Ilford sheet film costs - a grumble

AnalogueWendy

AnalogueWendy

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Quick check of the Ilford film site this morning had me all excited. Quarter plate sheet film back in stock. YEAH!
Then I saw the price . . .
Quarter plate cost.PNG

Then, because I have recently found that I can trim film in the darkroom when needed, I checked the price of 5x4 inch film.
4x5 cost.PNG

Seems VERY unreasonable to ask me to pay 80% more for 30% LESS film! This can't be materials costs.
Ilford is british film manufacturer, and british cameras were made in quarter plate sizes for many decades ( someone here will know exactly how many . . . ).

I'm feeling hard done-by. Happy to have anyone check my maths, but I'm hoping we can somehow ask Ilford to check theirs too. <\rant>.
 
The price is high because it's film from the annual ULF run, it's costly to set the cutting machines for small scale production, and presumably the packaging etc is more expensive as well. It's always been the case that Quarter plate film was that sort of percentage more expensive than 5x4, since the very firts ULF run some years ago.

Reminds me who has a box of Quarter plate film waiting for me :D

Ian
 
Ian Grant said:
The price is high because it's film from the annual ULF run, it's costly to set the cutting machines for small scale production, and presumably the packaging etc is more expensive as well. It's always been the case that Quarter plate film was that sort of percentage more expensive than 5x4, since the very firts ULF run some years ago.
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I know you are right, but surely our remaining british film manufacturer could make film for british cameras at a similar cost to the slightly larger sizes [big sigh]. I'll agree to make do with non-standard packaging if that's what it takes.
 
Compared to what you'd need to pay for Kodak 9x12cm film, 90.46 GBP is a bargain. What's that you say, you can't find a price for Kodak 9x12cm film? Check with Keith Canham. He'll let you know that he can enter a special order if you purchase enough. It'll be tens of thousands of US dollars. :)

HARMAN is a British national treasure. Folks would only appreciate what they had with HARMAN if and when it's gone.
 
Ilford 9x12 sheet film is a standard item so priced normally, as it's still used a lot in Continental Europe. Part of the issue here for those of us using quarter plate cameras is their age, vintage lenses, and not wanting to spend too much on film feeding them.

I do use Ilford films and papers, but as a pensioner need to watch my unnecessary spending, so I do use some film from other manufacturers.

Ian
 
Sal Santamaura said:
HARMAN is a British national treasure.
Click to expand...
Agreed!
I was literally raised on Ilford products (those little yellow film canisters made the best rattles!) and I am VERY loyal. I'd hate to see them fail. I see talking to them when something does not work well for me as a contribution, as well as a grumble.
 
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I mainly use half-plate (6.5" x 4.75") and haven't yet used my quarter-plate camera. I was thinking that when I did I could cut some half-plate film in two. Your post reminded me that by some quirk of history, quarter-plate isn't quite half of half-plate ! Go figure.
 
Half plate at 6½" x 4¾" is not half of a Whole plate 8½" x 6½" either. It seems that they wanted smaller sizes that were approx half and quarter the size of a Whole plate with roughly the same ratios of width to height.

It's likely the half and quarter plate sizes were adjusted from the earlier ambrotype and tintype sizes which were literally cut in half the quarters from a Whole plate.

Ian
 
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My film arrived today and I'm very pleased. Thank you Ilford/Harman.
I need to understand how the ULF 'campaign' works.
Perhaps we should have a 'quarter plate users' thread here so we can make a collective order next time.
 
nickl said:
I mainly use half-plate (6.5" x 4.75") and haven't yet used my quarter-plate camera. I was thinking that when I did I could cut some half-plate film in two. Your post reminded me that by some quirk of history, quarter-plate isn't quite half of half-plate ! Go figure.
Click to expand...
Cutting film in the dark is a bit of a trick.
I realised, after some fiddling around, that my very old wooden Kodak 'trimming board' is exactly the right tool. Works like a guillotine but is not actually sharp. Those old photographers knew a thing or two!
 
In the days when photography was new, I suspect they cut the naked glass plates before coating them.
We should remember that half-plate and so on are the names of sizes, not the sizes themselves. This kind of thing is quite clear when you go to buy sawn timber. 2”x1” was never two inches by one inch. (Now reborn, but not resized, in millimetres) Those were the settings on the big saw when they were cut down from logs.
Similarly, foolscap paper is entirely inadequate to make a cap for a fool and double-elephant paper contains no elephants at all.
Ian’s comment about maintaining proportions seems reasonable. It’s not until we get the universal A- sizes that proportions are maintained.
 
Plate sizes.JPG
The half-plate width seems to be the odd one out. If it was 4¼" wide the three 'plate' aspect ratios would be consistent.
Ilford ULF prices are I think the same whatever the order quantity.
Qty 25, FP4+ half-plate was about £67incl VAT in last August's ULF order.

Nick
 
Ilford just told me that the next 'Large Format Campaign' will start on their website, possibly in March.
Not sure I entirely understand how it works but I'm hoping we can encourage more people to order quarter plate to bring the price in line with 5x4.
 
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