Comment by TomMasz
19 hours ago
I bought a bunch of old film cameras in the mid-2000s fairly cheaply when people were dumping them en masse to buy digital. Film was still easy to get.
Ten years or so later, film suddenly becomes cool, prices skyrocket. Not surprising, I guess, since the supply is limited and shrinking every year. Then film itself started getting more expensive and older films discontinued.
I am able to offset some of the film cost issues by shooting mostly B&W and developing it myself. I bulk load 35mm to save even more. I use my DSLR for scanning. I do shoot color, but it's not a lot since I'm dependent on labs for the processing.
I have no idea what the Trump tariffs are going to mean for film. I love Ilford and Foma, both are imported. I'll use Kodak if I have to, but it's never my first choice.
My DSLR is a Canon APS-C model. Everything has gone mirrorless now. I don't plan to upgrade until my present camera stops working.
I mostly shoot digital but own 18 film cameras; all but 2 are 35mm. I process my own black and white, too, but lately I have my color film processed without prints or scanning. Then I scan the negatives myself. Not only are my own scans better a roll of 36 exposures costs less than $7.00. Film itself can be a little pricy but this has cut my expenses way down.