Colour Film Got 5.6% Cheaper in 2024

After years of climbing, film prices have finally levelled out.

A survey of 29 popular film stocks based on data from nine prominent stores showed a sharp decline in colour film prices this August compared to its peak in January 2024.

I would’ve never expected to see such a boost in affordability after three years of steady increases, yet here we are.

Below, I’ll explain what may’ve caused this price drop, what it means for film photography, and share a few more insights for spending less and shooting more in 2024.

In this article: Film Price Trends app. Colour film got 5.6% cheaper in 2024. Kodak Tri-X prices are back to pre-2022 levels! Additional resources. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

Film Price Trends app.

Film prices are exceptionally volatile and diverse between brands and stores.

Sometimes, they change based on supply. Other times, it’s the geography (thus, shipping and import fees), or it could be the whim of a seller or the additional fees they may have to pay to list items. It’s not uncommon to find one film stock on a shelf costing double what you found at another store. Meanwhile, something else could be much cheaper.

To battle the confusion (and to save money), I began writing film prices down in a spreadsheet back in 2018. These were based on a few popular 35mm/36exp. emulsions averaged across multiple stores.

The project proved tremendously helpful, so I built an app based on that data. The app, where you can search a film stock and see a recent average in your home currency, was quite popular. It was quoted numerous times online, and I’ve even had inquiries from reporters about it.

However, the above app was one-dimensional: it only showed today’s prices. This was helpful, but I thought it could be improved. So I built a new app: Film Price Trends, which uses the same data and breaks it down by individual store and across the entire time of data collection.

The updated app proved to be more useful before I even had the chance to finish it. Its graphs showed me trends I could’ve never noticed by just looking at the data and its real-time currency conversion calculations showed the (sometimes extreme) differences in how film prices varied across regions.

For example, European film prices showed a slight decline in 2020-2021 before accelerating all the way into early 2024, whereas Japanese film prices had a gradual acceleration until 2022 when they briefly paused their growth (which is something no other region observed). Meanwhile, the US film prices had a notable increase in film prices in 2021 — when the other currencies have seen a drop or a more gradual price increase.

But the good news is that this year, film prices on colour film dropped across all currencies!

Colour film got 5.6% cheaper in 2024.

If you look at the average colour film price in USD, you’ll notice that it went from $19.49 down to $18.40 in just a few months this year. This decrease is even more dramatic for UK photographers (from £15.33 to £14.16, a 7.6% decrease).

This price drop does not even factor in the inflation rates, which can make the actual decrease 2% steeper (i.e., half of the inflation rate since we’re looking at just six months). In other words, the average colour film price got up to 10% cheaper in 2024!

This includes pricey emulsions like Fujifilm Velvia 50 and still photography staples like Kodak Portra 160. But of course, those are averages, so you’ll find some films that went up in price slightly or significantly, which include most of the black-and-white Ilford films.

If you have a GOLD membership, you can avoid those price increases. The app will show you individual store prices for each film, which can also vary significantly. Simply hover over any of the points on the graph or click the film name on the right to see the breakdown by store price.

For example, in the screenshot above, you can see that this year’s Ilford Delta Professional 3200 prices went up on average but you can still buy this film for nearly half the Film Photography Store’s price at Camera Film Photo.

Kodak Tri-X prices are back to pre-2022 levels!

There is one more reason to celebrate film photography this year: the incredible drop in the price of the legendary Kodak Tri-X film back to 2022 levels.

This time last year, this film cost nearly fifteen bucks a roll or almost twenty dollars at some retailers for 36 exposures. Today, it’s back to earth at just under $11 or $8.99 at some stores. Depending on how you look at it, the price went down between 25% and 50%.

Way to go, Kodak, distributors, and retailers, who managed to cut costs and pass the savings on to us. This makes me very happy.

Additional resources.

Film Price Trends — a research tool for anyone interested in understanding trends in costs and availability of popular film stocks. Use it to find films that cost less this year than they did previously. Compare average seller offers to get the best deal on your stock. Discover reliable emulsions impervious to inflation.

Film Price Reports — get the free semi-annual email report with simple cost-saving tips based on new film price data.

“How to save money on film” — a chapter from the previous report that lists six tips for a more economical photoshoot.

“Why do film prices change?” — a chapter from the previous report that explains some of the reasons film is getting pricy.

“Stop reading manufacturers’ price change announcements” — from an earlier report; here, I describe the complex and counter-intuitive retailer-manufacture relationship.