Best Drug Store C-41 processing

[ibcrewin]

Short of doing it yourself, A lot of us drop off film at the drugstore. Sometimes we give our film to miracle workers. Sometimes they are a bust.

Please tell us who your go to person for C41 processing is. They guy with the glasses at Walmart in Philly? The funny lady at CVS in midtown? The pimply teenager at Walgreens in Decatur ? I want to start a list of the best of the best.

There used to be a Duane Reade on 59th and 3rd in New York City. The one girl there was really good at what she did, but they've moved and I think she left. :bang:

 

[wjlapier]

Only one place in my town does 1 hr processing. Walgreens in Walla Walla, WA. The lady's been there longer than most. Files are smallish--~1500 on the long side. Colors look good though.

 

[regularchickens]

So far, LTI up on 30th street. :angel: Best scans I've seen from any lab.

 

[saxshooter]

just curious, how are the negatives generally looking nowadays with drugstore processing? Thin? I can't imagine they are doing a lot and I'm guessing that chemistry siting there for a while can't be good.

 

[ibcrewin]

LTI doesn't count! lol..

I used them for some Color contacts on 120 C41. I like the work they do and they are really reliable. But, man, they are expensive.

 

[wolfpeterson]

In Montreal, I really trust Photo Service on Notre-Dame in the old port. Developing alone for $2.50 per roll is really good, the best price I've found in Montreal actually.
AND they actually do a good job.
Not a drug store I know, but when a photo lab gives you a great product at a great price...well, you'd be a bag o' hammers going to a drugstore.

Also convenient for tourists, because it's located in the most touristy area of mtl.

NO AFFILIATION. 😀

 

[not_in_good_order]

My local CVS used to do a good job, but after getting burned by what I think was poorly maintained chemistry (color cross over--magenta shadows and green highlights--very difficult to fix in post using split toning) I'm not taking the chance anymore.

I'm just sending stuff out to Dwayne's and getting their develop only option from now on.

 

[stompyq]

I miss my old walgreens in Rochester. Great negs and no scratches. I tried the local CVS at 90th and 3rd ave in NYC and it sucked!! Thin negs and adding insult to injury they are dirty as well. Any good drugstores in manhatten?

 

[Trooper]

Isn't the drug-store processing all done by automatic machines? Assuming the chemicals are in good order, shouldn't all drug stores be equal?

 

[NLewis]

Dwayne's does C41 for 135 at $3.99 a roll. Lo-res scans are another $2.99 a roll. They will do a good job. Maybe there is still a Costco out there who will do it cheaper, but most of those are gone now.

 

[ibcrewin]

Yeah, I tried the cvs on 63rd and 2nd and I got poor results from the prints. I'm going to try scanning them to see how the negs came out though.

I think, going forward, I'm going to either DIY or drop them off at Sunshine color lab on 31st. It's right by Penn so it works for me.

 

[stompyq]

Isn't the drug-store processing all done by automatic machines? Assuming the chemicals are in good order, shouldn't all drug stores be equal?

Thats the problem. The chemicals are not in good order. The trick is to find a high volume location where lots of film reels are processed and not necessarily prints.

Also i've been told that the walgreens in NYC send the reels to be developed outside and there is no in-store developing.

 

[TaoPhoto]

Here in Salem, MA, it's the Walgreens. Tim, the head photo guy, worked for years in a camera store before coming to Walgreens. He keeps the chemistry up to date, does all the recommended maintenance, and keeps the machines very clean. Scans are pretty good, but a bit smallish, about 1800 on the long side. Apparently, their machine can't do better than that.

He was telling me, though, that once that machine finally breaks down for good, it probably won't be replaced.

 

[ampguy]

I get inconsistent results from Walgreens, and always small scans. Costco, for me, has been very reliable, and scans are on average, about 3x larger than the Walgreens ones.

Also, the Costco folks know how to cut and scan for 1/2 frame PENs, and never charge extra for 36+ exposures.

 

[ibcrewin]

A lot of people seem to be very happy with costo. I might have to give them a shot. I bought the unicolor kit for c41, but I have such a back log of film to develop it might be some time before I get to it.

 

[redisburning]

not CVS lol. 2 blanked rolls is enough that I will not be using them again.

back in Memphis there was a local walgreens that did a fair job. it was always the same guy, and he was very helpful as I started learning how to use my om-1. trying to expose drug store film without a meter lol; he must have thought I was a complete tool.

scans were barely acceptable.

 

[jpfisher]

I get my C41 done at the local Target (Clifton, NJ) for $0.95 a roll, plus tax, develop only -- I cut & scan myself. The lady who runs the processing there remembers my name (even though I don't know hers -- I'm a bad person!), even if I'm away for a few months. I've been shooting B&W this year so far exclusively, so I haven't had a chance to stop in.

 

[batterytypehah!]

That's phenomenal, you should take advantage of it while you can! You can shoot B&W for the rest of your life but for color there's no time like the present. Or try chromogenic B&W.

I get decent results from my local CVS, at $2.19 plus tax for negs only. Every drugstore scan I've ever seen was a waste of money, though. Trained monkeys can beat me at scanning but I still do better than drugstores.

Staff changes there all the time so I do get the occasional smudge and cut frame. Also, I'm certain once the machine dies, it won't be replaced. So my future is looking like C-41 and/or E-6 at home because Walgreens charges $5 a roll now.

 

[Chinasaur]

Walgreens. There is always someone dropping off film when I am so I know their machines get a lot of use. 8 rolls on Sat and 7 rolls on Sun and no more than 1.75 hour wait each day.

The two people who I drop off with do excellent jobs. One guy always scans upside down and his developing is Green (fix in iPhoto), but the results are dust and scratch free.

 

[rclrcl65]

Just found Walgreens at 14th and 4th Ave. in NYC to be quick, busy and good results for developing and 4x6 reference prints. $12ish as I recall.