Not gonna go there with film vs. digital, because I shoot both happily. There is an entirely different ethos with film, regardless of the final outcome. If I have a "special occasion" or want to be fully immersed in every step of the process, it's film all the way. If I just want to run around and grab a bunch of snaps, knowing I can delete 95% of them when I get home with zero cost, I use digital. Both of these are great and I use manual focus lenses exclusively, so it's not really an either-or. Sometimes it'll take me two months to get through a roll of film, sometimes I'l bang out two rolls in a day.
Re: developing - no. None of the chains do it anymore in the States. I believe Costco was the last to bail. There are a few decent options in most metropolitan areas (boutique labs) that'll develop and scan c41, but you're looking at $10-20 a roll. Trust me, that adds up QUICK. You are also at the mercy of the lab techs, who don't know how you intended to expose a shot and may just run your roll through some "auto levels" profile, which you'll hate.
Fortunately, there are options, but you need to decide if it's worth the investment of your time. You can save a BUNCH of money with a few basic supplies, available from the good folks at Film Photography Project (no affiliation, just love those guys) and a scanner, or a DSLR scanning rig. I've developed and scanned upwards of 300 rolls in the past few years in my kitchen sink, using only a changing bag, a Jobo tank and a thermometer. I mix the 1L c41 powder with distilled water and refrigerate between uses, getting an average of 15 rolls per batch. I scan using a humble Epson V600 I got off Craigslist for $100 and went from VueScan to NegativeLabPro (Huss, you are a LIFESAVER) to handle the processing.
Not gonna lie- it is an investment. You can buy in pretty affordably, but it takes lots of time and trial and error to perfect the Black Art that is scanning color negatives. For me, I've decided that it's worth it. Not only am I happy with the results, I enjoy the meditative process of developing and the attachment I feel to the final images, knowing that I was present in the process for each moment along the way.
pardon this post, but it's not trolling, it's a real question.
i was fairly active (if mostly just reading) about 10 years ago when i had my beloved m6ttl, which was sold for an m8 that i had for maybe a year and didn't get anywhere near the use of the m6. eventually i went all digital and now have some nikon dslr or other.
i fondly remember the days when i would carry my m6 with me and a little notebook that i would jot down what film i'm currently using and some notes about shot settings, mastering the sunny 16 rule to the point when the batteries died in the m6 i would use it meterless and had successful results. i still think i have a bunch of slide and other films in the freezer - although i have no idea if it's still good and who would even process my fuji velvia these days.
long story short, i'm looking getting back into the leica range finder and was mostly concentrating on finding one of the digital bodies when i came across an m-a. which then prompted me to look on whether walgreen does develop & scan only (my preferred method back in the day, i think it was something like $6 per roll and if i needed anything better i'd have the negative professionally scanned).
considering i shot/will shoot color 99% of the time, what is really viability of getting into the film game in 2019? looking for development & scanning costs it's closer to $20 per roll, i think i used to run somewhere a roll a week, not including higher res scans if i need to get some. that also doesn't include the cost of film, or the availability. i used to be able to find anything from 50iso to 1600iso of fujifilm color for a couple bucks, now i don't even know?
am i getting myself into an expensive uphill battle/hassle if i'm starting literally with nothing today and i'm better off looking for a digital body instead?
your opinions are much appreciated.
