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35mm film needs canisters, and they’re in short supply.
Kodak and Ilford manufacture and sell classic metal 135 film canisters, so they and brands like CineStill could package and distribute the most common type of camera film.
However, the demand for 35mm film has grown dramatically in the past five years, and the big two are struggling to meet it. Kodak even had to change their canister design at some point to circumvent a supply issue (petapixel.com/2021/06/30/k…).
There’s an alternative 35mm film canister build that has gained recent popularity:
The plastic 135.
It looks nearly identical and works like the metal — but I don’t think it’s as good. The plastic 135 canisters break and malfunction whenever I try to reuse them, which isn’t ideal for bulk loading.
Given their disposable nature and the severe issues with recycling (cbc.ca/documentaries/the-p…), these plastic canisters are just another source of plastic pollution and customer inconvenience that’s better avoided.
I understand the necessity and the convenience of the product. I can see that it’s easy to load the first time, and it’s more accessible than the metal canisters. But I’d always pick a metal can if there’s a choice.
Plastic film canisters also don’t come with DX code (analog.cafe/r/a-beginners-…), which can cause issues with many point-and-shoot cameras. I’ve only got one roll so far, which came with a DX code sticker (analog.cafe/r/amber-t800-f…) that I was to attach myself.
Whereas some point-and-shoot cameras will default to ISO 100, which can still be OK for certain emulsions rated up to ISO 400 (like Lomochrome Purple, analog.cafe/r/lomography-l…) — others, like Konica Big Mini F (analog.cafe/r/konica-big-m…) default to ISO 25.