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Thread: Film Pricing I don't understand

  1. #1

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    Film Pricing I don't understand

    I am not making this thread to be a rant, at least in spirit. I just don't understand the prohibitive pricing of large format film. take any larger than 4x5 large format panchromatic film price, and it's absolutely prohibitive. My first thought is to wonder what the 8x10 and larger panchromatic film prices were, say in the 40's through 70's, inflation adjusted? Until I know that, I can't rant about pricing today. I'm talking about B&W film now. Color I can understand, as it requires much more production machinery and chemistry. Let's take X-ray film, which I'm limited to... Last I saw, it's still quite low compared to pan film. X ray film can get me from violet to green. All I'm missing is yellow to red. What's the big deal on the last few steps through the spectrum? Although as digital replaces it, I have little hope for that either. But 8x10 pan film B&W is at least $4.00 a sheet? (or is it even more now)?
    Something seems totally out-of-kilter to me.

  2. #2

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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    LF film is definitely more expensive nowadays, even inflation adjusted. For example, in the mid-80's I bought 50 sheet boxes of 8x10 Tri-X for $50.00 per box. Adjusted to today's dollars that's about $117.00. A 25 sheet box of HP-5+ runs about $109.00; and I won't even discuss the price for 8x10 Tri-X nowadays! IMO, one of the best deals for 8x10 film today is Fomapan 100. I typically buy it from fotoimpex because even with overseas shipping it's cheaper than buying it here in the states. All that said, though, 8x10 is my favorite format so I keep shooting it, pretty much regardless of the cost.

  3. #3

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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    Back in the 1990's when 8x10 color transparency film was commercially viable for specific work. Cost per sheet of film & processions ran between $10 to $20 per sheet. This is simply the cost and way it has always been. Stepping down to 5x7 did not reduce the per sheet of film cost that much, further down to 4x5 did make enough cost difference to be significant.

    *This is one of the reasons why 4x5 became the standard for most high quality color commercial images produced back in those days. In studio with a Sinar P system good lighting system and high quality processing lab with a truly artistic and skilled photographer, work flow could be very good indeed with a good cost to results ratio.

    Film and processing cost pales compared to associated cost per image, models, support personal, rental of location and all other non-camera related tems often far exceeded the cost of film and processing.

    As for cost per B&W sheet film, it is similar to color sheet film, a matter of production cost for a given market demand. Sheet film production compared to roll film production is tiny. This drives up the cost of sheet film regardless of color or B&W. There comes a point when the production cost of any given film format exceeds it's market sales volume making continued production of that given film format not economically viable. Essentially for those who are sheet film users, keep using sheet film or more and more of it will disappear resulting a continued shrinking sheet film varieties being available.


    Per image cost per sheet of film is one of the reasons why learning how to achieve the desired image in a single sheet is SO important. It is also why learning how to use a view camera at 8x10 or larger is a extremely steep learning curve and expen$ive.

    No complaints about todays film cost, what is far more worrisome is the availability of sheet film in general.



    Bernice
    Last edited by Bernice Loui; 7-Apr-2018 at 00:49.

  4. #4
    Jim Jones's Avatar
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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    A sheet of 8x10 film (purchased in quantity) cost $0.27 when Edward Weston was budgeting for a Guggenheim financed photo project in 1937. Gasoline may have been around $0.20. Weston was concerned about both prices.

  5. #5
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    Compare cost per sq in between formats.

    Same same mostly.

  6. #6

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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    If you find the cost of 8x10 sheet film prohibitive, that says more about your ability to afford the product than it does about the cost (or value) of the product.
    The “per image” cost of shooting 35mm makes it seem as though film is a trivial expense, and so people go out and shoot without concern about wasting frames. Working with 8x10 sheet film is the polar opposite: the greatest care is exercised to get the shot right with one or two sheets. It’s an entirely different approach to image making, so it’s hard to make comparisons. At $4.35 a slice, I consider HP5/Pancro400 to be a bargain.

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Moe View Post
    Compare cost per sq in between formats.
    Same same mostly.
    Yep.

  7. #7

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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    Quote Originally Posted by paulbarden View Post
    If you find the cost of 8x10 sheet film prohibitive, that says more about your ability to afford the product than it does about the cost (or value) of the product.
    ... and if not ‘ability’, willingness.

  8. #8
    jp's Avatar
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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    An 8x10 sheet is the same amount of film as a negative page, or a roll of most sizes. $4 isn't bad for a roll of 120 or 36 exp 35mm or 4 sheets of 4x5.

    Aside from spending $4/sheet you could spend $1/sheet for xray film which I think is fussier and more fragile but still capable. Or you could spend $10 for Kodak's options. Though here their rollfilm is less expensive than Ilford.

  9. #9
    8x10, 5x7, 4x5, et al Leigh's Avatar
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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    We seem to forget that film is a perishable product, like apples or kumquats.
    How often do we complain if "new" film is not "fresh"?

    The retailer has to buy cases of film, not boxes.
    If it doesn't sell in a reasonable time, it's trash.

    As demand fades, the trash rate goes up.
    That has to be compensated by making higher profit on the film that does sell.

    - Leigh
    If you believe you can, or you believe you can't... you're right.

  10. #10

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    Re: Film Pricing I don't understand

    Quote Originally Posted by Leigh View Post
    We seem to forget that film is a perishable product, like apples or kumquats.
    How often do we complain if "new" film is not "fresh"?

    The retailer has to buy cases of film, not boxes.
    If it doesn't sell in a reasonable time, it's trash.

    As demand fades, the trash rate goes up.
    That has to be compensated by making higher profit on the film that does sell.

    - Leigh
    Worse the manufacturer has to coat miles of stock to maintain consistent quality. If the market can’t buy all that film while fresh it has to trash what is left.
    Today’s market for any size LF film is a tiny fraction of what it was when sales were healthy!
    Want proof? Name all current lens manufacturers of LF lenses, cameras, shutters, etc.. if there was a healthy market for them you would see far more of some and new production for the ones no longer manufactured.
    In short, it has become a cottage industry today.

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