I’ve been using a bulk film loader for my black and white film, for the last 4 years, coupled with developing and scanning my own film its a real A to Z process of film photography. Thoroughly engaging and cheap!
Whilst the investment into the system is c. £150 (£60 for the bulk loader, £20 for the reusable canisters and then a bulk roll of film), the (financial) benefits are soon reaped.
I historically have taken this ‘mindset’ to the next level, more often than not, buying non premium film stock. This has historically suited me well. As a single parent to two kids, I have historically had very limited time to shoot on a weekend afternoon, or generally in good light.
As my kids are now 13 and 17, we are getting out a little later on the weekday evenings and also at the weekend.
As part of my ongoing 12 month Brighton Beach - Winter Summer project, I wanted to get out of an evening to cover the social scene as we enter into Spring and lockdown / restrictions relating to COVID-19 start to unwind.
I decided to buy a 100ft bulk roll of Ilford HP5+, as the film has a strong reputation for excellent latitude.
I went out on Monday of this week, to see the sights of the beach sea front. Sunset was at 17:31 and I was shooting from 16:30 - 18:45. With this in mind, I loaded up the Leica M4P, set the light meter to 1600 and shot away.
Thoughts in a word. …………WOW!
Whilst shooting Ilford HP5+ at box speed or iso 200, I have generally found the tonality pleasing but a little flat (when shooting in daylight), which is why I generally preferred the denser / grainier look of Kodak Tri-X 400 or cheaper stocks, such as Rollei Retro 400s:
That said, my outing this week, pushing Ilford HP5+ to 1600 has been a rebirth. I have been blown away by the tonality and lack of excessive grain, especially when I am using a flatbed Epsom V600 scanner, which is renowned for having poor capabilities, regarding 35mm film negatives:
Not only does iso 1600 allow for late night shooting, it also allows for excellent zone focusing options at f16 in good light for street photography.
I load the reusable canisters for 24 exposure rolls, so I expect to get circa 25 rolls from the 100ft roll of bulk film. That works out at £2.79 per roll.
Until next time, keep snapping.
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