Film Developing in the UK

RaglanSurf said:
I've had two batches of film processed by Filmdev over the last couple of weeks and although they've processed them (I know this because I've downloaded the scans) I still haven't received my negs back. Just spoke to the guys at Filmdev and they assured me that they have been posted, I have no reason to doubt them but I was just wondering if anyone else had problems getting their negs back.

I will speak to my local sorting office and see if there's anything on hold for me at the depot but they're normally pretty good at leaving stuff with the neighbours or leaving a card if its been returned to the sorting office.
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Nick I have had about 10 rolls developed and scanned by Filmdev, scans have been available within 24 hrs of arriving at the lab and negs back with me within 3 days. In 30 years of using a vast array of postal development services, these are without out the quickest lab I have ever used. I would give them a call if you are having a return issue. They seem to have very attentive customer service. I had an issue with not receiving the invoice So wasn't able to pay ( although they still sent my scans through), they sorted the links quickly and were very apologetic. I use them for all but my 220 and tha is only because the don' do 220.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
I really, really would love to do my own colour developing but it's the scanning that lets me down in that respect. I only have a V550. My friend has recently bought a V700 and seems to be getting really good results with the better scanning holders. He only uses B&W though but does everything at home now. Shoot and develops the same day, hangs to dry overnight and scans in the morning.
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This is pretty much exactly the same for me. Scanning has always been the weak link that stops me doing C41 at home.
 
For prints this firm looks cheap...I've used them for special offers of 100 plus 100 for 6X4 for £5 and was impressed with the quality but never used them for large prints....h'mm I suppose I will have to be the guinea pig for the answer ;)
 
Trying to decide if i want to send latest films to a mail order place that's probably better than Asda - i know a large bunch on one film is crap cos the battery was running out and at the time i didnt know so there are lots of shots i didnt mean to take when i was getting annoyed why the shutter wouldn't fire. Ill have 2 rolls - one of mostly iceland (with some crap) and 1 with a bit of iceland and then whatever i decide to use it up on. I'm still pretty crap so its not going to be anything amazing so i dont really want to pay for premium (i used UK film lab before and for the quality of my work it aint worth it). I'm thinking about trying FilmDev.
 
Filmdev are pretty good. Scans are decent, turn around time is decent and it's so easy with a download link.
 
dan_yell said:
Trying to decide if i want to send latest films to a mail order place that's probably better than Asda - i know a large bunch on one film is crap cos the battery was running out and at the time i didnt know so there are lots of shots i didnt mean to take when i was getting annoyed why the shutter wouldn't fire. Ill have 2 rolls - one of mostly iceland (with some crap) and 1 with a bit of iceland and then whatever i decide to use it up on. I'm still pretty crap so its not going to be anything amazing so i dont really want to pay for premium (i used UK film lab before and for the quality of my work it aint worth it). I'm thinking about trying FilmDev.
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Well Asda use the same dev and scanner m\cs as many labs use......and the only diffference would be down to the operator to whether you get dust spots etc or bad scanning. Dust spot can be annoying with a bad operator, but not perfect scanning doesn't worry me as I usually correct in Photoshop anyway. And anyone like me who doesn't get many winning shots from a roll of film (or 2 rolls or more :eek: ) why pay for an expensive lab, also if you do get a great shot just send the neg off to a VG lab for a high scan and large print. But of course it's just my view as an ordinary amateur.
 
Has anyone used FilmDev for Black and White, specifically Tmax? They have only relatively recently started doing black and white by the looks of it.
 
srichards said:
Has anyone used FilmDev for Black and White, specifically Tmax? They have only relatively recently started doing black and white by the looks of it.
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I used them after the Peaks meet, but for Acros. I really liked the results. I asked, and they use XTOL. I was going to show a pic here, but Photobucket is down so I can't find the link...
 
Right. I'll give them a go then. Makes it easy if I can send colour and black and white to the same place too.

I don't mean tmax I mean Tri-X. Doh.
 
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Having discovered that a few film labs have put their prices up, I've made a new version of the nifty price estimator for 135 and 120 film processing and scanning. As usual, please let me know if you find any errors.

I've added Canadian Film Lab back into this one, as a few folk have used them and seem pretty happy. There was a dilemma about which postage rate to use, as their web page suggests a DHL option that seemed to come at over C$20. After a bit of correspondence with them, I decided to use Royal Mail's basic postage rate with a 2-3 day delivery time (£5.05). There is a cheaper rate with a 15 day delivery time, but I didn't think folk would be very interested in that. There's also an option where you send the film to their old address (so that would be the normal Royal Mail £3.35 first class small packet rate, presumably), and every Thursday a batch is sent off to Canada via DLH at their cost. So, plenty of options should you choose to go with them. Prices aren't bad, either.

It's perhaps worth mentioning that I only give scan prices for "small" and "medium" scans. Terminology varies a lot; for example CFL's small scans I label as medium, as they compare in size with medium for many other labs. Roughly, a small scan is sufficient to print at, say 6*4" at 300 dpi and would be 1200 ppi scans for 135 film (about 2 Mp). A medium scan is more variable, but roughly suitable to print at 9*6" or more at 300 dpi, so from 1800 ppi scans to 2400 ppi scans, 5 Mp to 9 Mp. Several labs will do larger scans, but these are more variable still, you'll have to check for yourself!
 
Ilford are 6.75 a roll for any size but that includes free postage both ways. Also if you email and ask you can have 6mp scans if you want at £5.50 instead of £3.50.
 
srichards said:
Ilford are 6.75 a roll for any size but that includes free postage both ways. Also if you email and ask you can have 6mp scans if you want at £5.50 instead of £3.50.
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If I understand this right, you're saying there is an intermediate scan size between the Standard and Hi-Res, that would cost £5.50 rather than £3.50 for Standard (in the spreadsheet) or £12 for Hi-Res (also in the spreadsheet as a medium scan, but it's about 12 Mpixel rather than 5-9 Mpixel). I'm not sure what to do about this, but I've generally avoided putting anything into the formula parts of this spreadsheet that's not on the web-site, so I'm inclined not to alter yet.

I'm a bit more bothered about the C41 issue. You've pointed out before that they do C41, and I did check it. The web site agrees, but the order forms make no mention of it. Perhaps I'll check with them, and if they tell me the prices are the same, include it in the next update. Thanks Suz...
 
Their order form says any film. It's the same price per roll for C41, B & W, 35mm & 120. Most of the others have different prices or list them separately. I only know about the C41 as I did a factory tour so I've seen the C41 machine and the dip and dunk they use for the B & W.

The 6mp option is sort of email only from what I can tell but I'd think if enough people ask for it, it might appear on their order form as an option.
 
Latest rumour from Asda is that the film side is going probably January......:( h'mm anyone got a working A7R for £50
 
I notice on the Lomography site they recommend sending 35mm not in the plastic cannister as then it is then supposedly small enough to be the cheap postage. My worry is that it will then be squashed and burst open. Has that actually happened to anyone? I haven't tested it by squashing a roll...if it is unlikely to burst then it makes filmdev even more appealing as it is then about a quid to send a single roll not £3!
 
srichards said:
I notice on the Lomography site they recommend sending 35mm not in the plastic cannister as then it is then supposedly small enough to be the cheap postage. My worry is that it will then be squashed and burst open. Has that actually happened to anyone? I haven't tested it by squashing a roll...if it is unlikely to burst then it makes filmdev even more appealing as it is then about a quid to send a single roll not £3!
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I've sent quite a lot of film to Filmdev (and Photo Express before that) in plastic mailer bags, just wrapped in alfoil rather than in their plastic tubs. Most of the time I get away with it but 3 times now there has been a problem with excess postage. Filmdev are happy to pay it and charge me the extra £3 (which means postage costs £3.95 rather than £3.35). The downside is that Royal Fail hold onto the package for a week or so, which is a pain. As a result, I only use it for 1 or 2 rolls that I'm not too worried about. For 3 or more rolls, or any that I really want, I pay the small packet rate. :(
 
If it is delayed then it's not worth the risk. Think I'd rather send them small packet and make sure it's Royal Mail proof!
 
srichards said:
If it is delayed then it's not worth the risk. Think I'd rather send them small packet and make sure it's Royal Mail proof!
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Maybe 5% delayed. Others have reported zero percent delayed. Depends on your local RM office, I think. Post in a post box, of course, unless you have a friendly post-mistress who's prepared to wiggle it through the test slot for you. Maybe worth a discussion with them?
 
I've shot my first roll of film ever and I'm now half way through my first roll of B&W!:) I'm testing a Praktica MTL 50 which I bought recently, so hopefully they turnout alright (metered with phone app). Where would you recommend I get the film development? Photo Express is handy for me because they're in Glasgow, but they don't do B&W film. I've had a look at Film Dev and realised this hobby is about to get even more expensive :snaphappy: £7 for a roll of Ilford HP5 in boots and £9 for developing!
 
I've got myself one of those test slot thingies and some mailing bags. Trying a normal envelope and making sure the two rolls are taped together in such a way they can't sit up with the fuzzy bit sticking out as that takes them over the 25mm.

Will use the post office tomorrow and see how far off it is.
 
Steven001 said:
I've shot my first roll of film ever and I'm now half way through my first roll of B&W!:) I'm testing a Praktica MTL 50 which I bought recently, so hopefully they turnout alright (metered with phone app). Where would you recommend I get the film development? Photo Express is handy for me because they're in Glasgow, but they don't do B&W film. I've had a look at Film Dev and realised this hobby is about to get even more expensive :snaphappy: £7 for a roll of Ilford HP5 in boots and £9 for developing!
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Well I'm one of those guys that gets results the cheapest way possible, and my best was buying a compact Nikon AF210 for 50p, used bootie film @10p and used Asda for dev and scan for £3 and got results as below...what you could have done is buy Vista at Poundland and if lucky to still find an Asda doing film for dev and scan... and have two results one in colour and B\W converting using Photoshop or similar. It won't be as good as using B\W film but the results are still quite good.

 
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Steven001 said:
I've shot my first roll of film ever and I'm now half way through my first roll of B&W!:) I'm testing a Praktica MTL 50 which I bought recently, so hopefully they turnout alright (metered with phone app). Where would you recommend I get the film development? Photo Express is handy for me because they're in Glasgow, but they don't do B&W film. I've had a look at Film Dev and realised this hobby is about to get even more expensive :snaphappy: £7 for a roll of Ilford HP5 in boots and £9 for developing!
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Hi Steven, welcome to the wonderful world of film and stuff. Yes, it can be a bit expensive but there are cheaper options. As Brian says above, some Asdas still offer a developing service and some are actually quite good at it. Alternatively there is a list of places you can send your film to in the sticky on this forum with a handy price reckoner as well.
In fact though it is much cheaper to develop your own film. Black and white is really rather easy to do and makes the cost significantly less than having them developed elsewhere. It is very easy to do and you do not need a darkroom, just a changing bag and a light tight developing tank. I do mine (b & w and colour) in the kitchen sink. You would need a scanner if you want to share your images but a good Epson V500 can be had for a reasonable amount and pays for itself very quickly as it is the scanning which costs the lion's share of your output.
Give it a go, its fun.

Andy
 
Post office lady just about jiggled it through the large letter slot but it is still a tight squeeze even without the canisters. 96p though instead of £3.30. It's so frustrating that 35mm film is just over the 25mm by the time it's gone in an envelope. I'm hoping the plastic bags might just be skinny enough. I may even have to get some thinner paper to print the order form on.

I'm sure there used to be a small packet rate that was about £1.20 that allowed slightly fatter things as long as they were light. I'm sure they used to have a 6cm cube cheap rate as well.

I have emailed Royal Mail with a complaint asking to see whether they can have a special slightly fat letter price for A5 envelope size.
 
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swisscheese said:
In my case she didn't try hard enough to jiggle it through..... :/
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Well there is always my idea of snipping the 120 spool or h'mm what about slightly squashing a 35mm cassette....mind you for the 120 it would have to be a clean snip as any bits might cause problems. The lab probably throw these items away anyway.
IMO a plastic bag would be best to slip through.
 
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Obviously you need to take them out of the film canisters then they can be easily squashed flat.... :facepalm:
 
Andysnap said:
Obviously you need to take them out of the film canisters then they can be easily squashed flat.... :facepalm:
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The end caps might burst open... but a few years ago bought a hundred 35mm films and some were squashed and I couldn't use them because the film wouldn't unwind properly (too tight from being squashed) but the end caps were still ok. Anyway took the film out and put them in my old re-usable cassette h'mm Pentax that I bought in the 60s and had no light leaks.
 
Well useless RM have lost the films. The envelope and order form arrived but no film in it. FFS.

Still waiting for the plastic envelope thingies to arrive that might have survived their careless handling. Got my testing slot to try and make sure it's all packed so it will fit through as it should do then it can be double checked at the post office. Forgot to get a proof of posting this time so they'd better not throw out the claim.
 
Taimoor said:
has some one here used c41s of chester for developing and scans?
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Chester ??

Have you ruled out your local lab

Just drop in and pick up, I can't be bothered fannying about with shipping when there's a lab on the doorstep even if it isn't the cheapest.
There's that and the idea that if I don't use it for E6, it'll stop processing altogether, I probably won't shoot any colour at all if that happens...:(
 
joxby said:
Chester ??

Have you ruled out your local lab

Just drop in and pick up, I can't be bothered fannying about with shipping when there's a lab on the doorstep even if it isn't the cheapest.
There's that and the idea that if I don't use it for E6, it'll stop processing altogether, I probably won't shoot any colour at all if that happens...:(
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Well i do all 35mm dev and scan print my self. its medium format scans that a pain!
 
Taimoor said:
Yup leeds is away an hours atleast to get into town and park :)
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Heck, I didn't think Leeds was an hour from anywhere in West Yorks, cept mebbe...Keighley...:hungover: still........Bradford is a diabolical bumhole of a place to get to a 7:30 in the morning.
I'm in Leeds everyday so it hardly matters, I doub't I'd drive an hour to Hull for processing though
 
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Technically its 30 min drive but gets worse when you try to get into town and park.
 
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