How popular are the ULF panoramic formats

[Robert Skeoch]

Both. It's your major shooting trip of the year.... might as well take all the toys.

-rob

[Kirk Gittings]

Quite frankly both Ilford and Kodak have pretty much priced themselves out of the market for many potential film buyers what with prices of $30 and more for a single sheet of 20X24" film. Just a few years ago it was possible to buy FP4 in this size from Photo Warehouse for just a bit more than $5 a sheet

Ouch!

[sanking]

I think the problem with this is that many of the builders are individuals with the same budget problems the shooters have. Ritter, Canham, recently retired Phillips.

I shot 250 sheets of Ilford 7x17 last year but could only afford to buy 125 sheets this year. I will happily rent freezer space to any 7x17 shooters, especially those with bad credit who shoot Ilford and think they might default on the terms of rental.

John

I really don't know anything about the finances of camera makers but the bottom line is that these guys are not going to sell ULF cameras unless there is a source of film that folks can afford to buy. I won't argue as to which film(s) are best but the fact of the matter is that the cost of both Kodak and Ilford ULF films has become prohibitively expensive for many people. I think they should look to making deals with film makers in other countries, say in China or Eastern Europe. I checked into this for myself a couple of years ago and found that I could buy Shanghai ULF sheet film in 20X24" size, delivered to the US, for about $7 a sheet. Unfortunately I could not get any people to go in with me on this and the minimum made it too expensive for this one person. With a modest mark up one could sell this film for about 1/4 or 1/3 the price per sheet of Kodak or Ilford film.

I think what Canham is doing in organizing orders with Kodak is a good thing but the premium pricing of Kodak still makes this a no go for many persons.

Sandy King

[Richard K.]

Both. It's your major shooting trip of the year.... might as well take all the toys.

-rob

Good advice Rob. But this year I also plan to go to Nova Scotia and return to Utah in the summer. I'm rereading my Ed Abbey...

[Oren Grad]

Just for reference, and taking 12x20 as an example, Canham's posted price for a box of 25 sheets of TXP is $536, the price for FP4+/HP5+ in the most recent Ilford run was about $330, and Freestyle stocks Efke PL100 at $189.

[sanking]

Just for reference, and taking 12x20 as an example, Canham's posted price for a box of 25 sheets of TXP is $536, the price for FP4+/HP5+ in the most recent Ilford run was about $330, and Freestyle stocks Efke PL100 at $189.

I did not check the posted pricing at Canham's site but I assume that if 12X20 is over $20 a sheet the price of 20X24" would be $40 or more per sheet?

Now how many people are going to invest in a 20X24" camera and a few holders when the market price of Kodak film is $40 a sheet and the price from the only other supplier is not far behind.

Sandy King

[Hugo Zhang]

I really don't know anything about the finances of camera makers but the bottom line is that these guys are not going to sell ULF cameras unless there is a source of film that folks can afford to buy. I won't argue as to which film(s) are best but the fact of the matter is that the cost of both Kodak and Ilford ULF films has become prohibitively expensive for many people. I think they should look to making deals with film makers in other countries, say in China or Eastern Europe. I checked into this for myself a couple of years ago and found that I could buy Shanghai ULF sheet film in 20X24" size, delivered to the US, for about $7 a sheet. Unfortunately I could not get any people to go in with me on this and the minimum made it too expensive for this one person. With a modest mark up one could sell this film for about 1/4 or 1/3 the price per sheet of Kodak or Ilford film.

I think what Canham is doing in organizing orders with Kodak is a good thing but the premium pricing of Kodak still makes this a no go for many persons.

Sandy King

Sandy,

Chamonix was actually looking at this last year, working with Shanghai ULF sheet films. I shot the idea down as we had absolutely no control of the quality of the film, unlike cameras we make in our workshop. Shanghai film is cheap for a reason and you only need to check Chinese LF forum to find out: pinholes and relabeling the old films. Many Chinese LF guys use Kodak and Ilford films just for the peace of mind.

Hugo

[sanking]

Sandy,

Chamonix was actually looking at this last year, working with Shanghai ULF sheet films. I shot the idea down as we had absolutely no control of the quality of the film, unlike cameras we make in our workshop. Shanghai film is cheap for a reason and you only need to check Chinese LF forum to find out: pinholes and relabeling the old films. Many Chinese LF guys use Kodak and Ilford films just for the peace of mind.

Hugo

Hugo,

My own experience with Shanghai LF film has been very positive. I have used several 50 sheet boxes of it in 5X7 size. The film was very fresh, as indicated by a low B+F, and I did not find a single surface blemish in any of the sheets I exposed and developed. Course, the larger the film size the more likely one would be to encounter irregularities.

Sandy

[Lachlan 717]

I've had pin holes in 120 Velvia, so it's not limited to "cheap" Chinese film.

[Jim Noel]

Each year I purchase what I hope will be a little more than a years supply of 7x17 from Ilford. I also keep a fair supply of Efke as an emergency source. This is myfavirut3e format although it is heavy and awkward for me at age 80+.