Price of Film Going Up

[Drew Wiley]

Ektachrome 8X10 is four times the price as the last time I bought it. Ektar and Portra 8X10 are now also four times the price as what the boxes of it in my freezer cost. Cost-wise, 4x5 is the new 8x10. Hell... that's nuthin'. EVERYTHING is exploding in price. How would you feel if your house just burned down (like thousands have in recent forest fires here) and then discovered that plywood and siding and flooring are triple the price of just a couple years ago - IF you can even find them! Lucky if your insurance policy gives you enough to even clear the lot and lay a foundation. There are all kinds of mostly covid-related cost, manufacture, and distribution issues right now. Some of these things will drop in price once the supply and delivery crisis starts to normalize again. I don't know about film itself - probably not. All depends on your financial priorities. Just don't buy your daily morning latte and croissant at Starbucks. If starvation sets in, a leather bellows can always be salted and boiled.

[John Kasaian]

If starvation sets in, a leather bellows can always be salted and boiled.

Chimichurri really improves the flavor. Just sayin'

[ic-racer]

I can't recall 4x5 film prices ever going down since the 1970s, however, 4x5 cameras, lenses, film holders, and enlargers all became nearly free. Maybe that fules the discontent for some people.

[Duolab123]

Price increases of color films are insane. Food, cars, everything is ballooning. It is going to drive some out. 17 bucks for a 35mm roll of Ektar that was 6 bucks a couple years ago. I'm stocked, I have a lot to shoot up.

[Peter De Smidt]

Price increases of color films are insane. Food, cars, everything is ballooning. It is going to drive some out. 17 bucks for a 35mm roll of Ektar that was 6 bucks a couple years ago. I'm stocked, I have a lot to shoot up.

It's driven me out, at least for the time being

[Kiwi7475]

Price increases of color films are insane. Food, cars, everything is ballooning. It is going to drive some out. 17 bucks for a 35mm roll of Ektar that was 6 bucks a couple years ago. I'm stocked, I have a lot to shoot up.

Kodak Gold 200 is still $7/roll if bought in 3.

Just kidding.

You’re right everything is ballooning — and not just film. Everything. I don’t understand how this is sustainable, and I don’t see it going down.

[Bernice Loui]

Stopped doing any color film early 2000's. Even then it has been most if not all B&W sheet or roll film since.

Yes, film has a different image rendition than digital. The missing ingredients would be the infrastructure that once extensively supported color film and high quality color prints.

There is a tiny incentive to do 35mm color transparency film viewed via high quality projection. Other than this, the color print options are most common digital centric.
Thus, the color image stuff today comes out of a digital camera.


Bernice

[Paul Ron]

Price increases of color films are insane. Food, cars, everything is ballooning. It is going to drive some out. 17 bucks for a 35mm roll of Ektar that was 6 bucks a couple years ago. I'm stocked, I have a lot to shoot up.

remember when the movies was 25 cents for a double feature n a cartoon and you can stay all day? penny candies were a penny and hi test gas was 35 cents a gal? my first 3 bed room appartment on central park west in nyc was $125/ month. my kids are paying $2000/ month in astoria queens.

yeah its sticker shock but realize how much your pay check was compared to now?

besides, i gota drop dead with zero ballance so my dead beat uncle sam has to get a job.

[Michael R]

Only 2000 in Astoria? Not bad actually.

remember when the movies was 25 cents for a double feature n a cartoon and you can stay all day? penny candies were a penny and hi test gas was 35 cents a gal? my first 3 bed room appartment on central park west in nyc was $125/ month. my kids are paying $2000/ month in astoria queens.

yeah its sticker shock but realize how much your pay check was compared to now?

besides, i gota drop dead with zero ballance so my dead beat uncle sam has to get a job.

[Dugan]

When the price of film goes up, I expose fewer sheets.
I'm more selective of subject matter.
Therefore, the quality of my images goes up.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.