I have read several examples where professionals have moved to digital. If I were a pro and making money I would likely have done the same. I own a Sigma DP1 Merrill that does a terrific job so I can certainly see the attraction for professionals doing this as a business.Originally Posted by djdister
I am just a poor amateur though (emphasis on the poor) and actually I still really enjoy the process.
The Viewfinder is the Soul of the Camera
If you don't believe it, look into an 8x10 viewfinder!
Dan
I'll shoot out of date stock, cut aerial film, X-ray, paper negatives and will eventually learn to hand coat glass plates; whatever it takes to keep going.
It's all good. I'm not making my living from this, just having a good time in retirement.
And, yes, I deserve it...
Kino
We never have time to do it right, but we always seem to have time to do it again...
I understand the shock if you haven't looks at film prices for a few years... (but maybe you should have been looking and restocking :-) ).
I am happy that film is still around today, it wasn't clear 10 years ago that that was going to be the case.
And yes there's various options with different price ranges... from Kodak to Ilford to Foma to x-ray...
At the same time, around me I see everyone and their mother buying new digital cameras, or new lenses, or new tripods... and those are multi $K expenses... and if you can buy a new $1K lens, then you can instead afford a few boxes of 8X10 a year...
most hobbies aren't free, but if you really want to sink all your money go out and buy a boat... so given that, photography isn't that bad. Save, buy what you can afford, get out with your camera, shoot, and enjoy the hobby... life is short, and you can't take money with you after your heart stops.
Oh I agree with you 100%. My shock would not have been as much if I had been tracking the cost of film on a regular basis so a large portion of this is on me.
I rarely buy those other things you mentioned either. For example, I have not bought a new lens in many years. The last one I bought was an S&K Symmar 150/5.6 L. Nice lens but I seriously doubt it cost me $1,000. I don't shoot as much 4x5 as I used to but I still have that lens. Nice one.
I used my digital camera to do a photoshoot for a friend at a company event this summer. The digital camera I used was my Pentax *ist DL2. Care to guess when that camera came out? It still takes great pictures though. Not even worth the money to advertise it for sale but I take care of it because I like it.
As for my tripod, it was built before my son was born and he now has kids of his own in college.
I do buy things on a whim once in awhile. I just picked up a new (to me) Pentax camera with a couple of lenses off of ebay for a tad under $40 before I was caught by surprise by this film problem. I am looking forward to getting it and I am sure I will enjoy it when it gets here.
For all that, you are absolutely right. I have not been paying attention like I should have, but I know what the prices are now so I will figure out how to get some more film into the house on a more regular basis. I will be a bit more careful in the future. I will not let my stock get this low again without getting some more.
My biggest problem was not being prepared. My wife and I manage our expenses so that we live on our retirement income and we rarely dip into our savings except for emergencies. We try to plan ahead. Regardless of how much I enjoy this hobby this is not one of those things that qualify as an emergency. Now that I know what is going on I will make adjustments so that I have enough extra cash on hand from time to time to cover the cost of a new box of film or maybe two.
I have no intentions of quitting but I do need to make adjustments, so I will. Thanks for listening to my little rant, sometimes it just helps to put things in words.
The Viewfinder is the Soul of the Camera
If you don't believe it, look into an 8x10 viewfinder!
Dan
I remember it was only a few years ago that I was still buying boxes of 8x10 FP4 for just under $100 per box. (it's now over $200) A lot has changed in five years.
The last box of TMY (50 sheets of 5x7) I'd purchased from B+H was a "great" deal as it was short dated (within but a few months of expiry). Thing is, if I can put this (or any other short-dated film) right into the freezer when I get it (assuming it was stored "correctly" beforehand)...I can realize an essentially "within spec" performance from such a film for quite a while. So this will now be my purchasing strategy going forward.
it's brutal the cost of materials. im only shooting expired film and paper, and coating my own so I cut down on my expenses considerably
I can't imagine if I was buying a lot of film to feed the monkey .. and if it was chrome film feeding the monkey again
Last edited by jnantz; 7-Mar-2024 at 09:48.
Even this forum probably represents only a fraction of sheet film users. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on only a relative handful of individuals only we ourselves have known. That can be said about film in general. Kodak wouldn't be spending so much right now on new equipment and training another generation of technicians for sake of more production capacity if there wasn't any financial incentive due to adequate sales volume. No, I won't be like in the past ever again; and their fresh investments comes with a price increase to us. But in other ways, it is a good sign.
And let's face it. There are certain things you can do with real Pan film which discount options like X-Ray and Ortho Litho simply don't provide.
But to me, the inflated cost of film is a relatively minor nuisance. It's the dramatic cost increase in materials like museum board and Plexiglas which is the real pain in the butt. That's especially the case with respect to framing big prints;
and I have my own framing facility. I can't imagine anyone putting up a serious show while both paying a frame shop and having a gallery take a 50% or more cut from the selling price; they'd be lucky to break even.
It's all relative anyway. I see people down the street dropping $4000 every six month for new off-roading tires, and gosh know how much for shocks and all that gasoline every weekend. Up in the hills, guys with modest incomes would drop $200 apiece every weekend for target ammo and a beer fest with their buddies (at least they were firing a safe direction even inebriated - many don't). Look at the ridiculous amounts families spend a month on cell phone and web media entertainment subscriptions just to keep up with a lot of nonsense. I grew up with puppies and kittens and and farm animals, and rocks and trees instead, and was probably a lot happier.
Well isnt anyone going to chime in that they can make their own film for 10$ per hundreed feet?
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