New 120\220 film cans

[scott_dordick]

We have a new product for medium format film. It is a weather proof,

lightweight, billet aluminum 120/220 film can. Come check it out at

acratech.net

 

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Thanks, any feedback would be appreciated.

Scott

[andrew l. booth]

Scott - your link doesn't work!

[paul_wilson2]

I'm sure it works well and I can appreciate a nicely machined piece of

aluminum, but at $15.95 per I don't think I'll be buying.

[rob_black]

$16 for a film canister? Are you crazy? I'm sure there will be some

people with more money than sense that will buy your overpriced

product, but I'll never be one of them. I'll keep on fattening myself

on M&M mini's and keeping the free plastic containers that come with

them. And the plastic is certainly more crunch resistant than an

aluminum tube! I'll spend my money on film, or at these prices, a new

lens!

What a RIPOFF!!

 

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Rob

[brian_c._miller]

Those <a href="http://www.acratech.net/">Acratech</a> cans look like

a tank could roll over them with little effect. I use plastic cans

with a snap-on lid. They are available at a local photo store (<a

href="http://www.glazerscamera.com/">Glazer's Camera</a>) for a few

bucks in a three-pack. I would spend a little more for a screw-on

lid. If I don't keep my film in the plastic cans, I keep it in one

of those insulated lunch bags.

 

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Honestly, the only time I have had film ruined was from me misloading

the camera. Then when I opened the back, the film roll was loose,

and film was thus exposed to light. Nothing helps for that except

for unloading the camera in a dark bag.

 

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Your ad should say that the can is waterproof, as it does have an O-

ring in the lid. "Positive seal" doesn't convey the idea. There is

a <b>very</b> limited market for something like this, like maybe

taking MF equipment white water rafting.

 

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Hasselblad and Rollei owners should be buying stuff like this.

They've already spent $10,000 on the camera and lenses, $16 for a

nearly indestructible film can should be pocket change.

[raymond_tai]

These film cans look great but I would think twice about air travel

with these things since they can be mistaken for shells in the x-ray.

[chun_in_martinez]

It doesn't match with my Hassy but it sure goes with my Glock and

Mag-Lites. But yes it's kinda expensive. If you lower the price

I'll by 10 or so. And please make your web site more friendly. Don't

ask for credit card information in your information request form.

[scott_dordick]

Thanks for the feedback, please keep your responses coming. I can now

see the price is a bit high for most people. I am going to try to lower the

the price but it is difficult because the retail price is derived from

the cost to manufacture, plus the mark up by wholesalers and retailers.

They are a top quality product and I am going to work on lowering the

price.

Thanks, Scott

[roger_urban3]

Scott, for what it's worth, if they were $5 each I'd buy 'em, and quit using tin foil to wrap exposed 120 film in to prevent light leaks. Tin foil, although it is nowhere near as elegent, it doesn't have a screw-in top to loose either.

 

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Price them right and you'll sell a boat load. Go for volume, because someone else is all too likely to come up with clone version made of cheaper plastic.

[trace_dibble1]

Scott:

I LOVE the cannisters. I do a lot of backpack & tripod outdoor

photography, and these are just the sort of high-quality container

I've been looking for.

 

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Having said that, I agree with the other guys--I can't stomach the

idea of spending several hundred dollars to can enough film for a

single outing.

[msitaraman]

Brian is right; relative to the cost of accessories for a Rollei or

Hasselblad, $15 is inexpensive. But a 50 pack (for someone on a shoot,

say) would cost $750, which is expensive for a non Hasselblad/Rollei

branded product. For comparision, A spare back would be about $1000

for a Rollei, say. Have you considered selling them via the

manufacturers?

[brian_c._miller]

The problem with bringing the price down on these cans is that they

are hand tooled. Did you guys look at what else that company makes?

Prototypes. By no stretch of the imagination is this a fully

automated setup, capable of batting out thousands an hour.

 

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Even though enough for a real shoot would run nearly the price of a

spare back, their useable lifetime is indefinite. The only real

problem is losing them.

 

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<b>Scott</b>: Maybe an aluminum 5-pack is a better idea. A clam-

shell design with an off-the-shelf O-ring might be much better than

individual canisters. There is a leaded plastic 3-pack for airport X-

rays, but nothing that matches a pro-pack. It wouldn't need to be

conformal molded, just fit five across. It could use a built-in,

claw-like, hinge design. I'd much rather spend $20-$30 for a five-

pack than $16 for a single tube.

 

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Any plastics manufacturer could make something similar. Like I said

earlier, the current alternative is a plastic container with a pop-

top. The top can (and sometime does) pop off from pressure changes.

Any manufacturer making wooden match stick containers already has the

basic design for this. No design change there, except for size.

 

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<b>Everybody besides Scott:</b>

 

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Come to think of it, PVC pipe is a good alternative. They make black

or white pipe with a diameter close enough to comfortably fit a 120

roll. Cap one end, and put a threaded cap on the other. Put yellow

heat-shrink tubing around it or paint it so you won't loose it, and

you're set. :)

 

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Sorry, Scott. I've just blown away your market to everyone handy

enough to use a hacksaw, knife, and glue. :(

[jeff_montgomery]

Try www.Porters.com they have three different film holders for

Medium format film for very reasonable prices.

[jim_chow]

Speaking of film canisters, Fujifilm does make a 5-pack plastic

canister for 120/220. They had a promo back in April in Japan

whereby if you bought 10 rolls of any Fuji 120/220 film, you

received (on the spot) one free 5-pack canister. They're made from

thick, gray plastic and have "Fuji Film" moulded into the lid. The

lid slides on, and he film is well-protected from light/moisture

(but not waterproof). They're great, and didn't cost me anything!