Shooting Film on a Budget: Black and White Films Under $10 by Taylor Blanchard

Written by Taylor Blanchard

While we all love to complain about the price of film, and the cost of film photography is the subject of plenty of memes, there is still a wide selection of negative film options under $10 (or very close to that). In part one of a two-part series, I explore the best budget-friendly black and white film stocks. Stay tuned for part two on color films.

Apologies for our readers outside of the U.S., where prices may not align to what we’re sharing here. If you’re outside of the U.S., please share your best value black & white films in the comments.

The stocks are arranged below from least expensive to most expensive. For this article, I searched prices across online retailers. You may find these films at better (or worse!) prices locally, on sale, or on auction/resale sites. One thing is certain: it’s a good idea to shop around.

Note: Kodak Alaris, which distributes Tri-X and T-MAX, recently raised prices, so those find may no longer less than $10.

Fomapan 100, 200, and 400

By far one of the most affordable films you can find is made by Foma. Based in the Czech Republic, Foma Bohemia is a company with a history dating back to 1921, and they make negative and reversal black and white films, darkroom paper, and chemistry.

Foma offers three speeds of their black and white negative film with fun names:  Fomapan 100 Classic; Fomapan 200 Creative; and Fomapan 400 Action.

That unique look comes from the grain. In 100 and 400, it’s a cubic grain like Kodak Tri-X, making Foma films chunkier and more noticeable than other black and white films. An interesting note is that the 200 speed film uses a tabular grain, like Kodak T-MAX films; however, the grain is not as smooth as T-MAX.

I’ve found Foma films to have a bit less exposure latitude than other black and white films, although they’re still quite forgiving. You may notice this most in the shadow details.

I’ve shot all three of these films over many years, and I tend to reach for one when I want to try something creative.

It’s a film I love to shoot in my Holga, where its chunkier grain and texture are right at home. I purposely have shot it in my pinhole where I wanted a film with terrible reciprocity characteristics (I wanted very long exposure times of more than 10 minutes at sunset). In lower light and longer exposures, you may want to give Foma films extra exposure time. Check the datasheet or a reciprocity app.

Foma also makes the Holga 400 film, which is similarly priced.

Find Fomapan 100, 200, and 400 film on Amazon here.

Arista EDU 100 and 400

Arista is the house brand of Freestyle Photographic, but you can find it at other retailers. You can also find paper and chemistry under the Arista brand. The EDU in the name stands for education, branding itself as a film geared to students and educators.

I’m giving Arista its own entry even though it’s widely discussed that Arista is made by Foma. Why? First, Arista is generally a tad cheaper than Foma. Second, several films have been available under the Arista name over the years, and not all have been Foma. For example, Arista started selling a 35mm cartridge that is DX coded and made in the UK (not in the Czech Republic). They briefly sold Arista Pan 100, which some thought was made by Orwo in Germany. Years ago, Arista also sold a Premium brand, which was rumored to be Kodak Tri-X.

Because of possible variations in the film, I have a difficult time giving any specific guidance on shooting it. I would buy Arista because of the price, not because you think you’re getting a specific film.

Read more about Arista 100 here and Arista 400 here.

Find Arista EDU 100 and 400 film at B&H Photo here.

Kentmere 100, 200, and 400

Ilford makes the Kentmere line, which is often recommended for students, educators, and beginners. A few years ago, Ilford released Kentmere in medium format, and then in 2025, Kentmere added 200 speed film to its lineup, which had previously included 100 and 400.

Kentmere films have a very forgiving exposure latitude, which is one of the reasons they’re recommended for beginners. I’ve also had great luck with Kentmere films in my Holga because of the exposure latitude.

The 100 and 400 films are lower in contrast and will require work if you want a punchier look. When released, Ilford said the newer 200 speed is a higher contrast film

Find Kentmere 100, 200, and 400 film on Amazon and at B&H Photo.

Ilford HP5+

Ilford HP5+ is a powerhouse film, and understandably one of the most popular black and white films. It’s so versatile: excellent at box speed, and a film known for pulling and pushing capabilities.

It has a wide latitude and excellent tonal range, giving you a lot to work with. The grain is exactly what you would want from a 400 speed film: noticeable but not distracting. In fact, I haven’t found grain to be a concern on HP5+ until pushing it past 3 stops.

The cost can vary quite a bit among retailers, so I would recommend shopping around.

Read more about Ilford HP5+ here.

Find Ilford HP5+ film on Amazon here.

Kodak Tri-X 400

Kodak Tri-X is a well-covered film on this site, and one I’ve tested against T-MAX 400 in several lighting conditions, pulling and pushing it. Honestly, what can I even say about Kodak Tri-X that hasn’t been said before?

If you’ve never shot any of these black and white films, Tri-X is a great place to start. It gives a classic film look with a pleasing, but noticeable grain. It handles different lighting conditions like a champ and pushes well.

It has a classic look coveted by street and concert photographers. With a history dating back more than 70 years, Kodak has kept it part of its lineup for a reason.

Read more about Kodak Tri-X here.

Find Kodak Tri-X 400 film on Amazon here.

Kodak T-MAX 100 and 400

Kodak T-MAX barely makes the cut, often exceeding our budget-friendly threshold for this article. My guess is that its tabular grain structure is more expensive to manufacture. T-MAX, available in 100 and 400, has a very smooth grain structure and is very high resolution.

Even at the faster 400 speed, it’s a film to shoot when you don’t want very noticeable grain. Many people use T-MAX films for testing their lenses, so if you have high quality glass, it’s an excellent choice. I would not recommend T-MAX for testing a camera or any experimental purposes.

Maybe because of its higher price tag, it never seems as generally popular as its Tri-X cousin.

Find Kodak T-MAX 100 and 400 film on Amazon here.

What’s Your Go-To?

At the cheaper end of the spectrum, you might not get as much exposure latitude and you may notice more grain. In many cases, those trade-offs are worth saving a few dollars.

At the higher end of our film range, we get classic black and white films that are some of the most popular and enduring film stocks.

Many of these black and white films are available in 35mm 100-foot rolls, where you can load yourself into previously used canisters, further stretching your film budget.

What is your go-to black and white film on a budget?

Thank you so much, Taylor! Taylor is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and you can check out her other articles here, such as Pentax 17 Review and Pushing Film to the Limit: Ilford HP5+ Pushed 3, 4, & 5 Stops.

You can also check out more of Taylor’s work on Instagram.

Leave your questions about budget friendly b&w film stocks below in the comments, and you can pick some up for yourself here on Amazon.

Related Posts:

Taylor Blanchard

Taylor Blanchard is a landscape and travel film photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as My Foray Into Large Format Photography and The World of Infrared and Red-Sensitive Black and White Film.

Image Credit: Ashley Thalman

• Instagram