During the 1960's when I was in school in LA, I shopped at Bob Gamble Photo Supply on Santa Monica Boulevard. In fact, I bought my first Leica M4 there, brand new, for $400. But that’s another story.

Their claim to fame was that all stocked film and paper were stored in and dispensed from large stainless steel and glass-doored coolers, like the ones now so common in the frozen food aisle of your local supermarket.

A few years ago I saw an ad from Calumet, guaranteeing all film shipped in an order would be from the same emulsion. I wonder if they still do that.

I have lately been purchasing film from B&H in NYC. They are close to New England, so the traumatic UPS trip is only overnight. And the price is always the lowest.

But such a sloppy ragtag bunch of film! If I order a twenty-roll “brick” of 35mm, I instead get a sandwich bag of un-boxed rolls without enclosed factory instruction sheets, obviously stolen out of a 50-roll pro-pack.

Today I received 100 sheets of 4x5 Tri-X. Each 50-sheet carton had completely different graphics, a different emulsion number and expiration dates exactly 12 months apart. Perhaps you really do get what you pay for.

Does anyone still sell fresh, factory-sealed film and paper, all from the same emulsion? Perhaps it’s time to re-think Calumet’s slightly higher prices...

Where do you shop?