Ominous goings on in the retail arena

**John Kasaian** · 1-Oct-2005, 11:32

I'm a b&w shooter, not only in lf but in mf and 35mm. My Bride and her digi pull the color snap shot duty in the Kasaian household which works out well for us. When Her digis' battery corks out I have the b&w for back up. I have noticed that b&w silver halide film has become harder to get when on the road. The Longs drugstore chain stopped selling Tri-x. In Yosemite NP the only place that sold B&W of any emulsion is the Ansel Adams Gallery. Out of town the only places I can rely on for B&W film are camera stores--which are getting more and more rare if you don't count the mall dealers (who for the most part probably don't even know what a silver halide is!)

OK, this isn't a gripe, but a concern. If retail stores aren't selling B&W, why would Kodak keep making the stuff? Of course most of us would answer "simply don't use Kodak--find another brand" but stuff like Ilford and Efke aren't common among retailers. For sheet film I'm used to ordering my own film since sheet simply isn't stocked locally anymore except for limited 4x5 offerings for students. I can deal with that---there are very good people selling very good sheet film, but I've felt that I need to support my local camera stores too, before they all are driven out of business or start selling cell phones.

Now it looks like I'll be ordering my film for 35mm and 120 as well. Good for J and C and Freestyle, but one more hassel to deal with on the road.

Grrrr! Rant over.

**John_4185** · 1-Oct-2005, 11:46

Where do you live that you could get B&W film retail? I gave up when I moved to the sticks sixteen years ago. None here, and when I travel I don't even expect to find it anywhere (or at least at a reasonable price.)

Stock up by the case-load and be happy.

**Dean Tomasula** · 1-Oct-2005, 15:50

You can get anything you want mail order over the Web. It's not as convenient as walking into your local camera store, but the stores are disappearing fast.

**Jeff Morfit** · 1-Oct-2005, 16:23

Yea, who needs a store these days, what with EBay and the internet. Just have a website and enough room in your home or garage for a small business. Heck of a lot cheaper then having to lease or rent a building or space in a mall. EBay for the most part has killed off the old fashioned camera sales and swap shows as we know them.

**Ed Richards** · 1-Oct-2005, 16:48

Not nearly as much as rummaging around in the used department of old camera store. I did not really expect to find a store with LF in Louisiana, but I was disappointed on my last trip to Houston to find there there is nothing there any more either.

**ronald moravec** · 1-Oct-2005, 18:46

B&H and Calumet do land office mail order business. UPS delivers to and home with a street address.

I recommend buying when the weather is cold so film doesn`t get cooked on the way to you .

Get a years supply of film and paper at a time. Chemicals are mixed from scratch as needed. Refrigerate as necessary.

**John Kasaian** · 1-Oct-2005, 20:10

I'll have to make more room in the freezer--- I still have a few rolls of 120 verichrome pan next to the stash put aside in response to "The Great Ilford Scare of '04" and "The Final Voyage of The AZO" in '05.

Like Wooly Mammoths preserved in a glacier, my freezer has become a repository for photographic archeological artifacts!

Oh well

**CXC** · 2-Oct-2005, 10:20

Last year I found some T-Max 120 in a one-street town in rural Iceland. Then again I also found a book in English that was not (yet) available from Amazon, in Akureyri (pop.15,000). And it doesn't get so dang hot there, like it does here in California. Wish I could figure out how to immigrate there...

**Conrad Hoffman** · 2-Oct-2005, 12:34

Outside of large cities, the supply of b&w is shrinking fast. One hint- find a college. When you find a college, check with the bookstore. Lots of students take photo courses, and their bookstores carry what's needed for their courses- b&w film. Call first.

**David Van Gosen** · 2-Oct-2005, 20:09

Sad but true. My local photo store in Baltimore carries a fair selection of B&W film, probably because there's an art school nearby. I buy all I think I'll need before I leave town, though. There's no way I'd depend on buying B&W film on the road. I took a road trip around the National Parks last year, but didn't see any B&W film (or much slide film) in the places I visited.