Buying & Developing Film While Traveling in Europe

wak · Nov 4, 2021

I am planning an extended trip (6-8 months) around Europe next year. My starting country will most likely be Germany, the other countries will be determined while I'm in Europe. My main camera will be film based, using 120 Ilford Delta 100 and 400 film, and maybe some XP2 and Delta 3200. I would appreciate some help with the following questions:

a) While I plan on bringing some rolls of film with me from the US, I am hoping to be able to purchase additional rolls of film in Europe. Although I may be lucky in some cities and find film locally, I'm wondering which online sources for film purchase people would recommend?

b) Has anybody purchased film online while in Europe and have it shipped to an address that isn't their home address? I'm asking because I know some online retailer only ship to the address on file with the credit card company (or Paypal).

c) I would also like my film to be developed while I'm traveling. Any pointers to good online film development labs? They would have to have reasonably fast turnaround times; I think I can work with anything under 2 weeks.

Thanks,
Wilfried.

AgX · Nov 4, 2021

How does an online film development lab work?

wak · Nov 4, 2021

What I meant is a lab that has a web site to create a work order incl. payment info, send the film to them, and get the negatives sent back. Hopefully that makes it a bit clearer

AgX · Nov 4, 2021

I very much doubt that there is still a commercial film lab in Europe that got no website, so you won't miss anything by only considering those that you can find on the net.

The situation in Europe, especially Germany was marked by industrial labs serving the amateur market, and small labs doing dedicated work for commercial photographers only. Thus the number of labs was relatively small.

UweT · Nov 5, 2021

Are you talking about 135 film? Easy to find st most drugstores in Germany (Kodak color, mostly). Look for chains "Rossmann" or "DM". They also will develop those films. Turnaround should be less than two weeks.
Each major city will have at least one or two photogray shops which still carry rolls of film, too.

If you re thinking about 120 film, sheet film and/or black and white...let me know. I'll set you up

removed account4 · Nov 5, 2021

There is a website ( Ilford? Emulsive? ) that has a listing of photo labs worldwide .. maybe it can help…
If you are in eastern France, there might be a little camera shop in Belfort on a street corner ( I think its called Labo Express ), they used to sell film and chemistry, if they are still around maybe they can lend a hand.

halfaman · Nov 5, 2021

a) It turns out that right now there are some very nice reccomendations here:
Good News | Photrio.com Photography Forums

b)There is no problem with any of the European online shops I know to have different billing and shipment addresses in an order.

c) Sent to a lab to develop B/W film...? I would not do that. B/W development is a very personal thing, I don't think a commercial lab is the way to go.

Craig75 · Nov 5, 2021

if you are starting in germany then a trip to the lovely people at fotoimpex in berlin would seem to be the order of the day

https://www.fotoimpex.com/

wak · Nov 5, 2021

UweT said:
Are you talking about 135 film? Easy to find st most drugstores in Germany (Kodak color, mostly). Look for chains "Rossmann" or "DM". They also will develop those films. Turnaround should be less than two weeks.
Each major city will have at least one or two photogray shops which still carry rolls of film, too.

If you re thinking about 120 film, sheet film and/or black and white...let me know. I'll set you up

I'll be shooting 120 black & white film

spijker · Nov 6, 2021

Since you don't know where you'll be going, I think your best option is to bring a development tank, a graduate, a funnel, a thermometer and a maybe a change bag along in your luggage. Bring it from home or buy it in Germany. Buy multiple bags powder developer and fixer for 1 liter each so you can easily bring that along while traveling. Adox XT-3 would be a good option as it can be shipped/carried by plane and mixes easily. Fotoimpex does ship to a different address than your credit card address. I did that a few weeks ago. Stop can easily be mixed (1+1) from the common 4% household vinegar. Bottles can be reused soda bottles. Fotoimpex ships throughout Europe so you can order more when you run out. You can also do your homework and plan to be in cities every so often where there's either a lab or a photo store that sells chemicals. If you have a better idea which countries/cities you may go to, then ask here again for (online) stores and labs. "Europe" is too generic. I have bought Delta 100/400 film on trips in several cities in Germany, Prague Czech rep., Valencia Spain, Rotterdam Netherlands. I can give you names & addresses if interested. Haven't done development there though.

If you wand to rely on local labs for development then you may want to switch to XP4 entirely as C41 is the most common process for labs. But 120 may still be a problem for some labs.

AgX · Nov 7, 2021

In the recent past Europe's major industrial finisher Cewe offered to develop b&w type 120 film. In this case you could just drop it at a local drugstore (who works with Cewe, but there are not many finishers left in Europe) and take the developed film back from the drugstore after some days. However the influx of photos on film got so low, that Cewe does not even mention film processing at their website... You would have to contact them at their german address and ask.

There still are some dedicated labs, typically in bigger cities, that process b&w film. You can bring in or send in film to them.

petrk · Nov 7, 2021

wak said:
b) Has anybody purchased film online while in Europe and have it shipped to an address that isn't their home address? I'm asking because I know some online retailer only ship to the address on file with the credit card company (or Paypal).

I believe you can change the Paypal address for individual transaction.

abruzzi · Nov 8, 2021

If I were going to develop B&W on the road, I'd use one-shot concentrates--Rodinal, HC-110, PyrocatHD--just for ease of storage and transport. But of course that precludes flying since most are going to exceed the max quantity of liquids (in the US its 3.4oz/100ml I believe, not sure about Europe--actually, I believe the PF PyrocatHD in Glycol premixed is a pair of 100ml containers, so that might be fly-able.) That would also require that you buy once you arrive. Personnally, I'd only do that for B&W, color I'd send it to a local lab. The biggest challenge for me would be to avoid flights that may not allow hand checks (and the new CT scanners.)

eatfrog · Nov 9, 2021

abruzzi said:
But of course that precludes flying since most are going to exceed the max quantity of liquids (in the US its 3.4oz/100ml I believe, not sure about Europe--actually.

The biggest challenge for me would be to avoid flights that may not allow hand checks (and the new CT scanners.)

The max quantity of liquids is for carry on luggage, you can check in whatever amount you want. But it is going to be very very cold in the cargo hold.

Yes, the CT-scanners are now very common, and I would not trust being able to request a hand check.

AgX · Nov 9, 2021

The luggage bay is climatized too.

Freezing aside, the temperature critical concentrates seem to need prolonged periods of low temperature to show precipitation.

MattiS · Nov 9, 2021

Rossmann and DM will develop your 120 film even if there is no hint on their website, film bags etc. But they process it in batches so it will need more time in comparison to 135 film.

There are not too many places left where you can get film (especially 120) locally so ordering at e.g. Fotoimpex or Macodirect should work more reliable. Purchasing stuff here should be more comfortable than carrying it from the US to Europe, especially when it comes to liquid developers etc. An if you are nearby you´re Welcome to my darkroom, too.

p81 · Nov 9, 2021

digitfoto.de is the cheapest retailer for film and will send to specific address or „Packstation“ of DHL.
Filmlabs are a handful left only.
Maybe someone in the area can support you. Give me a note if you are in the area of Freising.

swchris · Nov 9, 2021

Don't overthink it. About how many rolls of film are we talking about, what's your estimate?

Just bring them back and develop at home. Or are you afraid of the x-ray at the airport? In my experience I've never saw fogging on films <= 400 ASA. (For Delta3200 I requested manual checks.)

AgX · Nov 9, 2021

You missed our endless discussion on new, not-filmsafe X-raying technology applied at air-travel luggage and maybe elsewhere.

perkeleellinen · Nov 9, 2021

I think the film distribution and development industry online is fairly well developed (!) in at least Western Europe. If you're starting in Germany, it will be simple to get an online retailer to post to your hotel address. I'd probably wait until the end and get all the rolls developed in one go, perhaps the lab you chose could be contacted in advance regarding turnaround times. Members here could probably recommend one.

abruzzi · Nov 9, 2021

eatfrog said:
The max quantity of liquids is for carry on luggage, you can check in whatever amount you want. But it is going to be very very cold in the cargo hold.

good point, I haven't checked bags in over 30 years, so the carry-on rules apply to all my luggage.

Ai Print · Nov 10, 2021

I am in week 6 of an 8 week project in the Faroe Islands and I did manage to locate a few labs nearby if I felt like sending my film their way. So one I have to toss in the ring for Wilfred would be CPH Silverlab in Copenhagen. The owner Andreas Olesen was very responsive and said by October 4th he would have dip and dunk online so he could handle reasonable capacity of black and white.

If I were the OP and going for 6-8 months and wanted my film souped abroad, I would setup an arrangement with a couple of labs like this. I did exactly that on a 10 month round the world journey that saw me shooting all 35mm transparency. Now, that is the lab end so he will still have to figure out how to orchestrate getting film to his various locations. With particular consideration of 120 film (they can look like little fireworks to the unaware), I would avoid taking more than 20 rolls through any airport though and even then, there is no assurance of a hand check, especially now that travel is ramping back up. On the lab end, another option would be a combo of shipping most home but occasionally running a roll or two in order to make sure the gear is still operating correctly.

As for me, I am about 208 rolls into the 360 I had shipped and with the weather have slowed my pace a bit. I am shipping all my film, exposed and unexposed back home in roughly the same fashion it got here in and that is high priced fast shipping that any international shipment of film purchased abroad would use and that is FedEx and DHL. I’m feeling pretty good about it overall but I will feel better once I run that first test roll of ISO 400.

Buying & Developing Film While Traveling in Europe

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