Film guide
The best cheap film
Cheap film is mostly a black-and-white game right now. Color went premium years ago, so if your goal is frames-per-dollar, you accept that most of your bargains shoot in grayscale and you make peace with it. I picked these by what actually costs less at checkout, what develops in standard chemistry without drama, and what gives a real, usable negative instead of a novelty.
A few of these are repackaged cinema or industrial stock, which is exactly where the value hides. Eastman Plus-X and CineStill BwXX are motion-picture emulsions sold by the roll, and X-ray film is the nuclear option for people who want to shoot a roll for the price of a coffee. I left out the boutique and toy-color rolls that cost real money for a gimmick.
Order runs from best all-around value down to the budget extremes. Buy a brick, not a single roll, and the per-roll math gets even better.
- 1Agfa APX 100
ISO 100 B&W negative, Agfa
The honest value benchmark for 35mm black-and-white. Fine grain, classic neutral tonality, and a price that consistently undercuts the Kodak and Ilford 100-speed options. Nothing exotic, which is the point: it just works in any developer and never feels like the cheap choice in your scans.
Read the full Agfa APX 100 guide - 2Agfa APX 400
ISO 400 B&W negative, Agfa
The 400 sibling and the one I reach for when light gets thin. Grittier and grainier than the 100, but it pushes well to 800 and stays affordable. A great everyday street and travel stock if you can live without the smoothness of Tri-X.
Read the full Agfa APX 400 guide - 3Eastman Plus-X 5231
ISO 80 B&W negative, Eastman
Genuine Kodak motion-picture stock sold by the still roll, which is why it is cheap. Gorgeous gray-scale separation and a real cinematic look at box speed 80. The tradeoff is sourcing, since availability comes and goes, so grab it when you see it.
Read the full Eastman Plus-X 5231 guide - 4CineStill BwXX
ISO 250 B&W negative, CineStill
Kodak Double-X, the film behind a lot of black-and-white cinema, repackaged for stills. Rated 250 it has a punchy, slightly old-school contrast and handles pushing like a champ. Costs more than the Agfas but earns it with character.
Read the full CineStill BwXX guide - 5Adox Color Mission 200
ISO 200 Color negative, Adox
The sanest cheap color pick here. Adox's own daylight C-41 stock at ISO 200, priced below the Kodak Gold/Portra tier without being a relabeled toy roll. Colors lean a touch warm and forgiving, which suits casual daylight shooting.
Read the full Adox Color Mission 200 guide - 6Ferrania P30
ISO 80 B&W negative, Ferrania
An 80-speed Italian emulsion with serious silver content and dramatic, high-contrast tonality. Not the absolute cheapest, but the look you get per dollar is unusual. Be deliberate with exposure and metering, because the latitude is narrow and it punishes sloppy light.
Read the full Ferrania P30 guide - 7Astrum FN-64
ISO 64 B&W negative, Astrum
Ukrainian fine-grain stock and one of the lowest prices on this whole list. ISO 64 means it wants sunlight or a tripod, and quality control can wander, but for high-volume practice and experimentation it is hard to beat the cost per frame.
Read the full Astrum FN-64 guide - 8FPP X-Ray
ISO 100 B&W negative, FPP
The budget extreme. Repurposed medical X-ray film at ISO 100 that costs a fraction of normal stock. There is no anti-halation backing, so expect glowing highlights and softness, and it scratches if you breathe on it. A fun, dirt-cheap roll for people who like a hands-on, lo-fi process.
Read the full FPP X-Ray guide