How to shoot film for less - Bulk Loading your film

Bulk Loading 35 mm film has been around for may years. It's a great way to save some $ for those that shoot a bunch of film. Cost savings run up to 45% over the cost of buying single rolls. This is a great savings for students taking a course in Photography or those of us who love to shoot film.

So how do you get started? You need to pick up a Bulk Film Loader, a changing bag (not the diaper kind!), some 35mm Cassettes For Bulk Film and bulk rolled film. Here is the break-down:

Bulk Film Loader - There are a few models to choose from, the most popular being the Watson Bulk Loader and the VERY similar Alden 74. Arista makes a bulk loader as well. They work by transferring film from the bulk reel into a 35mm film cassette, all in the dark. Its important to read the manual to ensure that you don't let light hit the large roll of film. ebay is a great place to pick one up on the cheap but don't pay too much since they are less then $35 new.

The Alden #74 Winder

Changing Bag - You need to load the film into the loader in 100% darkness. You can wait till dark and use an interior room, but total darkness is a must. The easier way is to use a changing bag, basically double layer cloth bag that has two arm holes in it that will block all light.

35mm Cassettes - The film will be loaded into empty 35mm film cassettes. They go for less then a buck each. I prefer the metal cassettes over plastic since the plastic ones don't work well in my camera.

Bulk Film Cassette

Bulk Film - There are a LOT of choices for bulk film, even in 2008! Just be cautious of buying E-6 or C-41 film (color slide film and color negative film, respectively) as not many labs will develop bulk film. This is because developing the wrong type of film can ruin an entire batch of their chemistry, causing them to throw it out and potentially ruining other customers film as well. Be prepared to develop it all yourself unless you have a good relationship with a pro lab. Fortunately, developing B&W film at home is quite easy. Developing Color film or slides at home is a bit harder but can be done. There are a lot of bulk film choices, here is what I found with a 2 minute search of only two photography supply sites, just be sure that it has some indication along the lines of "Perforation for Bulk Loading" or "Perforated":

Bulk Film Roll

• Kodak T-Max 100 and 400 B&W Film
• Kodak Plus-X Pan B&W Film
• Kodak Tri-x Pan B&W Film
• Kodak Portra 160NC and 400NC Color Print Film
• Kodak Ektachrome 64T Color Slide Film
• Kodak Ektachrome E100VS Color Slide Film
• Kodak Ektachrome E100G Color Slide Film
• Ilford Pan-F Plus 50 B&W Film
• Ilford Delta 100 and 400 B&W Film
• Ilford HP4 and HP5 B&W Film
• Efke KB25, KB50, KB 100 and KB400 B&W Film
• Foma 100, 200 and 400 B&W Film
• Forte 100 and 400 B&W Film
• Rollei Retro 100 and 400 B&W Film
• Arista 100 and 400 B&W Film
• Arista 400 Color Print Film

Quite a list! If you know of a film that is not on this list please add a note to the comments, I would be glad to add it!

Bulk loading film can save you some bucks and also enable you to make custom length rolls of film. When I shot the article Kodak Tri-X 400 35mm in D76 and Diafine I used 10 frame rolls of film!

Get out and SHOOT!