britt_larson Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I am an amateur photographer. I am looking for a good quality film (b&w negative). However, I am on a tight budget. What films do you recommend that produce good results, yet are relatively inexpensive? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_hurst Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Ilford HP5 and FP4, especially if bought online in large quantities! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_chini Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Ditto. Both can be had for about $2 a roll or less at Adorama and B&H. Tri-X is cheap at B&H (grey market) but not at Adorama (official Kodak dealer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donald_miller1 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I would vote for the Classic or Efke films available at JandCphoto.com Much better quality then any of the conventional films. The pricing is favorable as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photojim Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Agfa's black and white films are quite inexpensive too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbq Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Do you plan to process it youself? If not, maybe you want to also have a look at the C41 B&W films, the extra cost of the film will probably be offset by the lower cost of processing (and the convenience of being able to have it porcessed anywhere in one hour). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanmeeks Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Britt, I agree with the above postings, however, never exclude Fuji Neopan 400. It's similiar to Tri-X except less expensive, finer grained, and with richer blacks (at least to my eye). I pay $3.29 for 36 exp. rolls at Samy's here in Los Angeles. It can be had mail order for equal costs. Another bargain is HP5+ reloaded at roughly $2.50 - 3.00 a roll. Also, I have never had problems with grey market films like Tri-X which run about $3.50 a roll. Considering Kodak raised the price of their newer emulsions, grey market is the cheapest way to go. All of these options, if not available at your local store, can be achieved mail order. Any photo magazine or Shutterbug will suffice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_davis2 Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 What format? If it's 35mm then get a bulk loader and 100feet of Agfa APX 100. Or check out the films Freestyle sells. Supposedly Ilford film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tadge_dryja Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I think TMAX-100 is the cheapest film you can buy. If you buy a 100 foot roll at B&H, it is $20 (imported). That gets you about 20 rolls, or $1/roll. If anyone knows of anything cheaper, I'd be interested too. Of course you might not like TMAX-100, but many people do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new hampshire john Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 have to agree with the bulk-loading suggestion, even as to film -- I'm bulk-loading apx100 and souping it in rodinal with pleasing (and cheap) results, it's really hard to beat... just picked up a bulk roll of tri-x and am going to check it out in diafine -- I find bulk-loading particularly suited to home-development -- I can roll a bunch of 12-shot rolls to test for film speed with different cameras, chemicals, etc., before I settle in -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0002a Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 The question is not always which film, but where you buy it and how much you buy. B&H Photo also has some Kodak "grey market" film that is designed to be sold overseas, but is made in the US, that is cheaper than regular film but just as good. Browse the B&H Photo web site for details. But shipping costs are one deterrent to purchasing mail order (although there usually is no sales tax). Shipping film in the middle of summer is not ideal either. In my city, there is a pro photo shop that has very competitive prices (competitive with mail-order firms) if you buy at least in quantities of 20 rolls. Keep the film in your refrigerator or freezer (best) and it will last a long time past the expiration date (helps if you are single when you try this). I have found that Ilford B&W films are less expensive than most Kodak ones, but superior in quality, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankl Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I get Agfa's APX-100 or 400 for $3.99 a roll up here in Canada, where tri-x, etc usually go for $5.99+ a roll. I espically like APX-100, it has excellet grain structure. The 400 isn't as sharp as i'd like, i usually shoot Delta-400 instead. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_pederson Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Of course the real secret is to take exposures which aren't worth printing, since the cost of paper will rapidly exceed the relatively trivial film costs.... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwilburn Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 In Toronto I pick up "student" versions of HP5+ for 3/$10 for 36 exp rolls at Downtown Camera. The "student" tag means merely that there is minimal packaging: a foil cover, no plastic can. It turns over quickly in the store and, consequently, is always fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth_harper Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 What country in the world do you live in Britt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Check out Arista from Freestyle. Me thinks it's Ilford rebranded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan_w. Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 Have a look at my website (click on my name) -- in the photography section I've just put up a little rant on where to get film inexpensively. You might find something useful in it. (I would appreciate any comments, BTW.) Bulk loading and buying in quantity help. Tri-X and TMX from B&H are very inexpensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_karp Posted July 17, 2003 Share Posted July 17, 2003 I second Anthony's recommendation. Freestyle Photo's Arista 125 and Arista 400 are directly comparable to Ilford FP4+ and HP5+. Excellent quality and price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britt_larson Posted July 17, 2003 Author Share Posted July 17, 2003 Hi Gareth, I live in the United States - Ohio to be exact. Thanks to everyone for all the comments - now I've got a lot to go research! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth_harper Posted July 18, 2003 Share Posted July 18, 2003 Hi Britt, If you were in the UK I'd recommend www.7dayshop.com for really good prices but then it's not much use for yourself.The films I use are Kodak Tmax100/400, Tri-X, Ilford 3200 and XP2.I use the Tmax simply because I can buy it a lot cheaper than Delta. The other two because they are supposed to be clearly the class leaders and are about the same price as the Kodak stuff anyway.Paper is all Ilford stuff. Chemicals for the T-max is Ilfosol S, Rodinal for the Tri-X and I'm changing over to DD-X (I think) for the 3200asa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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