Cheapest place to get film??

therustytracks · Dec 24, 2008

My local shop seems to purchase everything at retail price and charge almost twice as much as BH or Adorama. I've bought film from both BH and Adorama with no regrets. However I'm getting tired of spending about $50 for 10 rolls of film. I've checked out ebay but most of the "deals" are over priced pro packs. Or expired film a few dollars cheaper than new "fresh" film. Is there another untapped resource for decently priced film or is this it. It seems like just when I find a film I like to use and get use to, it gets discontinued or the price skyrockets. Is it just the nature of the beast or am I looking in all of the wrong places?

WinterNight · Dec 26, 2008

along time ago I read a post about someone who said that they bought some cheap film at a dollar store and somebody else said that the film was probably cheap because it was going to expire sometime soon, but who knows if it is actually good, but it is worth a try.

benhasajeep · Dec 27, 2008

Well with less an less people buying film, the local shop is going to charge more for it. Most normal people still using film probably get it at walmart. So, I am sure he is selling less and less of it so he raises his prices to sell to the people willing to pay the extra for service.

The past couple years I bought near dated / near expired film on ebay. But that is even slowing down. Used to be several sellers had auction on bulk quantities. That has been happening less and less now. I was buying 100 rolls at a time of slide film. Biggest lots now are 20 packs that like you said are not that much of a deal. And the selection is much lower than before. Part of the reason is I think retailers are keeping much less in stock. So they have less to wholesale out when dates get close.

Even the slide film I bought new from a large quantity discount seller has quit selling. Just so many pro's going to digital, I think fewer and fewer places are going to sell it. And the last ones in the game are not going to sell at a discount.

therustytracks · Dec 27, 2008

I completely understand and agree with everything you say, however my local shop is full of jerks. When I go in there to buy anything they look at me like a kook/newb and it's really annoying. If I'm in there buying pro packs of portra 160vc for close to twice the price of an online retailer I want a little respect. They're not doing that great. They barely have a selection when it comes to cameras and lenses. They can "order" everything, but what's the point of ordering it. I can do that myself at a cheaper price and not have to drive 45 mins to pick it up. I would love to support a local shop but not if it means I'm going to pay twice as much for everything and get treated poorly. And the "service" is a joke. They mail out everything except 35mm color negative. IMHO they're one tiny step above Ritz or Wolf Cameras, and that's only because they sell medium format film and color slide. It's basically become a convenience thing. I only go there if I'm in dire need of something.

Mitica100 · Dec 27, 2008

Freestyle is actually pretty darn good.

benhasajeep · Dec 27, 2008

therustytracks said:
I completely understand and agree with everything you say, however my local shop is full of jerks.

I ran into the same thing with a shop close to me. I am fairly new to the area. So I stopped in hoping they had a new lens I wanted. Their lack of even trying to sell a lens really suprised me. They had a similar one in stock, I saw it on the shelf (older model), and didnt even mention it. And they are the only ones within 80 miles as far as I can tell. I have heard there is a very good old photo shop 80 miles south. Might go for a ride some day.

Mitica100 said:
Freestyle is actually pretty darn good.

I have ordered bulk loading items from them several times in the past. Also have used Ultrafineonline as well.

saycheese76 · Dec 27, 2008

For 35mm, I was buying Ilford HP5 in bulk and loading it myself. Once you get the loader and reusable canisters, it winds up being a buck something a roll for 36exp.

therustytracks · Dec 27, 2008

Yea I thought about doing that as well. I was looking at watson loaders on ebay they sell for like $20 shipped. I'm more interested in portra than anything and it's almost $60 for a 100' roll which equates to about 18 to 20 rolls of film. not a whole lot of difference seeing as how pro packs are about $70 to 75 depending on where you get them.

compur · Dec 27, 2008

Rolling your own works best if you are also processing the film yourself.
If not, you may run into problems getting your empty cassettes back as
most labs toss them.

Freestyle has the best film prices that I know of in the USA. I live near
Freestyle so I can go in and buy stuff without paying shipping (but I do
have to pay sales tax).

Freestyle's Arista brand films are low cost and the ones I've used have
all been very good. Their Arista B&W films are actually made by Ilford,
Fuji, Agfa and even Kodak now. They have Arista color neg film too at
low prices but I haven't tried those. Their B&W Arista films are super
bargains though. I would expect the Arista color stuff to be good too.

therustytracks · Dec 28, 2008

Yea, I've been using Walmart to develop my 35mm color negative. So far they do an ok job. For $1.76 a roll I'm not complaining. I don't think I'd have much of a problem asking for the canisters back. I think I'd be worried about the employees trying to figure out the canister without ruining it or the film. It took two different employees to figure out how to calculate the cost for just developing the film without prints...

Josh66 · Dec 28, 2008

Not sure if all Walmarts do it the same, but the one here just retrieves the end of the negative and pulls it out - they don't even open the canister, so there shouldn't be any damage.

therustytracks · Dec 28, 2008

If that's the case that would be perfect.

christopher walrath · Dec 28, 2008

Yeah, I'm with Compur as to purchasing. I've been tapping Freestyle for over a year now and I see that trend continuing well into the future. A more or less local source for chems and such if you want to do it yourself would Cameras Etc. in Newark.

therustytracks · Dec 29, 2008

Yea I use Camera's etc. but their prices are ridiculous. And they only stock a few different developers. D-76 and hc-110 and The T-Max developer. D-76 is ok but I hate hc-110. I perfer diafine.