The Darkroom raises prices

ME Super · Jul 2, 2014

shutterboy said:
Walmart does E-6? Thats nice. How do you get back the slides and how much do they charge? Also, what is the turn around time?

Last time I sent through Walmart it was $6.88/roll for 36 exposures. They're slow though - 16 days was too long for me, so I switched. They send out to Fuji, who forwards it on to Dwayne's, so the processing is top-notch even if it's slow. Slides come back mounted in cardboard mounts. You'd get faster processing by sending direct to Dwayne's, but you'll probably pay more too.

shutterboy · Jul 2, 2014

ME Super said:
Last time I sent through Walmart it was $6.88/roll for 36 exposures.

I just called the local Walmart photo centre and they told me that they do not return the negatives. Only "scans". Do you have any idea if that is true?

shutterboy · Jul 2, 2014

CatLABS, would you please offer a student discount?

MattKing · Jul 2, 2014

shutterboy said:
I just called the local Walmart photo centre and they told me that they do not return the negatives. Only "scans". Do you have any idea if that is true?

Many people have commented on that policy here on APUG - it appears to be true.

Of course, that only applies to negatives, not E6 (slides).

pentaxuser · Jul 3, 2014

MattKing said:
Many people have commented on that policy here on APUG - it appears to be true.

Of course, that only applies to negatives, not E6 (slides).

I think I must have misunderstood something here. Are you saying that they develop the film then keep it, simply sending scans of the negs? What do they do with the negs then?

What happens if you want to produce prints from the negs on an enlarger at a later date? The film has to be the customer's property surely.

If this is correct how do they ever get any business? It sounds as if the lunatics have taken over the asylum.:eek:

pentaxuser

CatLABS · Jul 3, 2014

shutterboy said:
CatLABS, would you please offer a student discount?

If you contact us directly, we will be happy help.

Wallendo · Jul 3, 2014

pentaxuser said:
I think I must have misunderstood something here. Are you saying that they develop the film then keep it, simply sending scans of the negs? What do they do with the negs then?

What happens if you want to produce prints from the negs on an enlarger at a later date? The film has to be the customer's property surely.

If this is correct how do they ever get any business? It sounds as if the lunatics have taken over the asylum.:eek:

pentaxuser

Wal-mart caters to snapshooters who simply want nice 4x6's and scans (essentially people who have no use for negatives, and would likely throw them away or lose them anyway). Wal-Mart sends the film to Fuji, who develops and scans them film. Fuji than sends the scans via the internet to the local Wal-Mart where prints and CD's can be generated on-site for consumers. This speeds up the process since the prints don't need to be mailed back, and also reduces shipping costs. The downside is that users will never get a true optical print and the negatives are trashed or recycled by Fuji.

The user cedes ownership of the negatives when he places his roll of film in the developing envelope at Wal-Mart.

Interestingly, after typing this message, I noted that the Darkroom still has a banner ad on APUG advertising $10 scans.
In the two years I have been using them, E-6 prices have gone from $10 to $13 and now $14.

pentaxuser · Jul 3, 2014

Thanks for reply. Amazing.

pentaxuser

shutterboy · Jul 3, 2014

pentaxuser said:
Thanks for reply. Amazing.

pentaxuser

Now, let's hear the Brits complain about stuff like prices here.

Disclaimer: No satire intended at Englishmen. I am a Brit myself

Hatchetman · Jul 3, 2014

I pay $22.50 for slides + quality scans at NCPS. expensive but worth it.

http://www.northcoastphoto.com/index.html

Xmas · Jul 3, 2014

shutterboy said:
Now, let's hear the Brits complain about stuff like prices here.

Disclaimer: No satire intended at Englishmen. I am a Brit myself

tusk tusk
just you wait
Used to live beside the box 14 Hemel Kodachrome site and there was a site postbox so saved a stamp and day postage delay.
Eventually they closed the site.
But when 25 was stopped went to Fuji E6. Not spite could not stand 64 colour.
The postal service then became so erratic that I stopped E6 and went to local C41 mini labs.
They all closed so I've gone to home mono and c41.
The CD4 is more difficult to get so it is mono only in future.
And Im not English.

Arctic amateur · Jul 3, 2014

Wallendo said:
The downside is that users will never get a true optical print[]

RA-4 lab prints are done from scans these days, unless you're paying the big bucks for bespoke optical printing.

ME Super · Jul 3, 2014

shutterboy said:
I just called the local Walmart photo centre and they told me that they do not return the negatives. Only "scans". Do you have any idea if that is true?

That is true for 35mm C41. I've been told by photolab staff that they return slides, but I've been too chicken to send through them since they made that change. Besides I get the scans for under $3 from my current lab, where they weren't available to me from Walmart. Oh, and I don't think Walmart's sendout service will handle push processing, though Dwayne's certainly will if you send directly to them.

shutterboy · Jul 3, 2014

ME Super said:
That is true for 35mm C41. I've been told by photolab staff that they return slides, but I've been too chicken to send through them since they made that change. Besides I get the scans for under $3 from my current lab, where they weren't available to me from Walmart. Oh, and I don't think Walmart's sendout service will handle push processing, though Dwayne's certainly will if you send directly to them.

Which lab is it?

markaudacity · Jul 3, 2014

The Darkroom does good work, but their "free" scanning is complete garbage, on a par with a 1999-vintage PhotoCD, and for ten dollars I can get anything developed same-day at a local lab and have money left over for a Coke.

They are targeted at hipsters and one-roll-a-month casual shooters, as far as I can tell.

shutterboy · Jul 3, 2014

The Darkroom, if you are listening, and I know you are since you are one of the partners here, I think it would be a good idea to answer.

markaudacity, please try out millers. If we all keep them saturated with film, they will make sure we get good rates.

Xmas · Jul 4, 2014

shutterboy said:
The Darkroom, if you are listening, and I know you are since you are one of the partners here, I think it would be a good idea to answer.

markaudacity, please try out millers. If we all keep them saturated with film, they will make sure we get good rates.

Both your points may be off base

volume is still dropping
input costs may not be stationary
APUG custom may be very small %

my labs are still disappearing...

Zedwardson · Jul 8, 2014

The fact that we have as many labs as we have is frankly, amazing. I understand that you don't need their product they offer, so you chose to use someone else. That is fine, however I will give credit to ANY lab that can find enough money to stay alive in the rapidly shrinking market to develop film.

ME Super · Jul 8, 2014

I intend to stay "local" as long as possible. Peoria Camera Shop, a mere 30 miles from me, will send E-6 out, but it takes 3 weeks(!) to get it back and their prices are about double what I'm paying now. The Camera Corner, which had a shop in Bloomington, has apparently closed that location and is now only in Davenport, IA, which is approximately 120 miles away. Creve Coeur Camera, which is who I use now, has a store in Springfield, which is approximately 60 miles from home, but only 8 miles from where I work, so I still consider them to be local. They send to their lab in St. Louis three times a week, and their turn-around is usually 2-4 business days. They charge more than the local Wal-Mart for developing E-6, and also charge more for developing and printing C-41 and B&W, but cheaper for develop and scan, plus I get my negatives back! I've found a happy medium in price and service with these guys.

I'm not affiliated with any of these stores in any way, except as a happy customer at Creve Coeur Camera. Oh and incidentally, I was talking to one of the employees who also shoots film (and loves his Pentaxes) and he said their lab will continue to develop film so long as they can get the chemistry to do it with. Good news no matter how you look at it!

The Darkroom raises prices

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