What is the cheapest film from a quality / price aspect?

[moshin]

I want to start shooting film again and I´m researching what´s the best option for a good film that is available and kind of cheap everywhere, what are your options?

Thank you!

 

[laingsoft]

I've found kodak gold 200 to be a very nice film. Lomography 400 is also a nice film however I find it quite muddy at times.

This is Kodak Gold

 

[Alan9940]

Are you looking for color or B&W? For B&W, you probably can't beat the price of Ultrafine eXtreme or Arista EDU Ultra.

 

[Paul Howell]

As this the color thread assuming color film, in 35mm either Fujicolor or Kodacolor 200 in a three pack. For a single roll Freestyle is selling Color + 200 at $5.66 a 36 ex roll is due in Oct. Photowarehouse has a 5 pack of Kodak pro image 100 in 36 exposure for around $33.00.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I want to start shooting film again and I´m researching what´s the best option for a good film that is available and kind of cheap everywhere, what are your options?

Thank you!

not price but long-term availability is the main factor in the current market.

 

[mshchem]

Kodak Portra 160.

 

[koraks]

what´s the best option for a good film that is available and kind of cheap everywhere

Fuji C200. As long as it's still there of course.

 

[alanrockwood]

I want to start shooting film again and I´m researching what´s the best option for a good film that is available and kind of cheap everywhere, what are your options?

Thank you!

For black and white someone already mentioned Ultrafine eXtreme and Arista EDU Ultra. Note that Fomapan is the same as Arista EDU Ultra. Under the Fomapan brand name the price is very slightly higher than under the Arista brand. (Foma is the name of the company that makes Arista EDU Ultra and Fomapan.)

Another contender for black and white is Kentmere, which is made by Harman, which is sort of a synonym for Ilford (kinda, sorta, roughly speaking), but Kentmere film is not quite the same as Ilford branded film, despite being made by the same company. In the US the price for Kentmere is usually quite close to the Foma films.

Which is better, Foma or Kentmere, is somewhat controversial. Ultrafine eXtreme seems to get good reviews from everyone who has used it.

 

[jay moussy]

For B&W, do you plan on developing yourself?

Some films may be just a tad friendlier to the self-developer? I am wondering about that myself.

 

[Film-Niko]

I want to start shooting film again and I´m researching what´s the best option for a good film that is available and kind of cheap everywhere, what are your options?

Thank you!

For BW:
- ADOX IR-HR
- ADOX HR-50
- ADOX SCALA 50
- Kentmere 100
- Kentmere 400
- the Fomapan line (but here some QC problems occur from time to time; the QC of Kentmere and Adox films is much better).

For color negative:
- Fujicolor C200
- Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400
- Kodak ColorPlus 200
- Kodak Gold 200 3-pack.

For color reversal / transparency:
- Fujichrome Provia 100F 135
- Fujichrome Provia 100F 120 (in Europe the cheapest color film in general, including color negative).
As with color reversal (slide) film you have a finished optimal quality picture with processing only (no scans or prints needed, which do cost if you want good quality), in most cases you have generally lower costs per picture with reversal film compared to color negative film.

 

[abruzzi]

while I don't often shoot 400 speed film, I think the Fuji Superia 400 is an excellent film for the price, and probably my favorite "consumer grade" color film--I wish they still sold the other speeds. The added benefit is I can buy it in most Walmarts if I'm out and traveling. (admittedly, its not that cheap if you buy it there.)

 

[Auer]

For 135, Any Fomapan and Kodak Ultramax 400.
Ultramax 400 looks great at ISO100 too.



City Frame-55 by Eric Auer, on Flickr



City Frame-59 by Eric Auer, on Flickr

 

[runswithsizzers]

A lot depends on what you mean by by "available." If you have internet access and a mailbox, then all the films mentioned here are available.

But if you mean, What is available at the nearest Wal-Mart, Walgreens, or CVS store, then you can totally forget about Foma, Adox, Kentmere, etc. Only a very few consumer color negative films from Kodak and Fuji are available at retail in America. It would be highly unusual to find transparancy film or b&w film of any kind in a national drug store chain in the US. So if you were hoping to buy a few more rolls while you are out on a road trip, the selection is somewhere between very limited and nonexistent.

I see your location is Miami; if you are in Miami, Florida, you probably have some actual camera stores in your area where the selection should be better. (If you are in Miami, Oklahoma, forget about it.)

Right now the most widely available film in US retail stores might be Fuji Instax(?) or possibly a pre-loaded disposable camera(?) Just guessing.

 

[moshin]

thanks for your replies! great info!

 

[Ernst-Jan]

It all depends where you are from. In Germany 3x36 Kodak Gold 200 is sold for €9,99 but if you are from Japan I guess Fuji C200 might be a better deal.

 

[Lucas Yan]

I use Kodak Gold 200 when I'm shooting a lot. It looks like you're in Miami, and here in the US it's 3 rolls of 36 exposures for $12.99 (Moment and Midwest Photo have the cheapest prices). It renders colors fairly well with only a slight tint of yellow and red compared to a professional film like Portra (also professional films will have smaller grain and better clarity than consumer films).

Here's an example of what you can get with Gold 200:


Consumer films like Gold 200 actually have a lot of potential so I would recommend finding a lab that gives good scans and knows how to properly adjust their scanner for each frame or roll. I have noticed that most labs will leave their minilab machines on auto which results in a high contrast scan that blows out the shadows and highlights. Good labs (Richard Photo Lab, the FIND lab, etc) are usually pricey though when it comes to scanning so you could save some money in the long run by buying a nice film scanner and doing this yourself.

If you are looking for a professional film and are confident with working with a film camera, then I would suggest Portra (either 160, 400, or 800). Keep in mind that it is nearly triple the cost of Gold 200 ($9-$11 per roll), but will give you the best image quality. Here's an example of a Portra 400 shot at the same location as the Gold image.

 

[laser]

Kodak and Fuji. Don't waste your talent and time on "almost as good" films.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

For 120, Provia is now the cheapest colour option for me

 

[Jonno85uk]

For 120, Provia is now the cheapest colour option for me

Are you not able to get any Lomo Color in 120? When it's in stock it's always cheaper than anything else. I was finally able to get some of the 800 recently but now see it's out of stock, again.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

Are you not able to get any Lomo Color in 120? When it's in stock it's always cheaper than anything else. I was finally able to get some of the 800 recently but now see it's out of stock, again.

Ah yes, but that film is simply not in my system, I always tend to forget them. I should give them a try and indeed it's about €1/roll cheaper than Provia. (The 800 is at the same price)

 

[Helge]

If you can get deals on three packs or more of Superia 400 Xtra.
It’s very very good. About as good as Portra 400. Slightly grainier, a tad less real speed, but more punchy colours.
But yes, Gold is quite underrated.

For B&W and you can buy at the same prices as in the EU, HR-50 has pretty incredible cost/quality ratio.
Very, very high resolution, cubic grain and super pan chromatic. Near IR is a revelation and not that much slower than traditional IR film with R72 filter, but with much higher resolution and better grain. But nice and dramatic results can be achieved with a red filter and a polarizer.

 

[removed account4]

fuji superia in 3packs used to be my go to
also I'd call the local camera shop and ask for short date film
they'd sell it to me for less than 1/2 price ..
you might look on ebay or amazon for prices nowadays,
my experience was from 10+years ago when I shot a lot of color...
but the problem you might have is people selling color film of unknown provenance
so your final product might not be what you expect .. lot of people unloading film these days
and some of it might be waterlogged or scorched.. YMMV

 

[Helge]

For 120, Provia is now the cheapest colour option for me

+1 Provia is amazing value for the money, and absolutely one of the best colour films available, if not the best.
Pulled to 50 the DR I about 11 or 12 stops.
And you can push it to 400 without getting very weird results.
But really bring a tripod and a flash. This film has really nice reciprocity characteristics.
Ultra high resolution too.

 

[moshin]

I use Kodak Gold 200 when I'm shooting a lot. It looks like you're in Miami, and here in the US it's 3 rolls of 36 exposures for $12.99 (Moment and Midwest Photo have the cheapest prices). It renders colors fairly well with only a slight tint of yellow and red compared to a professional film like Portra (also professional films will have smaller grain and better clarity than consumer films).

Here's an example of what you can get with Gold 200:
View attachment 284232

Consumer films like Gold 200 actually have a lot of potential so I would recommend finding a lab that gives good scans and knows how to properly adjust their scanner for each frame or roll. I have noticed that most labs will leave their minilab machines on auto which results in a high contrast scan that blows out the shadows and highlights. Good labs (Richard Photo Lab, the FIND lab, etc) are usually pricey though when it comes to scanning so you could save some money in the long run by buying a nice film scanner and doing this yourself.

If you are looking for a professional film and are confident with working with a film camera, then I would suggest Portra (either 160, 400, or 800). Keep in mind that it is nearly triple the cost of Gold 200 ($9-$11 per roll), but will give you the best image quality. Here's an example of a Portra 400 shot at the same location as the Gold image.
View attachment 284233

thank you

 

[Agulliver]

It all depends where you are from. In Germany 3x36 Kodak Gold 200 is sold for €9,99 but if you are from Japan I guess Fuji C200 might be a better deal.

Yes, it depends so much on your geographic location. I am always amazed at the people in the USA saying that Kodak Gold is much the same price as Kodak Color Plus 200. Here in the UK the difference is massive, Color Plus can be 1/2 or at most 2/3 the price of Gold. I prefer Color Plus anyway.

Bottom line is that in C41 colour there is no bad product out there. Find something at your preferred price point and shoot it.

B&W is a bit more complicated but Fomapan (also sold as Arista Edu) is damned good stuff for the price....and I hear good stuff about Ultrafine but haven't tried it.