Talking business with a mom & pop camera store in Tokyo...

shimokita

shimokita

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As the title said, I recently talked to the owner of a local small business where I have had my film developed for years. It seems that in 2019 the major labs (Fujifilm & Kodak) will no longer provide development 'pick-up-service' at his shop. He lost his development equipment a few years ago and best case scenario his shop becomes a mail order service... the owner was not optimistic.

Many locations around the world have been using mail order development for years and I am sure the "big volume" camera shops in Tokyo will not suffer... although even the big two (Y / B) have reduced camera foot print and disappearing film / film service areas.

The family run shop has been great to me and I hate to see their business fail...

Casey
 
Not much different in Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh City -a city with +9 million inhabitants, almost all the shops sold their development machines around 2010. Even though there is a film revival, it cannot sustain more than a handful of small businesses owned by analogue enthusiasts.
 
I would start my own b&w development except that once I got started it would be my luck there we would have a discontinuance of chemical availability... in any case, I don't give up shooting film ; )
 
shimokita said:
I would start my own b&w development except that once I got started it would be my luck there we would have a discontinuance of chemical availability... in any case, I don't give up shooting film ; )
Click to expand...

There is no reason at all why there should be a 'discontinuance of chemical availability'. In the last years the number of photo chemistry products, especially developers, has increased.
A good source in Japan:

http://silversalt.jp/
http://www.silversalt.jp/index.php?main_page=index&language=en&zenid=1glsjp9cs3augsk79vlphmnj25
They also offer workshops for beginners in film photography and developing.
They are located in Tokyo, perfect for you.
 
One hour or in house labs died here about 7~8 years ago. I live in the south Puget Sound area of Washington. There is a business that still advertises film developing in house about 30 miles away but I haven't made the trip north along the I-5 parking lot. Burning $7 of gas and 2 hours of my life on a 60 mile round trip just doesn't seem worth it. So, I no longer shoot color neg and just stick to B&W that I can easily do at home. (Which I have for the last 50 years anyway.)
 
Where might be discontinuation of c-41 developer from Telenal. But even c-41 is not very special in aviability of components.

I think one of the reasons for film is going kaput is in developing and scanning. Too much time for these days... Waiting or doing something long is not trendy.
It must be instant. Instax and Insta rules.

I even switched to 10MP in camera jpeg1 to skip processing 🙂.
 
zuiko85 said:
So, I no longer shoot color neg and just stick to B&W that I can easily do at home. (Which I have for the last 50 years anyway.)
Click to expand...

Both C41 and E6 can be easily run at home. To get perfect results with color film at home is even easier than BW, because C41 and E6 are standardised processes.
There is no film-developer testing procedure necessary as with BW film to get optimal results.
Color at home is also very cheap.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
What a heck are you talking about?

Telenal 1L kits are sold on BH for many years.
Always available.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/109267-REG/Tetenal_T109306_C_41_Press_Kit_for.html
Click to expand...

They have been not been available in the past for a certain time (only the 2,5L kit). They have come back recently. The E6 1L kit will come back next year.

Ko.Fe. said:
But Telenal ... https://studioc41.net/2018/12/05/tetenal-is-in-trouble-they-need-your-help/
Click to expand...

Their name is Tetenal.
I know this podcast. Unfortunately often very superficial content, including misinformation. Photo chemistry has always been profitable at Tetenal. Their digital business mainly has caused the current problems. So the chemistry production will definitely be continued.
 
Skiff said:
They have been not been available in the past for a certain time (only the 2,5L kit). They have come back recently. The E6 1L kit will come back next year.



Their name is Tetenal.
I know this podcast. Unfortunately often very superficial content, including misinformation. Photo chemistry has always been profitable at Tetenal. Their digital business mainly has caused the current problems. So the chemistry production will definitely be continued.
Click to expand...

Telenal Press Kit 1 Liter is available for years from BH. I had it. I was watching it for years. Then for some reason they switched to in house only. But it is available as 1L kit as long as I remember from BH.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
shimokita said:
As the title said, I recently talked to the owner of a local small business where I have had my film developed for years. It seems that in 2019 the major labs (Fujifilm & Kodak) will no longer provide development 'pick-up-service' at his shop. He lost his development equipment a few years ago and best case scenario his shop becomes a mail order service... the owner was not optimistic.

Many locations around the world have been using mail order development for years and I am sure the "big volume" camera shops in Tokyo will not suffer... although even the big two (Y / B) have reduced camera foot print and disappearing film / film service areas.

The family run shop has been great to me and I hate to see their business fail...

Casey
Click to expand...


So many little labs have gone this way over the past 10 years, and always the same kind of feeling inside the shop: older photo processing equipment sitting there turned off for the past several years, older gentleman and possibly his wife behind the curtain in the back room, or upstairs in the their residence, a little case with some of his old pro gear, and a fading attempt to sell a now obsolete digital camera, maybe a Fujifilm cosmetics display with some face cream etc...



As they say in Japan, 時代の流れで、仕方ないね


But I guess some people can find their niche in these situations. This guy has a great little film processing business in Tokyo with mail order, and great prices. Ive used him a fair amount for color film processing:


https://flash99.co.jp/
 
WJJ3 said:
As they say in Japan, 時代の流れで、仕方ないね
Click to expand...

It was never about the price... one part is about community and working with an individual who truly loves photography. We chat about recent photo trips or shoot the breeze about equipment... they do a good job with in-house enlargements and more than once helped me out when I did something stupid. They down sized about ten years ago but every time I am in the shop there is one or two other customers.

They have my business as long as they don't shutter the place.

Casey
 
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