CDG
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2005
- Messages
- 62
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- Location
- Wickenburg, Arizona
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
To those about to shoot film: welcome to the quainter format!
I have been shooting film for a long time (although not nearly as long as some of you around here). Many people are scared away from film for various reasons, one of which is the cost associated with shooting film. I shoot almost exclusively black and white film, with the exception of the occasional roll of color. Allow me to quickly shed my own light on the situation. I'm writing this because I recently emptied the contents of my bulk loader into my hungry empty cassettes.
About a year and a half ago I started bulk rolling my own film. For about 20 bucks I bought a film roller. It has a plastic film gate. For about 6 bucks, I bought 10 DX coded cassettes. About 33 bucks bought a 100' roll of Fomapan Action 400 film. 7 bucks buys 250 mL of Fomadon RO9 developer (enough to develop all of the film you bought). 10 bucks buys you fixer. If you're on a tight budget, indicator stop bath and photoflo are not necessary. A cheap light bag is 20 bucks, and a good film tank is 20 bucks.
In all, I spent $115 on my chemistry and equipment. Of this, almost 70 bucks is one-time expenses like the tanks.
I can roll about 20-25 cartridges, giving me approximately 675 exposures total. In terms of chemistry, film and equipment your first 675 exposures cost you 17 cents per shot. After you factor out your equipment, the cost is about 7 cents per shot.
From there, you can either pay for prints, scan your negs, or go invest in a darkroom. The biggest bummer about film is the costs associated with printing (investments in equipment, chemistry and paper are pretty steep).
But if you're a hobbyist, the chances are good that you'll really enjoy shooting and developing your own B&W negs. And if you are investing on the hobby level, your yearly film expenses won't be too steep.
Allright, I've made my case. I welcome any alternate opinions, but my money is still with film. It's everything that I really need.
I have been shooting film for a long time (although not nearly as long as some of you around here). Many people are scared away from film for various reasons, one of which is the cost associated with shooting film. I shoot almost exclusively black and white film, with the exception of the occasional roll of color. Allow me to quickly shed my own light on the situation. I'm writing this because I recently emptied the contents of my bulk loader into my hungry empty cassettes.
About a year and a half ago I started bulk rolling my own film. For about 20 bucks I bought a film roller. It has a plastic film gate. For about 6 bucks, I bought 10 DX coded cassettes. About 33 bucks bought a 100' roll of Fomapan Action 400 film. 7 bucks buys 250 mL of Fomadon RO9 developer (enough to develop all of the film you bought). 10 bucks buys you fixer. If you're on a tight budget, indicator stop bath and photoflo are not necessary. A cheap light bag is 20 bucks, and a good film tank is 20 bucks.
In all, I spent $115 on my chemistry and equipment. Of this, almost 70 bucks is one-time expenses like the tanks.
I can roll about 20-25 cartridges, giving me approximately 675 exposures total. In terms of chemistry, film and equipment your first 675 exposures cost you 17 cents per shot. After you factor out your equipment, the cost is about 7 cents per shot.
From there, you can either pay for prints, scan your negs, or go invest in a darkroom. The biggest bummer about film is the costs associated with printing (investments in equipment, chemistry and paper are pretty steep).
But if you're a hobbyist, the chances are good that you'll really enjoy shooting and developing your own B&W negs. And if you are investing on the hobby level, your yearly film expenses won't be too steep.
Allright, I've made my case. I welcome any alternate opinions, but my money is still with film. It's everything that I really need.
![[No title]](/data/xfmg/thumbnail/32/32168-fd80621d6068dd5050eb33595e34e6cf.jpg?1619735234)
