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Photographic Film prices and development

[]tto (6 posts) • 0

Hey guys

Soon I'll be back in Kunming, does anyone know the Film prices of 35mm and 120mm film?

Is it possible to buy the film in an shop or just taobao?

Can you recommend a place for development and scanning film?

cheers

lemon lover (1006 posts) • 0

@[]tto
While you were away even Kunming went digital. You might find a few already years expired films.
For your information:
No more CD and DVD shops as well.
No more rickshaws either.
But ones in a while you might spot an old lady with bound feet.

vicar (817 posts) • -4
Comment hidden by user downvote Click to expand

The topic is art, expertise and technical queries Lemon Lover. Best stay away, stick with your iPhone and blinkered vision.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • +2

The subject of developing film came up a few months back www.gokunming.com/[...] Maybe the guy listed also sells film.
I remember, probably back as early as 2000, Kodak said that they would not be developing (creating) any new film products. Because the world was going digital.
If you want a good price for film, you will have to go online. Prices from 12-20 CNY per roll.

lemon lover (1006 posts) • +1

@vicar
“art, expertise and technical queries”
That's funny; all three are my specialties.

As the tiger mentioned this topic already passed by some months ago.
But frankly the days of photographic film are over. And good riddance. Film requires nasty chemical processes with carcinogenic substances (The developer) and poisonous waste (The leached out silver salts). For your information vicar; I am a photographer from the days we actually had to work with film so I worked with all this crap. Lost count of how many of my ex colleagues got skin cancer.
Funny enough all those film users then want to scan their film for further digital processing (At least that is what I presume). You will need a serious scanner to get the quality of the film image transferred to digital. Depending on a local guy with a scanner does not look very professional.
I might be jumping to conclusions but to me this looks like a snob who probably as well argues that vinyl sound much better
And frankly if you are such a photographic genius that your pictures will benefit from this process then you should be able to source your own film and have your own scanner and not be dependent on a local supplier.
Only need for film based photography is in forensic photography and even there it is phased out.

PS. I don’t have an iPhone, not even a phone with a camera function.

[]tto (6 posts) • +1

@lemon lover

well, i couldn't afford a digital full frame, so film still is a alternative for the low budget photographer.
And i grew up all digital so its interesting for me to experiment with film, because its new to me.

sorry for opening a new thread
thanks @tigertiger

lemon lover (1006 posts) • 0

@[]tto
Do the maths. Digital is way cheaper than any form of film based photography. For the price of a few rolls of film you can buy your own digital camera. Absolutely no need for a full frame camera unless you have to make high quality metres wide printouts.
You are not experimenting with film if you have it elsewhere developed and scanned. To experiment you will have to the dirty chemical work yourself.

[]tto (6 posts) • 0

@lemon lover

I don't get why its so important to you what i use to take pictures, but I enjoy the process over any digital camera and if it keeps me shooting its worth it to pay a little extra.
In Kunming I don't have the setup to develop the film myself and don't want to because im traveling and want to spend my time with other things.

The tool doesn't matter, what's important is the result.

@vicar said thats a art thing, for me it's more a experiment and the excitement to be able to buy lots of things because nobody wants the old film stuff anymore.

lemon lover (1006 posts) • 0

@[]tto
As I said before Good riddance.
By using film you sustain an outdated technique which was and is a serious polluter.
The film photographic process is so dirty that if it would be invented today it would be forbidden. Only because of its historic position it is tolerated.
I worked long enough in photography to know that serious amounts of pollutants from this process enter the environment.

You ever wondered why nobody wants the old film stuff anymore? Indeed you can buy second hand top of the range analogue cameras nowadays for nearly nothing. This is because they are too expensive in film and film processing. They are unreliable (top of the range professional cameras need a yearly check up and removal of old lubricants and fresh lubrication; a very expensive process, amateur range cameras use silicon oil seals that are expected to last the design life of the cameras which is about 10 years). The batteries these cameras use are often not available anymore. Rubber parts like many of the shutter curtains and mirror dampers are disintegrating. You say you are travelling. I would not travel with such a piece of unreliable equipment.

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