List of film processors to use or to avoid

[Xia_Ke]

In response to another post (thanks Javier), it's about time we got a list going of Photo Lab recommendations. So let's have it, who do you guys trust with your precious shots? I'll start off with 2 places I have heard a lot of good things about, along with one I'll NEVER use again...

Recommended:
www.carlsdarkroom.com
www.bestlab.com
www.borge.net
www.pcraft.com
www.colormark.com/
www.chromedigital.com
www.modernage.com
www.henrys.com (in Canada, for our Northern brethren )
www.precision-camera.com
www.wolfcamera.com/


AVOID:
www.eaglephoto.com
Walgreens on Andreson Lane in Austin

[mtbbrian]

Also recommend: www.borge.net, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
They do ship!
Brian

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Brian :thumbsup:

[mjs1973]

Recomment:

Photo Craft Imaging out of the Denver/Boulder area. I'm building up an E6 stash to send them soon.

www.pcraft.com

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Mike :thumbsup:

[GB1]

Add chromedigital.com

[walterick]

I highly recommend Colormark in the Phoenix area. Not only are they the only lab in the valley I have found that does in-house E-6 but they are very very good, do great printing, and have nice service. They are on Dunlap and 24th St if you're local.

http://www.colormark.com/

Rick

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Rick and GB1

[megan]

I recommend http://www.modernage.com/

I ran into both owners recently, and each asked me if I was still shooting film. "Good!" they said. They are still developing and enlarging. Their silver prints are still some of the best ever.

Megan

[Axle]

If you're in Canada, specifically Southern Ontario. Henry's ( http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/sto...nrys/index.jsp )

Henry's is the best place to take your stuff, higher end. E-6, Black & White. They outsource to a pro lab in Toronto which does a great job.

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Megan and Alex

[photophorous]

I highly recommend Precision Camera in Austin. Always great service. These guys started out as a repair shop and Garry Winnogrand trusted them with his M3 back in the 70's when he taught at the University. Now they are the main pro shop in town. They've never made a mistake with my film.

Recommend Wolf Camera on Lamar Blvd, in Austin. I used them for years before I really got the photo bug, and they always did a good job. I only switched to Precision because they offer more services, more variety of films, and I can buy my chemicals there.

Avoid Walgreens on Anderson Lane in Austin. They cut the edges off several frames when cutting my negatives, and they didn't bother to clean debris off the negatives before printing them.

Paul

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Paul

[rongarrett]

Anyone got a recomendation for the Atlanta, Georgia area?

[Xia_Ke]

Hi Ron, everyone down that way seems to recommend E-Six Lab of Atlanta. Here's a link to their site:

http://www.e-sixlab.com/

If you end up going there, please let us know if all is well.

Happy Shooting,
Aaron

[rongarrett]

Thanks Xia, as luck would have it I sniffed out E6 yestiddy and have already sent them an e-mail. Having owned a service business in the Atlanta area for 26 years, I happen to know exactly where they are located. Now that I am retired, and moved waaaayyyy out in the country, I will do the bulk of my business thru UPS. Having shot a couple of rolls thru my "new to me" medium format camera, getting kinda anxious to see the results.

[Xia_Ke]

Keep me posted on your experience with them. I'm picking up some 4x5 slide film which will need to be sent out for development. E-6 is who I'm leaning towards using for my processing.

[rongarrett]

I dropped off my first two rolls of 120 film at Showcase in Atlanta, where I most often trade for supplies. They informed me they would have to send out one roll that was slide film, I think to E-six labs. Then it cost an additional $25.00 usd EACH ROLL, {plus an extra $7.50 for the slide film roll} for scanning. It seems everyone around here is stuck on 300 dpi scanning. They call the 300 dpi "high res". I must be missing something here. My contact at Showcase recommended an Epson V700 scanner. Upon a little internet investigation, the Epson scanner has two resolutions, 4800 dpi and 6400 dpi. That seems to be a very big difference in what the labs around here offer?

I can buy the Epson V700 for less than $500.00 usd. It would not take long for such a scanner to pay for itself, plus offer very much higher resolution? Dunno, I'm just getting into medium format filming, but doing my own scanning seems like a given to me. The V700 being a flat bed scanner with film capability would also be useful for the requests I get to "fix" customers old photographs also.

Being as I plan to use color negative film exclusively , {at least to start with}, the scanner looks like my next project for sure. Gonna go see what the internet has to say again.

[ctg]

I dropped off . . . additional $25.00 usd EACH ROLL, {plus an extra $7.50 for the slide film roll} for scanning. It seems everyone around here is stuck on 300 dpi scanning. They call the 300 dpi "high res". I must be missing something here. My contact at Showcase recommended an Epson V700 scanner. Upon a little internet investigation, the Epson scanner has two resolutions, 4800 dpi and 6400 dpi.
That seems to be a very big difference in what the labs around here offer?

I can buy the Epson V700 for less than $500.00 usd. It would not take long for such a scanner to pay for itself, plus offer very much higher resolution? Dunno, I'm just getting into medium format filming, but doing my own scanning seems like a given to me. The V700 being a flat bed scanner with film capability would also be useful for the requests I get to "fix" customers old photographs also.

Being as I plan to use color negative film exclusively , {at least to start with}, the scanner looks like my next project for sure. Gonna go see what the internet has to say again.

Ah . . . the shell game? They call the 300 dpi "high res", because digital printing services (pro labs) can only offer 300dpi rating which is not the same as the rating used for digital printing (it figures)? I scan 4x5 & 5x7 as well as 35mm so for scanning chromes are best ( & easiest) for reasons beyond negatives don't scan well.

[Xia_Ke]

Ron, $25.00 a roll is nothing when it comes to scanning. Take a look around at the pricing for drum scans:

http://www.nancyscans.com/price.html

From the samples I have seen and reviews read, the V700 is a very nice scanner. If you pick one up, let me know how you like it. I'm saving for a scanner to do 4x5 and that's the one I'm eying.

[NaturalWoman]

anyone try this company

http://www.fromex.com/index.asp?p=14518

they are way out in california, but they do pay for the shipping back and forth. i don't mind waiting.

very interesting. found this through a search. b&h sells fuji photo mailers? hmmm. good reviews.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Fi...4/N/4294539448

[wedding photographer]

any good lab in the Miami area?

[cameron665]

Can anyone recommend a good lab in Washington DC. I hope to have quite a load from a 2 week trip to Arizona and New Mexico and I would like to get the film developed to reduce the risk of damage from airport scans on the return trip to Australia.

[myportfolioepb]

Thanks for sharing this list

[patois]

I am building a big list of photo labs that develop film you can help by adding your favorites here.