Processing 220 Film in Chicago

Hi.

 

Last week, I got my wife a Hasselblad 501C for her birthday. She

took three rolls of 220 film of the Gates in New York's Central Park

this weekend and is now looking for a place to get the film processed

in Chicago.

 

My research has turned up three establishments that will process the

negatives and print contact sheets for us: CSW Photo Labs, Lab one,

and Gamma Photo Labs. CSW appears to be a little bit cheaper than

the other two ($8.50 v. $9.50 for processing, $15 v. $20 for 5x7

prints), but with a job like this, quality might be more important

than cost.

 

Does anyone have experience with these three labs that they would be

willing to share? This will be our first time ever processing 220

negatives.

 

Thank you in advance,

Jeremy Root

Chicago, IL

I have used Gamma, they do a fine job, but a little expensive, they are geared toward the professional, and charge accordingly. If it is color film, try Triangle camera, I think they do 220, i know they do 120 color, they may be cheaper, and they do a good job as well. If it is B&W there is a small spot by the name of AKAI, up in the lakeview area. The peole at Triangle will tell you about it if you ask, it is a small lab, and the guy there really knows whats going on, and he may be cheaper as well. I shoot 120 B&W mostly and i go to the latter two, I think your wife might really enjoy using B&W, and making her own prints. Triangle Camera on Broadway has a B&W darkroom open to the public for like $7/hr. it is easy to figure out the basics from a book on printing, and learn by doing it. With a few minutes of instruction and some experimentation my girlfirend with no experience in photog. makes her own prints now and really likes it. With a Hassy, i can't imagine using B&W film and not printing it myself. Anyway hope my rambling help, and have fun.

Hi ya. My personal preference is Gamma that I've used since (yikes!) 1967 (even long since I've moved to California). Aside from a pro lab with a pretty knowledgeable crew, they use dip and dunk on all their film and their printing is excellent. As to their prices, I think that most of the time you get what you pay for. knowhatimeanhuh? Besides, if all she has is three rolls of film and it costs you a total of $3.00 more than the other lab(s)to process, then, well, ....Get the picture? ;>)

Mark

Thank you both for your insights. I had not heard of Triangle Camera before your answer. I just spoke with one of their employees on the phone, who told me they will process a roll of 220 color film for $5.00, with prints starting at 65 cents for 4x4. This is considerably cheaper than the other options.

 

I don't know enough about the "dunk" process you described to know whether it is worth essentially double the cost. I also don't know which way Triangle camera processes the negatives.

 

My wife used to do a lot of black and white processing and printing of 35 mm film, so the availability of darkroom rental at Triangle might pique her interest. Right now, though, we're just itching to see these color photos of The Gates.

 

Thanks again for getting back to me. If you have additional information, please feel free to add it here. I will be checking back until we make our decision about where to take these negatives, and then I will report with the results.

 

Thank you,

 

Jeremy Root

Marion Color at 5800 W. Addison St. does all my MF and LF too.Ask for Stan.

Do you know the telephone number for Marion Color? The phone number that I have listed for them (773-685-3434) acted like a fax number when I called it. Or if you know their pricing structure, that would be helpful, too.

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Jeremy Root

I love csw they are a small lab so you get very personal service.

I just had a roll of 220 C-41 negatives done by Just Perfect one hour lab in Evanston (don't laugh).They are downtown by the Northwestern campus. I think it was 25 bucks for processing and 5x5 pictures. It is a mom and pa shop and they also do e-6 in 120/220. They do a good job, although I think I am only person who requests 5x5 prints, so they have to reset the machine :>).

 

Eric

Thank you for your insight about CSW and the addition of Just Perfect one hour labs in Evanston. $25 for processing and prints sounds like a great price, provided they do an adequate job. Based on the initial recommendations, my wife decided to take the film to Triangle Camera on Broadway. I will report back to this thread when we get the contact sheets.

 

Other comments are still welcome. Triangle is the first place she tried, but unless everything is perfect, it may not be the last.

 

Thank you all,

 

Jeremy Root

My wife took her rolls of 220 film to Triangle Photo Labs on Broadway for processing and contact sheets. The color on the contact sheets seems to be a little off, but she was pleased with the service they provided. We are also interested in the community darkroom they provide for rental so we can do our own black and white printing.

 

Now she is looking to try this Just Perfect place in Evanston to get some prints made, but we have been unable to find its address or phone number. Can anyone provide this information?

 

Much obliged,

Jeremy Root

If Just Perfect is the shop that I am thinking of in Evanston, it is on Orrington, just south of Church. I guess I never bothered to notice the name of the store. Nice folks - I often take my 35mm stuff there.

Here is the info on the Just Perfect shop in Evanston:

 

Perfect 1 Hour Photo & Passport (847) 869-9655

 

1638 Orrington Avenue

 

After taking the 220 film to Triangle for processing and contact sheets, my wife took the film to Perfect 1 Hour Photo & Passport for prints. They did a fine job, and fairly cheaply, too.

 

JR

I recently used Gamma to handle my film and prints for a magazine assignment, mainly due

to recommendations and the perception that they are the main/only pro lab in Chicago. I

must say that I was shocked at how disorganized and slow they were. It took them almost

three weeks to complete a simple process/print order and ship it. The magazine is furious at

me due to the unacceptable length of time this took. Gamma may have cost me one of my

best clients, so unless you have a lot of time to wait, I would recommend going elsewhere.

I went to Gamma once. The snooty rep rolled his eyes at me (another amateur cross-processing a slide roll, sigh, tsk tsk). Then they charged me a lot of money. Finally, they scratched my negatives. I haven't gone back, and it's not because I am not cool enough for them.