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Can you recommend a good lab?

Dwaynes Photo is probably the best known mail-order outfit in the US that I know of. They handled the rather monumental task of developing the last of the Kodachrome. Prices are reasonable.

https://dwaynesphoto.com/newsite2006/overview.html

Here locally (Houston, TX) we have an excellent pro lab, Aker Imaging, formerly A-Z Lab. I've used them for E-6 processing and they've always done a top-notch job. Here's their website, but I don't know if they do mail order.

http://www.azphoto.com/
 
Us Based ship to location is actually very high on my radar... Buffalo is the closest or Niagara Falls NY.. I am just wondering how this all would work but I do think it would ease the minds of USA customers.

 

These are my thoughts as well. Many photographers invest a lot of time and thought in trying to make good photos, it only makes sense that the final product, the print, is of high quality.

Even in my case, just getting 5x7 proofs, it's a waste when I spend $30 and get a batch of soft prints when I can see with a Leica MZ6 microscope at 40x that the negatives are tack sharp.

I realize that sharpness isn't everything when admiring a good photo, but there comes a point where excessive softness is distracting.

For me, this issue is a recent phenomenon. Fifteen years ago it seemed you could get good prints just about anywhere.
 
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Another vote for North Coast. I have had excellent results with C41, E6 and b&w from them. Nice scans and prints. Turnaround is about a week, door to door.
 
Bob Carnie said:
Here is a question for all of you.... Would you ship film over international borders???
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I wouldn't because I have no idea if the film would be subject to xrays, what kind etc. For example, the xray machines used at the security inspections that passengers walk through w/ their carry on luggage is much weaker than the x ray machines used to examine checked in luggage. Most airlines state not to put unexposed film in checked in baggage.
Directly shipping film - does it get xrayed by customs/security? And with what?
 
I understand this worry, I am hoping that between our two country's a solution for legitimate vendors to be able to work together without some of the extreme
measures at the border.

from personal experience - we were sent back at the Detroit border for not having the correct paper work for a museum show we were personally delivering.
Now I will admit we probably met the wrong guy at the wrong time but no matter what I produced we were not welcome.
I have thought about a Buffalo retail location, but I think until something is fixed at the border then I have a problem with material coming back and forth.




 
Mackinaw said:
The Darkroom is terrible. They lost my negatives.

Jim B.
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I've got to agree. The processing is OK, but they cut 35mm negs into strips of four frames and stick them into opaque paper selves. When I asked if they could make six-frame strips and place them in Print Files, they said they could not do custom work. Very unprofessional.
 
Theo Sulphate said:
Sorry, forgot to mention that: U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Hmmm - in light of a recent other thread, do I need to worry about the undeveloped film being X-rayed in shipping?
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There’s a lab just over the bridge from you in tacoma called speedy, but i haven’t used them yet- and Portland Has Citizens, pro photo, blue moon and a couple other places, they are all good.
 
I have yet to find a lab that I've been happy with in the long run. I've used two in San Francisco and one in LA and decided I'd rather mess up my film myself for free
 
I can recommend Livingston Camera in Livingston, NJ.
 

The Darkroom in San Clemente,CA has performed flawlessly for me, with 4x5 color negative processing. No experience with prints though. Haven't been able to raise a response from Citizen's in Portland.
 
Samy's Camera has been doing my C41 film processing for decades.
 
In the past I’ve used Photrio member @Adrian Bacon and been very happy with his work. He does DSLR scans, inverts them, and provides raw files on the digital side, and returns the negatives any way you like. I’ve never tried his printing, so I can’t comment on that:

Film Processing | Simple Photography Services

We handle Disposable Cameras, C-41, E-6, and B&W film in 35mm, 120, and 4x5 sheet film here. If you have custom types or sizes, please contact us for service.
www.simplephotographyservices.com
 
Huss said:
What's your point of reference? I found them to be garbage and switched to other labs.
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My "point of reference" is that I've been using them for years with absolutely no problems. I send them 35 mm and 120mm, plus have them do enlargements of certain negatives; all of which they process faultlessly. I haven't tried other labs for the simple reason I don't need to.
 

So, no point of reference. I've used them and their quality is very poor compared to other labs that I have used. As well as not making things right when they screw up.
 

RE: Toronto: there is not a single reliable professional film lab in this enormous city! I do hear good things about Borealis in Montreal but I haven't tried them personally.

And for the OP: if you are willing to ship outside the United States - in my experience Canadian Film Lab in BC does a very nice job.
 
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