PDA

View Full Version : Whiney-whiney-whine!



John Kasaian
29-Jul-2011, 13:10
I was at Freestyle the other day. A box of 25 sheets of 8x10 Fomabrom N111 cost @24.99 plus LA & CA sales tax:eek: In the latest catalog it's listed
at $21.49 (thats a .14/sheet increase, right?:confused: )
Of course a few years ago I couldn't get Fomabrom N111 in the US at all---I think J&C was the last dealer for it, and then it went away until Freestyle brought it back to the USA:D
So I can't complain too much 'cause I've come to really like this paper for contact printing, and to me it's worth it, but it is the biggest hike I've noticed in materials since the 'across the board' hike anounced by all the major players last year (or thereabouts) I'm wondering if anyone has noticed recent price hikes in the photographic materials you use?

Nathan Potter
29-Jul-2011, 20:11
Well that dosen't even track the recent increases in the price of silver so .14 is only 14%. And even Chinese prices are increasing with their improved standard of living. But there have been widespreasd increases and obsolescence recently with photosensitive materials.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

BrianShaw
30-Jul-2011, 11:33
I hear ya... but don't know how to explain it or do anything about it. EVERYTHING seems to be going up in price and often for no apparent reason other than we have money and someone else is interested in taking it from us.

Roger Cole
30-Jul-2011, 12:45
I hear you but... really, the cost of materials isn't much of an issue given the time I have available to photograph and work in the darkroom. I know all aren't in this position but many are, as available funds seem to vary inversely with available time.

When I was a college student I had plenty of time for photography but even with the cost of materials being much lower in absolute terms (but NOT when adjusted for inflation, I think - might investigate that) I had to cut corners and choose less expensive rather than better materials etc. Now I don't have to do that, but can never find enough time.

Besides, getting into flying and getting my pilot's license has given me an entirely new perspective on the costs of my other hobbies. ALL my other hobbies seem cheap now! ;)

Roger Cole
30-Jul-2011, 12:49
Bought a box of Adox CHS 50 Art 4x5/50 sheets for $32.99 from said distributor and shortly thereafter it was $50.99. I think this is quickly becoming a pastime for the rich and famous.

Really? How long does it take you to shoot 50 sheets of 4x5?

If I hurry, using basic zone system and a spot meter, I can set up and expose a 4x5 sheet in 10 minutes. Of course I might expose more than one. On the other hand, add in all the time looking around for the shot, sometimes setting up and deciding not to expose etc. Given all that I doubt I average more than three sheets an hour when out shooting with the 4x5.

How many other hobbies cost less than three bucks an hour? Ok, even if you double it for darkroom costs, six bucks an hour is less than minimum wage now.

Darkroom printing will cost more than the shooting, but even so, I can print, if I'm lucky, maybe 3-5 hours a week.

We may have been spoiled by digital, but that's before you consider the upfront costs of digital equipment. That can buy a lot of film and paper, even at today's prices.

Michael Graves
31-Jul-2011, 05:58
Rodger, knowing it takes someone an hour to expose three sheets of film almost leaves me speechless . . . .

If each of your exposures were 1/100th of a second for example, what the heck are you doing during the other 59 minutes and 59 seconds? Is this an old-age thing? :D

I know it's an age thing for me. As I grew older, it started taking me ten minutes to walk the scene, looking at different angles, and then only two minutes to make the wrong decision. Then there was five minutes setting up the camera. Used to do in in sixty seconds flat, but then I learned somewhere that having the camera level was important, so I began taking another couple of minutes with a pocket level, getting it crooked. So, yeah...things take longer as you get older. At least I haven't reached the point where I've forgotten why I do it. Whatever it is I'm doing.

Renato Tonelli
1-Aug-2011, 05:57
Not everything is going up - my salary hasn't increased in a few years...

Martin Aislabie
6-Aug-2011, 14:47
Really? How long does it take you to shoot 50 sheets of 4x5?

If I hurry, using basic zone system and a spot meter, I can set up and expose a 4x5 sheet in 10 minutes. Of course I might expose more than one. On the other hand, add in all the time looking around for the shot, sometimes setting up and deciding not to expose etc. Given all that I doubt I average more than three sheets an hour when out shooting with the 4x5.



Wow - thats amazingly quick compared to me.

I am often out for 8 ~ 9 hrs and end up with 7 or 8 shots - even if there is consistently good light

I have found one of the nice things about LF is it causes you to look more carefully - even before I get the Camera out and I will sometimes put it away again because the subject just isn't special enough to waste film on.

Look more and shoot less seems to be my recipe for success with LF

YMMV

Martin

Rayt
7-Aug-2011, 18:13
The USD is pretty weak so anything imported goes up.