Time to stop buying film

Andrew O'Neill · Jan 2, 2018

RattyMouse said:
I'd give ANNNYYYYTTHIINNNGGG to be able to live in Japan. A more fascinating place on earth to me does not exist.
I always would come back from a week in Japan with 40, 50, even 60 rolls of film shot. My fingers would be literally raw from rewinding my Fuji GF rangefinders so much.

I always come back with a ton of film to develop! I try to get back every couple of years. A very fascinating and inspirational land, where the people actually respect us artists and teachers!

adelorenzo · Jan 2, 2018

I think I place an order for film 2-3 times a year. I tend to buy large-ish amounts but when you are shooting three different film formats you tend to run low on one type of film or another. Life got a lot easier when I stopped shooting color, now I basically just need to worry about FP4 and HP5. I stopped freezing film although I do have a large pile of expired 4x5 film in the freezer that I've been given, several hundred sheets at least.

Paper, on the other hand... I have more 5x7 and 8x10 paper than I will use in a lifetime. I use 11x14 the most but even then I've got at least a dozen more boxes to work through. All of it given to me by people shutting down their darkrooms. It's mostly RC paper so I still have to buy fiber paper. Plus then you need warmtone fiber paper. And of course I buy special paper for lith printing. And rag paper for alt process. And....

Cholentpot · Jan 2, 2018

I've got a decent stash but I'm always looking for more. I've got maybe 10 rolls left of C-41 and another 10 of ECN-2. That'll last me a few years. I'm burning through stocks of expired b&w though. I got some nifty Oly point and shoots and it's given me a fresh perspective. I also went from shooting slow films and making the best of it to preferring 400 and faster. When I started I would throw anything into the camera and just click away. I think I've learned a bit since then...

bsdunek · Jan 2, 2018

eddie said:
What stands out ( for me) in your post isn’t how much film you’ve stocked, it’s that you’re “ rarely finding anything worth shooting”. Time to light a fire, and find something worthwhile.

You've got that right! I've been in that situation for the last year or so. Trying hard to get back my enthusiasm.

JWMster · Jan 2, 2018

"I sure wish I loaded up on Acros back then when it was THE cheapest film at B & H"

Of course the way I look at it, the cheapest film today is Kodak TMY 400 - if you buy 5-packs. Maybe that tells you something, or signals we should call Kodak's next-of-kin?

railwayman3 · Jan 2, 2018

I have a smallish freezer full (guessing 400-500) and a section in the fridge with maybe 100, and this doesn't vary very much. Probably a half to two thirds is my usual Ilford (and a few Kodak) fresh "shooting" stocks, while a lot of the remainder are older and discontinued films. Most of the latter were fresh when bought and frozen, a lot when the films were discontinued (Plux-X, Efke, Ektachrome) others back about 10 years ago when people (professionals?) seemed to be clearing their stocks cheaply on Ebay. A few are nearly as ancient as me(1960's!), awaiting when I have some spare time and mood to experiment.

dpurdy · Jan 2, 2018

RattyMouse said:
When I first returned to film, Fuji Acros 100 film was $2.50/roll. That wasnt all that long ago. Today it's nearly triple that. So I agree that buying now and freezing film is a possible way to hedge against inflation. I sure wish I loaded up on Acros back then when it was THE cheapest film at B & H.

Yep, I bought 200 rolls Acros from B&H in 2006 and it was less than 2.50. I also bought 200 sheets of 8x10 TMAX400 which has since become insanely expensive. I had to buy a freezer but I also bought a lot of WTFB paper and several boxes 4x5 film. All this is well below zero in my freezer along with a lifetime supply of Kodak direct duplicating film in 9.5 inch wide rolls. Now my goal is to use it all.

RattyMouse · Jan 2, 2018

bsdunek said:
You've got that right! I've been in that situation for the last year or so. Trying hard to get back my enthusiasm.

Southern Michigan isn't really landscape country. Detroit is too dangerous to walk around in so I'm left with very little to shoot.

faberryman · Jan 2, 2018

I no longer shoot color film, and I don't stock up on black and white film. It's pay as you go for me. I fully expect black and white film to be around longer than I am. I am happy shooting what Ilford offers. If I shot Acros I'd be stocking up though. It's not long for this world.

Sirius Glass · Jan 2, 2018

RattyMouse said:
Southern Michigan isn't really landscape country. Detroit is too dangerous to walk around in so I'm left with very little to shoot.

Now the answer is obvious =======> You enjoyed Japan, so move back there.

TheRook · Jan 2, 2018

I have about a 10-12 month supply, which is plenty for me. As I'm often switching between film formats and film varieties, I don't want to store up too much film because I'm never sure what I will be using next and for how long I will be using it.

Andrew O'Neill · Jan 2, 2018

I just had a peek in my freezer. 250 sheets of 4x5 HP5 left from 500 sheets I bought a bit over ten years ago. A few other films and various formats in there. The next time I buy film it will be for a couple boxes of HP5 8x10, as I'm down to about half a box.

Wallendo · Jan 4, 2018

I tend to accumulate film during the winter when days are shorter and it's cold outside (22F right now). I have fewer shooting opportunities and more online shopping opportunities. I'll use a lot of the film up over the rest of the year, and begin stocking up again next November

Time to stop buying film

Andrew O'Neill

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adelorenzo

Cholentpot

bsdunek

JWMster

railwayman3

dpurdy

RattyMouse

faberryman

Sirius Glass

TheRook

Andrew O'Neill

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Wallendo

Time to stop buying film

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