B&W film and lab in Auckland?

[samcomet]

Friends - I'm travelling to NZ in a week and am looking for a B&W supplier in Auckland, specifically Ilford/Kodak 3200 35mm stock. Also possibly need a lab for same...process & proof....any thoughts? thanks and cheers, sam

 

[nick mulder]

PCL - Newton store ex 'labtec' is my choice for proce$$ing... They should have film, or can get it in - but of not try Photo Warehou$e or the grumps at Auckland Camera ($)

 

[vdonovan]

PCL was the only place I could find 120 Tri-X in Auckland

 

[mdm]

Not shure that you will get such a fast film easily in NZ, but I could be wrong, have never tried myself. May I ask what you plan to use it for?

David

 

[nick mulder]

the 3200 is around ...

 

[Stephen Frizza]

Im sorry i think im confused how much does it cost to get film processed in NZ? surely not $15 a sheet for 4x5" and surely not $20 dollars a roll for roll film cut and sleeve? that's almost triple the cost here in Australia! can someone clarify?

 

[zk-cessnaguy]

Ilford Delta 3200 was in stock last time I was in Photo Warehouse in Grey Lynn.

 

[nick mulder]

Im sorry i think im confused how much does it cost to get film processed in NZ? surely not $15 a sheet for 4x5" and surely not $20 dollars a roll for roll film cut and sleeve? that's almost triple the cost here in Australia! can someone clarify?

Notice the dollar $ign$ I u$ed in my fir$t po$t ?

 

[Stephen Frizza]

Notice the dollar $ign$ I u$ed in my fir$t po$t ?

yes i did notice but im still in shock, doesn't this just kill the desire for people to use the material there? I mean if the price dropped more people might shoot on it and they would make more money from more film processing...etc a see saw so to speak.... hmm its none of my business. but still WOW!!!

 

[vdonovan]

My impression when I was in Auckland last year is that amateur and tourist photography is 99.99999% digital. I think only a few pros are still using film in any volume. I attended a meeting of the Auckland Photographic Society and all of the work shown was digital, there was no discussion of film at all!

I think small markets like New Zealand have a problem in when once the tourist film market collapsed, distribution collapsed along with it, so both supply and demand are decreasing, leading to an increase in prices. The increase in prices, as a previous poster mentioned, will only result in less film use.

 

[samcomet]

Thanks a bunch everyone for your ideas. I feel confidant now that I can get what I need and not have to run the risk of bag nazis at the airport. ISO 3200 going thru a scanner is not my idea of a fun time! Even with a barium lined bag and a request to hand check I still the usual arguments about "film safe" x rays.

BTW David (mdm above) who asked why...I shoot a lot at night on the streets (think Brassai/Paris nights or some of Gene Smith's NYC in the 60's) but rather than long exposures to make anything that moves disappear I like to see people.

Again friends thank you very much for you collective ideas! cheers for now, sam

 

[nick mulder]

..... aaaaand - I'm not even allowed to buy the constituent chemicals to make my own soups from local chemical suppliers because I have to be a company that has a kind of police check/veto done on me !

But ... all the supplies, save wet plate collodion (bomb making materials apparently :rolleyes can be ordered from the many web shops - even with fedex shipping charges added on top it is still cheaper - the NZ economy just gets nothing ...

The perfectly retarded-shit storm of negative feedback ensues - photo store sales people explain upon being asked if they can stock so and so chemical - say D76, or something rare like you know fixer (the non rapid kind for pyro to be exact) - the grumpy old men at Auckland Camera come up with the line 'oh, no one shoots film anymore' (I sometimes think I shouldn't be so personal, but really aside from some of the younger guys that store is an unpleasant environment) - meanwhile they are selling Arcbodys on the local auction website and there is film on the shelf behind them ... bless ! They must make their money on the ubiquitous pile of 'must-have' digi/analog transcendent accessories on offer, plastic filters, bags, micro-transformer-tripods, lens cleaner kits...

We have students and Holga et al. to be thankful for to keep film on the shelves. So between students, the aforementioned lomo/holga types and serious weirdos there seems to be nothing...

Try out doozys like 'Ilford doesn't make film anymore, our current stocks are the end run' this from labtec, which is now the PCL you'll be working with ... Again, if anyone from PCL is reading this, I like your lab! and have had a lot of help and perfect processing done there, but that line did come from one of your employees ...

Anyways, I have made myself completely independent as a result - I can do all the processes I'm interested in (save WPC) without one visit to these stores which in %80 of cases is futile. I'm thinking of offering a not-much-of-a-guarantee E6/B&W processing service at much less cost to students myself...

Anyway rant almost over - except to mention the irony or (?) being that APUG itself is based in New Zealand

Fish, chips and valium anyone ? :munch:

 

[Craig Swensson]

not bad as rants go Nick, one thing missed - so many of these small
` business' people are sooo busy complaining bout govment[and brothers] they got no time for customers needs and some extra cashflow. I don`t even bother being polite anymore.

 

[nick mulder]

As my mate calls it...

The "I'm trying to give you money" syndrome

 

[Sean]

or the grumps at Auckland Camera ($)

That made me laugh for reasons I won't get into

 

[P C Headland]

Good rant

I get the impression that we have it relatively good down here in Wellington, particularly with WPS. you can have a good long chat with most of them there about 6x12, 4x5, folders, etc. They're pretty well stocked with film, at least in 35mm & 120.

Well, apart from my last roll (220) of Astia souped at Imagelab costing NZ$22.00 to get processed

 

[zk-cessnaguy]

@nick mulder. It's so, so true. I'm in Auckland and can relate to all of that. I'm just glad I get to Christchurch regularly... Photo and Video International is still as good as they ever were and really put Auckland to shame.

 

[Shan Ren]

I was in Auckland last year, part of a short trip to New Zealand and Australia. Someone at Auckland Camera told me that "it was time to join the real world" or similar such words when I asked for 120 film after I had run unexpectedly short ...... The young New Zealand photographer who was my assistant on the trip laughed when I told him. Apparently I was not the only one to get this sort of reception. We picked extra film up from a place I assume was LabTech/PCL on his suggestion. They also did some of my processing for me, them and a lab in Wellington (Image Lab?) that seemed to be run by a very unhappy, grumpy guy. Both places did good processing, (c41, e6) clean, scratch free.

I have used the Christchurch Photo and Video store in the past (three/four years ago) very good.

 

[nick mulder]

... I used to go in there just to stare stare at cameras, learned a bit, had chats with this one guy who became my 'go to guy' etc... As you all probably know shops can be be very social places, gathering points for a community - I get the feeling like they'd say "doesn't sound like much of business to me!" "we're not here to socialize!" or similar - my point being that occasionally instead of just a chat I'd spot something and buy it - two rare russian 16mm tank processors come to mind ...

I now drive past it without even looking at the building, its just too much of a investment in time and eye rolling ("it's time to join the real world"). I'd much prefer to go and have a chat with the guys at Progear in Newmarket, whilst realistic about expectations of the digi/analog professionals they are not only respectful but also passionate or at least interested in older gear and processes ... Hours! I've spent hours in there noodling though piles of gear in the back rooms, they've just left me to it. And yes, I do buy things.

Anyhoos, sometimes I think that maybe I just had a couple of bad experiences in Auckland Camera and it's tainted my expectation so in following visits the interaction were bound to go badly, maybe I was looking for excuses to avoid a mutual unhappiness about the state of analog photography and put blame where it wasn't due... I wonder if in not going there anymore I'm a part of the "oh no one shoots film anymore" attitude ? If I don't go in anymore how do they know I'm still out here ?

Do they know APUG exists ?

Ha ha - bet I sound like a real sad sack - nothing further from the truth

 

[P C Headland]

Do they know APUG exists ?

WPS certainly do, and they're always quite happy to have a chat about dodgy old cameras that require antiquated film.

 

[ChrisC]

Good rant

I get the impression that we have it relatively good down here in Wellington, particularly with WPS. you can have a good long chat with most of them there about 6x12, 4x5, folders, etc. They're pretty well stocked with film, at least in 35mm & 120.

Well, apart from my last roll (220) of Astia souped at Imagelab costing NZ$22.00 to get processed

I do like WPS, but their prices! $16.90 for a 120 400NC! I can order 10 rolls from B&H, and include the minimum $60usd (!$!$!) shipping rate, and it's the same price as ordering 10 rolls from WPS. It's all economics, but it's just so depressing when you only want/can afford 3 rolls.

I also had a laugh at the "grumpy guy" at Image Lab comment. Pretty sure I know who he is. He really does the place a disservice. There's normally an absolutely lovely lady working the front desk who's a joy to deal with and always smiling. I'm pretty down on them, because my last 4 sheets of C-41 4x5's ended up cross processed, even though they were clearly marked