The case for hoarding film.

[Huss]

Fuji C200 36 exp is now $10/rol! Or $30 for a 3 pack at B&H etc.

I just found a shop that was selling it for 'only' $20/3 pack so I bought the remainder of their stock. I use this film a lot.

2 years ago I bought the C200 3 packs for $14. So in two years it has more than doubled in price. Yep, this is why I buy it up when I see it.

 

[destroya]

man i remember 7 years ago walmart, in stores, were blowing it out for $5 for a 3 pack. bought 15 packs and then posted it here. those were the days.

 

[destroya]

sorry, it was $4.75 for a 4 pack of 24 exp

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/the-cheap-fujicolor-200-film-on-sale-at-walmart.110508/

 

[Moose22]

I've done the same several times in the last 6 months. Had too much film already and seen a bargain... the last three times I did that (Some cheap T-Max, a cheaper price on Portra400, and a couple of Ilford stocks) they must have been about the last bargains in filmdom. When I looked at each of those stocks recently they were from 10-25% more expensive.

For instance, I bought bulk rolls of FP4 and Hp5 for $80 or $85 each. I had a ton of Tri-x and Tmax400, plus a whole lot of Delta100 and HP5 rolls already. That is more than enough 400 speed with my to hold me through the summer and fall, but then I saw a roll of delta400 for $82 and bought it immediately. Right now BH is listing FP4 for $109, Delta400 for $119.

At least a bulk roll is easy to store. Takes up minimum refrigerator space. But the point is, I'm not getting a bulk roll of Delta for under $100 ever again, or FP4+ it looks like.

It goes both ways, though. Now I have "too much" film, and a bunch will still be frozen next year. But it also means I have a heck of a lot less worry about just grabbing a couple of rolls and walking around town shooting stupid stuff, because i have enough film that'll expire this year that I almost feel like I need to hurry up and get it shot. That helps me be more productive.

 

[Huss]

man i remember 7 years ago walmart, in stores, were blowing it out for $5 for a 3 pack. bought 15 packs and then posted it here. those were the days.

About that time Adorama had a clearance of recently expired C200 for $1.49 roll/36 exp. This was before they realized people still pay top dollar for expired film,

I bought 100 rolls from them, and wish I bought more!

 

[Huss]

I've done the same several times in the last 6 months. Had too much film already and seen a bargain... the last three times I did that (Some cheap T-Max, a cheaper price on Portra400, and a couple of Ilford stocks) they must have been about the last bargains in filmdom. When I looked at each of those stocks recently they were from 10-25% more expensive.

For instance, I bought bulk rolls of FP4 and Hp5 for $80 or $85 each. I had a ton of Tri-x and Tmax400, plus a whole lot of Delta100 and HP5 rolls already. That is more than enough 400 speed with my to hold me through the summer and fall, but then I saw a roll of delta400 for $82 and bought it immediately. Right now BH is listing FP4 for $109, Delta400 for $119.

At least a bulk roll is easy to store. Takes up minimum refrigerator space. But the point is, I'm not getting a bulk roll of Delta for under $100 ever again, or FP4+ it looks like.

It goes both ways, though. Now I have "too much" film, and a bunch will still be frozen next year. But it also means I have a heck of a lot less worry about just grabbing a couple of rolls and walking around town shooting stupid stuff, because i have enough film that'll expire this year that I almost feel like I need to hurry up and get it shot. That helps me be more productive.

The beautiful thing about already having bought multiple rolls of film is when I step out of the door, I just grab a fistful of rolls. No worry about running out. No worry about cost even because I already made the purchase a while ago, and accounted for it then. It really is freeing allowing you to just go and shoot as much as you want.

 

[AgX]

The last time I bought Fuji 200 film it was 0.80 Cent per 135/36 ...

 

[Fortepun]

The last time I bought Fuji 200 film it was 0.80 Cent per 135/36 ...

Yeah, I just had a look. Ten pack ordered 2020. Feb. 14. C200 box price in Hungary was $2,71 at the time. Today, it's $7,29.

 

[markbau]

I've recently been using up some old B&W film, some of which was stored in a fridge, not frozen and some of which was stored in a darkroom that never gets above about 18C. All were out of date by a few years and all of them, TX and FP4 print ok but they don't have that local micro contrast that fresh film has. They just seem a bit flat. It's fresh film for me from now on.

 

[Paul Howell]

The last film I horded was Mitsubishi which was rebranded Fuji 100, got it for .99C at the dollar store, bought all they had about 50 rolls, froze some, gave some way, shot the rest. I have a few rolls of color once gone may not replace them. At $10.00 a roll for film and $10 to process, or mail it off at $6.00 C41, then buying R4 and paper to print or pay $30 for 4X6 prints, may just focus on black and white.

 

[Don_ih]

At my current rate, I have enough 4x5 film for the next 275 years.....

 

[NB23]

At my current rate, I have enough 4x5 film for the next 275 years.....

Me too...
And another problem; while I had a huge stash of papers, I somehow kept on adding while printing the old. I’m still at square One and I just never stopped Printing.

if I may give a recomendation: pile up on fomapan 100’ rolls while they’re cheap.

 

[gone]

I wouldn't call it hoarding exactly, just smart buying. When I see the prices of film today, it just makes me want more of that Arista Premium 35mm, rebadged Tri-X that was priced at $2.85 cents a roll on Freestyle's website.

 

[VinceInMT]

I’d stock up but my shelves are all full of toilet paper.

 

[Cholentpot]

I just got nearly 400 feet of Orwo UN-74. I buy what I can when it's cheap enough. I have enough for a few years at this point but I never say no to a deal.

Anyone out there have some bulk film taking up their freezer? Lets talk. 70mm 35mm 16mm 4x5, I'm game for anything. Even Xray.

 

[warden]

When B&H was running a sale on short dated Provia a few years back I bought way too much, and now it's worth quite a bit more than I paid. I had no idea I was making an investment that would increase in value. I'm still waiting for the right occasion to use it.

 

[NB23]

When B&H was running a sale on short dated Provia a few years back I bought way too much, and now it's worth quite a bit more than I paid. I had no idea I was making an investment that would increase in value. I'm still waiting for the right occasion to use it.

The cool thing is that in this day and age, the more you wait the more it becomes “The Saul Leiter Reserve”

 

[MattKing]

I’d stock up but my shelves are all full of toilet paper.

It is only hoarding, if you don't make use of it.
This applies to both toilet paper and film.
By the way, it applies even more to cameras and accessories!

 

[warden]

The cool thing is that in this day and age, the more you wait the more it becomes “The Saul Leiter Reserve”

 

[Moose22]

The beautiful thing about already having bought multiple rolls of film is when I step out of the door, I just grab a fistful of rolls. No worry about running out. No worry about cost even because I already made the purchase a while ago, and accounted for it then. It really is freeing allowing you to just go and shoot as much as you want.

Same with dev at home. You've been getting a buck a roll or so out of the DF96, I've been doing xtol and the $20 I spent on developer and fixer has gotten me 40 rolls so far, including some one shot experiments, and I'm still working on the last liter.

It wasn't free to startup*. I spent on hardware (bag, flasks, storage bottles, etc...) so it's not like $10 gets me 50 rolls or anything, but that's the way it is in my head. That money is spent, and I don't think about it at all. So... Shoot another roll of that film that's near expired, dev only costs 50 cents! Arista or the short dated Acros I bought I can do a roll, almost literally, for around $5 including film cost. I know some kids who LOVE film, but seldom shoot because of the development and scanning costs. It's like spending 75 cents every time they fire the shutter. I no longer think that way.



*In truth, amortized over what I've developed it's still only $2 or $2.50 a roll even with startup costs, and that total drops toward a buck a roll or less every time I shoot more.

 

[brbo]

At $10.00 a roll for film and $10 to process, or mail it off at $6.00 C41, then buying R4 and paper to print or pay $30 for 4X6 prints, may just focus on black and white.

Interesting, for me C-41 is at least five times cheaper than BW (from film to print).

 

[Moose22]

When B&H was running a sale on short dated Provia a few years back I bought way too much, and now it's worth quite a bit more than I paid. I had no idea I was making an investment that would increase in value. I'm still waiting for the right occasion to use it.

Every occasion is the right occasion! I love provia SO much.

Been on a black and/or white kick for a while now, but my favorite color shots are very often Provia.

Interesting, for me C-41 is at least five times cheaper than BW (from film to print).

Geez man, you don't have to rub it in. Lab developing is $8, scanning is $10-15, and the film is getting pricey here, too.

You're lucky. It's literally the opposite for me now, I can do B&W film/dev/scan now for about half what the roll of C41 film costs me before any processing at all.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Recently some of the 100ft bulk rolls have increased. The ones I use (Rollei 400 RPX and Delta 400) has increased. So recently B&H had Rollei 400 RPX at 89.99 (is $124.99 now) so I bought 2 100ft rolls to get a good saving.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I don't shoot that much color film but I regret not buying tons of it when I was pretty cheap. I still have some Agfa Optima that Photowarehouse sold for $20/100ft back about 15 years ago. We were spoiled back when you could just pop into Wallyworld and buy a four pack of fuji 800 for $8. It seems as though those days are long gone and film prices are going up just to see what the market will support. But that is the way the world seems in general these days.

 

[Cholentpot]

Recently some of the 100ft bulk rolls have increased. The ones I use (Rollei 400 RPX and Delta 400) has increased. So recently B&H had Rollei 400 RPX at 89.99 (is $124.99 now) so I bought 2 100ft rolls to get a good saving.

Did the price go up on DoubleX 400 foot cine reels?