Bought some more 35mm bulk (100 foot) Tri-x tonight. B&H was having a sale on nearly outdated film (07/17) so I picked up 5 rolls. This my favourite film has gone up quite a bit in price the last few years. New Tri-x bulk usually sells for $128.77 USD, this film was going for $89.95 USD. What is strange and does not quite make sense is that individual 36 frame rolls sell for $4.95 USD. In one bulk roll of 100ft you usually get around 18-19 roll of film ($4.95 x 18= $89.10). Which means it is about the same price, maybe a bit more expensive, to buy manufactured rolls of Tri-x instead of bulk film that you load yourself. Total price of this purchase including free shipping to Canada was $482.62 USD.
I did not save a lot of money on this deal but I prefer to buy the film bulk because then I can carry more lighter bulk film canisters ontp airplanes without worrying about the extra weight of the preloaded cartridges. I can carry several bulk 100 foot film cans then load the film into a set of 30 or so bulk cartridges in Asia. It is a bit more work and requires more time (nightly film loading) but when your staying for 6 months or longer as I am, it is is not that big of a deal. I also need to load my various 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 film holders so this is just more of the same. Basically bulk film allows me to carry more film with me to Asia at less weight.
I should be saving money for Thailand now but thought I would take care of this bulk film buy while it was available. I never feel bad about getting more film, new film fills me with hope and happiness. What will end up on the negs? What magic can be created? It is all so exciting, even after all these years of shooting there is nothing like the hopes of what new film will bring.
Note* If the film is stored properly (frozen) then it being outdated is not too big a deal. I plan on taking outdated 35mm Tri-x from my fridges that expired in 2012 (maybe 2016) this next 6 month trip. There might be a tiny bit of base fogging but I have found it does not interfere with my print making. I will probably not use todays bought film for several years, maybe 5 or 6 years.
Note** I will use this weekends 3 workshops to pay for a good portion of this film buy. I will earn $440 CAD, and today I bought $483 USD worth of Tri-x.
B&H Film Buying Link
I did not save a lot of money on this deal but I prefer to buy the film bulk because then I can carry more lighter bulk film canisters ontp airplanes without worrying about the extra weight of the preloaded cartridges. I can carry several bulk 100 foot film cans then load the film into a set of 30 or so bulk cartridges in Asia. It is a bit more work and requires more time (nightly film loading) but when your staying for 6 months or longer as I am, it is is not that big of a deal. I also need to load my various 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 film holders so this is just more of the same. Basically bulk film allows me to carry more film with me to Asia at less weight.
I should be saving money for Thailand now but thought I would take care of this bulk film buy while it was available. I never feel bad about getting more film, new film fills me with hope and happiness. What will end up on the negs? What magic can be created? It is all so exciting, even after all these years of shooting there is nothing like the hopes of what new film will bring.
Note* If the film is stored properly (frozen) then it being outdated is not too big a deal. I plan on taking outdated 35mm Tri-x from my fridges that expired in 2012 (maybe 2016) this next 6 month trip. There might be a tiny bit of base fogging but I have found it does not interfere with my print making. I will probably not use todays bought film for several years, maybe 5 or 6 years.
Note** I will use this weekends 3 workshops to pay for a good portion of this film buy. I will earn $440 CAD, and today I bought $483 USD worth of Tri-x.
B&H Film Buying Link
