The DIY Guy In Me
Says “Mmmm, how gratifying...!”
*beams at the film bulk loader with a 100' ISO 100/21° color negative spool*
Seriously, the whole loading procedure was absolutely painless (I thought it'd be much harder than it is). If I can save $$$$$$ on film rolls, hey, why not? :D
Yeah... I've been using B&H for a while, but they're on a pricier side of the spectrum in general, so I'm trying to figure out some alternative source.
The funny thing is, I searched for Fujifilm Pro 160S (formerly NPS 160) bulk rolls and Epinion gave me only three stores... B&H is the second cheapest of them by only $3 or so. Maybe I should just stick to B&H...
I'm sure I'd get a lot more options if I went Kodak, but I grew tired of Kodak's uncanny ability to render everything in a yellowish tone. I want my blue sky to be clear blue, not smoggy blue! XD Plus my favorite lab—a local Costco 1-hour lab, which surprisingly does not scratch the film although they use a roller transport—is a Fuji lab. :p
Did some more research (thanks to photo.net), and it indeed does seem that B&H is one of the best retailers on the 'net when it comes to film, although they sell cameras and other non-staple items at a higher price.
Another interesting byproduct of the research: I should join photo.net and establish presence there (i.e. become an active member). Apparently a lot of retailers pay much attention to their portrayal on photo.net, and if I post something negative—however slightly—about them, they are more than likely to take me off their okay-to-scam-or-otherwise-treat-unfairly list.
:) Now I need to find a good source for 160/400 bulk rolls. I'm right now “test-driving” the new loader with a past-date Fujifilm Super G+ roll ($9.99; I didn't want to ruin a $40 roll by a novice mistake).
Speaking of past-date film rolls, they're kinda scary; according to the label on the roll I got, the film expired before year 2000, so I really wonder how the picture would look like once I get it through the lab. XD But if the pictures are only slightly discolored, which I can easily correct 'cause the rest of my printing chain remains in the digital realm, hey, even more power to me! Saving $1.67 per 36-exp roll at having to color-correct the scanned pictures (which can be automated thanks to scripting ability of GIMP)? I'm game! ^^