u/ValerieIndahouse

I've posted this before, but there have been some price updates and new films on the market, so I wanted to update the sheet again. I've also included some additional developers/dilutions.

The aim of the document is, to compare the currently available bulk film options regarding price, especially compared to buying single rolls or bundles in some cases.
Mind you these prices are Europe based, so expect some differences in prices if you are in the US, especially Kodak vs Ilford.

The cheapest films are as expected foma, at about 2,70€ per film, but the savings are also comparably small, at about 2,40€ per roll on average.
If you want to "save the most" (Though you will spend a lot more in total at the end) you should look towards the Rollei Retro/Infrared selection, which offer great savings at about 4,50€ per roll, not bad!
The most savings per roll compared to single buying is with Ilford Delta 100, at 5,18€ per roll, but it's also one of the most expensive films overall, at over 3x the price of foma, so think twice about buying it if your purse is not very deep.

Developers are also listed, differentiated between 35mm and Medium format, as well as different dilution choices if applicable. The volumes for development are based on development by hand with the Paterson tank system, as it's very prevalent. (300ml/1x35mm or 500ml/2x120)

The winner in this category by price is (not surprisingly) Adonal/Rodinal in 1:100 dilution, at less than 10 cents per film, truly economical!
Most of the other developers hover between 20 and 30 cents per film, depending on dilution and format, some economical examples: XT-3 Stock -> 23ct | D-76 1:3 -> 23ct | Atomal -> 31ct

Notably pricy are the offerings by Ilford, at 1,68€ per roll for Microphen, and up to 2,90€(!) per roll with Perceptol, makes you think twice if you shouldn't just use XT-3...

Prices are taken mostly from Fotoimpex.de, as it has great product availability and stable prices.
Yes, you could surely find a cheaper shop, but I wanted the list to be consistent, and not scour the Internet for the cheapest shop, just to have a broken link after a few weeks ;)

If you have suggestions for improvement, additions or questions let me know :)

The pdf and xlsx versions can be downloaded here

(This post was written and translated from german by me, without any use of AI or LLMs)

Strain is Grandaddy purple auto, it smells very nice :)

Germination was on 01.05.

Very subdued smell, you have to go right up to it to even know it's there and then it's a fruity, citrusy smell with a bit of pine to my nose.

I was browsing my local photogroup when I came across this ad like 1 minute after it was posted for a bunch of expired film from a professional photographer, snatched it right up 😊

It's all expired 1991-2000, lots of Lomo dog 100/200 which I've actually never seen before :D

It wasn't stored frozen, but for ~1€ per roll I have not much to lose ;)

I collect old film boxes so the Ektar and Agfachrome boxes are also a cool addition, though I have little hope for them still giving good pictures.

Just wanted to share my thoughts on this old beast of a lens :)

Some Backstory

Ever since buying my Pentax 6x7 and scouring the Internet I dreamt of owning this lens one day. I love shooting wildlife, especially analog, but 35mm always just lacked detail for me, so medium format was the obvious next stop.

One day this lens showed up on a local marketplace site for a fair price, and I immediately wrote them, but had to cancel the purchase because of a move and some unexpected costs 
After a while the ad on the market got deleted but luckily it was only because the automatic time limit was reached, I wrote the seller and they still had it! So I bought it after all 
It came with a specific backpack, the original teleconverter, a 67-PK Adapter, and a set of macro rings.

The lens + setup

The lens has the same off-white finish as the other ED [IF] lenses and an integrated extendable hood, which does it's job well. The camera mount is rotatable with a set screw to lock it in place. Also included is a lock-in filter sled for 67mm screw filters. (I have a UV filter here to reduce haze)
Build quality is extremely solid, no creaks or wobbles.
Focusing with this lens is actually very nice with the rack-and-pinion method, it's very easy but has some resistance as to not feel floppy,
though you have to lock the focus when tilting the lens vertically, otherwise the focus elements will slam into the end stop, which is probably not recommended.

For mounting on a tripod I fitted a long Arca-swiss plate with a custom stabilizing clamp at the front, to reduce vibrations.

My Ballhead is a AOKA KK44, which is barely enough to hold it, but it works for now. A gimbal head would probably be better for handling, but might also induce more vibrations if it isn't gigantic and super stiff...

One issue with the standard focusing screen on the Pentax 6x7 is that at f/6,7 the viewfinder is quite dim, so hitting critical focus outside direct sunlight can be challenging, this might be remedied by installing a brighter focus screen, but it's manageable without.

Image quality is flawless as far as I can tell, if you're getting bad images out of this lens youre either doing something wrong, or something is broken.
From wide open at f/6,7 the image is perfectly sharp corner-to-corner and chromatic abberation is completely absent, even with the 1,4x Teleconverter.
Stopping down gives a slight boost in contrast, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in editing.

Adapting to digital is also a great way to get all the reach out of this lens, though the size and weight become even more crazy that way. 

Shutter vibration while actively holding the lens is not actually that big of a concern in my experience, I could get sharp pictures all the way down to 1/30th of a second, even without using Mirror-lockup. Example: (2nd image: You can see the hair on it's neck is sharp, the softness on the eyes is because I missed focus by a few cm)

When in dark environments or with slow film, using mirror lockup is a must, the small vibrations of the shutter curtain did not disturb my setup enough to cause visible image degradation, unlike the heavy mirror slap, which will shake the camera before the shutter opens. Example: (First image, Shot at f/6,7 1/8th of a second)

(All my reviews are written by me, without any help of so called AI or large language models)

Got this setup for my birthday 🥰 (I wished for it) and I'm very happy 😁 It has everything I need, only the timer was broken sadly so I'll have to get a new one but that's ok :)

First print turned out pretty good I'd say, did a test sheet and then just yolo'd it 😂

Developed in stale AF XT-3, but looks like it still works fine.

First time growing on my balcony, first plant is Critical haze, second plant is Grandaddy purple.

Both plants were topped after node 5 and left undisturbed otherwise.

The big plant looks good to my eyes, but the smaller one has some leaves turning lighter with burnt tips 🤔 I have attached images of my soil and fertilizer.

(I know 1 component fertilizer is not ideal, do you people have recommendations of something additional I should get? I'm not looking to spend a lot of money on this, I just want my plants to be healthy 🥹)

I also should probably get a bigger pot for the critical haze, as it's getting kinda droopy when I get home, it's hot here rn and I can only water it so much at a time 😅

I'm pretty much just doing this for the fun, I don't really smoke myself, only do edibles from time to time, so I'm not quite sure what to look for 😅

Thanks 🙏

Edit: I GET IT, I HARVESTED TOO EARLY!! NEXT 2 PLANTS WILL BE HARVESTED AT THE PROPER TIME AND SHARED HERE!

Got 3 plants to sprout this season, first time in my very own flat, together with my girlfriend ☺️ (I'm a girl, too)

2 small plants are Grandaddy purple Auto and big one is Critical haze.

The weather is perfect and the trichomes were all milky white so I chopped the first one, other one I topped still needs a bit :)

I don't actually smoke myself, I only do edibles, any recommendations how to store it properly? 👀

I've got some more pictures coming up from my newly acquired lens :)

Surprisingly comfortable, though range of movement is definitely limited 😂

Picked up my dream lens today, a Pentax 67 M* 800mm f/6,7

Saw it on a local marketplace and drove 3 hours to pick it up for only 800€, can't wait to try it out 😁

First shots with an EOS adapter turned out great.

Sample images will be sure to follow!

Cuts great obviously, gotta read up on stropping and sharpening now :)