Availability of 120 or 4X5 film in France [Archive]

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tom thomas

19-Aug-2010, 19:21

A question for Miguel and others of the forum who live in France. Is 120mm roll film and 4x5 still readily available in France. Price?

My wife and I leave Sept 1st for the Avignon area for a three month and I'm torn between bringing a Graflex 4X5 with 23 Roll Film adapter or a Graflex 23 with the 23 120 roll film adapter. If I do 4X5, I'll probably have to keep the negatives till I get back to Tulsa where it costs $4.50 each to develop the BW negative. I may have to get a few trays, some developer and fixer while there to re-pioneer film development.

With so many beautiful Roman ruins to photograph in the area, I'd love to do 4X5 if I can still get the film in the Avignon/Nimes/Arles area. Otherwise I'll use 120mm roll film which I'm hoping is easier to find. I'm just mentioning ruins, not neglecting the rest of the beautiful country side, architecture and people who also photograph well. Even a few posed wine bottles make great photos, especially if I'm the one who emptied them beforehand.

Tom

E S

20-Aug-2010, 01:55

Hi Tom,

Unfortunately I've never looked for either type of film in those areas. I do know that 120 film (I know Ilford FP4+ and I think HP5) is available in Nice and Cannes, although those are a bit far off from you! I have only looked for 4x5 in Nice, and was told that it would be 3x the price I could get it from Adorama, and would take about a month to get here.

Am doing some googling in another window while I write this...

- FNAC no longer sells film, they have gone very much digital.
- You might try Le Grand Format in Paris (http://www.legrandformat.com/), they say that they do mail order sales, and they might well have 120 film as they also do MF, not just LF.
- I have found, actually, some Fuji 4x5 film available on line in France, although I don't know how long it would take to actually get it; they also sell 120 in various flavors of Fuji, Kodak, and Ilford. Go to Galerie-Photo Boutique (http://www.galerie-photo.net/index1.html), click on photo argentique, and then all the way at the bottom there is a link for films. Sorry for the long drawn-out instructions, but they run their site in frames. Don't be too shocked by their prices, they make it hard to see in some places that the price is for, perhaps, 30 rolls of film.

As a warning on a different topic, you will not be able to use your tripod at Glanum. All the outdoor sites in Arles have been OK with my using a tripod for MF (haven't yet tested it with LF), and I haven't yet gone to Nimes. The reasoning at Glanum is that if one is using a tripod, one is a professional and planning to benefit, and therefore one can darned well pony up a fee in advance thank you for the privilege. The fee, the last I checked, is several hundred euros just to put photos on the web, not necessarily to sell prints. The Roman museum at Arles is a good museum and allows non-flash, non-tripod photography inside. The only way they allow a tripod is by advance arrangement and if the photos are going to be used to publicize them. The site of Les Baux en Provence does allow tripod use. The last I heard, the museum in St Remy with bits and pieces from Glanum was closed due to physical problems with the building.

If it's not on your list yet, you really should check out the aqueducts de Barbegal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbegal_aqueduct_and_mill), not far from Arles. Very neat site that you can climb all over.

As far as developing film, you might check out Lorraine d'Argent (http://www.lorrainedargent.com/)in Chateaurenard, who may actually do 120 development (it's hard to believe the prices quoted for 120 film are for development). No mention of 4x5 on that site, though.

Anyway, hope that helps, let me know if you have other questions -- my passion is Roman ruins in Provence. Do you have James Bromwich's book yet? it's something like 45 USD from Amazon.

Elizabeth

mhulsman

20-Aug-2010, 01:59

Tom,

I was in that area 2 weeks ago, but I brought my own film (8x10), and had some 4x5 film delivered to the campsite where I was staying.
It was the first time that I took my 8x10 on a family holiday.

I ordered 4x5 fomapan in Norway and had it delivered to the campsite in France, shipping was fast.
I never toroughly searched for 4x5 or 120 film, but I looked at every camerashop that I saw and never found any 4x5 film.

The photo's I took http://www.hulsman.net/gallery2/v/LargeFormat/France2010/

Mike.

mhulsman

20-Aug-2010, 02:14

Some more tourist information.

I liked Orange and avignon.
The small city of "Uzes" has the best market (out of my head on saturday), big but pleasant environment and a lot of local people selling wine, honey, sausage's etc.
Th small city Aigues-Mortes was great, not so many tourist as other cities around the camarque.

Mike

Philippe Grunchec

20-Aug-2010, 02:41

Hope this helps:

http://www.adaflex.com/pages/films/accueil_film.htm

http://www.labo-argentique.com//boutique/index.php?cPath=21&osCsid=6b654fa052fe44be7cb99d339f082214

http://www.selsdargent.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=30&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Very good prices.

Curt

20-Aug-2010, 14:05

Is there a place in Paris where film can be purchased or sent to your area?

Curt

Andrew Plume

20-Aug-2010, 15:48

Emmanuel BIGLER

21-Aug-2010, 01:46

Hello from France

I would like very much to help; but not living in the South of France, I have never bought any 120 or 4x5" film from a street shop there, and I usually mail-order all my film from various sources in Europe... including France ;)
There is a mail-order vendor located in a small village, Villevocance, Ardèche, not that far from Nîmes : http://www.mx2.fr.
They do have a good assortment of 120 film, including some 4x5" films,
http://www.mx2.fr/acatalog/Pellicules_Photo_Fuji_Diapos.html
but I do not know if they have a real street shop, I've always mail-ordered from them. There used to be a MX2 photo company based in the Channel Islands, I have no idea whether there is any connection between the (former ?) Guernsey company and the French-Ardèche company.

There is still a significant difference in postage charges between domestic French mail and international EU mail. However as far as retail prices are concerned for 120 and large format film, EU MF/LF photographers now have to take into account a globlal competition... including for example from USA-based vendors, depending on the euro vs. dollar rate, not forgetting additional VAT and customs taxes for goods shipped by surface or air mail from outside the EU..
For our readers visiting France and coming from outside the EU, there is now a significant allowance of 430 euros for goods you bring with you at the airport from outside the EU. This applies to Switzerland (the country is outside the EU...)

Naturally this does not apply to our friends coming from the British Isles, although I've read on another LF-UK-based website (I shall not disclose it here for obvious diplomatic reasons) somebody asking questions regarding "film supplies in Europe" (probably a typo, meaning "on the Continent" :D )

However there are several large-format photographers in the Nîmes area who could help you better than me, including Henri Peyre who manages the French MF/LF web sites galerie-photo.[com, info, net]
On galerie-photo.com you have a list of professional labs serving the MF/LF photographers, have a look at this list; very probably a lab doing E6 of LF processing will certainly either stock some MF/LF film or know a retailer.
http://www.galerie-photo.com/traitement-film-photo-argentique-les-resultats.htm
a downloadable list of labs in spreadsheet format : http://www.galerie-photo.com/resultats-formulaire-labo-tr.xls

In the area you intend to visit, there are professional labs in Marseille(s), Aix-en-provence and Montpellier. I would be surprised if you could not find anything in Arles, the city hosts a school of fine-art photography and a famous photo festival every year in July, the one where Saint Ansel Adams came in the good old days (see below).
Since I've never been to Arles, I have actually no idea of the local resources for labs and film supply there.

--------

Now regarding photography in the Arles area, there is an interesting story by Saint Ansel in the "Making Of", about a portrait that Saint Ansel made of Jacques-Henri Lartigue in Arles. Again this note is probably more relevant to our Northern-American friends visiting the South of France for the first time.
In short, Saint Ansel was not very happy with his visit to the south of France, he says that he suffered from heat and the most important thing about photogrphy is that he was surprised by the fact that the air in summer in Arles is blurred by heat and (this is my guess) moisture, the mediterranean sea is very close, the Camargue area is a kind of a sponge filled with water. Nothing in common with the cystal-clear air of the dry deserts in US South-west (outside the hottest summer days of course where the air is also blurred by heat).
Saint Ansel missed the cool fogs of his Californian coast in summer... he was in fact very dissapointed except by the magnificent food he was served in the wagon-restaurant in the train he took to come to Arles (this was long before the TGV-era, the train was named le Mistral like the strong north wind blowing from the Rhône valley to Provence; this Mistral train was the fastest classical train we had in France before the TGV).
September is not that hot in Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, but be prepared, and try to enjoy your stay better than Saint Ansel ;)

sanchi heuser

21-Aug-2010, 03:05

--------
.....
.....
Saint Ansel missed the cool fogs of his Californian coast in summer... he was in fact very dissapointed except by the magnificent food he was served in the wagon-restaurant in the train he took to come to Arles (this was long before the TGV-era, the train was named le Mistral like the strong north wind blowing from the Rhône valley to Provence; this Mistral train was the fastest classical train we had in France before the TGV).
September is not that hot in Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, but be prepared, and try to enjoy your stay better than Saint Ansel ;)

Oh yes, food is extraordinary good in France,
but avoid the tourists traps:eek: .
I've made good experiences with routiers, restaurants located on the
routes nationales (national roads marked with N) where mostly the french
truckers make their stops for the night.
You get a complete dinner with wine and coffee for a reasonable price.
There's always a heartly atmossphere, the people usually sit on very long
tables and if you came in and sit on a place you are welcomed by the others
and immediatly among the party.

Just look out where many of the long hauling trucks are parking aside
a restaurant and you are at the right place, but that is only for the
routes nationales, for the autoroutes (express highways) apply other rules,
there are usually no routiers only the commmon restaurants chains,
except some routiers where tourists are not allowed, yes no joke:
they have a person standing at the door who sort out the truckers from the
other folks who also want to have good food for less money:p .

For the weather, I always use www.yr.no the free service of the norwigian
meteorology institute, you can choos english language.
You can choose a single location and have detailed information
about the next 48 hours (hour by hour option).

For the photo resources I think it makes sense to have the films
developed in France.

tom thomas

26-Aug-2010, 08:08

Thanx to everyone for their help. I've been too busy to answer before now. Still too busy but didn't want to seem impolite, especially with the good response I've had to my posting.

Phillippe, I checked the 3 sites you gave me and they all carry 4X5 film at about the equivalent price here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Same with 120. I've just about talked my wife into letting me bring the 45 Graflex. Will be bulky though along with suitcases full of both summer and early winter clothes, a laptop, other sundry items. The bag full of Euros will be challenging enough.

I sure with I had a 45 Grafmatic, but I'll try to take the three cut film holders as well as the 120 roll adapter for versatility. I'm not going to take any cut film from here as I've been reading some or your horror stories with airport security opening the boxes. I will take some 120 roll film to get started.

Mike, I enjoyed your photos. I also like Avignon and Orange. My wife's cousin lives in Orange so we visit when we can. I recognize a photo or two you took in the ancient theatre in town. We'd looked to buy a town house across the street from the theatre last year but found it suffered badly from water seepage so found a great place in Domazan instead. Domazan is about 12 miles west of Avignon. There are 27 wine producers (caves) in the little town of 800 people (802 with us there.) Sounds like a different producer tasting a day every month, couple days off to recover.

We had a utility sink installed in the laundry room at the back of the cavernous garage so I can set up a table top to perhaps do some BW development. Negatives anyway. It's dark enough in the "cave" of a garage.

I have to run, wife is chastizing me for goofing off when I'm supposed to keep packing.

thanx again, Tom

Forgive the digital photos, but these are subject sites I'd love to get 4X5 BW shots of while I'm there.

tom thomas

27-Aug-2010, 13:37

Emmanuel, excuse me for not acknowledging your help. I just looked up the MX2 lab you mentioned and it will be fairly convenient for me as 07690 VILLEVOCANCE, FRANCE, will make a nice day trip north for us to pick up some film. Should be some "routier" restaurants along the way. If they have a store at all that is. I found their phone number so can call them when we get settled in Domazan. Villevocance is between Lyon and Valence in beautiful photogenic countryside so would be nice to drive up there searching for film.

Their prices seem reasonable too. They even seem to have some of film for Poloroids. Is this the stuff that isn't any good? Called Polaroid Impossible. I saw some for SX70's and 600 series but no LF packs.

Tom