any poison? Natural.

No, the problem is us. We have to save us. But tuat’s not how the media wants us to understand this.

It is a media problem. Economic. Manipulation.

Is that you Bjorn Lombog?

 

[perkeleellinen]

I find the issue with hoarding film, especially if it is then frozen, is you forget you've got it and by the time it is rediscovered, your tastes have changed.

I tend to only shoot photos between April and September and then every winter I buy enough for another year - about 50 rolls of 35mm. This helps to limit massive stocks that will stay frozen forever and it also allows me to focus on the 12 months ahead and not worry about the unknown future of film years down the line.

 

[Nitroplait]

I was getting into the hoarding habit, but tried to make inventory last month. Turns out I have 10 years worth of film if I shoot 6 rolls a month. 6 rolls is my ambition but reality now is closer to 3-4.
I won't be popular if I occupy part of the refrigerator and we don't have room for a freezer, so I'll try to stop buying for a while, and at some point maintain a 2-3 years stash.

 

[Agulliver]

I tried keeping a spreadhseet of how much film I have stashed away....but I found keeping it up to date every time I shot a roll was beyond me. I guess just not something I enjoyed doing.

I've realised that I have a freezer at work....it has chemicals and animal organs in it.....and a brick of Fomapan 400 in 120, plus a three pack of Lomography colour 800 135...as of today.....

 

[Moose22]

Turns out I have 10 years worth of film if I shoot 6 rolls a month. .

Yeah, this is where I'll draw the line, too.

I have a lot of film. My goal is 8 rolls a month, some months I do it, some I don't, but I'm definitely doing between 6 and 10 a month. 120+ rolls of 135 and a reasonable stash of 120 to last me until the end of '23 isn't too bad. And I have that. It's a good baseline as I don't have a mental block that I'm going to run out of film. I just throw two rolls in the bag and go, knowing I have plenty when I finish the roll in the camera.

But I also have three rolls of bulk film. Then I bought 10 rolls of short dated film (frozen since purchase Tmax, so might as well be new) and a couple of oddball films like the lomo purple and metropolis... now i have 2.5 years worth or more and am less likely unless it's an unmissable bargain. But I really didn't even hesitate on the last bulk roll or those short dated tmax rolls.

So I guess the line is somewhere between 2 years and 10 years worth of stock.

 

[Huss]

You kids need to get out there and shoot more. You're becoming film collectors....

;p

 

[Sirius Glass]

You kids need to get out there and shoot more. You're becoming film collectors....

;p

No, not collectors but film photographers who want to keep the discontinued films out of the hands of the hoarders.

 

[Huss]

No, not collectors but film photographers who want to keep the discontinued films out of the hands of the hoarders.

You can still shoot it, then develop it, then sleeve it and continue to collect it! I mean hoard it.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I haven't stocked up on film for my personal stash in forever, mainly because I'm already generally struggling to keep up with shooting faster than what I have is expiring. The way I see it, not much point in buy up stuff that you see deals on when you can't shoot what you already have before it expires. Not everybody is in that position though, so if you see a deal, go ahead and grab it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I haven't stocked up on film for my personal stash in forever, mainly because I'm already generally struggling to keep up with shooting faster than what I have is expiring. The way I see it, not much point in buy up stuff that you see deals on when you can't shoot what you already have before it expires. Not everybody is in that position though, so if you see a deal, go ahead and grab it.

That is what refrigerators and freezers are for.

 

[Huss]

..not much point in buy up stuff that you see deals on when you can't shoot what you already have before it expires. ...

Film never expires.

Same thing for cheese. And sushi.

 

[Ten301]

Film never expires.

Same thing for cheese. And sushi.

+1

 

[Peter Schrager]

I stopped hoarding this last year but I'm in Los Angeles and neither Samy's or Freestyle has TMY400 in 35mm. never thought I'd see the day
I was in B+H before I came out here and they had plenty of TMY...so what gives??

 

[Huss]

I stopped hoarding this last year but I'm in Los Angeles and neither Samy's or Freestyle has TMY400 in 35mm. never thought I'd see the day
I was in B+H before I came out here and they had plenty of TMY...so what gives??

Give Paul's Photo in Torrance a call. They may have it.

Or Freestyle Photo in Hollywood.