processing in italy

[richard_brown4]

Going to Italy (Tuscany/veneto) in late May or Sept. Hoping someone

out there knows of good places to buy/process 4x5 colour neg film.

Kind of concerned with security, xrays and hassle bringing it from

Canada. Any idea of prices? Many thanks from my first participation

in this site.........Richard

[robert_davis2]

http://www.fotomatica.it/

 

Was suggested to me. They have Ilford B&W sheet film but for colour it looks like no sheet film. The prices seem not bad to me. Allegedly they will deliver to your hotel. Website is in Italian.

 

4x5 seems more expensive then 9x12.

[cruiserparts]

I guess there are two schools of thought on this one. Personally, I would bring my own film, expose it, and then have it processed back in home (by hand carrying or fedexing it back). This may not be an option if you have a need to see the work in Europe. But, it is a good way to control the film supply and processing and you don't waste time (that you could be shooting) searching for film and processing; dealing with language differences, supply issues, and unknown processing. There are less risks this way.

 

I guess you have to consider if security, xrays, and hassle outweigh having a known film supply and processing and time to worry about shooting and having fun. They wouldn't for me, but they might for you.

[marco_frigerio]

Hi Richard

I'm from Italy...you can contact either http://www.smaf.it or http://www.unionfotomarket.it, they are "chains" (leaning toward the professional user) with several shopsin the country: Smaf has a shop in Sesto Fiorentino, near Firenze, and Uninfotomarket has a shop in Verona...the websites are in italian so the best way is to send them an email explaining what you need...be aware that the large format photography market in Italy is very limited and they don't usually have big stocks of sheet films and not every kind of emulsion is available here (Velvia Quickload is not imported anymore from Fuji Italy)...feel free to contact me if you need more help...

[gary_yeowell]

Richard,

I have shot many times in Italy and have used labs both in Florence and Rome with great results. The lab I would recommend for Tuscany is in Florence and is called "Sky", it's just across the "Ponte Vecchio" along the river "Arno" towards the "Piazza San Michelangelo" you can't miss it. They are very professional and extremely friendly, and will tell you where to buy film in Florence. Lastly you will be amazed at how cheap the processing is compared to Canada, here in London it is exactly three times the cost for the same level of quality.