The price of film now!!

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Hi all, this may have been discussed already, but I'm coming back to film photography after last using it in 2010. I found an old invoice from 7 day shop for some film rolls I bought in 2010, and thought I'd compare with today's prices from their shop:

1 x Kodak Portra NC 160 - 135-36 = £3.79 (NC seems to be discontinued, Portra 160 in pack of 5 at £40.50/5 = £8.10) an increase of 113.72%
1 x Kodak Professional EKTAR 100 ASA - 135-36 = £3.39 ..... NOW £8.08 an increase of 138.35%
1 x Fuji Provia 100F - 135-36 = £4.50 ..... NOW £13.99 an increase of 210.89%
1 x Kodak Portra NC 400 - 135-36 = £4.19 (NC seems to be discontinued, Portra 400 in pack of 5 at £44.96/5 = £8.99) an increase of 114.56%

Seems quite an insane price rise in 8 years (a mean of 144% for these 4 films, much higher than £'s inflation!). Does anyone have any advice on where to buy film these days? I'm not sure how long I can sustain shooting film at these prices (taking into account developing and scanning).

Anyway I have a film camera loaded with a roll of Ektar now. Will be extra careful with exposure and composition considering the cost per shot :D
 
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Yes despite the small resurgence in film prices are rising quite dramatically.

I’ve just bought a stash from Maco Direct in Germany, even taking in to account shipping it’s cheaper than I could get it here.
 
I think there was also a VAT situation with 7dayshop being cheap due to posting from the Channel Islands VAT-free, but that loophole was closed I believe.
 
In the last few years it has definitely paid to buy in reasonable bulk when you find film that you like (Tri-X has doubled in price since I last bought it). Whether that will continue to hold is hard to say - maybe the prices went through an adjustment phase during the 2010s as the big makers rationalised their production to keep things profitable (eg, Kodak going through Chapter 11, Fuji dropping various products). Hopefully, things will have settled down to a new equilibrium of supply and demand.
 
Hey - yep @Nomad Z is right, there has been a big adjustment stage since 2010 (including the fact Kodak went bankrupt and had to entirely restructure!) It's a small miracle that so many of the emulsions have survived, but we are not expecting prices to rise so dramatically in the coming years. Volumes are in growth for two years in a row which is the first time since the 90s and there are lots of new films coming through that are helping broaden the range.

If you're concerned about the cost I notice that we (www.analoguewonderland.co.uk) have lower prices on the Portra and Ektar from what you're quoting :) and if you join the mailing list you'll even get free shipping from your first order!
 
RaglanSurf said:
Yes despite the small resurgence in film prices are rising quite dramatically.

I’ve just bought a stash from Maco Direct in Germany, even taking in to account shipping it’s cheaper than I could get it here.
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Thanks Nick, will check them out!

Peter B said:
I think there was also a VAT situation with 7dayshop being cheap due to posting from the Channel Islands VAT-free, but that loophole was closed I believe.
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Ah that makes sense. I do seem to remember them being registered in Guernsey or Jersey.

Nomad Z said:
In the last few years it has definitely paid to buy in reasonable bulk when you find film that you like (Tri-X has doubled in price since I last bought it). Whether that will continue to hold is hard to say - maybe the prices went through an adjustment phase during the 2010s as the big makers rationalised their production to keep things profitable (eg, Kodak going through Chapter 11, Fuji dropping various products). Hopefully, things will have settled down to a new equilibrium of supply and demand.
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Yes I wish I bought in bulk back then and stored them all in the fridge! I actually deleted a few lines off of the invoice for products I couldn't find anymore anywhere; mostly from fuji. Shame as I got some great shots with some of those discontinued films.

Analogue Wonderland said:
Hey - yep @Nomad Z is right, there has been a big adjustment stage since 2010 (including the fact Kodak went bankrupt and had to entirely restructure!) It's a small miracle that so many of the emulsions have survived, but we are not expecting prices to rise so dramatically in the coming years. Volumes are in growth for two years in a row which is the first time since the 90s and there are lots of new films coming through that are helping broaden the range.

If you're concerned about the cost I notice that we (www.analoguewonderland.co.uk) have lower prices on the Portra and Ektar from what you're quoting :) and if you join the mailing list you'll even get free shipping from your first order!
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Yes seems I was unaware of all the troubles with film manufacturers and the adjustment stage. And nice little plug will check you guys out, liking the website :)
 
When I do an occasional price comparison for 120 film, 7dayshop usually turns out the cheapest - except for Ilford film where Mathers of Lancashire seem to have good prices. 7dayshop prices fluctuate a lot from week to week whereas Mathers hold there prices steady.

As stated above, Macodirect have good prices if your order is big enough to justify the P&P. I bought 100 sheets of 4*5 FP4+ from them which gave a good saving compared to UK suppliers.

I don't buy much 35mm film now but that seems to me to be less good value; not specifically in terms of pence per image, because of the greater number of shots on a 35mm roll, (which will just encourage me to waste more shots anyway) but on image quality grounds I prefer paying £5.00 for a roll of 120 compared to £8 for a roll of 35mm.
 
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Any guesses as to why 35mm film is stupidly more expensive than 120 ?
Its the same amount of film, ok there are sprockets to cut and a cartridge but...srsly, how much is a cart per unit if you buy a million, 2p.....5p.....can't be much and the sprocket holes are integrated production, so how much extra for that, I don't see 50p in both, never mind £3.
Nah...bit of monkey business going on if you ask me.
Not a big shooter of 35mm so it doesn't really effect me but I read the prices all the same, 135 shooters are grabbing their ankles a bit I reckon.
Its no surprise to me that Vista is no longer available for a quid a roll, despite the furor on the internetz it seems its discontinued because.....nobody was buying it..????


huh
 
Yea I tried to tell a Film lover that Film was expensive and they just could not see it at all.
I guess it is cheap depending on income and level of use. Not for me though, I see it as expensive.
 
GTG said:
Yea I tried to tell a Film lover that Film was expensive and they just could not see it at all.
I guess it is cheap depending on income and level of use. Not for me though, I see it as expensive.
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Whereas losing a grand a year in top end camera depreciation is cheap! ;)
 
ChrisR said:
Whereas losing a grand a year in top end camera depreciation is cheap! ;)
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There is a right time to buy used dslr gear so that there is very slow depreciation.

The 5d mk3 for example is like watching paint dry waiting for it to depreciate.

Obviously if you walk into Curries and buy the latest camera new then yes you will lost a lot of money.
 
A Leica film camera has probably risen in value by about 50% since 2010...
 
I was vaguely looking at M2s recently and was surprised at the prices - not many under £700 at dealers in nice condition. The going rate for a decent M6 was £800 for several years, holding its value in cash (if not real) terms, but now they are £1200 and up. The weak pound doesn't help, of course.
 
I dunno how that relates to the cost of film, I mean...its not really a film v digital thing, the cost in that regard is irrelevant, nobody shoots film based on cost per frame vs cost per frame digital, digi shooters ought to think on that before throwing in cost comparisons.
Some film gear is more expensive now than its ever been, does it follow that film costs go up in line with that...I dunno
Been looking at M42 a bit lately, its all more than doubled in 6 years, sure there are a few bargains if you trawl, as there are with bodies but generally the days of £20 super taks and CZ tessars are long gone, I don't think digi shooters are making up much of that price rise.
 
Does anywhere still do dev+scan to cd for a couple of pounds? My local Tesco/Asda have got rid of their labs meaning that I’ve used mail order ones instead. Not done any for a while though to be honest.

I suppose you could weigh up some cameras going up in price but you’re only going to make any use of it if you sell them, which kind of defeats the object. I sold a Contax G1 with 28mm a few years back for about £260, they’re nearer £500 now :eek: shame though as I really want one again :LOL:
 
andy1868 said:
Does anywhere still do dev+scan to cd for a couple of pounds?
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HUH! a couple of pounds o_O probably cheapest is filmdev £4 and you download the jpgs, you either store them on a memory stick or cd\dvd recorder\player.
 
andy1868 said:
Does anywhere still do dev+scan to cd for a couple of pounds? My local Tesco/Asda have got rid of their labs meaning that I’ve used mail order ones instead. Not done any for a while though to be honest.

I suppose you could weigh up some cameras going up in price but you’re only going to make any use of it if you sell them, which kind of defeats the object. I sold a Contax G1 with 28mm a few years back for about £260, they’re nearer £500 now :eek: shame though as I really want one again :LOL:
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The resources thread links to a thread about developing in the UK; the first post has a link to my nifty dev scan price estimator. TBH it's a bit out of date (October 2017), but it gives you an idea. I can't load the later version from my master spreadsheet as I'm trying to add 4x5 sheets and the spreadsheet is currently broken! Brian is right, Filmdev are cheapest for low res process and scan.
 
Kevin Allan said:
...As stated above, Macodirect have good prices if your order is big enough to justify the P&P. I bought 100 sheets of 4*5 FP4+ from them which gave a good saving compared to UK suppliers...
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Just received an update from Paypal showing that they charge 3.5% above base rate for Euro and Dollar transactions. I know Macodirect don't necessarily use Paypal (or at all?), but it's a reminder to check how much you have to add on to the base exchange rate when calculating the real cost of foreign transactions. Just checked Barclaycard and it appears to be 2.75% above base rate. It's not a huge difference, but it is worth noting if the price advantage is small.
 
ChrisR said:
... but it's a reminder to check how much you have to add on to the base exchange rate when calculating the real cost of foreign transactions...
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That’s good to know. I have a Monzo card which uses the MasterCard exchange rate which usually seems not far off base rate.
 
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ChrisR said:
Just received an update from Paypal showing that they charge 3.5% above base rate for Euro and Dollar transactions. I know Macodirect don't necessarily use Paypal (or at all?), but it's a reminder to check how much you have to add on to the base exchange rate when calculating the real cost of foreign transactions. Just checked Barclaycard and it appears to be 2.75% above base rate. It's not a huge difference, but it is worth noting if the price advantage is small.
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Might be worth paying extra interest for the protection given? Interesting to know is:- paypal better than Visa etc credit card on goods bought over £100
 
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excalibur2 said:
Might be worth paying extra interest for the protection given? Interesting to know is:- paypal better than Visa etc credit card on goods bought over £100
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I think if you use Paypal you lose the extra credit card protection, but this is from the hazy depths of memory and IANAL.
 
joxby said:
I dunno how that relates to the cost of film, I mean...its not really a film v digital thing, the cost in that regard is irrelevant, nobody shoots film based on cost per frame vs cost per frame digital, digi shooters ought to think on that before throwing in cost comparisons.
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It doesn't really. It's just that the depreciation on gear (even secondhand) is a 'hidden cost' of shooting digital, while now that prices on high quality film cameras have stabilised or are even rising, you needn't lose anything if you decide to cash in after a few years. But as you say, that isn't why people shoot film (and for any moderate or heavy user, the cheaper cost per digital frame will generally far outweigh depreciation on the gear). Even so, secondhand Leica gear has outperformed many other investments recently!
 
Retune said:
It doesn't really. It's just that the depreciation on gear (even secondhand) is a 'hidden cost' of shooting digital, while now that prices on high quality film cameras have stabilised or are even rising, you needn't lose anything if you decide to cash in after a few years. But as you say, that isn't why people shoot film (and for any moderate or heavy user, the cheaper cost per digital frame will generally far outweigh depreciation on the gear). Even so, secondhand Leica gear has outperformed many other investments recently!
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I'm still not getting it
I don't understand the relationship between what goes on on the digital market, and the film market.
For me, there isn't a relationship unless you are saying people that want to shoot film buy hardware based on what it'll be worth in the future.
That approach kinda works if you're buying digital, in that, there'll always be and upgrade, a bigger better model in the future.
I'm sure there are people that buy film gear with a future bottom line in mind like any any 2nd hand market, but I would have thought that would be limited to dealers and people less interested in shooting film seriously and more interested in investment.
You can't get off the digital merry-go-round, but film gear is more like the big bumpy slide to oblivion, I don't think they are comparable....but I dunno.
 
Film gear isn't an investment that's worth bothering with. My M2 has gained about £200 in value since 2011. At that rate, it'll be worth a million quid 35,000 years.

Whoopy-doo. I can't wait to cash in.
 
joxby said:
I'm still not getting it
I don't understand the relationship between what goes on on the digital market, and the film market.
For me, there isn't a relationship unless you are saying people that want to shoot film buy hardware based on what it'll be worth in the future.
That approach kinda works if you're buying digital, in that, there'll always be and upgrade, a bigger better model in the future.
I'm sure there are people that buy film gear with a future bottom line in mind like any any 2nd hand market, but I would have thought that would be limited to dealers and people less interested in shooting film seriously and more interested in investment.
You can't get off the digital merry-go-round, but film gear is more like the big bumpy slide to oblivion, I don't think they are comparable....but I dunno.
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I think we actually agree - there is no relationship. We shoot film or digital for other reasons. It's just a nice bonus that these days high quality film gear holds its value or even appreciates. Someone who only shoots a roll of film every couple of weeks, spending say £300 on film and developing, and then sells their Leica after a year might well come out ahead of a low mileage digital shooter who does the same (because of depreciation). But this wouldn't be a typical pattern of useage for a member of this forum, who might well take hundreds of shots in a day, and is in any case using digital mainly because (e.g.) it's much more convenient, gives instantly reviewable and editable results, and produces high quality low noise output even at high ISO. Film users either just like the whole process, or are after a certain look that can't be achieved with digital (like the texture of film grain).

Nomad Z said:
Film gear isn't an investment that's worth bothering with. My M2 has gained about £200 in value since 2011. At that rate, it'll be worth a million quid 35,000 years.

Whoopy-doo. I can't wait to cash in.
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Don't worry, I'm not suggesting you base your pension plan on Leica bodies! And if you'd bought screwmount gear, it probably wouldn't have appreciated at all. But it's hard to beat FujiLove's return on investment in the current economic climate. Even my M6 seems to have increased in value by about 1/3 in the last couple of years. But this doesn't help me at all, because I don't want to sell it and wouldn't mind buying a second body, which will now be more expensive.
 
Kevin Allan said:
I don't buy much 35mm film now but that seems to me to be less good value; not specifically in terms of pence per image, because of the greater number of shots on a 35mm roll, (which will just encourage me to waste more shots anyway) but on image quality grounds I prefer paying £5.00 for a roll of 120 compared to £8 for a roll of 35mm.
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I went through a period of only shooting medium format (6x6), and in the end I just couldn't sustain the costs of the film and developing. Taking 4-5 rolls of 120 down to Palm Labs on a Monday (and picking up another box of film on the way out) was starting to hurt my wallet.

There's no doubt that medium format has better IQ than 35mm... but for viewing on the internets and printing at A4 size I can't notice a difference, even with consumer films like Ultramax which can be got for <£6.
 
This seems like the most (vaguely) appropriate thread to report the latest annoying price increase (though it may be only temporary)... went into Boots today to buy a couple of rolls of HP5 in 120 to try it out. It's £7.99, and with their customary BOGOHP deal I was expecting to pay £11.99 (in points, so FREEEEEE!!!!), but the till rang up at £15.98. So, no thanks Boots :(.

That has been a very useful deal for small numbers of films, specially since they started selling 120, taking postage costs from most suppliers into account. The staff member described it as an "occasional offer" that could be back any time. It's been on locally since at least 2012, every time I've checked.

Oh well.
 
The missus wanted to run a cine film through her old Bolex cine camera until I found out how much it was.

It's staying in the loft and she's using her phone.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
The missus wanted to run a cine film through her old Bolex cine camera until I found out how much it was.

It's staying in the loft and she's using her phone.
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Not cheap is it? I’ve got one away for develop and scan at the moment from a trip to Portugal.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
The missus wanted to run a cine film through her old Bolex cine camera until I found out how much it was.

It's staying in the loft and she's using her phone.
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Gauge are the cheapest I've found but they're still not cheap, worth it at least once to keep the Bolex alive.
 
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