affordable 8x10 B&W film

[Frank Petronio]

What's the best deal on 8x10 B&W film right now? ISO 100-400, in date

[David A. Goldfarb]

J&C 400, if their order has come in yet. Efke PL100 is also a good deal.

[John Kasaian]

Funny thing, I was on Wisner's site and he's selling Ultrafine made in England 400 speed film quite reasonably. HP-5+?? Who knows. The Ultrafine I've used was (and is sorely missed) Ilford FP-4 cut from end rolls by Photographers Warehouse in SoCal. I recall Ron's price was around $40/25 sheets but I could be wrong--however it would be a real savings over the $75/box most dealers are charging.

The cheapest 8x10 film I know of is APHS ortho and Arista .eduUltra(Foma?) from Freestyle and J and C Pro which hails from China. J and C also have an attractive price right now for J and C Classic 400 in 50 sheet boxes, which I'd guess is Fortepan(?)

Good luck!

Quite a selection, eh?

[windpointphoto]

I have never understood the reason for looking for the lowest price 8x10 film. My Nikon FM cost less than the 4x5 and they cost considerably less than the 8x10, lenses and film holders. Why on earth cut corners with your film? TriX worked great in 35mm and 4x5 so why wouldn't I spend a few extra dollars and get the quality that I've experienced for years? If you like the cheaper film, or a brand that has lower costs go for it, but to go out of your way to save a little money just doesn't make sense to me. I guess that I'm one of those silly people who believes in one film, one developer and basically one paper. On the other hand I know what my print will look like when I make every exposure. No guessing. Penny wise, pound foolish.

[Frank Petronio]

I agree Leonard but since I am just starting in 8x10, I thought try something other than Kodak if the quality is as good. I live in Rochester and I suspect that J&C and Efke might be around longer than Kodak Tri-X.

[David A. Goldfarb]

J&C 400 and Efke PL100 are actually pretty nice films, and indeed, one might prefer their tonality to the films made by the big manufacturers. They are more fragile, so they need to be handled more carefully, and they aren't as stable in storage, so you shouldn't stock up on them, but purchase fresh film as needed. In that sense, there is no free lunch, but visually they don't lack for anything.

[Jay DeFehr]

JandC Pro 100 is the cheapest 100-400 speed film, at $32/25 sheets. If you really want cheap, and don't mind slow, ortho film, try Freestyle's APHS film @ $16/25 sheets. I'm learning to love this stuff.

Jay

[HG Wells]

How does the J&C pro 100 compare to FP4 from Ilford?

[Jay DeFehr]

Hi HG.

J and C Pro 100 is slower than FP4+, and has a much softer emulsion, which benefits from cooler processing temps and lower pH/ tanning developers. J and C Pro 100 has enormous expansion/contraction potential, but the machinery on which it's coated is antique, and defects are much more common than with FP4+.

Jay

[John Kasaian]

Jay DeFehr,

Thats interesting to know. I was under the impression (why I don't know) that Lucky is a joint Kodak investment in China and used Kodak coating machines.

(I don't want to start an international incident!----theres enough of those going on already)

Have you tried Fomapan 100? I'm wondering how it compares with J and C Pro quality wise. As soon as I finish off my meager supply of FP-4+, I am going to try Fomapan 100 (got a box right here!) but it will be awhile before I get to try J and C Pro in comparison. Do you have any observations or made any comparisons between the two?

[Jim Galli]

Frank, I've been cutting up a roll of 10" Efke 100 Cirkut camera film for my 8X10. Just finished the first 100' long roll. About 150 8X10 sheets. Nice film. Very nice. When we did the workshop at Deep Springs College, J&C was nice enough to donate some J&C 200 for the project. I found that to be lovely film also. If you decide to use the Freestyle APHS ortho, I've posted a recipe (http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18113) for development that came from years of trials. It's pretty foolproof. And I'm the fool that can prove it.