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Jose
30-Mar-2009, 08:51
I have the opportunity to buy a 8x10 Large Format Camera. My question is:
In this digital world, are sheet films not going to desappear in the near future?

To take best landscape pictures, Is it nowadays reasonable to get a film camera?
If yes. Where would I get 8x10 sheet films supplied?
What brand would you recommend me?

Thanks
José

Drew Wiley
30-Mar-2009, 09:05
Jose - both color and black and white 8x10 is readily available from places like Badger Graphic, B&H, and Calumet. Freestyle Photo in LA carries black-and-white only. There's
a good selection of film to choose from. 8X10 photography is way too much fun to let
the doom and gloom types spoil it with predictions of where an asteroid might land and destroy earth as we know it. Kodak,Fuji, Ilford, and Adox are the major brands of film available. There are a number of outfits making really nice 8x10 field cameras right now, as well as good opportunites for used equipment and lenses. It's a great time to get into 8x10.

Gene McCluney
30-Mar-2009, 11:57
Film manufacturers who make 8x10 are Kodak, Fuji (All types, color, transp, & b/w), Foma, Adox/Efke, Ilford (just b/w), and there are possibly some Chinese manufacturers of 8x10 b/w. Fuji does not yet offer its complete range of sheet film emulsions in the USA. The Chinese sheet films are not yet officially imported into the USA. Freestyle sells some Foma-made films under its own Arista label at reduced prices.

ghostrider
30-Mar-2009, 12:17
I've been thinking about moving from medium format to 4x5 or 8x10. How much are you guys paying to have a sheet of 4x5 or 8x10 processed (E6)?

venchka
30-Mar-2009, 12:49
I have been pricing E-6 processing & found 4x5 for < $2/sheet. Yellowstone Photo in Montana was recommended by someone here.

Eric Leppanen
30-Mar-2009, 13:13
I've been thinking about moving from medium format to 4x5 or 8x10. How much are you guys paying to have a sheet of 4x5 or 8x10 processed (E6)?Locally, I'm paying $2.10 and $6.25 for 4x5 and 8x10 E-6 processing, respectively, at Data Chrome (http://www.data-chrome.com/price_lists.html). By mail, the best prices I have encountered for E-6 labs recommended by various folks are PhotoCraft for 4x5 ($1.55/sheet, see http://www.pcraft.com/services/e6_processing.html) and Edgar Praus for 8x10 ($5.75/sheet, see http://www.4photolab.com/Pages/price_film.html).

For more info on labs, see this thread: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=45829.

ghostrider
30-Mar-2009, 13:52
Locally, I'm paying $2.10 and $6.25 for 4x5 and 8x10 E-6 processing, respectively, at Data Chrome (http://www.data-chrome.com/price_lists.html). By mail, the best prices I have encountered for E-6 labs recommended by various folks are PhotoCraft for 4x5 ($1.55/sheet, see http://www.pcraft.com/services/e6_processing.html) and Edgar Praus for 8x10 ($5.75/sheet, see http://www.4photolab.com/Pages/price_film.html).

For more info on labs, see this thread: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=45829.

Thanks, guys! :)

bulrich
30-Mar-2009, 21:16
I've been shooting 8x10 neg here in Chicago and btwn film cost and processing, it's about 13 bucks a sheet to see a processed neg.

Mark Sawyer
31-Mar-2009, 00:02
I have the opportunity to buy a 8x10 Large Format Camera. My question is:

In this digital world, are sheet films not going to desappear in the near future?

Thanks
José

Yeah, pretty much. My best advice is buy the camera and enjoy it before film goes away! :)

venchka
31-Mar-2009, 06:10
I don't know how old you are, but I'm using film that has been refrigerated for several years. Several years past it's expiration date. My newest box of film shows an expiration date of 2011. I figure it will be good to use around 2015 or beyond.

What's your point Wayne? Load up your freezer with film. God forbid they stop making film. If they do, it will be several years before you run out of film and have to switch to glass plates.

John Kasaian
31-Mar-2009, 07:02
You can always coat your own glass plates!
Digital is real.
The reason why many of us shoot sheet film is because we enjoy the medium.
So,
if you have a hankerin' for sheet film then you should give it a try.

If large format stokes your creative fire, great.
If not, well I'd guess that's what digital is for. :)

MIke Sherck
31-Mar-2009, 07:09
I don't think that sheet film is going away any time soon. I wouldn't be trying to figure out how to pay for a new 8x10 Wehman camera if I didn't have confidence I'd be able to buy film for the next 30-50 years. (I'm 51; I intend to be photographing until I'm older than Imogene Cunningham was when she stopped.)

Mike

Drew Wiley
31-Mar-2009, 09:20
Mike - I went to 8x10 for about 90% of my work just before I turned 50. Now I am
almost 60 and have no intention of looking back. The wonderful thing about technology
is that it also invented the freezer. When a special film is periodically in short supply,
I just freeze a few extra boxes.

venchka
31-Mar-2009, 10:14
Should 8x10 film become scarce and you don't want to coat your own glass plates, you could always cut down 16x20 or 20x24 film.

Ben Syverson
31-Mar-2009, 10:24
You think they'd stop making 8x10 film, but keep making 20x24 film?

Is there some gigantic market for ULF film I don't know about?

venchka
31-Mar-2009, 11:29
Just poking fun.

Doesn't x-ray film come in large sizes?

Ben Syverson
31-Mar-2009, 14:41
Oh, I must be humor impaired today. :)

Drew Wiley
31-Mar-2009, 15:30
Save your flat screen computer monitors as they too become obsolete and we all view
aerial holographic images. Design a filmholder of the appropriate thickness for these.
The flat surface should accept an emulsion coating rod nicely.