Film, chemicals and camera repairs for Australia

Wyno · Jul 11, 2023

I've been off the forum for quite a few years now and I have a question. Does anyone know of a photolab in Australia that will process 8x10 E6, specifically Fuji Provia 100?

Wyno · Jul 11, 2023

I've been away from the forum for a few years and have a question. I have a 20 sheet box of 8x10 Fuji Provia 100 and I need to know, is there anywhere in Australia that still processes 8x10 E6 sheet film?

Romanko · Jul 12, 2023

Wyno said:
I've been away from the forum for a few years and have a question. I have a 20 sheet box of 8x10 Fuji Provia 100 and I need to know, is there anywhere in Australia that still processes 8x10 E6 sheet film?

I don't know of any lab that does large format E6. Try Large Format Photography Australia forum (https://forum.largeformatphotography.com.au/) or contact good labs like Rewind or suppliers like Photo Resource maybe they can help.

Molli · Jul 12, 2023

Hi Wyno,
If youre okay with shipping film off to Sydney, Vision Image Lab still does E6 processing of 8x10 film. Twenty dollars a pop - no personal experience to know if that's a good price or not, but here's the link to their service:

8x10in Film Processing Transparency (E6) and Colour Negative (C41) - Vision Image Lab

visionimagelab.com.au

I hope that helps.

Bond Imaging in Richmond, Victoria used to as well but the only thing I can find about it now is that it went into administration in 2017 after moving to Port Melbourne in 2016.

Wyno · Jul 12, 2023

Thanks Romanko. Thanks Molli. I used to use Bonds from 1983 till around 2006. I know that they merged with Edge photography and I got their price list yesterday and there are no film based services in it, so it looks as though I might have to try Vision Lab. Is that the one that's run by Stephen Frizza?

Romanko · Jul 12, 2023

Wyno said:
Is that the one that's run by Stephen Frizza?

Stephen runs Rewind Photo Lab. They are also in Alexandria.

Molli said:
Vision Image Lab still does E6 processing of 8x10 film

Thanks Molli.

Romanko · Jan 7, 2024

Romanko said:
I got my Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 532/16 back from Camera Fix in Sydney.

Update: I checked my camera and the focus is as stiff as it was before the CLA. This is only 6 months after it was serviced. I used the camera just once. I emailed Camera Fix and unsurprisingly got no reply. I am not sure what I can do it this situation. I might convince them to service it again but there is little hope they will do a better job. I would like to get a refund but I doubt this is feasible. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Romanko · Jan 8, 2024

Update: Irene, camera specialist from Camera Fix, replied to my email:

"
We can assure you that our technician followed the appropriate procedure to repair your release mechanism. We also find it very common that when customers who have vintage film cameras leave their cameras sitting idle for months on end, problems can occur and stiffness can re-emerge.
"

The problem was with the focus mechanism rather than the shutter release. The camera was idle for about three or four months.

I am not sure how to interpret this reply but they do not appear very enthusiastic to inspect the camera and offer warranty repairs. I am wondering if I should get the camera inspected by a trustworthy repairer and forward them the report. Or just give up on Camera Fix altogether and repair my Super Ikonta myself following Chris Sherlock's video.

It also looks like I an not the first customer experiencing this "very common" issue.

The posts in this thread suggesting that the best camera service in Australia is B&H are not very encouraging either.

john_s · Jan 11, 2024

I have a Rolleiflex SL66 lens that has a dysfunctional aperture. Does anyone have a suggestion for a service person in Australia? I realise that if parts are required I'm probably out of luck, but it might just be a linkage or something like that.

Romanko · Jan 11, 2024

These days my preferences are:
1) Do it yourself;
2) Send it overseas for repairs;
3) Buy a replacement;
4) Find someone in Australia. Repeat step 4 until your unit is fixed.

P C Headland · Jan 12, 2024

Romanko said:
.....

I am wondering if I should get the camera inspected by a trustworthy repairer and forward them the report. Or just give up on Camera Fix altogether and repair my Super Ikonta myself following Chris Sherlock's video.

....

I fixed mine using Chris's videos (and a couple of others, but his are really clear and well narrated) - it's not that intimidating and there's a certain sense of satisfaction fixing it yourself. Watch some of his other videos too, it'll give you some confidence.

With that under my belt I then fixed a sticky shutter on my YashicaMat LM and stiff focus on an Agifold.

Romanko · Jan 12, 2024

P C Headland said:
there's a certain sense of satisfaction fixing it yourself

I fixed a few lenses and know the feeling. Yet, I'd prefer someone like Chris to work on my cameras so that I have more time using them.

john_s · Jan 12, 2024

Romanko said:
These days my preferences are:
1) Do it yourself;
2) Send it overseas for repairs;
3) Buy a replacement;
4) Find someone in Australia. Repeat step 4 until your unit is fixed.

This is the answer I was expecting. I do have a replacement: it just seemed a shame to have an unusable Carl Zeiss lens with pristine glass as a paperweight. I will try option 1) as its value is not particularly high and if sent overseas it still might be unrepairable due to absence of spare parts. If the worse comes to the worst, parts of it can make a handy magnifying glass.

Film, chemicals and camera repairs for Australia

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