Cheap Film?

kingbling11

kingbling11

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Zak
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Just started using film as part of my AS Photography course, and the college wants £4.50 a roll for B&W film, which seems a bit pricey.

Where is the cheapest place these days to get film? (colour and B&W)

Also, I am planning on nicking my dads old darkroom kit from the 80s, and would also like to know where the best place to buy chemicals and paper is?

Thanks in advance.
 
If you are going to get through lots, might be worth having a look at bulk loading. 7dayshop is almost always the cheapest.
 
Firstcall Photographic is quite cheap but they get you on delivery costs.

Cheap colour film will always be Poundland. Black and white is strangely usually more expensive, but a lot cheaper to develop.
 
just keep an eye out at the usual suppliers when they have "specials" on short dated film - stuff with 2-6 months or so left on it - buy a couple of 10-packs and freeze 'em and you're set for a while ;)
 
I would have said eBay, used to be able to get some good bargains on there, for some reason out of date film seems to sell for more than fresh stock! Now and again there are some bargains but they are few and far between.
 
walsh said:
I would have said eBay, used to be able to get some good bargains on there, for some reason out of date film seems to sell for more than fresh stock!
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One word: Lomo.
 
In the news:- Kodak has problems so film might be more expensive with less suppliers.
 
Man, I thought Kodak were doing well with the new Portra and Ektar. Plus how many movies still use film? Part of me feels that they're too big to fail, but there's always Ilford (for b/w) and Fuji (for both b/w and colour), although Fuji's been discontinuing a lot of stuff recently.
 
walsh said:
Seems you stick lomo on it and you can charge what you like!
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I've got a box of filters for sale that includes a couple of dodgy effects filters. I'm going to take those out and sell them separately on ebay with a Lomo tag to see whether it prompts a bidding war :lol:
 
I've used AG-Photographic for chemistry and films.

If you're doing a college course, and other people are in need of film as well, you could club together to get it in bulk and reduce the price per roll.

I found the college shop cheaper than the high street, but AG Photographic was even cheaper.

Ian.
 
FruitFlakes said:
Man, I thought Kodak were doing well with the new Portra and Ektar. Plus how many movies still use film? Part of me feels that they're too big to fail, but there's always Ilford (for b/w) and Fuji (for both b/w and colour), although Fuji's been discontinuing a lot of stuff recently.
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If joe public hears about this and they think it's the end of all film supplies, there might be a flood of film cameras on the bay going cheap :thumbs:
 
If you're just looking for cheap film and not so fussed what it is.. PM me your address and I'll throw a few rolls 35mm Fuji C200 your way.

When I don't have the patience to wait I occasionally throw a roll or two (or three or four) of 120 into Jessops for 1-hour dev, and I get the free 35mm film back.. I'm not sure how many rolls I have stashed away at the moment (as well as some sub-£1 short-dates/expired rolls of the same stuff on 24exp rolls from Boots), I have a habit of giving it away when there's obviously far more accumulated than I could ever use.

And there's another tip in there.. Boots still stock 35mm but many stores don't shift all that much of it. So once it gets short-dated they slash the price drastically. Probably worth making friends with someone in the photo department of your local store.

And for lomo colour shifts, just leave a couple of cheap rolls on the dashboard or rear parcel shelf over this hot spell of weather.. ..
 
Poundland for Kodak Colourplus ISO 200 24 exp @ £1/roll. If you don't live near a Boots/Je$$ops/Asda/Tesco/Sainsbury with film processing it's the only bargain in town.
 
According to the report I read a major Hedge Fund has taken a 2 year bet on Kodak shares going South (a long way south.) The cash reserves could start running dry around then.
Camera film is a tiny percentage of Kodaks market, the major seller is motion picture stock.
 
Wasn't there a story earlier in the week that in order to seperate the assets (patents) from the liabilities for any future sale, Kodak was going to have to effectively go bust?
 
you shoul'd try out macodirect
Great prices for great films.
Please do use good films, otherwise results will not be that good and you might give up shooting on film :)
 
Silverprint have been trying to flog it for at least 6-8 months, I first saw it listed on their website in the Spring.
 
FruitFlakes said:
Plus how many movies still use film?
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You'd be surprised but quite a lot apparently. The last Harry Potter for instance was shot on film. I was surprised when I read the list somewhere recently to find out that pretty much 80-90% of them from the last few years still shot on film.

It appears films give that ever elusive "film look" cinema is after so they still keep shooting it...
 
It was a rhetorical question, I know Hollywood largely prefers film over digital. :) Also I was an extra in the last HP film and was very pleased with the fact that they weren't using digital to film it!
 
Even if they do shoot films on digital I believe they usually produce archive copies on film as well...
 
TheBigYin said:
Even if they do shoot films on digital I believe they usually produce archive copies on film as well...
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They do because of several reasons:

  • It costs about 1100% more to safely and securely store a digital master
  • Its better for insurance reasons as you can simply scan in the film master and have a digital copy again
  • Film has much better archival properties than digital tapes, hard drives etc because if stored correctly they will last 100 years plus because you can't get drive failure etc

Plus everyone loves IMAX don't they? The digital camera IMAX has nowhere near the resolution of 15 perf 70mm film.
 
Spotted today in Boots..

3 for 2 on all film, buy 1 get 1 free on instant film cameras.

That works out cheaper than 7DS on some films, e.g. Kodak Pro BW400CN for £4.08/roll (you'd need to order 5+ rolls to beat that and wait for delivery). Others aren't such bargains.
 
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