On a related note, I've never understood why any manufacturer makes sheet film in a 25 sheet box. A film holder has two sides... an odd-number box always leaves you with one half-empty holder, or opening the next box of film. I just wish Kodak still sold 100-sheet boxess of 4x5.
I don't shoot as much 8x10 as I should so I occasionally take the camera out back and do a few shots. For this purpose the Arista.EDU.Ultra is good enough. I have a few 100 sheet boxes of 8x10 generic FP4 that I bought for around $129/box from Ultrafineonline a few years ago, sitting in the deep freeze. I also have some HP5+ to pick from in case I shoot something that is important to me.
I couldn't agree more with the idea of buying the best you can. Cheap film is not worth it.
About two years, two friends went digital and GAVE me all of their leftover film, including several boxes of HP5, FP4, and Tech Pan, all in 4x5 and 8x10. Also included was quite a bit of Super XX and Plus X, neither of which I have used yet. I really got spoiled and when it finally came time to buy some, my wallet almost crawled under a duck (to quote Raymond Chandler).
A while ago, I bought some outdated 8x10 Portra just for fun. It was only 20 bucks for 10 sheets. I found out I LOVE it and THEN found out that a box, in Canada, is 120 bucks, before the 14% tax!!!!! Only 71 bucks in NYC. Our dollar is now worth a little more than the US dollar. What gives? It can't be that they already have older and more expensive stock here because it is all special order anyway.
You B&W guys have it cheap- Velvia 4X5 quickloads are now $4.00 each, and 8X10 transparency sheet film is around $9.00-$10.00 a sheet!
Brian Vuillemenot
I'm currently looking for the cheapest B&W film I can find, as I plan to use a box of it as test shots on a camera I am going to build. Basically expose, examine, adjust the camera and repeat until focus is perfect
Zach, just use paper for that. What size, btw?
The cheapest fresh, in-date b/w sheet film available to United States shoppers would currently be Freestyle's Arista.edu.ultra which is Foma.Originally Posted by Zach In Israel
been awhile since I looked but I think a sheet of B&W 4x5 runs about $2 here in Oz. I bought ten 50 sheet boxes from a US based store that was offering free freight at the time (along with a heap of 120 roll film) and it worked out to about 12cents a sheet. At the time I had approx 150 sheets of various Ilford and Kodak so I thought the additional 500 sheets would last me awhile... well, at the rate I'm using it (close to zilch) I have several lifetimes supply!
Back to the orginal question, yep the film cost is a small part of the equation, unless you only shoot within walking distance of your house. Fuel, food and accomodation (if doing overnight trips) soon eclipses material costs.
I once bought a half dozen rolls of 120 by a manufacturer of European origin which was cheap. $2 instead of $7 or so for Ilford/Kodak. False economy though when there's flaws in the emulsion! I've still got a couple left in the fridge... one day I'll actually though them out!
I don't know about you guys, but I am a student, and a hobbyist, and a dollar a sheet isn't trivial.
I'm shooting 4x5, but I got a 250 sheet box of arista.edu 100 for about 60 bucks with shipping (as a portion of a larger order). (or wait....was it 60 bucks for the 8x10 paper, and 30 bucks for the film?....I can't remember and freestyle website is down again.)
It's not so much that I don't realise, that I should buy the best I can afford, it's that I need to shoot more to develop my skills, and that the difference between a great shot, and a slightly greater shot is moot, because I know I'm going to burn alot of shots looking for that "great" shot.
In fact, I'm still damaging the occasional 35mm neg with souping and handling issues, exposure issues, and trying the different homebuilt chemistries, looking for the soup and toners I like. (I homebrew all my chem's as a matter of course)
I'll have the 250 sheets in soon, and I don't expect them to last long. The real issue is paper. I'll burn 6 or more sheets before I find the print I like.
I'm a student, and my credit cards are smoking, but I've got photo fever, and so does my girlfriend.
I got about 80 sheets of expired paper, and now I've been waiting an hour and a half to get back in my darkroom (windowless bathroom) while she quickly converts them all into photograms. GRRR!!!
I normally use the expired paper I can get ahold of to get me into range for proper prints.
P.S. God bless 100lb bags of prismatic thiosulfate from the pool supply place, so I can afford to fix my stuff.
IMHO, price is no indication that a film will be the film you'll want to use. Paying a premium won' t make your photographs neccesarily any better. developing your eye and understanding how the materials that you're using will compliment each other will, IMHO.
Certainly there are better choices than others for certain given situations and emulsions that are suffering production problems are counterproductive, but these are rare circumstances.
If your intent is to cut expenses to the bone, make paper negatives!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
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