Walgreens to stop film processing

[dennis_mcmenemy]

<p>Today I went to Walgreens to get my 35mm film put on CDs. The girl at the counter told me all Walgreens nation wide would stop film processing on April 16th of this year. This puts me in a bind living in a small town. It seems like they are trying to kill 35mm film. I need a place I can trust to process the film. I also would like to learn how to develop 35mm B&W film.</p>

[mike dixon]

<p>"It seems like they are trying to kill 35mm film."<br>

<br />It seems like they're discontinuing a service that is no longer profitable for them. There are several mail-order film processing companies that will still develop and print your film.</p>

[dave_s]

<p>Like Mike said, it's just not economical for them anymore. The times, as Mr Zimmerman said 50 (!) years ago, they are a-changin'.</p>

<p>I'm lucky, because I have the Canadian equivalent of Walgreen's about 1km from me, and that particular store happens to have a very skilled tech running their photo lab. But they're down to processing a few rolls a day, and I think the writing's on that wall, too. When it's impossible to get decent 35mm C41 at a reasonable price, that will be the end of 35mm for me. If I'm developing my own silver-based film, I figure it might as well be 120.</p>

<p>If you have to use mail order, I've found <a href="http://www.northcoastphoto.com/"> North Coast Photo</a> to be a good solution, although their enhanced scans get a bit pricey. (They develop a roll for $7, and the enhanced scan's another $12, and then there's postage both ways.) Others will have different recommendations. A lot of people here like Dwayne's.</p>

<p> </p>

[david_henderson]

<p>There's no injustice here, no conspiracy. Just a retailer that can no longer justify the space and staff required to run a service in the face of ever-reducing demand. Mail-order has to be the way to aggregate demand over a wide geography to the point its worthwhile to provide the service. </p>

[mike_earussi1]

<p>Film died some years ago (Walgreens is merely responding to the inevitable). Only its ghost still lingers amongst those aficionados who value its unique characteristics. Basic B&W processing is very easy, I started at 16 with a small kit from a local photo store. You should have no trouble yourself. Color is a different matter--much more complicated and expensive. Stick to B&W, if doing it yourself, and send out color.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I had got the word some time ago from the local manager, and tried out Dwayne's for C41- took less than a week over the weekend to get it back.<br /> Instant gratification is over-rated, but I also bought some packets of B&W developer when the local camera store went out of business.<br /> Are we noticing a "trend" here? Or are we the last to notice?</p>

<p><strong>DABDA (Kübler-Ross)</strong> :<br />Denial <br />Anger <br />Bargaining <br />Depression<br />Acceptance.</p>

[dennis_mcmenemy]

<p>I have heard good things about Dwayne's. It's just sad you can no longer take your film to the local drug store or photo lab and get your pictures in a hour. Times are changing and digital has taken over in a lot of ways. Film is not dead though and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In my case I would like to buy a kit that processes B&W film. I believe in the near future their is going to be a bigger popularity in B&W film that people develop on their own.</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p><strong>DABDA (Kübler-Ross)</strong> :<br />Denial <br />Anger <br />Bargaining <br />Depression<br />Acceptance.</p>

<p>I'm at the second "D", getting close to the second "A".</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>There are plenty of places that go film processing by mail. Google or look at the ads in the back of Shutterbug magazine.<br /><br />B&W is a total no-brainer to do at home -- I learned when I was 12. Color negative with a "press kit" is nearly as easy, although with tighter tolerances for time and temperature. Only three chemicals and takes about 15 minutes. Color printing is more difficult but you can "soup and scan" by developing your color negs, then scanning and printing through your computer.</p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>Having film processed had become so difficult that I sold my Leica M6 and bought a Sony A7, which I use with the same lenses. "Sensible to bend before the wind," a friend said.</p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>I'm shocked as well. Shocked that Walgreens kept doing this for so long, actually. We had the owner of an apparently quite successful, long-term local camera chain come and present to our photo club last night. He made the point that they haven't made a profit on any film processing, either in-house, or out-sourced, in years. They do it as a service, and because those people will ultimately buy digital equipment from him.</p>

[owen_omeara]

<p>Ilford is now accepting film for processing. If you go to Ilford Lab.com you can probably get some information. In the long term doing it yourself will be the last resort. </p>

<p>-O</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>Actually film is still quite popular in certain quarters, but its day of being the predominant media are long over. There are still many places to process film. You can mail to B & H, Adorama, Samy's camera, Swan in Los Angeles, A & I also in L.A. Get on your computer and look around. </p>

[glen_h]

<p>The local Walgreen's started sending their film out last year. You can still bring it to the store, but they don't do it in store, and don't return the negatives after scanning.<br>

As far as I know, grocery stores and drug stores have been doing it for years as a way to get people into the store, twice! Even if they lose a little on processing, you might buy other things while there.<br>

As well as I know it, though, they will continue digital printing which does seem popular enough.</p>

[benny_spinoza]

<p><em>"It's just sad you can no longer take your film to the local drug store or photo lab and get your pictures in a</em> hour."<br>

And just sad that I can no longer take my vacuum tubes down to the drugstore and test them on the tube tester....perhaps have an ice cream cone at the soda fountain counter, and maybe drop off my 120 roll of film for processing. And next door to the drugstore I could get a haircut at the barbershop (with spinning striped pole) where afterwards he (and it was always a he) would spray that stuff to make my hair as stiff as a board. But we all must move on, I suppose. </p>

[danielheller]

<p>LTI in New York is a Pro Lab where I develop my film. Perhaps you can mail it there.</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Clark Photo Lab <a href="http://www.clarkcolor.com/Content.aspx?Page=Order+Form+%26+Mailing+Label#.VQqe647F98E">HERE</a> is the cheapest 35mm C-41 I have found. Just click on the bottom for CD only and with shipping it comes to $4.95/roll which is actually a few dollars less than what I was paying a Walgreens sans the 1-hour turnaround. Still crappy, low res scans but at least you get your film back. <br>

DABDA<br>

I have since reached the acceptance stage. Walgreens stopped processing in Chicago back in September last year. We do have several local labs but they are not<em> that</em> local. This has pushed me more to digital.<br>

While some find the difference between getting your work back in five days from a mail-in lab (and still needing high res scanning if you want to print) verses getting my digital camera images back in five seconds, at high resolution from my card reader, underrated, I find it rates quite high. It has become the tipping point.</p>

<p>For me, 35mm film now becomes a toy when I want to play with an old camera. Still fun but not practical for regular, serious work. I have accepted the change.</p>

[dr._karl_hoppe]

<p>Costco and CVS are still processing film, but they will eventually give up the ghost. Dwayne's is the cheapest (when you factor in burning CDs and shipping costs) and the quality not bad. I spoke with the counter person at CVS and she told me film processing is mostly party cameras and some "old people" that haven't gone digital. Pretty soon we'll be confined to mail order only.</p>

[25asa]

<p>The lab I work at stopped doing film this past January. London Drugs is the only lab left in town that will do film. For my 120 films, I have to mail them to Vancouver, since no lab here will send it out anymore. Sucks because I don't really like mailing my film and paying the costs right away.</p>

[James G. Dainis]

I have a good photo store still in Savannah GA. I was out today shooting some black and white 120 film that I was going to develop myself. I stopped in to buy some more film and just asked what it would cost to develop the film and scan. It was $15 total so I gave them the film. They also have a darkroom that they will rent for $20 per DAY. Not bad.

[mfophotos]

<p>There is a large group of photographers that are tuned into the Film Photography Project Podcast. The FPP folks are ALL about film, and the podcasts are a lot of fun and informative. Not only do they have links to places to send your film for developing, FPP also sells some very interesting boutique films - one of my favorites being Smena FN-64 (fresh, not old stuff).<br>

Mail order -- I highly recommend Blue Moon camera and Machine in Portland, OR and TheDarkroom.com in San Clemente, CA. Both do excellent work. Blue Moon will develop and sleeve my film (C-41) in the standard 7 x 5 frame pages that I use for $6/roll. I scan them myself with an Epson V700 scanner. </p>

[jimmy_s.]

<p>The One Hour processing places have always sucked donkey testicles, in any event. Hardly worth mourning their passing. I think the lament often heard over events such as these have less to do with realistic concerns regarding the continuing viability of film as a medium than it does with people afraid of being horribly passe and out of step with what "everyone else" in the world is up to.<br>

<br /> But I say, If you truly care about film as a unique and irreplaceable art, you shouldn't be worried about what others are doing.<br>

<br /> Or, as Nietzsche once eloquently put it "One must shed the <em><strong>bad taste of wanting to agree</strong></em> with many people".</p>

[dr._karl_hoppe]

<p>@ Jimmy S.,</p>

<p>I disagree. There were many good minilab processors out there. I used a local Costco until they gave up the ghost. The techs were attentive and took care of the equipment, the chemistry was changed (not left to wallow in filth), they tweaked the Noritsu minilab to your particular emulsion (knew how the set the channels), etc. They still D&P C-41 but stopped burning CDs when that machine bombed out; the suits refused to repair/replace it. (The wet prints on Fuji Crystal Archive paper are miles ahead of the inkjet prints at your local CVS.)</p>

<p>I wouldn't look to Nietzsche much. He died a raving psychotic in the Basel lunatic asylum; not too surprising when you begin to think you are God! </p>

<p> </p>

[plasma181]

<p>CVS will still develop, as will other drug store chains. </p>

[mwmcbroom]

<p>Here in Houston, we have only one pro lab left that will do same day processing of E-6 and C-41. They're a bit on the pricey side, but they do excellent work, and you're paying a premium for same-day service. Personally I'm saddened by the fact that a greater metropolitan area of about 4 million people can barely support one pro lab. Sad.</p>

<p>I used to take my C-41 to Costco because it was cheap and they always did a good job. But Costco stopped developing film last year, so at that point I made the decision to start developing all my own color films. I'd already been developing my B&W for decades.</p>

<p>Contrary to what some people here think, it is NOT difficult to develop color film. The only thing besides normal, good darkroom technique that you have to pay attention to is the temperature of the developers. This is easily accomplished by placing the bottles of developer in a liquid bath. For a container, I use one of those styrofoam containers that frozen steaks in the mail come in. Very thick sides -- about two inches -- and the interior is about the size of a 12-pack of beer. You can also use a small styrofoam ice chest -- like the ones made for a six-pack or 12-pack of beer. These types of containers keep the temp stable.</p>

<p>These days, what does it cost to have a 36-exposure roll of slides developed? $8 at Dwaynes (plus shipping)? At my local pro lab, it's $10. I've been buying the pint kits from Freestyle. But even with the small slide developing kit, which costs me what, about $22 or so? Even with that small kit, I can develop 6 or 8 rolls of slide film before I start seeing any sort of degradation. The key, though, is to wait to develop until I have a stack of rolls waiting to be developed. That gets my developing costs down to almost a negligible amount per roll. Same is generally true with the C-41 kit I bought from Freestyle, but the small C-41 kit is a quart, so I'll be able to get even more rolls out of a kit of the C-41 developer before exhaustion.</p>

<p>If I want prints, all I have to do is load my printer up with photo paper and send the files to the printer. It does an excellent job. So, who needs a lab, unless you're gonna have a really big enlargement made?</p>

<p>I reckon as the situation gets to be such that it's harder and harder to find a lab, more and more people are gonna do as I did, and take the leap into self-developing. And what they're gonna find is it isn't so hard after all.</p>

<p>Proof's in the pudding. Here are a couple of slides I developed just recently.<br>

<img src="http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/etrsi_triumph_3a.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="750" /><br>

<img src="http://michaelmcbroom.com/images/etrsi_carnival_magic_galveston_1a.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="932" /></p>