If a fim processing place closes in the forest and...

[froyd]

Well, I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, my local photo lab is moving to a new, smaller space and ditching the film developing machines in the process.

It's the same old story we keep reading on this forum, and it is not the first film lab that closed around where I live. However, this hurts more because they provided excellent service, great quality work and amazing prices: $8.99 per roll of 120 for developing, 5x5 proof prints, and dust-spotted 2100x2100 scans (BW and C-41 same price, E6 a little more). Best of all, this place was litterally around the corner from my office.

Guess I'm back to sending my medium format film to NCPS and Precision Camera. At least until my kids are in college and I can find time to do my own scanning.

Worst part of the experience was the doom and gloom mood of the owner. He was predicting doubling prices for 120 film 3 years from now.

 

[patois]

I hear you. My local CVS told me they wouldn't keep developing film even though they actually do a lot of it. I've been slowly building up a list of photo labs here but so far that part of the analog photo world isn't getting much press. I think though that lomography can smell impending lab death because they have started marketing their own overpriced lab.

 

[_larky]

This is sad to hear as I'm getting back into film. If it gets really bad I'll bite the bullet and buy an M8.

 

[sepiareverb]

Sad to say, but this will become something a few places do very well. Was sorry to see the lab I used for years and years close (mail-order) quite a while ago now. I'll chime in for Blue Moon Camera & Machine as another option for mail order.

 

[kuzano]

The correct saying you have in the title is:

The correct saying you have in the title is:

According to my EXwife and a few of her friends, the correct saying is:

"If a MAN speaks in the forest and there is no one around to hear him, is he still lying?"

 

[segedi]

I found out that the only place that does 120 in my city of 1 million people might not be doing it after the dev guy retires. So I bought a bunch of B&W and will be doing it myself I suppose. Will have to send color to Edmonton, bummer.

To the OP - wow, that is/was a great price!

 

[kuzano]

Beating a Live Horse....

Beating a Live Horse....

Did my routine "send in only" through Walmart. NPH400 Fuji 120 roll film. 7 good negs back in ten days for $2.80. No postage or shipping cost to me. Process only and sleeve.

 

[bgb]

had an odd conversation with the local lab ... they claim that the amount of film they are processing is increasing and they are looking at offering more film for sale ... so there is hope but of course they are one of the last labs to stay open so it might be that they are getting all the closed up labs work
Still got to have hope 🙂

 

[loquax ludens]

It' good to hear that some film labs are experiencing an uptick in business. May it continue to rise.

There are lots of places near me that still do C-41 processing and one that does E6. But I prefer to do my own color processing most of the time. Of course I do my own B&W.

 

[olleorama]

Trying to lift the mood of the thread by saying that I found yet another place today that does 120 film, both c-41 and B&W. That makes it at least 6 labs in a town of 500K. For 135 there are more than I care to count.

 

[thegman]

I say pick a good mail order lab and give them your business. I think the demise of the smaller lab is not just about the decline in film sales, but also the move from local shops to the internet. I buy 90% of my books online now, can't remember the last time I bought music in a shop, get my movies from internet rental, Amazon, iTunes, and on-demand.

I'd rather send off to a lab, it's easier for me just to pop film in the post and wait for it to arrive back on my desk at work.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Once film processing drops below some level Walmart will no doubt stop offering this service.
As a result the photofinisher they contract to will likely go out of business, too.
Using Walmart is cheap and convenient now but probably benefits no one in the long term.

It would be far better in my opinion to support a good mailorder lab.
Why doesn't RFF have a sticky or prominent directory of these, with reviews?

Chris

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Wal-mart ships its stuff to Fuji. Our Wal-Mart stopped shipping film out to be processed a few months ago. No way to get film processed there anymore.

 

[kuzano]

Not surprising if you watch the market....

Not surprising if you watch the market....

had an odd conversation with the local lab ... they claim that the amount of film they are processing is increasing and they are looking at offering more film for sale ... so there is hope but of course they are one of the last labs to stay open so it might be that they are getting all the closed up labs work
Still got to have hope 🙂

Good to hear and not altogether surprising.

The film classes at our community college (credit courses) are full quarter after quarter, and being an instructor on the continuing ed classes, I hear that is occurring on many campus'.

I teach a "manage your digital photos" class and am finding people getting tired of the complexity of digital. Even those with simple P&S.

I buy and sell film camera's on eBay and find prices rising. Interesting though that many of my cameras are going to the Pacific Rim countries and Europe. Sold a near mint Toyo 45CF a few weeks ago to a fellow in the Russian Federation. Prices seem steady and some going up on well done auctions, mostly in MF and Large Format.

This is all encouraging, and I will repeat my often spoken phrase.

"Looking forward to when the bomb drops, and the Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) wipes out all digital cameras, computers, cell phones and hand held devices!"