You know a guy can't get a roll of film processed anymore

<p> I am primarily a 35mm film shooter. So our local CostCo quits on film about a year ago and then I start this mail order thing that was working ok. They lost a roll of film but I kept at it anyway, only I started putting labels on my film. That was fine until last week when they lost 7 rolls of film (negatives returned but no scans that I paid for) and deleted my account . Well I can tell you they lost my business for sure. So here I am with no place to take a roll of film. There is a place in town that will do the work poorly for a high price, or so I thought. Anyway off to the low quality high priced store I go and and put my film on the counter. He say's, "Our machine is busted and we cannot get any parts so we may not do film anymore". Then I walk out of the store and just think,</p>

<p> "You know a guy can't get a roll of film processed anymore".</p>

 

<p>I know, eh, it's like trying to buy a roll of fax paper. Can't blame 'em though; there's just no money in it any more. </p>

<p>I started to do my own monochrome processing in the late sixties when it started to get harder to have film processed at the local chemists. I could not even wait the three or so days it took to send it away then!<br>

I can still get good C41 done here, but even so I still have set up to do it at home so I can have the negs in the scanner, even over a holiday.</p>

<p>Our local Walgreens Drugstore chain (Eastern Mass. USA) still does one hour C-41, negs. and CD under $9.00, negs. CD and prints 24 exposure under $14.00, occasionally there is a special on CD either 50% off or the CD at a $1.00 with coupon, in flyer at the front of the store. I've given up on CVS, machine breakdowns. With gasoline at current price $4.03 per gallon, I only go to the closest Walgreen. My favorite independent camera store does so little film processing and with an expensive repair to the film processor they are unable to "soup" and print 120 so I go to the hated W**Mart using send out envelope (but the independent people will scan my W**Mart negs). Check it out, make sure you put explicit instructions for the 120/ C-41 or E6 and talk to no one at the photo counter, just slip the envelope in the slot and wait two weeks, you'll be delighted with the price, neg's and 3x3 proofs BUT NO SCANNING at the price you end up paying! I believe the final processing is Dwaynes or Fuji! Negs are clean, prints are tiny but quite accurate PROOFS!</p>

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<p>Then I walk out of the store and just think, "You know a guy can't get a roll of film processed anymore".</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Are the letters in the writing on the wall big enough letters to be read clearly yet?</p>

<p>Theres only two places where I live where you can get film processed but only colour film - no slides, no b&w. and if its 120 - only one place will do it. This place will send out slide film to be processed but it will take about a month to get it back and you have to pay shipping both ways so you might as well ship it yourself.</p>

<p>The one store only develops film one day a week now too.</p>

<p>And I havent been happy with the 120 service Ive been getting. So, now if I shoot film its b&w <strong><em>only</em></strong> and process it myself.</p>

<p>i havent gotten a roll locally processed (aside from my own monochrome stuff) in years. E6, K14 (sob), C41, etc. nothing. the local cheapy labs scratched my film, the local expensive labs came back horribly spotted. so, i gave up on all of them. all of my stuff went through Dwayne's, generally via Wal-Mart or Fuji mailers, direct for really important stuff.</p>

<p>The labs that seem to hold on the longest are the ones that are in a college town with a film-based photo program at the college, and that also embrace printing of digital files, panos, etc. We have one such lab nearby. So far, so good.</p>

<p>These folks in Mpls still do a mail in process. They will do just process and cut if you like, or they will process, cut, and scan. Bonus - they do E6 slides, 120 /220, and B&W.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.natcam.com/files/traditional2.pdf">http://www.natcam.com/files/traditional2.pdf</a></p>

<p>Hi, Ross,<br>

Sorry to hear of your film-processing troubles. I'm lucky enough to live in a major metropolitan area where I can drop off my film and get it back, developed and printed (scan optional), a couple of days later. <br>

--Sally</p>

<p>There are no professional labs in your area ? Not surprised these Costco/Walgreens are not processing films, but are all the professional labs in your area closed ? </p>

<p> There are no pro labs in my entire county. There never has been to my knowledge. However if you are willing to drive 50+ miles there are a few places with dwindling services. Bay Photo Labs in Santa Cruz will process and scan your film to 3mb for $15.00. They call it an 18mb scan?. Not sure how that is actually. They no longer process B/W film. Most of the labs and all of the camera stores in Santa Cruz are gone. Monterey Calif has a couple places but again they are 50+ miles away from the house. I was using CostCo which is 15miles away and I just processed my film while we shopped for food and stuff. They did ok and gave you a file very adequate for an 8x12 size print. Excellent price. However the machine they were using broke and they quit on film rather then pay to fix it. The same deal as happened to the photo place in town (Zoom Photo). There machine is very old and broken. They make little money from it and said they may fix it if they can find parts on ebay but don't count on it. They had no customers while I was in there and only one employee that did not appear to have any work to do.</p>

<p> However this morning I drove out to another CostCo that is 30miles from the house and dropped off my last 2 rolls of film for processing. I am not willing to do that again and I just figured I would get these developed and put film on the back burner and think about it. I do have a DSLR and I figure I will start using it. It's a D200 and I have 8000 clicks on it over 4 years. It seems like a lot to me considering it just sits around. However it's my main camera now. Anyway the times have changed and I consider myself a modern guy and I am just going to move along with it.</p>

<p>I don't see why you hate wa;lmart so much<br>

walmart is only an agent for Fuji and Dwaynes<br>

no shipping charges and they seem to process anything and everything.<br>

Dwaynes and Fuji are likely the best labs in the USA.<br>

and the charges will be lower than average.<br>

I would still process B&W at home.</p>

<p> There is no Wallmart in my community so it's not an issue to me. I have been inside a Wallmart before and it's a distressing and ugly place to shop. It smelled like grease due to the McDonalds inside. As far as that goes I do not want to eat at McDonalds. Very poor quality food. .</p>

<p>I used to live near a Wal-Mart, and aside from feeling like my soul was being sucked out through my ears it was actually pretty nice. Now the K-Mart near me is just awful - mostly crap products, narrow aisles, poorly lit, merchandise in piles in weird places. Target is my favorite of that type of store, they sell better stuff than K-Mart and are good at graphic design. The one near me does C41 in house, the girls at the counter are very nice and it's so cheap it's kind of weird, but they don't do the best job so I stick with the small shop near my house where the guys at the counter remember my name and appreciate my old cameras.</p>

<p>Lucky me, the Costco here in Issaquah, Washington still processes C-41 in an hour. I took a roll of slide film in today to my favorite E6 processor, Capitol Hill 1-Hour Photo on Capitol Hill in Seattle, and the lady there told me they are barely able to stay open. They recently took their sign down due to damage from a windstorm, and now have only a white plastic sign up, they can't afford to replace their awning. They process a roll of 36exp slide film in an hour, and mount it too. Comes to 8 bucks and change, a good price. Used to be 6 bucks and change back in the 90s, so it hasn't gone up much. Film is dying for sure. Once they close, I will ship my E6 off to Dwayne's in Parsons, Kansas. Hope they can stay open for a while, they've done well for me for the most part (two rolls of E6 had some chemical stains but other than that OK). Once Dwayne's closes, I'll probably stop shooting slides.</p>

<p>Paul Wheatland:</p>

<p>You mentioned eastern Massachusetts. Do you know about Dorian Labs? I've toyed with learning how to shoot with a Speed Graphic 4x5 I picked up, and Dorian seems to be the place that processes film in Arlington up to 8x10. My brick and mortar photo store (Hunts in Melrose, MA) actually sends out the stuff they can't handle themselves to Dorian, so if I was going to do film again, I probably would eliminate the middle man. I haven't used them but they seem to have a good reputation:<br>

http://www.dorianlab.com/</p>

<p>One suggestion is to drop into your local RITE AID drugstore (if you got one), and politely inquire if they support the option to send your 35mm film to a regional FUJI LAB. If they reply in the affirmative, then its a simple matter to drop your film into a FUJI LAB Envelope, fill out the basic info, let them send it to the Fuji Lab by courier, and then they bring your pics back in a couple 3 days. You get the option to have them scan the negatives to a Jpeg Picture CD. That saves you from having to scan them later yourself. While you're there, check out the Rite Aid 'special sales' rag for the week, see if they are running a reduced price on Fuji Lab processing. Sometimes they do. Expect to pay $8-$10 per 24 exposure roll, to get a single 4x6 set of prints on Fuji Paper,, with a Picture CD.</p>

<p>I've ceased using CVS to process my film. The last time I used them, to develop a roll of Kodak's B & W film (compatible with C-41 process), they ruined them. Every picture in the set came out with stains running down the middle.</p>

<p>Ross <br>

I have been using Samy's Camera in Santa Barbara, Give them a call 805 963 7269 and they will E mail the E-6 forms to you my April 1 2011 Price sheet showes 35mm 120 and 220 at $5.00 per roll Plus shipping and they will Push or pull for $1.00 per stop<br>

I mail the the film Priority mail from Humboldt county and get it back in 7 days or so and so far they have been very good and not lost any.<br>

My local lab charges $15.00 for a 120 roll and all you get is 3 or 4 frames in the center of the roll the rest is clear<br>

and they take 7+ days to do it in house so I do not go near there store for anything.</p>

 

<p>Here in Boston area, I've had good luck with CVS and Wallgreens, C41, 1HR service. I do process only, don't cut the negs, with home-loaded film. There is some variance with slight grunge. One day I'll remember to ask when they add fresh chems and clean the equipment. I shoot everthing on color neg and covert it to whatever with PS plug-ins.</p>

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<p>One suggestion is to drop into your local RITE AID drugstore</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Our local RITE AID stopped processing film recently. My mother took her film there and told me about it. So I advised her to take it to Kits Camera, which is now owned by Ritz Camera. They still have a One Hour Photo desk in the store as far as I know.</p>

<p>Dwayne's Photo...cut out the middle-man.</p>

<p>Film's swan song? I think not.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.profotos.com/education/referencedesk/proclabs/index.shtml">http://www.profotos.com/education/referencedesk/proclabs/index.shtml</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.padgitts.com/photo_video.htm">http://www.padgitts.com/photo_video.htm</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.precision-camera.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=34">http://www.precision-camera.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=34</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.hollandphoto.com/html/">http://www.hollandphoto.com/html/</a><br>

(these folks even have an onsite darkroom they rent out)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Developing your own B&W film in the kitchen is a breeze, and it's a lot of fun, and very interesting. Scanners costing just a few hundred dollars do a great job. I can't imagine ever mastering B&W to the point I would need to move on to color. It's a huge sand box to play in, and I doubt it is going away in my lifetime.</p>

 

<p>I am not really interested in processing b/w 35mm at home for two reasons. One is that I think that 35mm b/w is to grainy when scanned. Also since I have a septic system I am not going to put chemicals in there. I did review the literature from Illford and they state that photographic chemicals are not ok for a septic system. I guess on top of that I am willing to scan a frame or two on occasion but spending hrs at the computer is not somthing I am willing to do. Basically unless a lab opens near my home I am going to shoot my DSLR. That is not going to happen obviously. My interest in 35mm film was really Kodaks c41 b/w film. I really love that film but I live in a small town and there are no services. I will just shoot my D200 for a few years and see what happens with that. Digital photography does not move me really so I am going to be a reluctant photographer I suppose. Maybe I will just shoot less often but I will just have to see what happens. Next month I am headed to Hawaii for my 30th anniversary and I will take my digital camera and of course take pictures. </p>

<p> </p>