Camera Talk

Where is everyone getting their film processed these days?

I'm getting variable results.

For C41

Dan's Camera City - A bit pricey but the quality is always excellent. Fast turnaround, too. I know that I mention them a lot.

CVS - The negatives seem OK, but the color tones on the prints are all over the place.

Walmart - Last time I tried, the woman said, "We ship everything out," and then shrugged her shoulders and turned away.

Target - Seems to have stopped accepting film. At least, at the ones near me. I was getting decent results.

What about E6?

I was doing this at home for a while, but you really need a lot of time to make sure your water baths and chemicals are the correct temperature.

Anyone use Dwayne's lately?

Down to one CVS still doing film, but they don't know what they're doing. Walmart quit returning negatives, so they are out of the rotation. Walgreens may have quit developing film, but I haven't asked since I don't normally shop there. Never used Dwayne's. Our local PhotoUSA still does E-6, but only on Thursday. And they only do B&W once a day, so if you get there too late, it's wait til tomorrow.

PF

I have heard very good things about The Darkroom (http://thedarkroom.com/film-developing/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

I am still getting decent one-hour service for 35mm C41 film at one of the local WalMart stores. It is the only reliable one-hour place left here in St John's, Newfoundland. No one here is doing E6 anymore, at least not without a wait of up to six months for them to gather enough rolls to make it worth their while.

I recently sent a roll of 110 film (C41) to the Lomography Lab and got good service, though it was fairly slow -- nearly three weeks from start to finish -- and fairly expensive. They scanned the film and I was able to download the scans while I waited for the negatives to return by mail. They did not do a whole lot of over-sharpening in their scans as I have had happen with some otyher mail-order places.

I've just started doing my own b&w again, and I am very pleased with myself.

I have been pleased with Dwayne's. They have done a good job with the Fujichrome that I have sent them. (They were the very last place to do Kodachrome.) I've never had them do C41 or B&W. (The latter I do myself.) I might add they are prompt and return everything quickly.

http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm lately taking all my C41 to Walmart; they usually have a one-hour turnaround, and their scans, while low-resolution, are ok. The one close to me just upgraded its equipment - at least their printers; all inkjet now - and my first scans after that were actually at higher resolution than they usually deliver.

Funny thing about Walmart's pricing. They charge $5/roll for developing, and $5 for a cd - even if they are scanning several rolls to the cd. So if I bring in three rolls of 36, I pay $20+tax for develop and low-res (1500-1000) scan for all of them.

I haven't shot E6 in at least a year; last time I did I took them to GPC Labworks (formerly Ginn Photo) in downtown Ottawa. At the time they had a rush service, but I always went for the three-day turnaround. The processing always seemed great - and their scans were excellent. I had them do both 35mm and MF. Some Shopper's Drug Mart stores have a send-out service for film (C41). The turnaround for that can be quite long.

Bill