doom and gloom on the horizon

[Colin Corneau]

I spoke with the manager @ walgreens yesterday -- she told me that on a nationwide basis, they are phasing out film processing and carrying film stock -- this is evidenced by the fact that the new walgreens nearest me has a photo printing station, but no processing services --

so, stock up, sell all your film cameras to some sucker or collector

If you're willing to give up on film shooting based on a Walgreen's closing up, when there's so many other options out there for you...well, I don't think there's diopters out there for that kind of short-sightedness.

 

[MC JC86]

-- walgreens still processes aps (good news for those die hards)

I don't know many film "die hards" that use APS. And I thought you said they weren't processing film anymore?

 

[degruyl]

Ok, this is news? Really: it is not that hard to send your film out. And you get it back faster and with less likelihood of scratches / bad chemistry. (I send E-6 out and have it back within a week, all formats.)

In any case, if you go somewhere where there is a large population of 20-30 somthings, just ask where they are getting their film developed. Look for the ones on fixed gear bicycles hanging around urban outfitters.

 

[Chris101]

I dropped 3 rolls off at Walgreens this morning. They didn't say anything about quitting the film biz, and I could see several rolls of processed film there. I don't really shoot enough C-41 to make a difference though.

Does anyone still make B&W film?

 

[back alley]

boy, some of you are really thick in the head -- i said that walgreens is in the process of phasing it out -- they still have some operation -- NEW stores do not process film, but do digital printing -
there is one walgreens near me that still does aps --

sorry for not being in new york, but we don't have a duggal ---

I have merely said it's getting more difficult to acquire and process film ---I have pointed out that wolf camera is not carrying much film anymore and that most of our labs have closed- -

maybe it's the title you put on this thread?

 

[NickTrop]

No biggie. If you want to shoot film, expect this. There's a much smaller film market, the processing places will concentrate. The biggest inconvenience you might find at some point is it is concentrated at only a few locations, and you'll have mail it in. Or, you'll have to go to a pro lab and pay a little more. I could count the times I bought film at a Walgreens or even a Ritz. They charge crazy prices. I order by mail. The only time I buy film from these places is when it's marked down. Luckily, there are 5-6 1-hour labs nearby that do film where I live. There were more a few years ago... who cares? I envision a day when I'll buy film by mail and mail it out to get it processed. No biggie.

 

[andredossantos]

boy, some of you are really thick in the head -- i said that walgreens is in the process of phasing it out -- they still have some operation -- NEW stores do not process film, but do digital printing -
there is one walgreens near me that still does aps....

sorry for not being in new york, but we don't have a duggal

Jeez, I was simply stating that I felt lucky I didnt have to rely on Walgreens. I would be heartbroken if I could no longer shoot film and was in no way trying to hijack your thread. Sorry, if I offended you.

 

[mwoenv]

It's clear that dedicated film users will have to process their own or pay a lot of money to the remaining labs.

I had always heard color is too difficult to develop but, thanks to the information I found on the Do It Yourself Color Flickr group, I developed my own 35mm and 120 color film recently. It is not much harder than B&W and results were great. I used a Unicolor powder kit - a 1 liter kit from Freestyle ($17) officially processes 8 rolls but many people report twice that or more (I haven't yet determined how many rolls can be developed). Freestyle and B&H carry the smaller-quantity chemical kits.

Constant temperature in the developer step is more critical than B&W but maintaining 102F for 3.5 minutes is easily done with a simple water bath (I think stainless tanks are essential). The chemicals are more nasty so you have to wear googles, gloves and a lab coat but if you are experienced with B&W and careful it is no problem. The cost is $1-2 per roll.

If you develop B&W you might want to try it.

 

[sper]

sorry for not being in new york, but we don't have a duggal ---

You don't have mail either?

 

[emraphoto]

maybe it's the title you put on this thread?

i like those sorts of titles. keep me from accidently opening the thread without a spoonful of salt at hand.

 

[MC JC86]

Finally some hard evidence people are starting to favor digital. I was afraid of this.

 

[ampguy]

sorry to hear that

sorry to hear that

but it is a regional, if not store by store situation. I asked the guy at my local Costco yesterday and he said as long as it's profitable they will continue doing film.

I can't imagine why it would be different at Walgreens. Has any chain with thousands of stores said we're done, and every store has to stop?

It is true that they stopped carrying the Fuji 400 boxes, but that is low margin relative to the film processing which always has a waiting line with 2 or 3 techs back there.

Last week in my local Costco store I was told: no more film processing. Only digital files.
They knew me by name, since I was probably the only one person who brought film for "development but no prints". It's over now. X100 looking good, since I cannot justify M9 by any stretch of imagination.

 

[tlitody]

so, stock up, sell all your film cameras to some sucker or collector

That'll be all of us then😛

But since when was walgreens a reliable barometer of what is happening in the film market?

 

[back alley]

Home processing does nothing for me anymore... and I've even developed my own C-41 (not much, since it really wasn't necessary). I guess it is why I went digital for the most part. It's weird, I never minded the wet darkroom and the emense amount of time spent printing, but staring at a canister of film for 10 -15 minutes at a time was never fun for me, just necessary (since I wanted to be able to print from more predictable negs). To each his own though.

+1
the darkroom was always a necessary evil for me, at least the (boring) negative development stage. printing was more fun but could be just as frustrating if things weren't going well.
i do not miss the wet side of things...and i love my mac and photoshop!!!

 

[MC JC86]

Agitating may be agitating but for me it beats driving to the camera store and then waiting two weeks for anything other than C-41.



EDIT : ( I generally go home in between though, they don't let me wait in-store for the whole 2 weeks anymore)

 

[Pickett Wilson]

"Has any chain with thousands of stores said we're done, and every store has to stop?"

Wal-Mart

 

[nonot]

The fact that Walgreen's, Costco, Wal Mart are relied upon for developing by so many says a lot about what your communities probably lost when those stores came into town.

 

[ampguy]

yes

yes

we all miss high prices, stale inventory, bad service, etc. Seriously, I will always support the independent small vendor, as long as they have the smarts to compete, and many have and will continue to.

The fact that Walgreen's, Costco, Wal Mart are relied upon for developing by so many says a lot about what your communities probably lost when those stores came into town.

 

[hendriphile]

Looks like our friends at NCPS and such will be purchasing more processors & hiring more technicians...

 

[Argenticien]

Last time I had E-6 developed at the one remaining local pro(-ish) shop here, I gently joked with the man "do you ever see any of this anymore?" He replied that they're processing more E-6 now than ever. And that's in the culturally-challenged, vanilla-suburbanized, "New South" city that I live in, not a place with a huge, deep arts scene like a New York or Toronto. All is not yet lost.
--Dave