Is having B&W developed expensive everywhere?

[John Kasaian]

I founbd my long lost Olympus Stylus in the pocket of my ski parka the other day. It had a roll of exposed film in it so I took the film to a local camera store---not the cheapest place on the planet but they do a good job. The cost to develop and print one 36 exposure roll of B&W 35mm film was $18---is this a sign of the times? If so I might as well soup my own 35mm as well. Is it this expensive where others live? Or is film being "discouraged" in my neck of the woods?

 

[Akki14]

Yup, B&W tends to be expensive everywhere. Seems to be £10-£15 a roll here. It's because they don't have a dedicated B&W machine so they have to do it by hand usually, either dip&dunk or small tanks just like you'd do at home. This is time intensive compared to standardised c-41 processing so they charge accordingly.

 

[Ian Grant]

Yes, because virtually all the machine process B&W lines disappeared a few years ago, so it's mainly hand processed. I'd guess there are still the odd neg processing lines out there, but the printers ? I doubt it. Although it's not rocket science to resurrect B&W machine printing.

Ian

 

[Ralf]

I'm currently in Spain and given that everything here seems to be digital these days, I was surprised to find out they'd develop by hand B&W 35mm/127/120-220 for EUR 4,90 (US $7, £3.66) a roll. Push development costs 1 Euro more.

(Not including prints, of course.)

 

[Pinholemaster]

It all sounds pretty cheap to me consider that our times is the most important commodity we are given. I'd rather be making pictures then standing in a darkroom agitating a developing tank.

 

[zenrhino]

It's about 30 cents a roll if I use HC-110 in my Jobo.

 

[Uncle Bill]

It's about $20 CAD in my part of the world. That's why I have been doing it myself since 2006 and I have not looked back.

 

[removed account4]

hi john

sam's club/ walmart sends out to fuji who sends out to dwayne's in kansas.
when i have black and white done at sam's it comes out to about 7-8$/ roll.
i have had a bunch of film done there, and can't complain ...
i would rather have it done locally, but locally i would be broke before the end of the day.

YMMV

john

 

[Ian Grant]

You'd be surprised who sends what out and to who

Back in the late 70's a new pro-Lab opened near where I had my company/darkrooms, I'd take in E6 or very occasionally C41 for processing and see photographer friends with their B&W films, I never told them we were processing and printing their B&W work. The lab gave a 24 hr turnaround on films and 48 hrs for prints, that suited us we didn't want the hassle of dealing with individual customers, but had slack darkroom time.

Ian

 

[Jon Shiu]

Hi, I noticed that freestyle has b&w developing mailers for $21, and Ilford (Harman) has similar price in the UK.

Jon

 

[Stephen Frizza]

I hand process in any developer you like for 9 dollars a roll.
or 5 dollars a sheet (up to 8x10)

~Steve Frizza
the Lighthouse Lab

 

[thawkins]

B&W processing expenses

Last week Walgreens pharmacy sent off a roll (24 exp) of Tmax 100 for me. In less than five days the negatives and 4x6 prints were back and the charge was a reasonable $8.46. Can't beat that.

Tom

 

[film_guy]

Developing a roll of real B&W film costs over $22 plus taxes over here in Alberta, and it takes over a week to get the negs back. That's why I shoot XP2 Super or BW400CN when I want to do B&W. Much cheaper and faster.

 

[migtex]

Paid 2,60 € yesterday for developing HP5 at FNAC lab in Lisbon. It takes 4 days.
If one want's it, for additional 4€ they scanned onto CD at Base 16 (20x30) size.
The BW400 (C-41) is 2,00€ developed, and it takes 1 hour.

Not bad..

 

[panchro-press]

I just can't imagine turning my B&W film over to a lab, let alone a lab using machine processing.

 

[JBrunner]

The control, flexibility, and cost effectiveness make processing your own B&W a no brainer.

You get to choose your developer, and exactly how the film is processed.

Even if it cost the same, I would still do it myself.

My time involved processing my own pays a much higher dividend than the time "saved"

As a matter of fact, last I checked, it was about $12 a roll here. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to the lab, drop off the film, and get home, and then another 40 to go get the film when it is ready and come home. Probably $4 in gas as well. (Combining the trip with some others can help, of course)

When you do the math, it breaks down like this:

I can easily process 4 rolls of 135 in an hour. My cost is maybe $1.

Therefore I make about $50 an hour processing my own film, vs. paying somebody else. Inital equipment outlay was payed for in less than two sessions, at that rate.

The big benefit is that I can shoot more. $50 bucks buys allot of 135.

On top of that, I do a better job, and am now more comfortable processing my own film, than having somebody else do it (hehehe I said "do it" hhehehe)

Except, of course, Mr Frizza. If you are where he is, you should just have him do it.

 

[Jon Shiu]

I think some people are forgetting to include the 36 4x6 prints? How long would that take in the darkroom?

Jon

 

[JBrunner]

I think some people are forgetting to include the 36 4x6 prints? How long would that take in the darkroom?

Jon

Its a good point, if prints are included. It should be noted that I have no desire to have a print of every negative, rather, I might print one or two of a roll. It should also be noted that a straight print from a scanned b&W neg on color paper has very little in common with a print I might make in my darkroom. It could be useful though, as a sort of expanded "contact sheet".

I think it ultimately depends on what you want to wind up with. If all you want is straight from the negative 4x6 machine printed B&W hybrid prints on color paper, you might as well shoot XP2 and be save the money, unless your hell bent on a particular emulsion. (maybe you want speed, or grain, for example)

If I'm just snapping for B&W album prints, XP2 is what I do.

 

[Ian Grant]

Having done the 36 prints per 35mm film, hand printed, it's a no brainer. You learn to read negatives instantly, quick tweak of the contrast occasionally a bit of dodging & burning.

I had one "client" for over 25 years, the worst thing that happened was when he lost his Agfa 6x6 folder, and his wife bought him a 35mm SLR, what a hassle, all the other clients had contact sheets then chose a few for enlargement. By chance his Agfa camera had been found, and he got it back on his next holiday.

Hand printing from 35mm was about 30 minutes per film, faster when using the early Ilfospeed as it went through my Ilfoprint processor.

Ian

 

[walter23]

I founbd my long lost Olympus Stylus in the pocket of my ski parka the other day. It had a roll of exposed film in it so I took the film to a local camera store---not the cheapest place on the planet but they do a good job. The cost to develop and print one 36 exposure roll of B&W 35mm film was $18---is this a sign of the times? If so I might as well soup my own 35mm as well. Is it this expensive where others live? Or is film being "discouraged" in my neck of the woods?

It's expensive here, has been for a long time.

If you can stand messing with long strips of roll film (ugh), just develop it yourself in daylight-safe cannisters. You can do it in your kitchen and with a cheap liquid developer like HC-110 or Ilfosol S it's very inexpensive.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Mine went from $2.50/roll in 07 to $6.50 roll in 08 (dev only). That's why I just got done developing my second roll on TMY 120 roll film. First one didn't load right (operator error) and the second one, I NAILED IT. Film for the year and all my chems and developing gear, $350.00 or so. And I never would have done it. I would have continued to put it off. GOD BLESS OPEC! (That's the only time you'll see me say that one, BTB)

 

[bob100684]

Last week Walgreens pharmacy sent off a roll (24 exp) of Tmax 100 for me. In less than five days the negatives and 4x6 prints were back and the charge was a reasonable $8.46. Can't beat that.

Tom

though i bet it came back on color paper.

 

[polaski]

No.

In Philadelphia, I use Philadelphia Photographics, a pro shop. I have my film developed only, usually $5 plus tax. No prints or proofs -- I can read B&W negatives. Google them. You can also find a few other mail-order houses in that range.