Film Processing UK

Guys!

Having a real problem trying to find a quality D&P service in the UK.

Dreadful results from Jessops ,Boots etc (inconsistant results).The

best I got was from doing it myself on a Gretag machine but now the

machine has developed faults,or maybe my camera a and all its lenses

are all lemons (M6 21VC,35VC,50 SUM.,90 VC).

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks Steve

AP (Amateur Photog.) publishes yearly a list of the 'best' labs.

 

I have no confidence in their 'High Street' ratings (For ex. they said Snappy Snaps was the best, based on one of them, which is ridiculous 'cause they are minilabs with results varying greatly from shop to shop - generally from awfull to mediocre).

Jessops: Jessops grew by buying and buying and buying... Supposedly the quality of Jessops vary depending on the original label of the shop. Maybe you will hear from somebody with a good Jessops.

 

AP tests on mail labs are probably better. Try to see if you can get their latest labs benchmarks ( http://www.amateurphotographer.com/ ). Note that they generally run 2 tests at 2 different times to try to ensure results are consistent.

 

I've stopped buying the mag. some time ago, but IMO it is the best one for amateurs.

 

Sorry not to be more helpful, but I generally do my own processing or give stuff to a pro lab -> expensive.

I get my D&P done from Peak imaging in Sheffield, www.peak-imaging.co.uk. Their pro processing is always good and what I use to get cheap(ish) proofs.

 

Recently their turn around times got extended due to a seasonal rush. However they are supposedly getting back to their normal times (haven't checked that yet).

 

I have heard some good things about colab, but peak imaging have never let me down so I haven't tried them.

 

I never had luck with boots, snappy snaps, york, bonus print, etc. I gave up on them years ago.

 

HTH

I have regularly used 2 places in London called Metro Imaging (www.metroimaging.co.uk) and Joe's Basement (www.joesbasement.co.uk) for black and white developing and printing, E6 and C41. The quality is extremely high in both instances, and they provide an extensive service. I think both are open 24 hours a day for drop-offs and collections. I presume they will also provide service by mail if you request. Suffice to say, the quality is infinitely higher than places you might find walking up any high street .......

My local Jessops has a well run , very competently staffed Fuji Frontier Lab that can print (on Fuji Crystal Archive) up to 15x10.

 

However, up to about 4-5 years ago they had a really cranky old machine, the size of a small house, that no end of trained operators could get any joy from and spent half the time being repaired!

 

Our local Boots also has a Fuji Frontier but only print up to 9x6. The staff are good and the results are fine. However they have a UK wide management imposed policy of never processing C41 B&W despite the staff knowing it can be done with no problems. (because it "ruins the chemicals" according to Boots management!)

 

So for this reason (and the max 9x6 at Boots) I use Jessops most of the time.

 

I used another outlet (Supasnaps/Snappysnaps or something I cant remember) when on Holiday and they were using a brand new State of the art AGFA digital machine and the results were all really washed out. I took the same negs back to Jessops and they printed from them and the results had far more colour and contrast and dynamic range.

 

You just have to keep trying different labs until you hit on a good one.

 

My Jessops is in Portsmouth, where's yours?

Oh and my traditional B&W films go off to Ilford in Crewe (using the Ilford mailers) and come back in about 7 working days (usually) in a nice little rigid white box (6x4 or 7x5 with a border!) and they are excellent 99% of the time. Only a couple of duff prints in the last few years and they were probably my fault.

 

The Ilford service allows push/pull dev as well which works a treat with Tri-X that I like to expose at ASA 200 and compensate in development. (Only £2 extra per 36 exposures)

I use Colab whose head office is in Coventry but they have other outlets.

 

For transparencies they are excellent and very quick - usually by return or almost so.

Peak Processing, www.peak-imaging.com. Accept no substitutes. If you're going to spend three months' salary on a Leica, don't go anywhere but a pro lab for D&P.

As has already been pointed out Metro and Joe's Basement are

pretty decent though expect to have to stick you hand deep into

your pocket for some services (esp. when compared to high

street consumer outlets). Both offer 2 hour E6 processing

which, for convenience value, is very handy (assuming, of

course, that you are in Central London at the time) though Joe's

is no longer a 24 hour operation (now 7am-midnight, I think?).

I'm not 100% convinced about the E6 processing at Joe's but

their B&W seems okay (I also think the cost for B&W processing

plus S/S contact sheet is very reasonable at about 6 quid a roll).

Joe's Basement if you are after quality not price.