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End of cheap film?


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<p>Before The Camera Shop went under, and even shortly thereafter, I could get a roll of 12 exposure Fuji 200 for 99 cents. Once that disappeared, they had boxes of 5(6?) rolls of 24-exposure of the same film for 7 bucks. I almost did not know what to do with all that film. I was shooting like digital. No more. I don't even see much on sale at the local Walgreens or CVS anymore. I really have to reconsider shooting film if I have to pay $5 a roll just for film.</p>
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<p>Quality processing is getting more expensive as well. I used to get quite fine C-41 develop and scan for under $4 at Cameras Inc in Arlington, MA. Well, until they went out of business last month. In about 6 years they had gone from processing 200 rolls a day to 10 roll a day. Now it's $8 for develop-only at Dorian Color Lab. Now, that $8 buys much better processing, for sure. But there's no cheaper option for "less important" stuff. Plus scanning is a time sink. But I'm still willing to do it for the results.<br>

But I am a little more likely to take one of the digital options.</p>

 

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<p>Target sells Kodak for about $7.00 for a 3 pack and they will process the film for a dollar a roll. Then you scan it yourself. That is what I am doing these days. Our CostCo quit on film about 2 years ago. The machine broke and they said they do not do enough business to justify fixing or replacing it. It was a big let down for me. </p>
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<p>I have been getting my film from Kroger. They are the only ones here (That I have found) that still sell singles 24 rolls and also Kodak B/W film . Our Target here doesn't process film nor have I seen film for sell there.<br>

I still prefer the look of film over digital.</p>

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<p>I've started rolling my own B&W. This afternoon I bought 100 feet of recently expired Tmax 100 for $25, about $1.39 per roll of 36. Last month I bought a 300 foot spool of Polypan F for around $30 (incl. shipping), which comes to something like 56¢ per roll.</p>
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<p>I'm seriously thinking about really "rolling my own". Places like Photographers' Formulary have the chemicals to do things like wet-plate photography, but I don't think I could possibly pretend that I was "saving money".<br>

[as an aside, I was disappointed in the recent National Geographic picture story in which the modern wet-plate photographer was doing, quite frankly, a crappy job of it, apparently to emulate age deterioration]<br>

Living in a college town, there are still lots of students "discovering" film and even older photo processes. We all do our best to see that our local supplier stays in business. So long as that continues, we're doing fine here, filmwise.</p>

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<p>Out of curiosity stopped at Walgreens tonight. Their Kodak line was no bargain. Something like $15 for a box of 3, may be 4.They had their own brand though that went for $11 for a box of 4(96 exp). It said Made in Japan. I don't know who makes them but how bad can it be?</p>
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<p><em>"Shoot with a half-frame camera"</em><br>

<em><br /></em><br>

Better yet shoot multiple exposures, then you can get more shots on a roll of film than some of those new fangled flash cards can hold. They don't even have to be in the same location for even greater economy.</p>

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<p>I loved Polaroid, and I still have several, including the SX-70 I got in 1974. It's my all-time favourite camera, but I can't use it because the film currently available for it is for the lifestyles of the rich and famous people.</p>

<p>I last used film in my Nikkormat Ftn and had it developed a couple of years ago. I shot a couple of rolls in it last year (2011), but when I went to have it processed, the affordable minilab had been shut down. My only reasonable alternative now is any one of the two "pro" places downtown. It's just too expensive for me. So, sadly, I've been reduced to just using digital.</p>

<p>Seriously, it has gotten too expensive for the average retired person to use film on any kind of regular basis. Sure, it's easy to say a roll of film is about 5 bucks, but that's just one roll, and there's still the processing of it, with the added cost of decent scanning, because you can't really do anything these days unless it ends up as a digital file anyway.</p>

<p>With my little digital compact, I easily shoot the equivalent of a $100 worth of film and processing in an hour on a good day when I do my walkabouts. At some point in the evolution of things technological, you just have to bite the bullet and go with the flow.</p>

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<p>Thanks to the heads up by ross b I scooted over to Target web site and found a box of 3 24-exp Kodak Gold 200 for $6. Pretty decent i think. Walmart has a box of 4 24-exp Fuji 200 for $8. I can probably pick them up at the store and save postage as well. Maybe all is not lost after all. Honestly, I can't tell the difference in picture quality between film and digital. They all end up digital anyway and when I want to get an enlargement, they don't use the negatives. I just like to handle my film cameras better. It is a hardware thing. </p>
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<p>No, there is definitely not the end of cheap film.<br>

1. If you consider inflation, film is not more expensive than 15 years ago.<br>

2. Here in Europe you can get 36 Exp. film for ridiculously low 85 Cent in drugstores, development is between 85 cent and 2,55€. If I consider inflation, that is much much cheaper than 15 years ago.<br>

3. If you want to archive your shots for 20, 30, 40 or more years, than film is much cheaper than digital storage. You may have a look here:<br>

http://www.oscars.org/science-technology/council/projects/digitaldilemma2/<br>

All digital films from the Hollywood studios are archived exclusively on <strong>film</strong>, because it is more safe and 11x cheaper than digital storage. Most governments archive on film (microfilm), too.</p>

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<p>I still have a large supply of CVS and Walgreens (Fuji) on hand as well as a whole freezer full of color & b&w film. I am lucky that Livingston Camera in Livingston, NJ and its sister store Millburn Camera in Millburn, NJ still provide very high quality processing. They should do mail order work. Unique Photo is a short drive away and they always have some film bargains. I am interested in that Polypan stuff anf will look for it again. </p>
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<blockquote>

<p>If you want to archive your shots for 20, 30, 40 or more years, than film is much cheaper than digital storage. </p>

</blockquote>

<p>Film, processing, printing, sleeving, boxing, obtaining antique equipment or retrieving to new formats from a medium as common as Super 8 is now. Memory Cards are often the price of a roll of film, DVDs are super cheap and hard drives are a great bargain. We don't know what transferring to new formats will require.</p>

<p>Film archiving is well and good but to claim it is or will be cheaper given all the variables requires a crystal ball that can foresee the future. Do you have one?</p>

<p> </p>

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