{"id":170151,"date":"2022-07-21T11:30:24","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T10:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/?p=170151"},"modified":"2022-08-23T13:12:37","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T12:12:37","slug":"how-to-do-film-photography-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/film\/how-to-do-film-photography-on-a-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"How to do film photography on a budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Film prices are rising, but don\u2019t let that stop you giving analogue photography a try (or rediscovering it). Jon Stapley reveals some of the best ways to do film photography on a budget, including bargain cameras and film stocks<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve given a lot of attention to the film photography revival in AP, but it\u2019s a challenging time to shoot film. While most people in the UK have recently felt the pinch of an increased cost of living, film prices have been rising precipitously for a while now. Why is that? \u2018It seems to be a simple case of demand outstripping supply,\u2019 says Simon Skinner, co-founder and editor of photobite.uk, a website for photo and video enthusiasts, which also sells film.<\/p>\n

\u2018My concern is that film manufacturers view the increased appetite for shooting film as a fad. That could mean a lack of investment in production to meet and maintain demand, which would keep prices high, and probably is.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s colour film that is really ballooning in price. There are only a handful of companies keeping colour film in regular production, with Kodak being the biggest, and some stocks have pushed past \u00a320 for a single roll of 36 shots!<\/p>\n\t\t

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\u00a9 Getty Images<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

Karen Freer, marketing manager at specialist retailer Analogue Wonderland, has seen first-hand the effect of steeply rising prices on the analogue photography community. \u2018It makes me really sad that there are potentially a lot of people that just can\u2019t afford to shoot colour film,\u2019 she says. \u2018We try to reduce the cost of film every month with different offers in our \u201cdeals on film\u201d section, but there is only so much we can do.\u2019<\/p>\n

Film will always be a passion project \u2013 nobody loads a \u00a320 roll of Ektar into a 40-year-old SLR because it\u2019s the most convenient way to capture an image. They do it because they love it, and nobody should be excluded from their passion because of the cost. Fortunately it\u2019s still possible to bag a bargain, whether cameras or film stocks, so read on\u2026<\/p>\n

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Some of the best affordable 35mm film cameras<\/h2>\n

Canon EOS 500<\/h2>\n\t\t
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\u00a9 Xles, Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

If you\u2019re coming from DSLRs and want a similar experience on film, you\u2019ll be right at home with the Canon EOS 500. Film shooters don\u2019t often get luxuries like phase-detection autofocus, but it\u2019s present here, and it works pretty well \u2013 even if the EOS 500 sometimes has to hunt for a few seconds.<\/p>\n

This was a budget camera even on release. So while the build is plasticky and doesn\u2019t feel robust, you can pick one up for as little as \u00a330 if you\u2019re willing to search and don\u2019t mind a few scuff marks. If there\u2019s a lens bundled in, you can expect it to cost anywhere up to \u00a3100. Still not a bad deal.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the other big advantage of the EOS 500 \u2013 the Canon EF lens mount, which means that you can use it seamlessly with a Canon lens that rolled off the production line last week. If you get an EOS 500 or similar EOS SLR, you can easily grab a second-hand 50mm f\/1.4 EF lens for a two-figure sum, and have a go-to film setup for low-light work.<\/p>\n\t\t

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The Golden Lane Estate, shot on Kodak Ektar<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n