Film Lab Recommendations in Paris

[furcafe]

Apologize for this well-worn question, but wasn't able to find any recent posts & w/film labs disappearing left & right . . . I'm headed to Paris in a few weeks for vacation & was hoping to shoot some film during the daytime. Does anyone have any recommendations on good film labs (B&W & C41)? I will be mostly near the Marais & Canal St-Martin areas in the 3ème & 10ème.


Thanks in advance, Chris

 

[mfogiel]

I do not live in Paris, but I think you will be safe with this lab:
http://online.picto.fr/?gclid=CjwKE...b2ZSZNn8haHaTMOUCQCV6fW3R-_vVTR5KOBoC4K3w_wcB
They were/are good enough for HCB, Koudelka and Salgado, so maybe it can work for you.

 

[Highway 61]

Yes, Picto is good enough. Among the good labs in Paris you also have Dupif near Montparnasse :

http://www.dupifphoto.fr/

There is one lab to avoid and which is "Négatif Plus" : http://negatifplus.com/

Don't expect to find any good photo lab in the Marais. But - if you are looking for hipsters' clothes, this is the place to be for sure.

There is a good photo books seller on Saint-Antoine street, very close to Saint-Antoine's church (same walkside), though.

 

[furcafe]

Thanks, Picto is famous, of course. Didn't know about Dupif.

If I may ask, what's your objection to Negatif Plus (it was recommended by an acquaintance, along with LIS Photo on Petits Carreaux)?

Yes, Picto is good enough. Among the good labs in Paris you also have Dupif near Montparnasse :

http://www.dupifphoto.fr/

There is one lab to avoid and which is "Négatif Plus" : http://negatifplus.com/

 

[ulrich.von.lich]

There is Atelier Publimod in the Marais, 26 rue de Sévigné. It's my favourite lab before starting doing my own developments. For B&W, they used to have three B&W developers, Xtol, Microdol-X (no more, I think), and a third one I forgot. The technician does automatically inspection on every roll so it's totally fine if you forget the speed at which you expose your film (which used to happen to me a lot). They are not cheap, the development of a single roll of 135mm B&W film costs about 15€.

http://www.atelierpublimod.fr/

Another excellent lab is called Processus, near the cemetery Père Lachaise. They use TMAX developer. Manual inspection can be required at no extra cost. Around 10€ for the same roll. I believe they used to print for Ellen von Unwerth.

http://www.processusphoto.com/

Then there is Atelier Demi Teinte in the 10ème (Métro Cadet). They have as developers HC110, D76, Rodinal, TMAX. Good reputation, although I haven't used them.

http://www.demi-teinte.fr/

There is Central Dupon Images near Montmartre, supposed to be very professional and very expansive. But the first time I gave them a roll of 135mm film, they scratched it and charged me 20€ nevertheless. So I went away. But your experience might vary. The girl who works there used to work for Publimod, but she got fired at some point.

http://www.centraldupon.com/

Picto is famous, but mostly for prints, I think ; I don't know if they do developments. I have never used them.

The cheapest one is called Negatif Plus, near Gare du Nord. About 5€ a roll. It's like a supermarket. You mustn't lose your receipt, for or else they would refuse to give you back the negatives.

http://negatifplus.com/

If you want something really special for your trip, you can pay a visit to the lab of Roland Dufau near Saint-Michel, one person on earth who still does Cibachrome prints. The lab will be closed in September according to him, due to lack of chemicals. Prints are not cheap, naturally.

http://www.rolanddufau.com/

I think they are easily more than ten other labs in Paris that will do E6, C41, and B&W. Perhaps by walking around you will discover a lab that I don't know.

Pay attention to the final prices (TTC = Toute Taxe Comprise), because professional labs only display prices without tax (HT = Hors Taxe). The VAT is 20% this year.

 

[Highway 61]

If I may ask, what's your objection to Negatif Plus (it was recommended by an acquaintance, along with LIS Photo on Petits Carreaux)?

Stains and scratches on the negatives, and B&W negatives developed in something closer to a vegetables soup than to an actual developer. Hence the scrapes on the negatives, probably (onions soup is good with scraped cheese).

 

[furcafe]

Fair enough. Per ulrich.von.lich's list, they seem to be known for being cheap, so maybe this is a "you get what you pay for" (or less than you pay for) situation.

Stains and scratches on the negatives, and B&W negatives developed in something closer to a vegetables soup than to an actual developer. Hence the scrapes on the negatives, probably (onions soup is good with scraped cheese).