I Need a Good B&W Lab

I came to the realization that I won't be able to set up my home darkroom within the next few years, at least. Up until now, I've been using Dwayne's Labs for my meager B&W film development. However, I asked them a couple of years ago what B&W film developer they used, and they told me some developer I never heard of.

Now that it looks like I'll be mailing off a lot of B&W film for development, I want a lab that uses either D76 or Xtol (I shoot 35mm Tri-x and T-Max 100 and 400).

Does anyone know of a good B&W lab in the US that uses either D76 or Xtol developer?

Thanks for any recommendations.

The Print Refinery here in Louisville uses a commercial D76 equivalent in a minilab-type machine.

Unfortunately, you don't get the benefit of optimized conditions for different films, but I BELIEVE I was told that everything is set up with Tri-X as the benchmark film.

LTI Lightside in NYC does very good processing for BW (in XTOL standard with pushing and pulling in quarter stops) and C41. They can use other processing chemicals but there is a setup charge for it. I haven't used them in a few years because they stopped processing E6 slide film and I shoot a lot of Velvia. But their BW's (Tmax 100) processing were very good and they're a pro shop. They also returned film flat, clean, no curls and cut in 3-3-2-2 (for 120 6x7 film) and inserted in a plastic film holder. Give them a call and see if they meet your needs. Good luck.

LTI - Lightside, home, main,

Setting up a darkroom for printing takes some space and equipment.

For film, a changing bag to load the tank, and the rest you can do on a bathroom counter,

or even in the sink.

Otherwise, there is XP2 and any nearby C41 lab.

I'm wit' glen_h.

A bag full of dark, some dayliight tanks, and D76 packet are all you need.

My problem is that I shoot ordinary B&W only on occasion and my D76 ages out before....

I am considering switching to HC110 where I can mix smaller batches of developer.

I do use a lot of XP2 and Dwaynes.

Vincent, I'm in Dallas and use a lab called Simple Labs in Petaluma, California. He does color (print and slide) as well as black & white processing.

What sold his lab to me is, he also scans all images to dng format, allowing me to process the files to my own liking use Adobe Camera raw just I do with my digital camera files.

His order form for black & white appears to offer the option of B&W processing based on the preferences you select and do include the chemicals you are looking for. I believe he uses Xtol as a standard, and several rolls in to using his lab the 5 day turnaround he states is close to what I am seeing. From the day I place my film in the mail until he emails a zip file with the dng's is around 7 days.

http://m.avcdn.com/sfl/simple-film-lab-order-form.pdf

Here's the website describing his film process..

Adrian Bacon: Film Processing

His dng scans are outstanding and have me shooting both color and black & white film again for the first time in a long time. Even sent my M4 off to Don Goldberg for a complete reconditioning and am "making do" with an M6 for now, LOL.

I have no desire in maintaining a supply of, and exposing myself to the chemicals in processing my own film. Did it long ago when film was all I shot but I have no desire to "go back there...", not to mention the extra time it takes for the processing and the often-frustrating process of scanning the film to a standard you want.

After shooting I have a journal where I make notes to myself as to the subject matter and date(s) shot, camera and lenses used. Once the dng files are received, they have a roll number and frame number assigned to them by the lab that I add to the journal information and refer to as I add the detail to the files I upload.

Compared to using a digital camera with its limited dynamic range and virtually zero headroom on the highlights end, exposing B&W and/or color negative film couldn't be easier, metering for shadows where you want detail maintained. It's just incredibly amazing how well it works and pulling back the exposure and highlights slider in Adobe camera raw on the dng files Adrian produces recovers all the highlights unless you've just grossly (more then 4-5 stops) overexposed.

After 10+ years of digital camera-only use and being so careful about exposing for highlights, the biggest challenge was getting back to being used to exposing the heck out of film so you have access to the entire dynamic range available.

Vincent you evil pun master you!!! I got my darkroom all set up and running after someone sold me a bunch of Nikon bodies a while back. If you need some film done you are welcome to send it to me. I use D-76 as a standard and have probably developed 100 miles of Tri X over the years.

Rick H.

hey, vincent, given your film shooting is meager and coupled with the fact you are selling film cameras and also given that the only contribution of yours to pn that gets attention is a cartoon, isn’t it time to adopt digital.

 

(i suspect not)

No, never. I don't like using a computer as a camera LOL.

Hmm... I am NOT a cartoon...

http://bayouline.com/o2.gif

just a thought, but have you looked to see if there may be a local college that offers a traditional photo class that you could audit as a non-traditional student? Good way to have access to a fully functional darkroom.

My local college, University of New Orleans, has photography courses (6 credit hours) costing almost $2900 per semester. Not too likely...

Hmm... I'd have to sell

every banana I've ever

eaten...

http://bayouline.com/o2.gif

I wouldn't trust anyone else to process my film . . . You only get one shot at it and I adjust my development to different films AND different shooting conditions. Plus I use different developers for different purposes. Printing on the other hand, I would consider shipping out.

As noted above, you can process film in the kitchen or bathroom. Even without a changing bag, I have loaded tanks in interior bathrooms or closets. When I was taking B&W classes at college, I still processed all of my film at my apartment and then printed in their labs. Trust me, my negatives and prints were blowing the other students away.

In Seattle, we have Photography Center Northwest, which is a school specifically for photography:

Home - Photographic Center Northwest

It seems that courses are $825 per quarter, plus materials fee.

I don't know if there are "darkroom only" memberships, or other ways to use the darkrooms

without a course. It seems that there are darkroom with enlargers up to 8x10, for prints

up to 20x24.

Black and White Darkroom - Photographic Center Northwest

Maybe other cities have something like this.

Compared to using a digital camera with its limited dynamic range and virtually zero headroom on the highlights end, exposing B&W and/or color negative film couldn't be easier

My old D700 delivered a measured 12 stops of 'dynamic range' from a back-illuminated step wedge. Current cameras and sensors have now improved on that, so I'm not sure which digital camera(s) you're comparing film to.

IME a properly exposed 14 bit RAW file will easily equal the subject brightness range that can be captured by normally exposed and developed B&W or C-41 film, and absolutely trounce what can be achieved with slide film.

So your comments on the limits of digital capture are either very outdated, or based on limited experience with only JPEG files from a low-end camera and without post-processing.

I'd really like to see the film that could equal this single digital exposure, using no ND grad and with the ISO wound up high enough to be hand-held.

There's still shadow detail in hand in the raw file; I just chose not to brighten it up to enhance the twighlight mood.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I think I'll try LTI Lightside lab first and see what develops:eek:.

Remember to ask them to cut the film in sections and place them in a plastic sheet. They would cut my 120 6x7's in 3-3-2-2. Otherwise they will put the whole film in one long plastic sleeve that they roll up for shipment which I found curled the film and made it harder to scan in my V600 flatbed. Call them and ask for the manager to go over your requirements with them first. It's possible they changed how they do things in the few years I haven't used them. Good luck. PS. Post back here after they return the film to let us know how they did.

You got it backward. The print is the performance, remember? The fact that you can accidentally lose the score by shipping it out shouldn’t negate that.

No . . . I don't have it backwards at all . . . Yes, the "print is the performance", but you get more than one shot at the performance. If you are less than happy with the first version you can request another with a description of what printing alterations you would like. Remember, the Rolling Stones don't still perform Satisfaction the same way that they did 50 years ago.

No . . . I don't have it backwards at all . . . Yes, the "print is the performance", but you get more than one shot at the performance. If you are less than happy with the first version you can request another with a description of what printing alterations you would like. Remember, the Rolling Stones don't still perform Satisfaction the same way that they did 50 years ago.

I know that even at home, it usually takes me several "practices" for the "performance" to look the way I want it to-and that's even on something that doesn't require any dodging or burning(or only a minimal amount). Add in even a small amount of manipulation, and that time gets a whole lot longer.

I know that even at home, it usually takes me several "practices" for the "performance" to look the way I want it to-and that's even on something that doesn't require any dodging or burning(or only a minimal amount). Add in even a small amount of manipulation, and that time gets a whole lot longer.

So . . . are you suggesting that it makes more sense the other way around? Yes, you might have to pay for several custom prints to get what you want from a lab and you may not want to pay for as many as you would have made in your own lab. But, that beats the pants off of "one-size-fits-all" film processing . . .

Over and out . . .

So . . . are you suggesting that it makes more sense the other way around? Yes, you might have to pay for several custom prints to get what you want from a lab and you may not want to pay for as many as you would have made in your own lab. But, that beats the pants off of "one-size-fits-all" film processing . . .

 

Over and out . . .

No, sorry, I was agreeing with you, but just rambling a bit(as I sometimes-or maybe often-do).

It often does take even a good printer several tries to get it right, BUT you are correct that you have multiple chances to do it. Ilford RC MG paper is under 25¢/sheet, and you can often get several tries on a single 8x10.

I don't want ANYONE other than me developing my B&W film either. I have had others print it before, but don't want to give up control of developing it myself.