Here is the 127, 110, and APS film you need
and the flashbulbs that will give your photos that authentic 60-year-old look.
Stay safe.
127 update: 127 Film is back in production. Occasionally the warehouse may run out of an item for a few days, but delays should be brief.
The underlying issue: The manufacturing machinery for this film is functioning but not yet completely motorized. Until it is fully productive, assembling rolls of film still involves some tedious hand-finishing, and everything goes slowly, so there may be occasional shortages. I'll try to keep this status update current.
Also, I'm still not happy with the quality of the printing on some of the backing material. The printer's printhead sometimes smudges the image.
I am presently unable to make up large stocks for shipment to dealers. I hope that changes soon. Please be patient.
The Brownie Starflash pictured here is typical of the fun, easy-to-use '50s-'60s cameras that perform well with our 127 films and M2B flash bulbs.
Color print film (standard C-41 process), ISO 400.
Per roll: 11.45
This film has perforations on one edge. Please click and read the details before you order.
Bluefire Murano 400 details
Color print film (standard C-41 process), ISO 160.
Per roll: 11.45
Bluefire® Murano 160 is the best choice for simple, single-speed cameras.
All of the 127 films offered here work well in sophisticated cameras with adjustable shutters and lenses.
Kodak's Pocket Instamatic film was widely available from 1972 until the late 1990s. Cameras using this film vary from basic and inexpensive, with primitive lenses, to sophisticated and highly capable, with sharp, fast lenses. If you want a pocket full of photographic dynamite, find a good quality Kodak, Canon, Minolta, or other 110 camera on your favorite auction site or at your local thrift store, and order a supply of our inexpensive outdated 110 film for experimenting.
This inexpensive film is long outdated and shows considerable color shift. It is an excellent choice for experimenting, and for images with a decidedly retro look. (Note there are 12 images per roll.) Per roll: 1.97
"New old stock" means this film is outdated, but still gives good images. Agfa made excellent color films that never achieved the popularity they deserved. Per roll: 9.99
Shown with Ansco 50 minicamera, available separately (see below)
Buy 10 rolls for $8.00 each, and shipping is free to any North American address
"New old stock" means this film is outdated, but still gives acceptable images. You may receive Fujicolor or Fujicolor Superia (no choice available, unfortunately). Pkg of 3 rolls: 29.93
New old stock
Typical retail price: $36.99
Your price: $31.9
19 available at Nampa, Idaho for shipment to US addresses.
12 available at Calgary for shipment worldwide.
New old stock
Typical retail price: $8.49
Your price: $5.49
81 available at Nampa, Idaho for shipment to US addresses.
2178 available at Calgary for shipment worldwide.
Kodak, Fuji, Agfa, Konica and Ferrania all made excellent 110 films and sold them under their own brand names. All except Kodak also packaged them for mass-market retailers as "house brand" films.
How good is 110 film? Check the rendition of detail in this image, photographed with Fujicolor 110 using a Pentax 110 SLR camera with a 50mm lens.
APS cameras are very easy to use, and often are well-designed with excellent lenses. There's no good reason for that one in your drawer to stay there. Very few photofinishers charge a premium for processing APS any more. Test your camera with a cartridge or two of our inexpensive outdated Kodak 400, and have the lab print it as black and white.
Kodak ISO 400 film, 25 exposure rolls. This is deteriorated new old stock that will yield interesting low-fidelity images; per roll: 1.65
This outdated APS film's color and contrast has deteriorated, which is why it costs so little. Color and contrast can be greatly improved with a photo editor like Paint.Net (which is free). If you find the colors are not good enough, printing it as black and white snaps it back to life.
This shows deterioration, but is in better condition than our item 35KONSR-G160. Priced at less than 1/3 the cost of fresh bulk film sold elsewhere.
Per roll: 34.00
This film is long outdated and has lost color fidelity, sensitivity, and contrast.
You'll like it if you want to create images with a decidedly retro look. 35mm x 100 feet. Per roll: 21.00
Use unperforated 35mm film to reload salvaged 828 spools and backing paper, or to reload 126 Instamatic cartridges. These are outdated Konica professional long-roll stock that has been stored cool but has been affected by time.
The films cannot be used in conventional 35mm cameras (except for a few long-obsolete Canon SLRs). Two qualities are available:
This inexpensive black and white film is outdated but is shipped to you from our freezer and will perform like new. It is an excellent choice for learning home processing, experimenting with pinhole images, or trying out a new camera. Per roll: 3.97
You can develop your film at home using instant coffee and vitamin c, and it works surprisingly well. Check it out: Coffee and Vitamin C developer
This outdated black and white film has been stored in a freezer since it was new, and should give excellent results. Its useful ISO speed is 100, so it is the correct speed to use in elderly, non-adjustable amateur cameras from the 1900-1960 period. Its excellent image quality makes it useful in sophisticated cameras with adjustable exposure settings.
Bluefire Police is medium-speed black and white 35mm film. It has essentially no grain, even on extreme enlargement. The name comes from its original purpose, which was photographic surveillance at a distance. A 35mm frame, enlarged to mural size, will show the limits of your lens' resolution long before any detail is lost to film grain.
The secret? It's a high-quality microfilm, packaged for use in standard cameras, and because microfilms get their extraordinarily high resolving power by means of very high contrast, you must develop it with an extremely low-contrast developer.
Set your camera manually to ISO 80 for pictorial use, or ISO 100 for high-contrast technical photography.Ordinary developers give extremely contrasty images, so for pictorial purposes, process in Bluefire HR (available here).
An excellent upgrade from Agfa's discontinued AgfaPan APX25, with similar contrast but much finer microstructure and significantly more speed. Less grain than T-Max 100 and Delta 100, and with different image qualities.
Can also be processed for pictorial use in Adotec, POTA, Formulary TD-3, Kodak Technidol, diluted Rodinal, and similar ultra-low contrast developers. Effective film speed will be lower with these developers (for example, ISO 6 to 12 with POTA).
For high contrast microfilm copying, expose at ISO 100 and process in Kodak D-19 or Bluefire Micro.
Rescue old, yellowed photographs by copying them onto Bluefire Police through a blue filter, which blocks yellow light.
Use Bluefire Police for pictorial long-grey-scale images with no intrusive grain, even at extreme enlargement. Produces excellent long-scale images at a useful film speed of ISO 80. Process in Bluefire HR, Bluefire Micro, or similar special low-contrast developers. Per roll: 6.49
64.89 per 12 rolls, shipped free to North American addresses.
Use Bluefire HR ("High Resolution") developer for pictorial long-grey-scale images on Bluefire Police and other hard microfilms. Produces excellent long-scale images at maximum film speed (ISO 80). Dry powder mix, makes 1 litre of concentrate to process a maximum of 33 rolls of 35mm film. Per pkg: 8.49
If this is out of stock, you can pre-order. Estimated date to be back in stock: November 2, 2020.
Use Bluefire HR ("High Resolution") developer for pictorial long-grey-scale images on Bluefire Police and other hard microfilms. Produces excellent long-scale images at maximum film speed (ISO 80). Dry powder mix, makes 1 litre of concentrate to process a maximum of 33 rolls of 35mm film. Per pkg: 8.49
If this is out of stock, you can pre-order. Estimated date to be back in stock: November 2, 2020.
For that unbeatable retro 1950s-1960s look, you need the long duration and unique color temperature of a proper flash bulb, flash cube, flash bar, or flipflash. And we have them in stock.
Blue bulbs for color or black and white. Per package: 5.99
Blue bulbs, for color or black and white film. Per package: 5.99
Blue bulbs, suitable for color or black and white films. Per package: 11.29
Blue flashbulbs, for color or black and white film. Per package: 5.99
Blue bulbs, for color or black and white film. Per flashbar: 5.99
Blue bulbs, for color or black and white film. Per flipflash: 5.99
Magicubes have an X-shaped post (which is why they are also known as X-cubes) with a square hole. There are no wires because no battery is needed to flash them.
If your camera has a socket like this, with a square post, it uses Magicubes.
Flash cubes have a round hole and electrical contacts. If your camera uses a flash battery, and has a round post, it uses flash cubes.
return to flash bulbsPremium-quality film processing tank will give you excellent results for many years. Spiral reels adjust for 120, 620, 127, 126, or 35mm film. Suitable for color or black and white. Tank includes two film reels featuring wide thumb flanges, which considerably simplify the task of loading film onto the reel inside the darkbag. The tank will process two 35mm or 126 films at a time, or one at a time for the other sizes. Each: 34.89
Processes color or black and white, one film at a time. This tank's primary advantage is that it is adjustable for 120, 620, 35mm, 126, 127, and 110 or 16mm submini film. Each: 26.89
Now shipping from Calgary. Temporarily out of stock in Nampa, no firm in-stock date yet.
Quality construction with double zippers and elastic wrist-bands. Each: 24.99
Quality construction with light-tight zipper, velcro tabs, and elastic wrist-bands. Each: 24.49
High-quality instrument with easy-read dial. Each: 22.89
6" long conventional glass tube type, special durable double-wall construction for use in tanks or to float in trays. Each: 8.49
This hard (250 bloom), purified, inert, type B ossein gelatin is made specifically for formulating photographic emulsions.
Specifications: viscosity, 9 cP; moisture, 12%; pH, 5.7; Methionine, 60 μMole/g.
Modern photographic gelatins are highly purified and are chemically neutral. Unlike supermarket gelatins, they contain none of the various salts and trace components that are normal in food but react unpredictably with photosensitive
compounds.
Making your own photo paper or sheet film is not difficult. There are many recipes on the 'net (here is a reliable example, based on a well-known Kodak publication: https://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Emulsion/emulsion.html).
250 grams is approximately 8.8 oz; 500 grams is approximately 1.1 lbs. Most emulsion formulas specify 7 to 10 grams of gelatin per litre of emulsion, so a little goes a long way.
A processing tank, thermometer, and dark-bag are all you need if you don't have a darkroom available.
The AP tank's film reels are very easy to load, thanks to their broad thumb flanges.
Your dark-bag's durable, double-layer construction makes it light-tight, even in the field.
Blue Moon Camera and Machine, Portland, Oregon
The Darkroom, San Clemente, California
Dwayne's Photo, Parsons, Kansas
Kerrisdale Camera, Vancouver, BC
127 film was introduced in 1913 by Eastman Kodak, along with their Vest Pocket Kodak camera. Kodak discontinued 127 in 1995, and the other major manufacturers soon followed.
127 film is 46mm wide, carrying a 4cm square, or 4x6cm image, depending on the camera. Most cameras mask the image down to about 36mm in width.
Bluefire®brand color films are spooled onto new spindles, with new backing material, using Kodak or Konica professional films originally packaged for long-roll cameras. They are processed in standard C-41 chemistry. Any processing machine that can develop professional medium format roll films can develop 127 films. Your local lab will probably be able to develop your film, but may not have the specialized lenses and masks needed to make inexpensive machine prints. You should probably plan on scanning your negative on a flatbed film scanner, and printing the scans at a photo kiosk or at home on your inkjet printer.
Color print film (standard C-41 process), ISO 400.
Per roll: 11.45
This film has perforations on one edge. Please click and read the details before you order.
Bluefire Murano 400 details
Color print film (standard C-41 process), ISO 160.
Per roll: 11.45
The Hobart Building, San Francisco. Photographed with Bluefire Murano 160 film in a Yashica 44 TLR.
Select Bluefire Murano 160 for simple cameras. Use flash when taking pictures indoors or in deep shade. In adjustable cameras these films are suitable for most lighting conditions.
In cameras with adjustable shutters and f-stops, Bluefire Murano 400 and Bluefire Pan 400 can be used in low light levels without flash.
The 110 films we sell will fit any camera designed for the Kodak 110 "Pocket Instamatic" cartridge.
Most film labs are able to develop 110 film, but few will still have the special masks and lenses required to print it. You should plan on scanning your negatives, and then printing the scans at a photo kiosk or at home on an inkjet printer.
110 negatives are tiny, only 12x17mm, approximately 1/4 the area of a 35mm frame. Photos made with low-end cameras rarely enlarge well beyond about 4x6 inches. However, the film itself is capable of holding excellent detail, and images made in capable high-end cameras, like the Kodak Instamatic 60 or Canon 110 11E, can be surprisingly good. Several excellent 110 SLR cameras made by Minolta and Pentax are also capable of truly excellent images.
There is no truth to the Internet superstition that 110 cartridges fail to hold the film flat. In fact, the cartridge is superbly designed and engineered and holds the film perfectly flat and in perfect optical alignment.
Details about products and processes
These are four AG1 flashbulbs sealed in a plastic cube that mounts in a socket on compatible cameras. You get the simplicity and power of the AG1 bulb in a package that is much easier to handle and isn't as risky (bare flashbulbs can burn you, or shatter when ignited).
Your camera manual will tell you what kind of cubes to use, and how to use them. Several thousand legacy camera manuals are online at Orphan Cameras. You can download manuals without charge, but I encourage you to donate to help support the site.
Flashcubes are ignited by a battery, and have conductive wires visible on the socket. Magicubes do not need a battery and no wires are visible.
Pay attention to the instructions on the package, and you should be able to get well-exposed negatives, neither too harsh nor too dim. Like AG1 bulbs, cubes only illuminate out to a few feet, so it is pointless using them in a stadium or at a concert.
Magicubes require no battery to flash, relying instead on a mechanical linkage in the camera applying force against a piezoelectric igniter mounted in the magicube body.
My understanding is that Magicubes were only manufactured using blue-colored bulbs, which makes them suitable for either black and white or color films.
Your camera manual will tell you what mechanism it uses to rotate the cube after each bulb is expended. Some require you to turn the cube, others turn it automatically. An excellent source of legacy camera manuals is Orphan Cameras. You can download manuals without charge, but I encourage you to donate to help support the site.
Like Magicubes, these are four AG1 flashbulbs assembled into a plastic cube that mounts in a socket on compatible cameras. They are ignited by a battery installed in your camera.
Unlike Magicubes, flash cubes are available with both clear and blue bulbs. You can use either with black and white film, but only blue bulbs will give you natural colors with color films.
Your camera manual will tell you what battery you need, and the mechanism it uses to rotate the cube after each bulb is expended. Some require you to turn the cube, others turn it automatically. An excellent source of scanned legacy camera manuals is Orphan Cameras. You can download manuals without charge, but I encourage you to donate to help support the site.
The Kodak Advantix APS film offered here is long outdated, and has significant color and contrast loss, which is why it costs so little. At this price, you can use it for experimental photography, and it's an ideal film for testing an APS camera.
To get the most benefit from this film, have your local lab develop it normally but print it as black and white. You can also have the negative roll scanned, and correct the images on your computer. An excellent free program that I use regularly for photo cleanup is Paint.net, which you can download and use without payment.
Bluefire® Murano 400 brand color film is Kodak Portra NC 400 that was originally packaged in long rolls, for use in a specialized long-roll camera. It has perforations along one edge. These are rectangular perforations about 1mm wide and 2mm deep, 1mm from the edge, spaced about 60mm apart.
Most 127 cameras give an image 36mm wide on 46mm wide film, leaving a 5mm wide edge along the top and bottom of the image. The perforation will not be visible in your image.
Most film is useful long past its printed "process-before" date. Click here to find out more.
Bluefire™ Police™ is a 35mm black and white film that can be enlarged to mural size with no apparent grain. I'm in the process of adding it to this new version of the web site. You can visit the previous version of the site (it's not mobile-friendly) to see links to this remarkable film in use: Click here to be taken back in time.
Click here to see what a gorilla's whiskers look like.
Click here to see detail on a building a block away that is not obscured by grain.
Click here to see this film used in microlithography measured in microns.
Frugal Photographer's first day on the World Wide Web was September 1, 2001. It was a different world then. I got into the business because I wanted to use a very nice 127 camera I had just acquired, and the only place I could buy 127 film was from a factory in Croatia, and they wanted me to buy thousands of rolls at a time. A few years later, when they shut down, I made the decision to manufacture 127 film. Well...sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's not, but I'm still at it, with no plans to quit soon.
This site is a work in progress, and if you find broken links, things that don't look right or are hard to understand, or navigation that is difficult to use, I would very much appreciate hearing from you.