Detroit Labs Redux

[david_gardner2]

It looks like the last post on this topic was about two years ago,

and in the meantime many of the labs that came recommended and looked

promising in the last set of posts have went belly up. So...are there

any good, professional labs in Detroit?

 

I was recently discussing the state of Detroit labs with a lab owner

in Colorado who told me that she gets tons of customers from this

area. I find it hard to believe that, with Ford, GM, AchtungChrysler

and VW of America all in this area, that there's not a quality pro

lab here for their business.

 

Photobition's work for me has been laughable, as has been their

customer service. Pastel, while it were around, was pretty good, but

still not up to the level that I expect. Foto 1 seemed more like a

Ritz Camera than a pro lab. Do the labs that are here provide one

level of service for the GMs and Fords and another for the schmucks?

Or do all the pro photographers in the area send their work out of

state?

 

David

[mark_scheuern]

I've found the work of Photobition to be, unfortunately, quite variable. Sometimes great, sometimes quite sloppy. When I'm not in a big hurry I send my stuff out to A&I Labs or, for a lot of my digital, Printroom.com. I've heard that Camera Mart in Pontiac good but I haven't personally tried them, yet. I'll be interested in reading what others have to say about Detroit-area labs.

[jim_sunney]

Have you ever tried Y&J Photography on hayes rd in clinton twp?

The owner said they do work for many of the wedding photographers in town. I have never tried them with my own film but they shot my wedding and the photos came out great.

[francis_bartus]

"I find it hard to believe that, with Ford, GM, AchtungChrysler and VW of America all in this area, that there's not a quality pro lab here for their business."<p>I don't know about GM, Chrysler, and VW, but Ford has an in-house photographic lab with a team of professionals and Noritsus, so they won't be taking their business anywhere.<p>My local photography shop sends out to Meteor Labs in Troy, which is puported to be a very good lab; they do hand-printed Black and White as well as color enlargements from negs. I don't think they do slide prints, but they do a good job processing slides, with a good turnaround. Their number is (248)583-3090 if you're interested.<p>Also, a wedding photographer suggested a place called Camera Mart; I think he said they did his processing... their number is (248)334-9567.<p>Best of luck to you.

[steve_swinehart]

I used Meteor Labs and always found their work to be very good.

[stevierose]

Are you looking for color or BW? For BW I have used Master Photo Finishing which has

stores in Westland and Dearborn: http://www.masterphotolab.com/ They will process and

make machine BW prints on BW paper for less than most people charge for process and

contact print. They also do a nice job with color using an Agfa machine. I have no financial

interest in the place, I just think they do a nice job. If you stop in say Hi for me.

[david_gardner2]

Thanks for the responses so far.

 

Meteor is Photobition, same place. I firmly believe that their lack of customer service is directly related to how much money you're spending with them. A mere 10 prints isn't enough to get them to stop yawning <g>.

 

I have used, and continue to use Master Photo Labs, but only for black and white. They apparently won't stock glossy color paper, and I don't like matte finish.

 

I did just try Quicksilver in Plymouth and so far have found them to be pretty good.

 

David

[david_gardner2]

Quicksilver told me yesterday that they're no longer doing any custom photofinishing.