Your thoughts and wishes - online film store

tony lockerbie · Jul 3, 2010

Does sound great, and I hope it gets going. I would like to see the Adox papers as well as the Agfa chemicals. At the moment I buy most of my film from Steven (cheapshots AU) and chemicals and paper from Les Porter, who is great to deal with. I think success here may lie in the somewhat less easy to source materials, rather than things like Ilford & Foma.
Most of the fibre paper that I use, Emaks, Gallerie etc. I get from Freestyle, but as you say, the post is prohibitive.
BTW, I am happy to pay a bit extra from a local source.

OldBikerPete · Jul 3, 2010

Hi Andrew. I buy color neg. only in 5"x4". I'm just trying out a 10 box of Ektar 100 and a 10 Box of Portra NC 400 but my usual film is Portra VC 160 in large boxes. I have been buying from Badger Graphics and in lots of 200 sheets to minimise the shipping per sheet.
I am nearly ready to make another buy of 100 or 200 sheets, I hope you're selling when I'm ready to buy.
Kodak and Agfa have both stopped selling C41 color neg. development chemical kits in AU and the other manufacturers prices are a joke. I have imported individual dry chems. and make up my own solutions. Perhaps you can arrange an alternative.
Peter.

ozphoto · Jul 3, 2010

I don't think ADOX has a local distributor - last time I wanted to get some film from my local store, they looked it up online from OS and priced it accordingly. Worked out even more expensive than TMax per roll, so I gave it a miss.

sharperstill · Jul 3, 2010

Good luck Andrew. I'm keen on Tri-X and Portra films in 4x5 and 5x7 particularly....

Jon

Athiril · Jul 3, 2010

Ektar has extremely good prices from some sellers in the UK, like silverprint in 120 last I checked.

I also just bought some Ektacolor 160 in 120 off ebay for ~$2.25 AUD per roll including delivery.

That might sell due to its low price, I also love Shanghai and ERA films, but theyre cheap and quick enough on shipping from ebay anyway.

I'd like a healthy 120 range, some of the ADOX and Efke range (like AURA IR) would be nice, and Rollei 80s.

Since when has Kodak stopped selling C-41? There is still relabelled Agfa stuff too.

And chems are VERY good prices from Vanbar, Fuji and Kodak chems are great prices, so is Agfa or mix your own bleach, Kodak E-6 fix for fixer, and mix your own stab or Kodak stabiliser.

frontdrive34 · Jul 3, 2010

Shipping costs are the thing that lean me toward buying films from Ebay sellers O/S as I find the local shipping fees too high (maybe I'm tight?). I've been reluctant to use the big American stores as they won't post to a PO box which is no good for me as I can't have parcels arrive at home. I also reckon there is an increase in people willing to do their own C41 processing yet finding the easy to use kits seems difficult in Australia. I suspect also E6 kits might become more popular. Maybe also that sort of item would be good?. Places like Vanbar are great for price and service etc but I find their online shopping site clunky.

Ross Chambers · Jul 3, 2010

I'm not a businessman's bootlace, so my ideas about this proposal are to be taken with a grain or more of salt.

I believe, as a number of respondents have posted, that the freight cost from Freestyle etc. is a problem, although it is nice to have the consignment turn up so quickly. I could and do anticipate my needs and I could wait for a lower grade of mail service.

From time to time someone in Oz offers a deal for bulk ordering so as to minimise postage, I believe that a coordinated and rationalised version of this would be great, but I'm reluctant to ask anyone to devote their working life to it.

For what it's worth I buy Fomapan 200, and Kodak 320 TXP 5x7" Kodak 120 TriX and Kodak TriX 35mm from Freestyle.

I imagine that 5x7" is a pretty small market in Australia.

BTW Vanbar are not great for price for my usual filmstocks although service (Sydney style anyway) is fine. The online site did improve a few weeks ago, but I fear the temptation to overload it from the propellorheads will make it clunky again soon.

Regards - Ross

clayne · Jul 3, 2010

So Andrew, I guess my (there was a url link here which no longer exists) was a good one?

andrewkirkby · Jul 3, 2010

Clayne, an excellent idea

Honestly, i'm very keen to get this up and running with a few products bought in bulk within the next few weeks. I'll have an update in about a week

Site is under construction at the moment.

Mick Fagan · Jul 3, 2010

I purchase Ilford FP4+ and HP5+ 5x4 in 100 sheet boxes from Badger, cheapest way to purchase the product I know of.

Landed price to my door is 48% cheaper than if bought locally, understanding of course that it is only available in 25 sheet boxes in Australia.

Have you thought of 100 sheet boxes?

Basically it is a deeper box that holds 4 x 25 sheet plastic envelopes of FP4+ or HP5+ film, brilliant way of purchasing film.

I have Kodak Tmax 100, 100 sheet boxes as well, just using up the last box now. I think Kodak stopped the 100 sheet boxes about 15 years ago.

As for Ilford film in Australia, well the official distributor for this country (C. R. Kennedy) does not have any mention of Ilford film at all on their website. In fact if you do a search for Ilford film(s) on their site, you draw a blank. If you put the word Ilford in, you only get electronic products. If you put FP4+ you draw a complete blank on each search category.

Not bad for the official importer, eh?

Mick.

tony lockerbie · Jul 3, 2010

Foto-Reisel were going to import Adox products, in fact an ad in Silvershotz listed them as the local distributor for MCC. When I phoned the sales guy said that they were waiting for more interest before stocking it!?

tony lockerbie · Jul 3, 2010

Oh, and Mick, I always thought 25 sheet boxes were a waste of space, bring back the 100's.

LJH · Jul 4, 2010

Any chance of Pyrocat developers?

andrewkirkby · Jul 4, 2010

I'll be stocking a wide range of film and paper developers, even going so far as to remake developers that no longer exist and pack/have them made commercially.

I'm also keen on Diafine and i want to promote that extensively.

Mick Fagan · Jul 4, 2010

If in time the business prospers, you may wish to become an official outlet of an overseas raw chemical photographic supplier, at some stage.

I make my own developers for film and paper from stock chemicals. Been making film developers from stock chemicals for close to 25 years now. Paper developers I have just started in the last few years to mix my own, should have done it years ago.

Mick.

ChrisC · Jul 4, 2010

Speaking from across the ditch, it'll be brilliant to have what you proposed a lot closer than he typical US bunch. B&H's minimum of ~$60USD for shipping is getting more and more frustrating, as is paying $16.90 for a roll of 120 Portra 400NC locally. Only takes 10 rolls ordered from B&H to save enough to soak up all of the shipping costs.

On a more personal note, HP5 and Portra 400 (both VC and NC) in 35mm, 120 and 4x5 with good trans Tasman shipping rates would guarantee my business. Also, colour chemicals would be wonderful. I've been going through Tetenal's New Zealand importers to get it, but they don't stock it meaning a minimum 10 week turnaround for their next order from the manufacturers. If you were going to go down the colour chem route, C-41 and RA-4 kits with a separate bleach and fix would be so much better, which I guess is Kodak or FujiHunt.

andrewkirkby · Jul 4, 2010

Hi Chris,

I was in New Zealand for a month last year working for Canon, my previous employer. I noticed that you guys have it even worse than we do here in terms of product availability.

Shipping from Australia to NZ is not terribly expensive when compared to that of US>NZ and i hope i can get a lot of NZ based photographers the products they need without exorbitant shipping costs.

I will say that some chemicals will require surface shipment - anything that is an oxidiser - so bleach poses a problem, however i am in discussions with a company in NZ who specialise in drop shipment and that would reduce both the shipping cost and time involved in getting the materials to you. Stock would get shipped directly to this company and then as orders come about, they ship to customers. This also saves double handling. I'll know soon whether this service is cost effective.

AK

Solarize · Jul 4, 2010

If you see toy cameras being a large share of total film users, I would make it a prority to keep good stock of the cheapest possible film. Showing that film needn't cost the earth is a good way to encourage some interest in the medium, and I would say especially so among (younger) toy camera users and college students.

Good luck!

clayne · Jul 4, 2010

I'm still so blown away by the prices of film in NZ and AUS. It's like they're explicitly trying to kill it. Guess those JP trade agreements are really lucrative eh? :-/

andrewkirkby · Jul 4, 2010

Solarize said:
If you see toy cameras being a large share of total film users, I would make it a prority to keep good stock of the cheapest possible film. Showing that film needn't cost the earth is a good way to encourage some interest in the medium, and I would say especially so among (younger) toy camera users and college students.

Good luck!

I think on a volume basis that the "toy camera" market is very important. If you saw the prices that those people were getting charged at places which sell toy cameras you would probably have a heart attack - processing, film, cameras - it's all out of control.
A lot of people i know who are using toy cameras follow the Lomography ethos of "shoot anytime anywhere all the time" and as a result go through quite a lot of film.
Whether that be high end slide or dirt-cheap B&W from the People's Republic, i will carry as much stock as possible.

andrewkirkby · Jul 4, 2010

clayne said:
I'm still so blown away by the prices of film in NZ and AUS. It's like they're explicitly trying to kill it. Guess those JP trade agreements are really lucrative eh? :-/

I think they just have no idea what they are doing.

hoffy · Jul 4, 2010

Andrew, are you planning on providing processing services now or in the future(whether its from you or contracted via someone else)?

ChrisC · Jul 4, 2010

andrewkirkby said:
Hi Chris,

I was in New Zealand for a month last year working for Canon, my previous employer. I noticed that you guys have it even worse than we do here in terms of product availability.

Shipping from Australia to NZ is not terribly expensive when compared to that of US>NZ and i hope i can get a lot of NZ based photographers the products they need without exorbitant shipping costs.

I will say that some chemicals will require surface shipment - anything that is an oxidiser - so bleach poses a problem, however i am in discussions with a company in NZ who specialise in drop shipment and that would reduce both the shipping cost and time involved in getting the materials to you. Stock would get shipped directly to this company and then as orders come about, they ship to customers. This also saves double handling. I'll know soon whether this service is cost effective.

AK

Yeah shipping across the ditch really isn't too bad. I couldn't see it being anywhere near the mimimum B&H charges.

Surface shipment wouldn't be a problem really. Chemicals are something that can be pretty easily planned for in advance, and a little bit of a wait time just means a good backlog of film to work through when it arrives. The 10 week turn around for my colour chems last time was a bit much though, but also understandable in the current climate. I just ordered 2 of each so I could place another order when I cracked into the second lot to ensure always having something in reserve. A much closer stockist would be a simply easy decision.

andrewkirkby · Jul 4, 2010

hoffy said:
Andrew, are you planning on providing processing services now or in the future(whether its from you or contracted via someone else)?

I will be offering processing and services from the moment the site goes online. This will be contracted to an already established lab.
Dip & Dunk colour processing, B+W film processing, B+W hand printing, colour negative/positive printing etc.

Drifter · Jul 4, 2010

By far, the top of my wish list is 4x5 Fuji Acros, hopefully in boxes larger that 10 sheets! (All that one can get from Badger or B&H at the moment). Fuji instant film at a realistic price would also be nice - if the prices were fairer, I'm sure the toy camera people with their Holgaroids would jump on board. As far as chems go, Rodinal, Rodinal and more Rodinal.

Wishing you the Best of Luck!

Your thoughts and wishes - online film store

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