How does this "bulk roll B&W is inexpensive "

[tikkathree]

From another thread:

[luisalegria]

My experience with bulk loading 35mm is from the 1970's, I am sure I haven't done it since @1979, but here goes -

For best results and most convenience you need a bulk loader. Thats a device that you load with the 100' bulk roll, in a dark bag, and can then use to transfer film into 35mm canisters. Most bulk loaders are "daylight", that is once they are loaded with bulk film you can load canisters in the light.

You need empty 35mm canisters, some people use empties from the photo labs, some swear that you need the special reloadable kind.

This is a nice tutorial, details may vary depending on the bulk loader and canister type.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-use-a-35mm-film-bulk-loader/#step1

[luisalegria]

I just checked some prices. Its not THAT inexpensive. Or its not as inexpensive as it used to be.

To compare - per-roll cost of Kodak TMax400 and other prices from Freestyle Photo and ebay -

- Bulk - $3.44/roll (this is the film only, i.e., consumable cost, loader and reusable canister costs would be "fixed" and amortized over however many rolls you eventually load)

- Regular film package - loaded at the factory - $5.39

With Kodak TMax 400 you save almost $2 per roll on consumables.

A reasonable deal for bulk loaders on ebay is @$10-15, and reloadable cassettes are @ $0.50-0.80 or so, so you wouldn't need to roll many before you start saving on TMax, if you develop your own. Figure a $ 20 investment all in, so after roll #10 you are saving money.

If you send out for processing you will lose the cassettes, so they also become a consumable.

The economics change a lot for cheaper film. Arista Edu Ultra is 1.88 and 2.59 respectively, so consumable savings are only $0.71 per roll.

[Excalibur]

[Attila]

[dof]

I come across lots of expired film and I buy that at about $1/roll or less. I find them at yard sales and cameras shows. I mostly just use B&W and process myself. Can't beat that price with bulk loading. But once in a while I come across an outdated bulk roll of B&W real cheap. But, I just sell it and buy more outdated retail rolls.

[tikkathree]

Thanks all for replying and I will watch the tutorial next. I have strictly zero intentions of getting into home developing (it's the taking of pictures which gives me the buzz) so any financial gain will be in the purchase of film. My local shop, Studio Five http://www.studio-five.co.uk/ are excellent at dev and print to CD for me and offer a next day service on 35mm. MF? Well, they're happy to develop for me but despite the charge being something like 72p per frame to scan MF to CD I think they're not keen on doing the job so I need to think about a MF scanner.

Bulk film sounds interesting though, particularly if there are sufficient sources in the UK as I just hate the add-on costs when HM Revenue and Customs add their 20% to the value of imported goods.

[peterqd]

I came across this bulk loader if you're interested
Click here to see on Ebay

[Attila]

frystylephoto.biz

Arista EDU Ultra B&W 100 iso 33 USD
35mm x 100 ft. Model# 190110

~20 roll 24 frames lest than 2 USD /roll

I bought from them short term roll for 23 USD ~ 1 USD / roll

[luisalegria]

18 rolls of 36 in 100'

Actually, this can be 17 of 36 and one shorter if not careful in rolling !

Its always good to check Freestyle for sales, if its OK for you to buy from the US.

Also these guys -

http://www.frugalphotographer.com/index.htm

http://www.ecamerafilms.com/Buy_Camera_Film_s/7.htm

[David]

I roll my own film exclusively for B&W. For Tmax 400 24 exposures at the stores, it's $7.39 in my area (30 cents per exposure.) For 100 feet of TMax, I paid $ 39. At 18 rolls of 36 per 100 feet, that's $2.19 per roll (6 center per exposure.) To go even cheaper, Ultrafine (rebranded Foma) is $21 per 100 feet for 100 ISO and $24 for 400 ISO. That's as low as $1.17 per roll (3 center per exposure.) Both options are actually cheaper than buying expired film off eBay.

You do have some start-up costs. A decent winder will be about $15 or $20. I have two, a bakelite without a clicker that cost $7 and a Western with a clicker that cost $7. I lucked out on those finds. You'll also need a number of reusable canisters. Those can be as little as $1 each for the plastic or about $2 for the metal. The metal are worth it. You'll also need to be able to develop your film at home as modern processing labs often use machine developing which destroys the canisters in the process. So a few good stainless steel developing tanks and reels can be about $15 per set. I lucked out and got all mine for $1.93 per set on Craig's List. CL is a great place for finding old darkroom gear that people don't use and just want to unload.

You'll also need chemicals, which you can buy from Amazon for as little as $6 per gallon of chemical. On eBay one can sometimes find them cheaper, but not meaningfully so. And with Amazon you'll typically buy from Adorama, which means the product will be reliable and the shipping pretty quick.

Minor costs would be a drying rope and clothes pins. I have to wreath hangers on tea-saucer-sized suctions cups on each end of my bath tub. When I'm drying negatives, I strong a rope between the hooks, hand the negative strips, turn on the fan, and close the door (noisy fan.) All told, I got my reloading set up for about $100, maybe a bit less. I have 42 reusable cassettes, which were the largest expense. That said, in that time I've also gone through about 35 rolls of B&W. The cost of the film was about $60. However, developing 35 rolls would cost $739 per roll to purchase and $2.20 to develop (no prints or scanning.) So that's about $350. I'd made my initial investment back within three weeks through developing cost savings. However, it did take me three months to get all the gear since I had set a strict budget and had to wait for good prices.

[luisalegria]

Where do you get 100' rolls so cheap ?

[David]

Hey, Luis,

I use eBay for MOST of my bulk buying. I got the Ilford 50 100' direct from Adorama (or KEH, I forget which) for $48 ($55 including shipping). The TMAX was a seller oops and they listed it BIN instead of an auction, and I happened to sign on about 10 minutes after the auction began. Here are links to the Ultrafine I use. The price has gone up since my last purchase, so 400 ISO is $28 plus shipping and 100 ISO is $24. Shipping in California (it comes from LA) is almost negligible. In my previous calculations, I admit I neglected to include shipping in my figures, so they're a few cents per frame low.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Ultrafine-Xtreme-400-B-W-35mm-x-100-Ft-film-/180755693566?pt=US_Camera_Film&hash=item2a15e0fffe#ht_2964wt_1273

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Ultrafine-Xtreme-100-B-W-35mm-x-100-Foot-Black-and-White-Film-/310358843376?pt=US_Camera_Film&hash=item4842d41ff0#ht_3000wt_1273

Those are pretty constant items and Ultrafine Online seems to always have these two bulk films for sale at pretty reasonable prices. This is, I am told, rebranded Foma. So it may not be a good option for those who dislike Foma.

[tikkathree]

[tikkathree]

[peterqd]

[luisalegria]

That IS cheaper than Freestyle !

Thanks !

[tikkathree]

[peterqd]

Forget it. I'm just completely fed up of people like you moaning about the state the country is in and then moaning about doing your bit to help improve it. It's Christmas and you're sounding like Scrooge himself! Cheer up for heaven's sake and be thankful you're fortunate enough to afford expensive lenses!

[tikkathree]

[visualopsins]

Diving here