chrisdurnin Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Hey guys, I just started another photography class today and I'm gonna need tons of film. Does anyone know where to buy cheap B&W 120 film? Anywhere besides adorama or B&H...they're not that cheap. Ebay doesn't seem to have that much 120 B&W film for cheap. Can I buy 120 BW film in bulk?? I've only seen 35mm bulk film. Any known secret spots for cheap film? Thanks. -Chris Durnin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_de_fehr Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_main.php?cat_id=40 J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 www.jandcphoto.com carries Lucky, Efke, Adox, Foma and JandC Classic 120 b&w films from $1.89 to $3 a roll. Good source for offbeat and otherwise difficult to find stuff (in the U.S.) at reasonable prices, including papers and developers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_appleyard Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 No, you can't buy 120 film in bulk. If your camera allows it, you can buy 220 film; it's twice as long. 120/220 (roll film) needs a paper backing to make it light tight. With 35mm, you load the bulk film into empty cassettes. There would be no way to do this in bulk with 120/220. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nano_burger Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I've never seen 120 in bulk; however 70mm film is commonly sold in 100~500 foot rolls. Mostly aerial film these days, but it was once the staple of school and studio photographers and there is a lot out there at fairly inexpensive prices. Most of the aerial film is sprocketed, but the portrait stuff was all friction fed and has no holes. I imagine with infinite patience, you could cut it down to 120 size and apply a paper backing. If you try it, get a hold of this guy http://www.davidromano.com/Film.html. He cuts down 70mm HIE for use in 120 cameras. He is sure to have some pointers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titrisol Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 jandc PRO 100 film for $1.40 a pop is the cheapest I've found. http://jandcphoto.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=160 A lot of old timers say it looks like Verichrome pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mb81 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I agree with Lex and Pablo. JandCphoto is a great place for cheap film. Plus, all of their films are great. Adox, JandC, and Efke. I actually prefer Efke out of those three, but their are a few things that you need to know before you get that film (if you do). 1: Their 120 format has a very thin paper wrapping. This means light leaks and fogging sometimes. Load this film in dark places. 2: Efke films have a very soft emultion and scratches every easy, So handle it carfully and fix it a hardening fixer rather than rapid fix. 3. The JandC website has the development times for all of the films they offer. For Efke 100 films they dont seem to give a very accurate time in D-76, so you may want to make some tests for yourself if you use that developer. Other than that, JandC is the way to go for cheap stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bljkasfdljkasfdljskfa Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I am not sure if recommending difficult to handle film to a beginner is such a great idea. Those scratches and curl won't do any good for grades. I recommend buying cheap film that doesn't have those problems, and Efke is not it. Agfa APX is only 2.09 or 2.19 100/400 a roll from B&H. I don't remember it having all the above mentioned issues that Efke films have, and the extra dimes are worth it. Also a cheap place for film is www.ultrafineonline.com. They have even slightly cheaper 120 film. I don't know about quality; they used to resell Ilford. I guess this is still the remaining Ilford stock, which if true is even better than APX for my taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titrisol Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I have to disagree with the assesment about EFKE The films curls, true but I haven't had problems with soft emulsion. Keep the chemicals close to 70 - 75F and the emulsion should hold. JC Pro 100 has a softy emulsion, but with some practice it'll work for anyone. I also differ in the idea of giving things that are easy to work with to newbies.. but that's a complete different field ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip_glass Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Buy Agfa from B&H or Calumet at 2.09-2.19 per roll. It is superb film and easy to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_de_fehr Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Arista Edu. Ultra 100 (Fomapan 100)from Freestyle sells for $1.39/roll, or $1.29/roll when you uy 20 rolls or more. Arista Edu 100 (Forte 100) sells for the same price. Neither of these films are packaged as poorly as the J&C Pro 100, in 120. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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