Coronavirus - Film Dev Lab and supplier closures

auntiemaryscanary said:
I sent some film off today to AG Photolab. No personal contact but everything very efficient and website working fine.
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Email notification on 20th April that film received at AG lab but no further updates so emailed and got this response today
"No, we haven't dispatched yet. We have a very large backlog of work at
present but we should be able to get this out to you tomorrow.

Many thanks
Ag Lab"

I'm in no rush but was wondering what the issue was.
 
Maybe there are lots of close labs so those open are getting more work?
 
auntiemaryscanary said:
Email notification on 20th April that film received at AG lab but no further updates so emailed and got this response today
"No, we haven't dispatched yet. We have a very large backlog of work at
present but we should be able to get this out to you tomorrow.

Many thanks
Ag Lab"

I'm in no rush but was wondering what the issue was.
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I emailed Matt at AG yesterday to ask if the had received my films which I posted last Tuesday and he replied that they are not recieving a steady stream of deliveries at the moment, one day there might be nothing, next day a huge batch of packages. I expect this is having a massive knock on effect on their workflow, after all, processing capacity must be finite. Anyway, my colour films haven't arrived in today's delivery so I'll just have to be patient.

Luckily I can process black and white myself, although the quality of the processing sometimes leaves something to be desired!
 
Mine were received by AG quickly but realise the post is very irregular. Happily my dev & prints arrived today and quality of the prints is to the usual high standard.
 
I've just had an email from DS Colour Labs with the following message
We hope that you are all keeping well in these uncertain times. We just wanted to take a quick moment to let you know that we are still producing and are happy to help with any queries which you may have going forward. Understandably, things may seem a little difficult at the moment - so if we can help in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We will continue to do all that we can to keep your business/projects running smoothly and efficiently.​

​

All of our services are still available and are being fulfilled safely from our production unit. It is our aim to ensure that there is as little disruption going forward as possible.​

​

We have temporarily reduced our staffing levels to a number which enables us to continue to provide our regular services, while ensuring that we follow all social distancing and safe working practices.​

​

Stay Safe​

​

DSCL​
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Scans back yesterday from CFL as normal for me. Once again, the thing letting them down is the photographer.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Scans back yesterday from CFL as normal for me. Once again, the thing letting them down is the photographer.
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I feel your pain.... I have a similar problem with my developers :D
 
FilmDev are no longer taking orders. Not realised before how well priced they are - half the cost of other options like AG and DS...
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
FilmDev are no longer taking orders. Not realised before how well priced they are - half the cost of other options like AG and DS...
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h'mm so what happens if you send film off today...do they post it back :rolleyes:. I posted film off monday lets hope they will still dev it.
 
excalibur2 said:
h'mm so what happens if you send film off today...do they post it back :rolleyes:. I posted film off monday lets hope they will still dev it.
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They've said they're not taking new orders as they have a huge backlog that they're working through. So they are still developing, but I think they're receiving orders faster than they can process them and they can't have an indefinitely growing backlog. So I imagine they'll sigh and add yours to the list! But I'd expect a long wait :)
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
They've said they're not taking new orders as they have a huge backlog that they're working through. So they are still developing, but I think they're receiving orders faster than they can process them and they can't have an indefinitely growing backlog. So I imagine they'll sigh and add yours to the list! But I'd expect a long wait :)
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Well I still don't understand how they can stop film be sent to them...better the message should be something like " we have an enormous backlog of film to be processed, so any film sent to us from 15-5-20 will be stored until we can reduce this backlog, so please expect a long delay"
 
If this crisis lasts for another 6 months then I can't see that they can keep accumulating stacks and stacks of film. They probably don't have the storage space and they probably don't want to have to deal everyone chasing them when they've had their film for several weeks. I don't think they can stop film being sent but but putting that message out it will probably significantly reduce new film coming in. I'm sure they don't want to send business elsewhere.
 
excalibur2 said:
Well I still don't understand how they can stop film be sent to them...better the message should be something like " we have an enormous backlog of film to be processed, so any film sent to us from 15-5-20 will be stored until we can reduce this backlog, so please expect a long delay"
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If I remember rightly the business is run from their home, I think it is a converted garage, so it's difficult to store an ever growing stack of films, logistically it's probably better to try and slow the flow.
 
Andysnap said:
If I remember rightly the business is run from their home, I think it is a converted garage, so it's difficult to store an ever growing stack of films, logistically it's probably better to try and slow the flow.
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erm I suppose if most people see the message...it's their fault if they don't visit T&C o_O
 
Wow, I’m really surprised by how expensive it is to get film developed. Filmdev.co.uk cost £4 for dev and low res scan sent via wetransfer. AG and DS colour lab is >£8 and digitalab is over £12 for a single roll of 35mm dev’d and scanned. I guess I thought filmdev prices were standard. If they go under and I have to pay £8 for a roll of 35mm I think that would be me done with analogue photography. It’s just too expensive.
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
Wow, I’m really surprised by how expensive it is to get film developed. Filmdev.co.uk cost £4 for dev and low res scan sent via wetransfer. AG and DS colour lab is >£8 and digitalab is over £12 for a single roll of 35mm dev’d and scanned. I guess I thought filmdev prices were standard. If they go under and I have to pay £8 for a roll of 35mm I think that would be me done with analogue photography. It’s just too expensive.
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Continuing my search for reasonable dev prices - the-darkroom.co.uk: two rolls of 35mm + scan = £27.05...
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
Wow, I’m really surprised by how expensive it is to get film developed. Filmdev.co.uk cost £4 for dev and low res scan sent via wetransfer. AG and DS colour lab is >£8 and digitalab is over £12 for a single roll of 35mm dev’d and scanned. I guess I thought filmdev prices were standard. If they go under and I have to pay £8 for a roll of 35mm I think that would be me done with analogue photography. It’s just too expensive.
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NB The AG price includes postage to the lab in the padded envelope they provide you with (or using the downloadable postage paid label if it's you first time with them). Postage to FilmDev is around £3.50 plus the cost of your own envelope/packaging (a film is too large for letter post so it's small parcel/packet cost to post it). So always take the cost of postage each way into account when comparing different lab prices. (y)
 
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Tom Pinchenzo said:
If they go under and I have to pay £8 for a roll of 35mm I think that would be me done with analogue photography. It’s just too expensive.
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It's a shame to hear but I do get the cost being prohibitive for some for it. Unfortunately, with it not being the only way anymore, the prices have to be at a level to sustain it unfortunately.

Also, it depends what service you want from a lab. For me, consistency and a good relationship is paramount where you work with a lab to get the results you want. That's why I find it baffling when people will come on here and rant about something bad that happened without ever contacting their lab first.

I continue to use Canadian Film Lab because of the relationship and consistency and have a couple in my list as backup for if they ever have to shut down (like they did due to illness). Are you talking about colour or B&W, though as a home black and white workflow can be cheap and very enjoyable.
 
Mr Badger said:
NB The AG price includes postage to the lab in the padded envelope they provide you with (or using the downloadable postage paid label if it's you first time with them). Postage to FilmDev is around £3.50 plus the cost of your own envelope/packaging (a film is too large for letter post so it's small parcel/packet cost to post it). So always take the cost of postage each way into account when comparing different lab prices. (y)
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I didn't realise about the postage-paid label for your first order. Thanks for pointing that out. I've got a couple of rolls of C41 in cameras at present, so AG will be my next choice if FilmDev are not taking new orders at present.
 
Postage is the killer with film unfortunately. Cheapest 2nd class I think is £2.95 if you do the postage online and print the label.

I like the speed and results from FilmDev and the fact they seem to be good, cheap and quick is even better.

What are scans like from AG and do they do a download rather than faffing with a CD?
 
I always post film to the lab as a 1st class large letter and never have any problems so I’m often surprised when folk say it has to be small parcel prices.
 
I've posted large letter and it went missing and so have a few others. I think 120 is easier to squeeze though but it's down to the sorting machines whether it gets through or it is mangled and lost or has extra postage at the other end.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
I always post film to the lab as a 1st class large letter and never have any problems so I’m often surprised when folk say it has to be small parcel prices.
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I think officially it should be a parcel, as a standard 35mm canister is slightly too large to slip through the size checker unless you’ve got a PO operative who’s prepared to give it a bit of a wiggle and bend the plastic gauge.
 
RaglanSurf said:
I think officially it should be a parcel, as a standard 35mm canister is slightly too large to slip through the size checker unless you’ve got a PO operative who’s prepared to give it a bit of a wiggle and bend the plastic gauge.
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Well, I am not gonna argue but I can honestly say I have posted hundreds of rolls as large letter and never had any come back, go missing or been charged extra. When you say canister, are you putting them back into the little plastic tubs (is that what you mean by canister)?
 
I post 1st class large letter, which is £1.15. And 2nd class return is free. So two rolls of film all in, including scans and download comes to £9.15. If I was patient enough I would put more rolls in a Jiffy bag!
 
RaglanSurf said:
I think officially it should be a parcel, as a standard 35mm canister is slightly too large to slip through the size checker unless you’ve got a PO operative who’s prepared to give it a bit of a wiggle and bend the plastic gauge.
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I think it would have to be a right jobsworth to put it through as small parcel if the roll has been taken out of the plastic tub. It touches the sides but goes through just fine. Sometimes if I’ve doubled up on the Jiffy bag it hasn’t fitted through.
 
FishyFish said:
I didn't realise about the postage-paid label for your first order. Thanks for pointing that out. I've got a couple of rolls of C41 in cameras at present, so AG will be my next choice if FilmDev are not taking new orders at present.
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There's a small link to the label on AG's 'how to order' web page: https://www.ag-photolab.co.uk/how-to-order-25-w.asp

Last I heard, the owner was sleeping in his office at work to keep the lab open and running. Which is fair play to them for dedication to work.

srichards said:
What are scans like from AG and do they do a download rather than faffing with a CD?
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I've always been pleased with the scans from AG (I generally go for high-res scans. otherwise I can do them myself, so can't comment on their lower res scans). However, they use a Noritsu scanner so I imagine they'll be pretty much the same as others that use that type of scanner (but perhaps without the over-sharpening some other labs may sometimes be accused of?). I believe they do downloads now too, but I've not tried that service from them as I prefer a CD ROM as it doubles up as a safe archive for me in case of hard-drive failure before I do my regular computer back-ups.

When postage was 'normal' I found I often got my negs and CD back within 2 days of posting a C41 film - eg post before last collection on Tuesday and the negs and CD came back on Thurs. Which is about as fast as you can get from a lab by post, and no extra cost for 'same day' service. E6 slide took quite a bit longer (well over a week) for develop, scan and mount, but the results were spot on.

Oh, and if some people think C41 and B&W dev and scan is expensive, then wait till you try E6 transparency develop, high-res scan and mount! :giggle:
 
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You can check out the nifty dev scan price estimator, though it's a while since I last checked the prices! Both Photo Hippo and Photo Express in Hull look pretty good at £7 for dev and medium scan (I haven't yet checked their websites to see if they're still going). Photo Express may give you a 50p discount if you quote your TP username, although they do have a minimum charge so you might need 2 films to take advantage. Last time I used them, they cut the film in strips of 4...
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
If they go under and I have to pay £8 for a roll of 35mm I think that would be me done with analogue photography. It’s just too expensive.
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It's always worth considering developing your own unless a) you shoot colour and/or b) you don't have a scanner.

I have no idea of the expense involved in developing colour, and when I do get "neg only" I spend hours trying to get the colours right. Filmdev just gets fab results at super reasonable prices. If they've got a backlog because of staff shortages, that will ease when lockdown eases. However if it's a big influx of new orders, I suspect that won't go away any time soon, because new people are going to realise how good they are and carry on using them! Hell, I'd send twice as much their way if they did E6!

Black and white though is easy to do at home. When I last did the sums, if you assume a set up cost of about £100 for the initial materials, home developing has paid for itself after about 20 rolls of film. [assumption: lab cost = £7/film, home dev = £2/film in consumables, your time = free] Because B&W needs different times depending on the film, it's generally more expensive than colour
 
Harlequin565 said:
It's always worth considering developing your own unless a) you shoot colour and/or b) you don't have a scanner.

I have no idea of the expense involved in developing colour, and when I do get "neg only" I spend hours trying to get the colours right. Filmdev just gets fab results at super reasonable prices. If they've got a backlog because of staff shortages, that will ease when lockdown eases. However if it's a big influx of new orders, I suspect that won't go away any time soon, because new people are going to realise how good they are and carry on using them! Hell, I'd send twice as much their way if they did E6!

Black and white though is easy to do at home. When I last did the sums, if you assume a set up cost of about £100 for the initial materials, home developing has paid for itself after about 20 rolls of film. [assumption: lab cost = £7/film, home dev = £2/film in consumables, your time = free] Because B&W needs different times depending on the film, it's generally more expensive than colour
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Hi Ian, I do dev myself but I also love (prefer) shooting colour. I also have a scanner so I might try dev only and scan myself. But I feel it’s a waste to invest in good camera gear only for the scanner to let down the image at the final hurdle! I’ll let you know what Photo Hippo service is like - I might post some sample images too.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Well, I am not gonna argue but I can honestly say I have posted hundreds of rolls as large letter and never had any come back, go missing or been charged extra. When you say canister, are you putting them back into the little plastic tubs (is that what you mean by canister)?
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No plastic canister just the roll of film. Maybe it’s because I always take mine to the post office and never just drop them in the post box.
 
RaglanSurf said:
No plastic canister just the roll of film. Maybe it’s because I always take mine to the post office and never just drop them in the post box.
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Same here. Same post office every time. I go in, have a chat, post film. Last one was a couple of weeks ago.
 
None of our local post offices will let me post 135 film (just the canisters, not the placcie boxes) as large letter, but if I drop them in a box they get through successfully over 95% of the time!
 
Post offices can be sticklers for precise compliance. A few weeks ago (but after lockdown) I took a parcel to our local, which is in a convenience store. I also needed milk (yes, I know, milk isn't essential as long as you have water) before anyone brings it up. The parcel weighed 2008 grams, which was 8 gms over the 2 kg limit for where it was going. I had to return home, take out a single photograph, rewrap and return.

P.S. The shop was out of milk as well.
 
StephenM said:
Post offices can be sticklers for precise compliance. A few weeks ago (but after lockdown) I took a parcel to our local, which is in a convenience store. I also needed milk (yes, I know, milk isn't essential as long as you have water) before anyone brings it up. The parcel weighed 2008 grams, which was 8 gms over the 2 kg limit for where it was going. I had to return home, take out a single photograph, rewrap and return.

P.S. The shop was out of milk as well.
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Some days are just not your day
 
Well Filmdev have slowed down for me as it's coming up for nine days for a reply and thinking for the future:- if film becomes more popular and if manufacturers keep putting up the price of film and the dev companies don't meet the demand with a reasonable turn around time and price... then it would put many newbies off, well at least for colour.
 
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