C-41 labs closing too?

[Red Robin]

In my town CVS, a drug store, is where I have my processing & scaning done . Went through a lot to find the folks that do it now. But The tech. tells me his hours have been cut and they will drop out in another year or so. The adventure continues. I have been slowly buying things that will start me to begin my own processing. An affordable chemical source (local?), a super scanner of some kind. Not being a Pro it gets hard to justify some of the expense.

 

[dimension2]

We spend thousands of dollars on top notch film equipment and then send the film to the cheapest developer! It is best to find and develop a professional long term relationship with a professional lab. Yes, it costs a little more but the work is better.

I guess I was a little hesitant paying more for the processing than for the film itself. Snapfish was cheap at 3-5 bucks for processing, scans (low res, but still) AND prints. A few scratchy negatives later, I learn quality comes at a price. Still learning.

Thanks for the responses. I learn here there are more labs that take in mail orders than I was aware of. Richard Photo and North Coast were the others I had heard of, but good to know there are quite a few alternatives available, with affordable options. Now to get out and shoot some more.. 🙂

 

[kuvvy]

I heard that here in the UK, Boots the High St pharmacy chain are looking to stop their film processing.

 

[mfunnell]

I'm staying here at Burleigh Heads at the Gold Coast:


burleigh_outlook_2012-1-web

for the first time in a few years. I had a word with Trevor who runs the local photography shop. He put some hard (though anecdotal numbers) on C-41 processing where he is. He's at a major tourist destination and his only real competition (Big W, who try to style themselves on Walmart) stopped all film development earlier this year. Still, he says, three years ago he was processing 25-30 C-41 films per day. Now he counts himself lucky if he gets half a dozen.

He has to charge more than he feels comfortable with, simply to support the cost of the chemicals and maintenance on his machinery (Trevor's a bit of a stickler for quality). For as long as I've known him, Trevor's been talking about shutting up shop, but he hasn't. Partly because of a lack of buyers, but also partly because he does it for love rather than money.

I suspect that once the likes of Trevor retire, well, it's "all over, red rover".

...Mike

 

[ebolton]

I'm shooting a few rolls of Tri-X now, and with the help of Chris Crawford's tech pages and a few other sources, re-aquiring the skills to soup it myself. This is basically a step toward processing C-41 myself, since I really see and prefer the world in color. Thanks to my professional life,I have an account at Automation Direct and have just ordered the parts I'll need to make a temp controlled water bath. There are still a few places around here for C-41, but they are getting scarcer and the quality has been slipping for all of them.

 

[goamules]

I keep saying 35mm film is not worth it except I love the old, quality rangefinder cameras! I do shoot a lot of Large Format black and white, and Wetplate, which are totally worth it, nothing else like them. But when I screw an old 50s RF lens on my G1 m4/3 and get great color and exposure every shot, it's disappointing to pay $10 for a roll an find a lot of flaws. Again, I shoot a roll or two every month for the fun of using the camera. Not the fun of getting it developed.

 

[jwicaksana]

I keep saying 35mm film is not worth it except I love the old, quality rangefinder cameras! I do shoot a lot of Large Format black and white, and Wetplate, which are totally worth it, nothing else like them. But when I screw an old 50s RF lens on my G1 m4/3 and get great color and exposure every shot, it's disappointing to pay $10 for a roll an find a lot of flaws. Again, I shoot a roll or two every month for the fun of using the camera. Not the fun of getting it developed.

I am beginning to feel like this too :bang::bang:

 

[clayne]

Wal-mart Canada is phasing out film processing. Same for London Drugs and Pharmasave. All of them have scale down and out plans.

I used to work for one of those chains and still keep the contacts. In less than 36 months none of them will process negs.

I thought you were done with the doom and gloom? What's wrong? Get run off APUG and have to find a new outlet?

 

[Aristophanes]

I thought you were done with the doom and gloom? What's wrong? Get run off APUG and have to find a new outlet?

For being right?

Labs are closing all over. That's what's being heard anecdotally in this thread and others. Almost all major pharma chains (my old corporate stomping grounds) have plans or are in the process of eliminating film processing services both in-house and send out. Film consumption is still on a very steep decline.

People need to be aware that if they are long-term counting on inexpensive, local film processing, those days are very close to being at an end. A few dense urban areas may have some volume to keep it going, but for the most part, we're looking at C41 mail order at $10+/roll, prints extra. Get used to it.

Fuji has stopped all new manufacture of lab and RA equipment. Same for Noritsu. Their sales teams (who I used to work with) only sell and service dry print systems, with processing labs relegated to service and salvage ops. Even RA printing in North America (and I've been told, Japan) is on the rocks.

Sorry. That's just the truth of it.

 

[Nikon Bob]

For being right?

Labs are closing all over. That's what's being heard anecdotally in this thread and others. Almost all major pharma chains (my old corporate stomping grounds) have plans or are in the process of eliminating film processing services both in-house and send out. Film consumption is still on a very steep decline.

People need to be aware that if they are long-term counting on inexpensive, local film processing, those days are very close to being at an end. A few dense urban areas may have some volume to keep it going, but for the most part, we're looking at C41 mail order at $10+/roll, prints extra. Get used to it.

Fuji has stopped all new manufacture of lab and RA equipment. Same for Noritsu. Their sales teams (who I used to work with) only sell and service dry print systems, with processing labs relegated to service and salvage ops. Even RA printing in North America (and I've been told, Japan) is on the rocks.

Sorry. That's just the truth of it.

That pretty well sums up what I am seeing locally and in this thread and others. The few exceptions being posted are indeed in high density urban areas for the rest of us it is a different story. Reality sucks and burying your head in the sand won't make it go away and neither will getting upset at those that don't bury their head in the sand. I don't doubt that APUG hostile to that train of thought. I don't think film will disappear but just get more difficult to find and get processed which will go hand in hand with much higher associated costs.

Bob

 

[varjag]

People need to be aware that if they are long-term counting on inexpensive, local film processing, those days are very close to being at an end.

Look, everyone who ever got onto Internet got to hear this already, like, a 48000 times. You are not breaking any news here.

 

[igi]

Ah.. it's so nice to love in a thrid-world country where consumer C-41 process is still alive.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Look, everyone who ever got onto Internet got to hear this already, like, a 48000 times. You are not breaking any news here.

Then why are people constantly surprised when labs close or at least feel the need to post it? It really is old news.

Bob

 

[loquax ludens]

I keep saying 35mm film is not worth it except I love the old, quality rangefinder cameras! I do shoot a lot of Large Format black and white, and Wetplate, which are totally worth it, nothing else like them. But when I screw an old 50s RF lens on my G1 m4/3 and get great color and exposure every shot, it's disappointing to pay $10 for a roll an find a lot of flaws. Again, I shoot a roll or two every month for the fun of using the camera. Not the fun of getting it developed.

It's a lot more fun if you do your own processing. C-41 and E-6 are not really that hard to do. It does take a bit of planning, but it's not rocket science.

 

[egil]

Send it to Pro Photo in Irvine, California. $2.50 per roll for C41 process. Excellent results: none of the fingerprints or scratches that comes with Costco processing. People from all over the country use their services. I am lucky to have them right next to my office.

 

[jsrockit]

This isn't going to dry up completely for years. However, the lack of quality from most of the places in business these days isn't going to help matters much. The quality of scans from these labs is horrible and the negs aren't handled properly most of the time. It's sad. In the 1990s, even a mom and pop Pharmacy had better quality than I see from so-called pro labs today.

 

[jbot]

This isn't going to dry up completely for years. However, the lack of quality from most of the places in business these days isn't going to help matters much. The quality of scans from these labs is horrible and the negs aren't handled properly most of the time. It's sad. In the 1990s, even a mom and pop Pharmacy had better quality than I see from so-called pro labs today.

It wont dry up for years, but it's likely price increases will continue and labs will continue to close. It's a shame really, but the times change I guess.

 

[wblynch]

Send it to Pro Photo in Irvine, California. $2.50 per roll for C41 process. Excellent results: none of the fingerprints or scratches that comes with Costco processing. People from all over the country use their services. I am lucky to have them right next to my office.

And take your E-6 slides to Datachrome in Irvine, California for caring results at a great price.

 

[Aristophanes]

Then why are people constantly surprised when labs close or at least feel the need to post it? It really is old news.

Bob

It's an opportunity to inform people that there are quality, mail order lab options

And that's the way it ALL used to be since Kodak's early days.

We're just turning back the clock, not stopping time.

If you want quick turnaround, local processing, and prints, then go digital.

 

[v_roma]

What a depressing thread 🙁 (not a dig at the OP, just how I feel). I'm down to shooting 1 to 2 rolls a month because of the cost of processing/scanning at a quality lab. I only use Precision or better because, otherwise, what's the point of shooting film if you're getting scratched, poorly scanned photos back?

I'm not by any means against digital and have a couple of digital cameras but I have yet to find a digital camera that is as intuitive, pleasurable to use (subjective, I know), and provides the IQ of the film I use. At least not for a price I could afford.