In Praise of Ilford UK Processing

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kennethcooke

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I must give praise where praise is due. I have had 6 rolls of film processed by Ilford using their pre paid envelopes during this summer. 5 FP4 and 1 HP5 and the results have been really exemplary. They were all taken using the manufacturers recommended asa setting dialed into the back of my M6's. OK they take about 10 days to come back but that is good practice for my patience and it is about the same time span as Kodachrome 64.
 

Chaplain Jeff

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Cool.

Where'd you get the envelopes? I'm at a place where there is no local developing and would love to have some stuff processed.

Will they also scan the negs to disc?

Thanks and let me know.

Jeff M
 

Ian Grant

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We were shown the facility on the recent factory tour and saw prints, they really were excellent and the packaging/storage boxes are a real bonus.

Ian
 

Andy K

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I got prints back from a roll of 120 HP5+ today. I have to concur with Kenneth. This is a service I will definitely be using again.
 

pentaxuser

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This is only speculation but having seen the facility at Ilford as have other respondents, I wonder if there is a chicken and egg situation that may be hindering turn around to an extent. Ilford's problem may be that if it invests too much in terms of experienced staff and/or machines to speed up turnaround, it risks losing money.

Once it can be sure of a certain amount of business on a regular basis, it can afford to invest more. I inferred from what Simon Galley said that the service is there to promote the taking and processing of B&W film and prints and provide a service to trad users and not designed to make money. It will never be a big income stream in relation to Ilford's main business streams. However it hardly makes sense for the service to be a drain on revenue.

If I were a busy B&W photog with little time for the processing and printing, I'd have no hesitation in using it. If I had to describe the service in one word it would be PROFESSIONAL.

pentaxuser
 

rossawilson1

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I too wholeheartedly agree.. years ago when I first tried their service the quality really inspired me to keep shooting B&W and eventually to my own.
 

Andy K

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I know Ilford say they'll process other manufacturers' bw films, but will they process something like Maco or Rollei IR?
 

rossawilson1

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I worked in Jessops about 6 years ago, we had the Ilford pre-paid mailers then, my girlfriend who also worked there, started way before I did, is sure that she saw them when she started and that was 10 years ago.

So yes, been around a while..
 

GeoffHill

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The Ilford service was brought in house recently, before then it was outsourced. Got to visit during this years tour, and the people running it seem really keen on providing a really top notch service, and it shows.

They process any B&W film, but they only have one standard developer, If your maco film would be ok in a standard developer, I dont see why not. Why not give them a call, the bloke running the machine was genuinely keen to provide a good service, I'm sure he would help.

10 Days is longer then my experience since the service moved. I posted a film last Saturday, and the came back to me this Saturday.
 

zeta3

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Another processing company I used a few times had small boxes in which you could post the film, for processing to them. When posting from Europe, this made the postage to them much less than a pound but when a film was in a normal envelope, I would pay more than £3 for the postage. Anybody know where I can get such a box?

Yours
Ravi
 

Prest_400

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Too bad I'm living in spain, and the Ilford distributor is in Madrid, I'm living near Barcelona (I believe there are good labs there though). Finding the envelopes seems to be hard, and bit expensive.
But I'm sure that Ilford's service will be better for B&W than any lab 100km from here. I find far more convenient leaving the film on the mail and have it again 10 days after, than go to BCN, leave the film, and return another day.
Edit [you can jump the text below, it's just a film shooter complain about his lab]
The lab where I develop my prints, just sends it to their base and they develop, scan and print digitally that with color, but I believe it's the same for B&W. Which is crap (allow me the expression). I would like to find a nice lab where developing is at least done with something decent for B&W, with enlarger (optically, was it?).
[Complain finishes here]
Let's see if carnival arrives here, and can give an excuse for try Ilford film. I hope HP5 will do enough at asa 400
I wish to get a darkroom someday (student, so I'm poor ATM), because the local lab makes you pay double for push process any film (so 24€ per 36exp roll at 4x6" prints). And, I find interesting the DIY way.
Ah bad, I ended making a complaining post, not a praise.
 

phc

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Interesting. I'm in Spain too and, although I'm pretty happy with the lab I use in Valencia, I'm always interested in a better alternative.

Does anyone have experience of the Ilford service with Kodak films? Specifically Tri-X (sometimes pushed) and TMZ (also sometimes pushed)? I don't need prints, but reasonable scans of each frame on CD. Or maybe even downloadable? Now THAT would be very useful...

Cheers, Paul.
 
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