What The ZARK Happened To FILM PRICES? Can Colour Film Survive? 

Just jumping in to comment at the very start of the vid, before watching the rest. And mainly on film prices. SLR camera prices are almost purely market driven these days since they are S/H Having worked in retail camera sales and film processing in the 80's and 90's I'd posit the following for the increase in costs: 1. Smaller production runs on film and paper. Altho the reduction in labour isn't 1:1 but rather increases the labour cost. 2. Cost of materials for Silver Halide emulsions and plastics 3. Retail costs. Ex. are smaller staffing levels in stores because of sales downturns due to online shopping, but increased real estate costs for shop owners (rental, power, rates) 4. Add to the above, shipping costs 5. Film chemicals in commercial labs aren't getting used to it's full potential. These chemicals have limitations on their shelf life in the machines due to temps and environment. In smaller stores instead of the machines working full time and chemicals being changed according to the number of films developed (which degrades the chemicals), they are often used only once or twice a week. Heating them and letting them return to room temps in the downtime degrades them and so does leaving them at full temp without use (atmospheric degradation etc) So there is turn over with increased wastage. 6. Labour for the developing/printing machines. A days labour to do just 20 films is making the costs higher. And that 20 films wouldn't cover the days wages / power / wastage Now I'll watch the rest of the vid and see if there's anything I missed out on. One thing before I go: It's frustrating to me that I cannot conveniently get access to the full range of ISO's that films used to come in at my local store from 25 to 3200

for the last 45 years at least 3 decades of which were as a pro photographer i built up a massive collection of film cameras, at one point a full b&w/colour dark room for 35mm/medium format/5x4 large format. Now its getting to the stage where film photography is literally being priced off the market, my local lab quoted for a roll of black and white 120, dev/print/ scan to disc almost £40 with a one month turn over because " we have to send them away" add to that the price of the initial film of 10 to 15 pounds a roll its extortion when you can shoot your heart off on digital for practically zero except the cost of ink cartridges. Film is coming to an end due to the greed of the industry in my eyes

I remember back in 2011-2013, I could buy this brand called "Eurocolor" the cheapest color film for $0.60 per roll, then there was Kodak Ultima for about $1.00

The general populace are finding they have less disposable income now. The dollar ascendency (temporary most likely) is having effect on the purchasing power of the pound and other currencies. And silver essential for film production is moving into short supply; it’s undervalued due to manipulation in the paper silver market, which discourages increased production of silver. Organizations that consume physical silver, such as the US Mint, are having a hard time securing physical silver supplies at the spot price.

One important thing to mention is the fact that a lot of RU-vidrs with a lot of subscribers who talk about old cameras or lenses are driving up the prices (they will recognize themselves...). I'm not talking about you Nigel, I'm talking about those who have gained some sort of power over prices. I find this very damaging to the film photography community, because it makes this practice elitist, and that's very sad.

The bells of Durham cathedral were nice. It sounded like they were being rung fully muffled, except for the tenor which was half muffled. I love the sound of half muffled church bells.

I finally broked down and bought an old Nikon D700 DSLR for my film itch. Its basically a digital Nikon F6 while not costing a whopping $1000 for one. The D700's 12 megapixels of full frame goodness renders film like images and still allows me to used virtually all of Nikon F mount lenses from the beginning of time! Sadly film has gotten so expensive and by using these older DSLR cameras, it feels nostalgic in a way.

Why Film is Expensive The manufacture of contemporary color films is a high-tech operation similar to semiconductor manufacturing - but even more complex! It is amongst the most complex chemical and industrial manufacturing processes devised to this day. When the demand for photographic film peaked in the year 2000, behind it stood billions of dollars invested in research and development, and more than a hundred years’ worth of research done by some of the brightest minds of their generations. The manufacturing process for film is so complex, that even at its peak only four companies worldwide were able to produce a color film that met the highest quality standards: Eastman Kodak, Agfa-Gevaert, Konica, and Fujifilm. And in addition to being a very complex product, film requires many resources that are getting difficult and/or expensive to source, or that need to be reengineered because of valid environmental concerns. For example, due to the increased interest in biodegradable plastics, the demand for the base on which film emulsion is coated on, cellulose triacetate, has skyrocketed; many industries have discovered the material as a well-suited form of biodegradable packaging material. For this reason, manufacturers find it increasingly hard to source the material at acceptable prices, forcing them to substitute the film base with other materials like PET, or as it is known in the Kodak universe, with ESTAR base. Similarly, the price for silver, a crucially important ingredient in every film - about one kilogram of silver is needed for every 3000 rolls of 135 / 36-exposure Portra films - has risen by 38% in the last five years alone. Lastly, the people who are able to perform the highly complex manufacturing process are getting older and need to be replaced while younger staff need to be trained, a circumstance that further reduces capacity and increases operating cost.

My go-to color film so far used to be Kodak Color Plus. It seems to be the most frequently available color film here in Poland and I was also quite happy with its look. Sometimes I've also used Kodak Gold and Fuji 200, but these seem to have mostly died out in the stores over here. I've bought one roll of Color Plus two weeks ago and it cost me almost 50 zl (around 10 pounds) for only 24 exposures and 36 exp. wasn't even in stock. I think I've already had problems with finding 36 exp. last year (I tend to shoot film mostly around the summer period). Around two-three years ago I would pay around 35zl for 36 exposures and probably around 30zl for 24 exposures, so the price has almost doubled already. It's probably still cheaper than in Western Europe, but of course that has nothing to do with the film itself, more with economics overall. The prices have still doubled to what they were and that's what really matters. Last year I've found an online store that re-packages Kodak cinema films and sells them at reasonable prices and it also offers ECN2 developing in their own lab. It is a little bit more inconvenient since I have to send it to them for developing (no one handles ECN2 where I live), but if color film prices stay this high it will definitely come out cheaper as long as I post more than one film at once, because of the price difference for the film itself (and there's little difference in developing costs with that lab). At first I was surprised that a film lab in a relatively non-film country can justify adding ECN2 to their offer, but this one store probably collects these films from people all over Poland and I guess that amount justifies offering ECN2 developing and it also probably keeps it at a reasonable price. So if the price of Color Plus remains as high as it is I'm probably gonna make Vision3 250D my go-to color film, if I haven't done this already

I agree that film photography is a crazy market right now. As far as film cameras, I think the prices have reached a *sort-of-fair* point. But certain cameras are being sold at far higher prices than they really should. As you mentioned, there's many reasons why that is. I think a lot of it is brand/make recognition and ultimately the consumer. We literally have so much information accessible to us through our phones, yet so many people still don't do or do very little research before buying a camera. There are so many great film cameras that are still very affordable that are even better than many popular cameras. But they're overlooked because they're brand names not many recognize or cameras that no one famous has used. Yashica and Minolta SLRs and rangefinders are good examples of cameras that are still fairly cheap, very good, but don't have brand names everyone is familiar with. 35mm color film is a different story. I don't understand at all why people continue to pay the high prices of it. Kodak and Fuji were saying things like the production costs have led to increased prices, but it's at the point now that I'm suspicious. I think they're doing typical bad-to-the-consumer-great-for-profit business tactics. They're pricing it high just because they know many people will still pay it. It doesn't matter if they complain about it. The only way to stop the high prices is by the majority of consumers deciding to stop paying the high prices. I'm like you and I pretty much only shoot 35mm black and white now and only shoot color film for very special projects/occasions. Developing and scanning b&w isn't hard and I save a lot of money to keep the hobby going.

I have five rolls of colour waiting to be sent off. There's another three in the fridge, and one in my Canon EOS 5. After those are gone, it's goodbye to colour film, for me. The price of new colour film is way above my budget now, and sending them off for developing gets expensive and time-consuming. As I develop my own back and white, I've got a fridge full of that. I can source 24exp Kentmere 400 and HP5 for £4 and £5 respectively, and chemicals are cheap enough. I also have a bulk film loader, so can score 30.5 rolls, which drops the price per roll even more. Makes sense.

If you look on mpb, you can find full frame DSLR’s (mark II-III) for around £350. Here in Sweden the prices for vintage lenses have gone bonkers lately.

I have various colour film rolls stored in the refrigerator. Here in the US, the cost of film processing is getting expensive as well. Thus, I’m judicious and cautious about shooting much of it except for when a situation makes sense (such as autumn colors). I think my film future purchases will be black and white. The majority of my photography is adapted vintage lenses to mirrorless, plus a Nikon D800E. I can get close to a film look, which will have to suffice. Cheers!

Sad times. I bought a three pack of Fuji not long back for like 30 bucks I think or less . Was like 10 USD a roll . That is not terrible but the problem was after figuring out the Tax and shipping and cost of the developing and scanning I can see why people just stick with digital :(. It is sad to see such a wonderful part of history kinda being weeded out by price hikes. And to make things even worse all of the kids these days do not even have any interest in picking up what is a GOOD camera and just slide that cell phone outa there pocket and take photos . Even the high end camera companies I think are feeling the pressures of what cell phones can do. Why spend all that money for "Crappy Looking" film when you can just take photos on the phone in your back pocket for free :(. That was a kinda comment I got from someone lol.

Colour film is far too expensive. I love Portra, but no longer buy it due to the cost. For colour I stick to digital, and b&W for film.

I certainly hope both color and mono films remain available at (vaguely...) affordable prices. I have a number of vintage cameras that I have yet to take out for test runs. I can adapt most of their lenses onto digital, but I'd hate for that to be the only future that equipment has- I really want to be able to use it all the way it was intended, now and then- that is, after all, why I bought all this stuff in the first place.

Increasing prices is understood when the source materials are higher, but when profit margins increasing at the expense of sales just kills the very market they serve. The film prices are just silly when they become unaffordable.

I have a fridge full of film, now I'm wondering if I should just cash in...

I have... uh... nine rolls of film that span a decade that need developing, but prices for that are way above me too with my budget. Actually make that ten, I have a roll of 120/620.

Those church bells are wonderful.

Last Week I put up for Auction on eBay, 3 Rolls of Kodak "Ultra-Max" 400 ISO Color Negative Film 24 exp. That Expired in 2010, but Refrigerated since before then. Started the Auction at $15.00 US, and figured it might sell for that or maybe relist for less. I got $52.00 for the 3 Rolls with $6.50 shipping. Add 10.25 % Tax they have in Chicago, and the Buyer Paid like $63.00 for 3 rolls of Film. ... Insane Prices! I have like 8 Rolls of FujiChrome 50 ISO in 120mm Medium Format. Color Slide Film from 1988, that was Frozen for 20+ years and Refrigerated since. Last week a friend of mine who owns a Camera Store told me it would sell for $100.00 or more Per Roll. This can't be True, but intend to find out. (if it turns out to be True, I also have like 6 Boxes 50 sheets each, of that Same FujiChrome Film in 4x5" Sheet Film for View Cameras.)

Additional - I agree, some of the prices for really ordinary cameras is astonishing, showing that fashion is driving prices. My OM-1 body cost me £86 and a 50mm lens was £35 - a much better camera than the Olympus OM-40. £350 for a Mu 2 is definitely fashion driven - someone in a movie used one and the next day the price went through the roof.

Why would anyone want to use colour print film? It was never very good, and digital is much better, not to mention the vast price difference! Black and white film has its own unique character, and I can see why people (including me) would use it for particular purposes. I always used to use colour slide film back in the day, but it is now outrageously expensive! Keep up your good work and maybe show us some pictures of the beautiful city of Durham?

First of all: I'm not an expert, so everything I'm going to say is just what I have observed during the last few months here in Germany. Cameras: I thought they would get less expensive but eBay prices have stayed somewhat stable. If you are a collector you still have to pay relatively high prices for working cameras or you have to be able to fix common problems like leaky light seals on your own. Lenses on the other hand seem to have come down in price a bit, especially third party stuff and zooms, while "the good stuff" is rare to find and still quite expensive. It looks like the prices over in the UK have dropped a bit more but since nowadays shipping and customs have gone up considerably that's not always an option. Film: About a year agou one could buy a three pack of Kodak Gold 200 in every drugstore for around 13 Euros. Then they just vanished, along with the odd Agfa APX 400 b/w film they were offering. Even my go-to online film shop had none in stock. Prices on ebay have since exploded. But recently a new batch seems to have arrived in some stores and you can get ghree rolls of Kodak for aroud 17 Euros now if you are lucky, but on ebay the still want upwards of 25 Euros for a pack of three. I haven't seen Fuji in a store for years, to be honest, at least not in a drugstore. If you travel to one of the bigger cities around here like Cologne where there ar still photo shops you are more likely to find 120 colour film than 135. Strange times! Black and white film seems to had a bit of a shortage, too: I had to buy some rolls of Foma 200 recently because I couldn't get the 100 or 400. And it's around 1 Euro more expensive now than it was about half a year ago. Kentmere/Ilford was in stock and I got some of those, too, but they have gotten a bit pricier as well. (I treated myself to a roll of Ilford Delta 3200 and had to pay 10 Euros at my usual online store, while it would have cost me around 15 to 20 if it had been in stock anywhere...) I have two theories about the film shortage and prices: First, I think there are not enough manufacturers anymore and the ones that survived up until now have something like a momopoly. They can basically charge what they want, the analogue fans seem to pay even these highly inflated prices. I don't know what will happen towards the end of the year when the cost of living (especially the energy prices) will rise further and further. With people having less money to spend prices may come down hopefully. On the other hand manufacturers will have to pay higher prices for materials, too. Which brings me to my second theory: Since colour and b/w film were both affected by shortages and prices rising I guess that there is a factory somewhere in China that produces the film material itself that every subsequent manufacturer uses to roll into film sheets and put their own emulsion on it. When Covid came along there may have been shutdowns. Tnere still seems to be a problem shipping goods from China to Europe and the rest of the world at the moment. (Is Kodak film still being produced in the USA and shipped over here? Maybe they prioritize the home market and that's why it had been difficult to get them here.) I really hope that prices will go down a bit. It would be a shame if film were to die because it got so expensive no one would buy it anymore. Same with cameras: I still have two or three on my list I really would like to try out for historical reasons... ;-)

While I totally agree that colour film is expensive, t’was ever thus. Nigel, you mention that back in the Seventies you remember a 24 frame roll of Kodak being around £2.00. Taking into account inflation since 1975, that is the equivalent of £34 to £35 nowadays. Not defending the manufacturers but in comparative terms today’s prices don’t seem so bad. I remember as a student on an annual grant of £625 in 1975 sticking to B&W because colour was too expensive even then.

You have to keep in mind that film troubles started way before 2020's. Fujifilm started discontinuing film stock like crazy, while trying to up their digital game. By popular demand they did however bring one film back, Acros II. However, now, instead of Made in Japan, on the film box stands Made in England. And guess who's European's if not world's largest B&W film producer, from England. Moreover, few people actually remember that Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012. Thanks, iPhone. They got smaller and smaller, and today we see the result. Some 10 years ago I debated with some colleagues about the future of film, and we come to the conclusion that the last film stock that will go is the classic B&W film. 10 years down that line we can clearly see that we are mowing into that direction. Course modern digital cameras crossed film in IQ long time ago, while classic photography is always somehow tied to B&W film stock. Now with that being said, I still have my freezer filled with various slide film. But by price of $13,7 for developing per roll I doubt I'll ever be able to shoot it all...

I think the reason why film prices are going up is because sales are dropping, the film bubble was always going to pop, it was always just a fashion trend for too many, and fashions change. I think that the price increases in film, and the reduction in available stocks have hastened this change. Why are film prices are going up ? Might be because the film companies are 'making hay when the sun shines' as it were, but by doing this they're also killing their own market, but they don't care because they're diversifying out of film anyway. Fujifilm digital cameras have never been so popular, between that and their Instax film/cameras, which for many years were supposedly keeping the Fuji digital afloat, they don't need to sell film. Kodak are only making film because Hollywood wanted film, else they would've stopped years ago, and they've gone or are going into pharmaceuticals. A few days ago I had an email from Polaroid, some waffle about a big announcement, a day or two later they announced a bluetooth speaker range. (shrug) Yes film sales have boomed over the last few years, with sales increases of 1000s of percent, but starting off at near zero even doubling or quadrupling still isn't that big in the grand scheme of things. Add to this the events of the last few years and its kind of a perfect s**t storm for film. No surprises though, and the markets will balance out in time, and of course there will be more casualties, and I might be able to afford an xpan without my bank account going into spasm.

My suggestion is to buy in bulk, share among friends doing film. I particularly like Ilford XL Super 2 because can process with C41. I also recommend to use cheap films like Shanghai, need to shoot with long exposure for best results. My take is that all chemicals come from China and the supple chain there has been under a lot of pressure. I started shooting on film like two years ago. I started scanning old negatives from 20 years ago. Actually the quality of new negatives are much worse for the old ones. I think it’s related to the supply coming from China

It’s pretty tough to shoot Color film these days. Prices are either really high or stock isn’t always there. I’m shooting more b&w film like you and more digital too.

Film camera prices are stupid, I purchased a Leica M3 a few years back, mint - condition for just over £500. Looking at similar condition M3’s now you can add another thousand to that price. As for film costs I’ve put colour film on the back burner for now until prices come down.

The shortages seem to be mostly in 35mm colour films: anybody who has had a go at finding Portra 400 will find themselves up to their eyes in five packs of 120 roll film - but virtually no 35mm. That would tend to suggest that poor planning for demand by film companies might be a root cause. Perhaps they are doing the old 'regulate demand by price' trick.

I saw on Japan Camera Hunter that Fuji is not going to sell their 35mm color film in Japan. Which is shocking to me. The article says that they feel Fuji is basically reselling Kodak film as their own. Your comments agree.

I just saw that for a 5 pack of Fujichrome Velvia 135 format at B+H it was running $136.00 !!!! I've been shooting since 1971. I think I'm throwing in the towel on color film. I'll shoot black and white film and for color I'll go with my old D700 and D300 Nikons. Farewell color film☘️🌿🌠

Camera prices have been driven by 2 forces, those who have bought vintage lenses who want a body to go with them to shoot film again, and the hipster generation who jumped onto the bandwagon to look cool. Apart from we collectors, once they have a camera they don't usually buy another, hence the rise, then fall, in selling prices. Whether they drop to previous levels remains moot. Film prices are different. Most film companies, Kodak especially, ditched all the machinery early this century to streamline their buisiness. The resurgence of film caught them on the hop. They are now trying to raise capital (Kodak esp.) to buy new machinery, not cheap and not readily available. These companies want to make more modern emulsions, which reduce the chemical overload that production and developing needs. I bulk load B&W - currently I am shooting Orwo 54 at a cost of £2:30 per cassette - 36 exp. My concern is for 120 roll film - recently Kodak released Gold in 120 format - good newsm but it is only a couple of pounds cheaper than Ektar, which is a nicer film IMO Great episode George

Hello. Good video. Keep up the good work.

I picked up an Olympus Pen EED - a half frame camera, and I'll use that for colour. My slr will remain black and white.

When you put out a video review of the Fuji X-T10 in Jan 2021 I thought this was the answer to colour photographs as getting film processed well has been very difficult. So I bought an X-T10 and loved it following your other reviews I bought A Sony A7 ,Fuji X-T1 and a Fuji X-E1 I now would not go back to using colour film but still use black and white which I process myself. I should let you know I was a professional photographer and film maker in the 70's,80's and 90's now retired. Having used these fantastic mirrorless camera's for nearly two years now I don't use my film cameras much any more. As in a recent video it's not the kit it's the photographer. best wishes great channel

The price of film is ridiculous. I believe that some of it is due to an unexpected upsurge in usage by the generation that was digital from the start. I have been lucky to find some rolls at $5 online as well as flea markets. However, at $5 per roll, it still costs about $0.25 per shot plus about the same to develop. I shoot both digital and film. I limit my film usage to landscape and city photography. It is by too far expensive for street photography at this time.

As far as I understand it, Kodak had cut back as small as they could go. Then came the growth in film and they simply cannot keep up with demand. This means there is always a shortage, which then is used as a justification by sellers to ramp up prices. There may be many other factors- including the economy in general- but it seems that is the base cause for colour stock to be so high. And of course Kodak itself needs to raise a lot more money to stay afloat and has hiked its prices too. Again, lots of other factors but these are at the bottom of the pile of reasons for film stock. Of course in the case of mono film, it's different. But sellers knowing that CAN charge more for film, often do. I managed to get a few good deals on film earlier in the year so I have enough to keep me going for a while. But looking at the costs is quite scary. NB: for companies like Kodak btw, they are in a strange position where the market and demand has grown enough to make demand soar, but not enough to give them the ability to expand. Especially when the possibility that the current popularity of film is partially transient is preying on the mind of investors.

Profititiring!! I have to buy in bulk and roll my own! Chemicals are expensive too! I'm looking into making my own film for large format on glass plates. Silver halide is still available.

I'm also worried about prices and supplies of film, dealers who's been in the business for a 100 years, say they can't get film from anywhere, and it's the same situation all over Europe. Black and white is having the same problems, only slower. 120 film that's not 400 ISO is starting to be hard to find, and is getting more expensive. But: I believe we could do something about it! If we who love film, got together and invested in making new film stocks, we could secure the supplies of film for the future. I don't know where or how, but it is possible.

I'm glad it's not just me. I don't like digital very much, although there are some advantages. A year back, I bought a used Nikon F4s, and fell back in love with film photography. But, getting film on the spur of the moment is impossible. In the SE Wisconsin, USA town where I live, I'm sandwiched between Milwaukee, and Chicago, and I can't buy any film locally. There are no camera stores left here, an 80-mile drive to Chicago, or a 35-mile drive to Milwaukee is required, and there are only 2 camera shops left in Milwaukee, a few more in Chicago. I have to mail-order all my film, and pre-planning is required. Most B & W films are available, but very little color, and the color that is available is prohibitively expensive. Everyday color films are back-ordered, and there is little pro-quality stock available. I'm about to start ordering 100ft rolls of Kodak Vision3 to fill the gap. Right now, I have about fifteen, 36 exp rolls of 35 mm B & W, only 1 24 exp roll of Kodak UltraMax color in stock.

I had to cut back on color as well. The prices are just not there for me. So, Fomapan 100 and 200 it is for now. I may end up going back to Fuji Eterna 500T, even after swearing to never shoot that again if I find myself needing color. 85B + FLD filters make that look normal enough in daylight at least.

I stopped because of film prices exclusively. It's off the chain now.

Film is out/Digital is in. More control over digial images than you ever had in the darkroom.

The price and availability of industrial silver increased in the past 2 years two fold (from 15 to 30 dollars per ounce). In 2022 it started to go down a bit and today it markets around 21 dollars per ounce.

In the US, Porta 400 on B&H is $80 for a 5-pack. Kodak Gold 400 is backordered, but listed at $10 / roll. Ilford HP400 is about $10 a roll too.

I don't know what prices are like in the UK but in the US I can get ILFORD HP5 plus 400 iso @36 exp for under $6.00, KODAK PORTRA 35mm 400 COLOR for $16.00 and KODAK PORTRA 400 COLOR 120 is $12.99. There are more choices of 35mm vs 120mm and more B&W vs color. It seems to depend on availability which might be the supply chain.

I only shoot b&w film which I process and print myself. Color film has been too expensive for me for a while whentaking also processsing into consideration.

I've just gotten my first SLR, an OM10. I'm new to the market and although the prices seem crazy, I have no reference point. Had I not done the research I would just assume these are the prices for colour film.

It's only 6 years since Poundland sold Agfa 200 for £1 a roll. Asda could process the negatives for a couple of quid! I still have a freezer full of the stuff, plus Portra, Fuji Pro400H, Kodacolor, etc. The future of film looked secure not too long ago. Now I'm not so sure..

I've gone back to black and white film especially medium format and developing it myself. The exceptional ones get hand tinted.

I did enjoy shooting slide film but Ektachrome is now a whopping £22 a roll (that’s before high development costs) and Fuji Provia is unavailable unless you want to pay a huge premium. Seems Fuji is getting out the film game, they seem to want to kill it off. They announced they are increasing their prices by 60%. Analogue Wonderland are very reasonable and do some good deals. I would never give up on film completely but these days you cannot burn through it like the old days.

Prices are expensive for many film cameras. Example: Canon EOS 3 35mm Camera Body $557.45 Film prices are up as well in the USA. Example: Kodak Professional Gold 200 Color Negative Film (120 Roll Film, 5-Pack $49.99

People have been shooting more films. The price of lenses, cameras, and everything else is rising, and so are film prices. Supply and demand.

the price of silver went from 18 US dollars to 24 UD dollars per ounce

I mostly shoot digital, but I do enjoy shooting film a few times a month. Sometimes, when there is a reason, a bit more than a few times 🤭. Right now I shoot mostly HP5 since its super cheap. But whenever I find color film for a decent-ish price, I buy a couple of rolls just to have around. Prices of film here vary quite a lot, a roll of Fuji Superia 400 can go from 14 to 20 euro. But what is worse is the supply. There are weeks upon weeks of no color film available anywhere, for any price. Kodak gold 200 has been literaly non existant for months. Portra pops up from time to time but its usually 18 euro and up. So whenever I can, I stock up on the cheapest available stuff 😑

Don't think there's a future for films with current prices.

Hello.. here in Costa Rica, I bought several 3 pack of fuji C200 anf 400 in 35mm. Today, if I want to buy this film I have to pay more than 3 times for the same 3-pack equivalent (individual rolls). Very sad because each day is more difficult to enjoy our film cameras. Like everything now, maybe never will reach that older prices again.

Film camera prices are definitely being pushed by fashion trends, social media trends. I've sold a few. Film prices here in NYC is crazy $15-17 for colorplus c200 $13 Superia $400 $15-17 portra 400 $18-22

I just dug out a Minolta Dynex 700si been on my mind for a long time to put a roll of film in the camera go shoot it. the camera works as dose the lens A Tokina 20-35 mm 3.5 to 4.5 version one looking at the prise to buy a film process it and get prints is crazy its so sad to me that this is the case but sadly it as come to this, Ilford still having a go though . I give up on pro work a good few years ago I shoot for pleasure now, I have good digital cameras and lenses, but love film photography also so I will try to buy film process it and print from it as long as I can do so depending on the prise it might be less but it would be a big loss if no one could shoot film any more hey guys a tradgidy .........Tony

I'm just shooting Black and White as the prices of colour film are insane

Such wonderful sights and sounds in your video! Difficult to concentrate on what you were saying! But I get what you are saying! But when I used film it always seemed expensive! I do a little now, but mainly digital, like you using older canon fd lenses on a modern mirror less camera

I just sold a *broken* Mju II (not working at all) for almost 80€ and a Mju V for 150, so I think people who can't afford the Mju II will inflate the prices of all the other P&S. In any case, while people are buying P&S the rest of us can buy amazing cameras at very reasonable prices.

Been buying Kodak Gold for around £9 roll I believe there is supply issues with materials and production which started during covid. For me I love Kodak colour film there black and white films are crazy prices. The likes of llford, Fomapan don't seem to be affected I suppose Kodak have some what of a monopoly on colour film with Fujifilm discontinuing so many film stocks.

Could it be greed?.

The dictates of Fashion. Might be down to RU-vid channels telling folk how great film cameras are. ;-)

if you think the Oly muji PnS are a bit potty, check out Cosina CX-2.... Now having used one back in the day, excellent little thing better than Oly XA imo and at the time tremendously cheaper. And now well, have a quick search on the Bay... Also the canon sure shots of various ages are not asking much either, the mk1 auto focus in good working seems to be acceptably priced too, at the time it was THE auto focus PnS to have... Go figure eh.

I can't work up any enthusiasm for using colour film, black and white however, is a different matter.

If in doubt, blame climate change. Personally blame Klaus Schwab!

OM 10 currently on e bay October 2022 £30-£50 GBP.... body only you can get for around £10... had one in past...but prob not buy one again but better OM model like you say OM1 or OM2 for me.. Nigel

Aussie here. I have been buying Fujifilm C200 for about $11.50 (£7) a roll. The labeling on the film says Made in Japan so I am not sure about the rumour that Kodak is manufacturing that film stock? I might just stock up on my Fujifilms. When shooting 35mm film I use both colour as well as black and white. But for 120 I use only black and white.

The machinery by the big manufacturers to produce the films were decommissioned etc when the digital market took over and film was seen as almost the equivalent of “78 records “. Then the Film Phoenix came back to life and the demand was more than what could be supplied with what little machinery was around. Kodak etc are building new machines and training new staff to operate them. This takes time and big bucks. Someone (ie - us) has to pay in the short meantime for this investment. Eventually prices may fall ( certainly stabilize ) but that depends on various other worldwide factors such as Ukraine and Russia getting their heads together and a deal is put in place etc etc. In the meantime if we stop buying film then the market disappears and so does 35mm film. Don’t stop buying film or you are becoming an active part in its sad demise.

When prices go up for what people want they find a way to buy it. It’s the same for most consumer products that trend toward “luxury” items which it seems analog cameras and film products are heading.

19th October 2022......today have bought Single box 35mm color plus (24) 200 asa £10 from Max Speilman shop will be same on most UK High Street....also another film name escapes me for £12 same shop.....

I shoot mainly B&W . Color 120, I shoot like it is 4x5 large format. Make each shot count. So, keeping my shooting down for color, I can afford some color in 120mm. KB

The silver lining here is that I prefer B&W over color film. The sad part (if true) is that I love Fuji color film, and tend to not like the overly warm Kodak stocks. So I would be upset if my Fuji film suddenly looks like Kodak. Hopefully the market will normalize and we can all get the films we like, at a fair price. I do understand that with less being made the costs will rise, but 50% increases are not good. Thanks for your efforts!

Colour film these days is like gold dust. I did buy a roll of Fuji 200 yesterday. And that had gone up to £10.99. They had 60 rolls in during the week, and it had all but gone. Yes I know it's tough at the moment, but in my mind it doesn't really explain why production of film is so limited. It's a dwindling market, or at least the producers will tell you. But, perhaps that is half the problem. I suspect they have cut back when they really should have been developing and looking at new technology. Now of course the demand is there and consequently they find themselves caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

For years now I’ve shot film in black and white leaving the colour to my digital cameras let’s hope the cost of black & white film stays reasonable so at least we can continue to use nostalgic cameras 🤞🤞

It looksto me that we have a perfect storm going on. As many has stated, the producers might have downgraded. Af the same time material cost has rocket up through the roof. Also the shipping cost is much higher than before. Combine this with increased popularity, and a lot of money among new users. So you can almost tick of every box for high market price. The question is however the film producers want to increase the production, or if new producers see an opertunity. I would believe this will correct itself over time. The market is now present, and I see no point in not producing a product people want to buy.

The digital camera industry is threatened by the fact that film photography is making a resurgence in popularity. So why not sabotage the film industry?

I shoot 80-90% Film b&w only, the rest is color film. Because of the prices. A 36 exp roll of Ektar 100 135-36 doesn't come cheap into 2022 - after the re-introduction back in 2018, for instance.

Hi. How are you? I think people tired from Nikons are made in countries other then Japan. And lenses made in any other country tnen Japan. And sellers understand it. But, photographers need to understand it's impossible to make shoot by 1970 year slr camera with the same level of 2020 dslr one! there are different things! And different look. Also, need to take in site the prices of films and developing processes. Every time I shoot by film camera, I hear how shekel fall from my wallet!😪 But, anyway, I love it! So, what my point is? We need to know a truth... And the truth is shooting film- is a high price hobby. And very difficult to leave it. Thank you for your stream! I will go on FILMING!

The supply of good (any) film stock has been hit or miss here in Aussie for years. At the moment my local shop has some limited Kodak and Fuji rolls but is short on most Ilford types except XP2. Next week, who the zark knows? Best thing to do is to stock up when you can.

I used to shoot film many years ago, when prices were affordable. However, it was always disappointing to find some pictures just didn't turn out all that well or there were errors such as camera shake, poor focus or just bad composition. You paid to have 24 or 36 shots developed and printed but maybe just a few were usable. At today's prices I couldn't afford to shoot film and much prefer digital as I know more or less instantly whether I've got a decent picture.

120 for an OM10 is very pricey (that would be CD$185 holy smoley) I have an OM10 that I got back in the film days. You cannot set the shutter speed in manual mode unless you get the dial that plugs into a special socket in the camera that was an option that was sold separately when the cameras were made. You would probably find that there are more OM10s out there these days than there are the plug in shutter speed adapters. I have seen OM10s for sale that do not include the adapter. I still have my darkroom and equipment that I have not used for several years so I would stick to B&W and develope my own. I have not developed colour film or colour slide for a longer period of time and the last time I did it was difficult to get the chemicals for those. I wonder, do they even make slide film anymore.

I shoot b&w film (bulk loaded) and develop myself. For color images i shoot digital and sometimes with vintage lenses. I keep it cheap that way !

From what I've read there's no shortage of film (see cinefilm) however there is a shortage of 35mm canisters. Kodak had to find a different supplier last year when they switched to silver topped canisters. Saying that BnW seems to be more sanely priced.

In USA michigan Walmart has Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 Color Negative Film (35mm Roll Film, 36 Exposures, 3-Pack) for $18.99 right now. Not too bad.

Don’t forget one little thing. Basically, at this time, only one company in the world produce color negative film. And is not Fuji.

Going to continue shooting bulk rolled black and white film but might take a break from color film. Also exploring buying my first mirrorless digital camera, possibly a Ricoh GR3.

In the world of computers and partic GPUs there has been a big hoo har about shortages and prices, I think maybe due to covid. Maybe something similar with film but since film isn't as immediate to market as PC tech, prices are only just making their way to this point?

long time viewer, recent subscriber. ayways, for me, ever since i have noticed a price going up, I stashed around 30 rolls in the fridge, but i am now wondering if i should get more, sine the price seems to keep going up

4 rolls of Portra 800 + 2 TMAX 100 = 105€ ...

On the subject of Fuji 200 being secretly Kodak gold … I’ve been shooting mainly with Fuji C200 as it’s all I can readily get in my nearest city here in Ireland and I can tell you the batch I’ve been getting is definitely NOT Kodak gold. I’d much prefer Kodak gold personally but I do get your point about the Fuji having a nice coolness which Is good at times . I am struggling to get anything more exotic at the moment and I’m forced to buy online if I can even get it. Buying from the UK has become more difficult and costly too after the bloody brexit

I bought 2 rolls of Fujifilm c200 from Boots online last week, off the top of my head I think it was about £8 a roll, 36 exp

Well, about 10 years ago I was getting my film from poundland , 24 shot, mostly 200. Sometimes 400. In a red or green box. I was expecting you to say 6 to 8 quid a roll , no it's 15 to 20 that is shocking , My guess is there moving all film production to one little factory in China , and you will be able to buy it with the branded box of your choice (just like a new vw Audi fabia phantom) untill they say film is bad for enviromenthal , elven shifty or some other unconvincing rhetoric. Recently bought some instax mini in bulk and have a few old 120s rolling about like 'nans best teaset that don't get used' I have a lunch box full of undeveloped 35 films , and half a dozen half shot rolls in cameras , Shortly after 10 years ago my finances changed for the worse so getting film developed became a luxury item, 5 years of getting back on track the rise of cost and decrease in convenience seemed disproportionate. Took the shine off it a bit, factoring my added time digitizing to a supersized lurid standard that I was happy with. I wonder how active the lomography community is or did it fizzle out.

I don't know what prices rises come from the factories and what us just markup. photography is now days a scalpels paradise, from factory to shop. Not to say the tons of youtubers that endorse all the crap and say they are community oriented :))

An Olympus Mju 2 is worth maybe 100 not much more. Prices of used gear still seems quite high here in the states but film is less expensive than in blighty. Is it subject to import tariffs? I only shoot B&W film and process/scan myself leaving colour to my Sony or Fujifilm digital cameras. The total cost of shooting and processing colour film is too expensive for me in last couple of years. I recently picked up a Zuiko 135mm f/2.8 from Etsy for $48!

Colour film isn't going away any time soon, Kodak are having a bit of juggling to do in order to meet demand. Let us not forget Kodak almost went under in 2011. They had to sell a shedload of Patents and restructure it's film business in order to survive. Also Kodak signed a deal with all the Hollywood studios and Disney to supply film stock for the foreseeable future. Various top name directors were quite insistent about it as it would help to keep Kodak alive and the art of film making along with it. Kodak is the only company making Cinema film. Fuji stopped some time ago and ORWO are going through the final stages of R&D of thier new colour film. You can appreciate this gives Kodak a dominant position in the film market. Add to that the fact that Kodak are operating 2 coating lines to supply the world market meaning certain stocks, e.g. ColorPlus, are in short supply whilst Kodak works on it's professional films Portra and Vision 3. Rumours are also abound that Fuji C200 is being contract coated by another manufacturer. I haven't quite pinned that on Kodak just yet, but It wouldn't surprise me.