Film Prices Up by 3.49% Since January 2023

Since I started tracking film prices back in 2018, an average cost of a single 35mm/36exp. roll went up by nearly 70%.

➜ Free Download: Average film prices graph 11’18-06’23 (JPG)

And in an even shorter period — just three years — the average price of a digital camera has doubled.

Things and prices change, which should not surprise anyone. But there’s nuance in that change, understanding which can save you money.

In my previous article on the state of film prices, I laid out a few reasons for the increases and ways to save money on film. All of that remains true today; however, some new trends have emerged since January, which you may try to capitalize on when planning your emulsive budget for the next few months.

Film price trends for Q1-Q2 2023.

As initially reported yesterday, Kodak UltraMax 400, Kosmo Foto Mono 100, and Fujifilm Fujichrome Velvia 50 are now 1-3% cheaper than they were in January. But T-Max 100/400, Ektachrome, and Tri-X shooters may find themselves paying 10-15% more.

Fujifilm’s now-discontinued made-in-Japan Superia X-Tra 400 film now costs 15% less — that is if you can find it, as it appears to be out of stock at most shops I surveyed.

The above films had the most drastic price increases and surprising drops. But a few trends have also emerged that apply to whole groups of emulsions:

Kodak’s black-and-white films now cost 10-15% more; Ilford and Fomapan have also had their emulsions priced about 5% higher. But JCH StreetPan costs about the same, and Kosmo Foto Mono is now 3% cheaper. Fujifilm Neopan Acros II, famous for its superior resolution and unsurpassed reciprocity failure characteristics, also got cheaper by about 1% on average across the stores surveyed.

Colour film shooters may be delighted to learn that CineStill 800T costs about the same now as it did at the beginning of the year (-0.18%), and while I am not tracking CineStill 400D in this list, I have a feeling it’s one of the most affordable high-resolution ISO 400 colour films today. And despite costing 4% more, Kodak ColorPlus remains the cheapest colour film on the market, averaging just under $11 for a box of 36 exposures on 35mm film.

The above insights are based on average values I gathered browsing eight major international retailers and thus may not necessarily reflect the prices you see at your shop. Still, I hope that you find them helpful.

Resources.

Film Price Tracker — a searchable database of popular 35mm film stocks with their average (market) prices tracked in multiple currencies.

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.

“35mm film got cheaper in 2021” — from April 2020 to July 2021 (amid the pandemic), shooting film got progressively cheaper. You can see this glorious period clearly in the graph above.