They do from 35mm to 8x10. Their large format scans are super affordable and they use a Creo to scan the sheets. They do contact sheets, they'll scan 35mm with film borders in the Frontier, they do custom darkroom printing and they do Piezography prints.
Dip and dunk has it's problems too. I've had 8x10 and 4x5 sheets with sky-area mottling, I've had frames with clip marks punched through them. One lab which I won't name did not check their levels and part of the film was not fully submerged.
Desmolicious wrote:
theDarkroom would be my guess. They messed up my film a few times and I have no problem calling them out for it.
I’ve actually never used them! So, not the darkroom. And overall I did not feel that my one bad experience was indicative of their work. Shit happens. If it ‘keeps’ happening, you move on to a different shop. That’s just my perspective.
I agree that labs should be identified for the quality of their work. If someone had a good experience or a bad experience, that's useful information for the rest of us. It serves no purpose to protect a bad lab by not saying their name out loud.
I would use Northeast again, to be fair. Most of what I shoot is purely for fun and the marks from the roller transport won't matter. Regarding scans, the tiffs that they sent me are what sets them apart from my local lab. If all I need is jpegs, that distinguishing factor kinda goes away.
I am still interested in trying other labs however.
Not surprised! There really is so much interest in film these days. It's not a fad, it's just a preferable workflow for some users, among so many other reasons.
I started to use The Darkroom since I moved back to California. The turnaround time is pretty quick. It was like 2 days to arrive at their lab, 2 days (sometimes even 1 day) for processing, and another 2 days getting back to me. I only use developing only. One thing I did not really like is that they cut your negatives into 4 frames, so you usually need two sleeves if you store your negatives in the archival binders. If you choose not to cut your negatives, it's another $2. In my previous lab, things were reversed. They gave your negatives back uncut by default and cut for $2....
If some one suggests a Mail-in Lab that does not cut negatives by default and has similar quality and turnaround time like The Darkroom, I am very happy to try.
cypressblend wrote:
I started to use The Darkroom since I moved back to California. The turnaround time is pretty quick. It was like 2 days to arrive at their lab, 2 days (sometimes even 1 day) for processing, and another 2 days getting back to me. I only use developing only. One thing I did not really like is that they cut your negatives into 4 frames, so you usually need two sleeves if you store your negatives in the archival binders. If you choose not to cut your negatives, it's another $2. In my previous lab, things were reversed. They gave your negatives back uncut by default and cut for $2....
If some one suggests a Mail-in Lab that does not cut negatives by default and has similar quality and turnaround time like The Darkroom, I am very happy to try. ...Show more →
I see you're in Davis, CA? Close to Sacramento? Mike's Camera in Sac does an excellent job and I think they may do mail in too.
Thanks for the recommendation! Have you had experience with Mike's before? That was also my first choice when I moved here, but my local film club told me to avoid it because they may scratch your negatives and have a slower speed and worse quality for processing.
Desmolicious wrote:
I see you're in Davis, CA? Close to Sacramento? Mike's Camera in Sac does an excellent job and I think they may do mail in too.
cypressblend wrote:
Thanks for the recommendation! Have you had experience with Mike's before? That was also my first choice when I moved here, but my local film club told me to avoid it because they may scratch your negatives and have a slower speed and worse quality for processing.
When I lived in mid town Sac I was their most regular film customer! They developed dozens of rolls of film for me. I was very happy with them.
Gotta try them sometime! I went to their store to check the Zf and A7CR a few months ago. Their staff were absolutely friendly and great.
Desmolicious wrote:
When I lived in mid town Sac I was their most regular film customer! They developed dozens of rolls of film for me. I was very happy with them.
Wanted to bump this thread and let folks know that Photographique in Dallas is doing mail in now! They have two locations, but you mail to the Canton location.
Desmolicious wrote:
When I lived in mid town Sac I was their most regular film customer! They developed dozens of rolls of film for me. I was very happy with them.
We have been considering relocating to midtown and stopped by Mike’s when we were visiting this summer. Good to know! Thanks!
I recommend The Icon in Los Angeles and Citizens Photo in Portland.
I scan at home with a mirrorless camera so I am happy sending film to these labs primarily based on their pricing for development only. Cheers!
