4x10 Efke: Asking Freestyle

[john wilton]

I wrote to Freestyle asking them to consider getting Efke to supply 4x10.

I received this reply from Marv Keller, Manager, Customer Service & Consumer Direct Sales marv@freestylephoto.biz

"What ISO and how many are you looking to buy. Lets say they come in 25 sheet boxes."

This seems promising. I said I'd be initially looking for 200 sheets of ISO 100. I get the feeling that if more people emailed, it might happen.

[Oren Grad]

FWIW, B&H appears willing to place an out-of-cycle special order for 4x10 HP5 Plus for a relatively modest minimum, only 20 boxes:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Plus_4_x.html

Of course, that doesn't help if you're specifically looking for the emulsion characteristics of the Efke film.

[Daniel Stone]

since 8x10 Efke 100 is a regularly stocked item(I shoot it), why not just cut down 8x10, or hire out to a company that cuts it down, and re-packages it? Might be easier in the long run, with no "special order" system to set up and coordinate...

just wondering...

-Dan

[ChadLanc]

http://www.varotechnical.com

has cut my film. Theres a setup charge and a per sheet cost but they do good even cuts and a lot less dust than doing it on your own

[evan clarke]

I'd like to have some 8x10 Aura..it'd be spectacular!!..EC

[TheDeardorffGuy]

Why is cutting it so daunting? I made a cutter that uses a round "olfa" fabric cutter and then I bought a used Nikkor paper cutter with a geared round wheel. I glued a guide at 4 inches with a hinged cardboard cover to protect the surface and tested it. OK and I went to town cutting. The emulsion is cut facing up and goes into the box that way. So far I've not seen dust or scratches in 15 years that I've done this.

[Justin Cormack]

Why is cutting it so daunting? I made a cutter that uses a round "olfa" fabric cutter and then I bought a used Nikkor paper cutter with a geared round wheel. I glued a guide at 4 inches with a hinged cardboard cover to protect the surface and tested it. OK and I went to town cutting. The emulsion is cut facing up and goes into the box that way. So far I've not seen dust or scratches in 15 years that I've done this.

I had horrible problems with scratches cutting down Efke. All other films I have used have been fine... so I can see a case for the manufacturer doing this...

[ljsegil]

Hi John,
I am also interested, emailed Marv today.
Larry

[john wilton]

I heard back from Marv:
"There is a 10 box minimum from Efke for the ISO100 4x10/50 sheet box.
The price per box would be $111.99 and the lead time would be
approximately 60 to 90 days upon receipt of the order. We cannot place
an order for less then 10 boxes."
In other words a sheet of 4x10 would cost about the same as a sheet of 8x10, with a very large minimum order and long wait. It would make more sense to have 8x10 cut down:

(from my other post today): Varo Technical charges $50 for setup; then $9.50 per 50 sheet 8x10 box. The cut sheets are put back into the original boxes in the way they came. The un-notched part remains un-notched.

[Michael Jones]

I shot 6x10 for a number of years. I used my Roto-Trim and wasted exactly one sheet of film getting it to the exact size for my holders. Then I used a very sophisticated template of three layers of masking tape to mark placement of the film. Slide one sheet of film until it hits the tape, make sure the notched end is in the upper right, trim the film, and for 4x10, take a pair of scissors and clip the upper right corner so you know which side is the emulsion. You will slice & notch a 50-sheet box of film in about 30 minutes.

Even if you do not have a Roto-Trim, the little trimmers at Office Depot or Jerry's work just fine. It only has to be 12" wide.

Good luck.

Mike