Film Developing in the UK

Palm Labs for instance are great for me, wouldn't send my film that mattered anywhere else really.
I don't really know anything about Palm, although I've seen ads for them in the past. A quick look at their prices shows that they are very reasonable indeed for LF, with 5x4 E6 at £3 and C41 at £2.50. A blanket £6 for 10x8 also seems low compared to others. Has anyone here used them for LF? https://www.palmlabs.co.uk/page/film-services
 
I don't really know anything about Palm, although I've seen ads for them in the past. A quick look at their prices shows that they are very reasonable indeed for LF, with 5x4 E6 at £3 and C41 at £2.50. A blanket £6 for 10x8 also seems low compared to others. Has anyone here used them for LF? https://www.palmlabs.co.uk/page/film-services

Only used them for 35mm and medium format. I did see some large format E6 that they did for a University though, and that looked stunning
 
Not much use to anybody but me or others on holiday up here, but was in Jessops in Inverness today for a lenscloth. I told the assistant I would have lost a bet as they were selling Fuji disposables, since I knew they had nothing to do with film now. On the contrary I was told, we process 35mm C41 on the premises on either 1 hour service @ £8 for 6x4 prints, or next day @ £6.50 o_O Dev and scan to CD would also be possible for around £8, so that starts to be attractive for a single film when the £3 postage to Filmdev is taken into account. I guess I'll need to put my money where my mouth is now, but it could save last minute postage trauma for FPOTY. :)
Just back this afternoon from a few days away, and shortage of time for FPOTY and the Disposable Challenge had me heading for Jessops in Inverness as per the above. the very pleasant and helpful assistant infromed me that "Our scanner's broken so we can't scan or print any films. I don't know when the repair man will come, as he's in Newcastle and likes to have a few visits along the way to make the trip worthwhile". The upside is that they can still do develop only at £5, and can scan them to CD for another £3 each if the repair man arrives. (£6 for a DVD). I'll leave it until Friday to give them a call, just in case the repair man is already on his way, and she didn't take any money upfront "in case they come out blank" .......... :rolleyes:
 
Just back this afternoon from a few days away, and shortage of time for FPOTY and the Disposable Challenge had me heading for Jessops in Inverness as per the above. the very pleasant and helpful assistant infromed me that "Our scanner's broken so we can't scan or print any films. I don't know when the repair man will come, as he's in Newcastle and likes to have a few visits along the way to make the trip worthwhile". The upside is that they can still do develop only at £5, and can scan them to CD for another £3 each if the repair man arrives. (£6 for a DVD). I'll leave it until Friday to give them a call, just in case the repair man is already on his way, and she didn't take any money upfront "in case they come out blank" .......... :rolleyes:

I've dabbled with using Jessops 1hr service in the past. They're ok for when you're running a test roll through a camera and want to quickly make sure it's working ok. Outside of that I wouldn't bother.
I've had issues with their developing previously, their scans are low res and they're unreliable as to if the service is running or not. Their Frontiers seem to be held together with sticky tape and fall apart regularly.

I'd love a reliable 1hr service with a good quality scan, but alas Jessops isn't it.
 
Looking at the filmdev order form you can tick for an index print...well is this free? and if it is free why would anyone not want one and should be auto included as it's very handy when you can see what's in an envelope of negs.
 
Looking at the filmdev order form you can tick for an index print...well is this free? and if it is free why would anyone not want one and should be auto included as it's very handy when you can see what's in an envelope of negs.

I can't see a price next to it so yes, appears to be a free little extra, but rather than ask us, why not give them a quick call and ask them? The number is on the same page as the order form.
 
Looking at the filmdev order form you can tick for an index print...well is this free? and if it is free why would anyone not want one and should be auto included as it's very handy when you can see what's in an envelope of negs.

It looks like they've re-designed their order form again - my copy didn't have that box. I've not had an index print with the last few sets of negs, but they used to include one as standard (I always used to get one even though I hadn't asked for it specifically).
 
It looks like they've re-designed their order form again - my copy didn't have that box. I've not had an index print with the last few sets of negs, but they used to include one as standard (I always used to get one even though I hadn't asked for it specifically).

Maybe if they included it as standard, some people can now choose not to have it if it wasn't needed then which is a nice option, IMO.
 
Maybe if they included it as standard, some people can now choose not to have it if it wasn't needed then which is a nice option, IMO.

It's also one less overhead for them. I don't know what their volumes are, but producing index prints will add up in terms of paper and ink over time. Given the nature of their business and the good value service they provide, I'm happy for it to be an optional (and still zero cost to me) extra.
 
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I can't see a price next to it so yes, appears to be a free little extra, but rather than ask us, why not give them a quick call and ask them? The number is on the same page as the order form.

Cleveland? Well with my bad hearing and if they have a funny accent............ I'll never understand them o_O Anyway I've ticked the box and will find out when I get the bill.
 
Wayaye bonny lad....
 
:LOL:

(y)
Then you can start a new thread on here to whine about how they don't cater for pensioners living on peanuts! :banghead::crying::facepalm::help::exit::LOL::LOL:

.....behave yourself the UK is geared up for the richer people and not for the poor and needy. o_O
Anyway are you still in the UK? And at my end....... to respoke the back wheel of my motorbike would cost £94:eek: plus petrol costs.
 
That's actually not so expensive if you stand back and consider what photography costs.

And what's involved in lacing and truing a spoked wheel. Besides, I know I could (almost certainly, even after a fair few years!) still do my own (B&W) D,P&S but I'm equally certain that I couldn't get the spokes in the hub in the right order for a wheel build! Garage labour ain't cheap and a specialist like a wheel builder can't be, either!

I was a little horrified at the cost of D,P&S at SnappySnaps - £17 for 39 exposures, on top of the cost of the disposable camera several years ago.
 
I was a little horrified at the cost of D,P&S at SnappySnaps - £17 for 39 exposures, on top of the cost of the disposable camera several years ago.

I believe Snappysnaps is a franchise and they can charge what they can get away with...about 5 years ago found a snappysnap that dev 120 for £4 in about 1 hr (Asda didn't do 120)...and I did ask, in the same year, at my local one and they said £7. :rolleyes: I'll have to ask at my local what they charge now.....erm any guesses?
 
The leaflet I saw looked to be a generic one (for the whole group) with the local branch name as a rubber stamp in a box.

At least they did a half decent job of it, unlike my last foray into filum when Jessops did a rather less good job. Come to think of it, that must have been October 2012, just after my op. when a couple of members (who I knew before I joined the forum IRL) took me out for a couple of days while I was recovering - that was when I bought a 2 pack of disposables which I have just had D&Ped.
 
Looking at the filmdev order form you can tick for an index print...well is this free? and if it is free why would anyone not want one and should be auto included as it's very handy when you can see what's in an envelope of negs.
I’ve had an index print included at no extra cost with my last few films, I like it, it’s a nice touch.
 
There is a place in Hull (I think) called Photo Express who do a wonderful job and are super cheap!

And if you quote your TP username they'll give you 10% off (but min £5 order still applies, so need more than one film?)...

They (and others) are mentioned in the first post in this thread...
 
I've noticed that the turnaround times for Filmdev have increased for me lately. I used to get my scans back the day after posting the film, but it's often three days now. I've only been using them since the start of the year (just for colour), so I'm assuming that this is just down to more people shooting film during the warmer months and their workload increasing as a result?
 
I find it can be a bit hit and miss with times. Some times I get them back the next day, usually it's 2-3 days, but last October I waited over a week for my scans. A friend at work uses Filmdev too and seems to wait longer than I do, but he requests tif files whereas I only get medium sized jpegs.

I've always assumed that the biggest factor is what day you send them off. I reckon most people shoot a roll of film over the weekend and post them off on Monday, so they'd arrive Tuesday or Wednesday with a lot of other rolls, and then there would be a bit of a wait.
 
I've noticed that the turnaround times for Filmdev have increased for me lately. I used to get my scans back the day after posting the film, but it's often three days now. I've only been using them since the start of the year (just for colour), so I'm assuming that this is just down to more people shooting film during the warmer months and their workload increasing as a result?
I wouldn't be so sure that the Royal Mail would be delivering the following day, unless you're tracking? I think a couple of days extra may be a hopeful sign that business is improving as I'm sure we're all keen to see them do well.

I agree with Carl about getting them in early in the week if you can, and I'll happily pay the extraa for 1st class to get them there a day before those posting 2nd class. I'm also not sure whether they run the 120 on the same day as the 35mm, so maybe that's a factor as well?
 
I always send them 1st class, but I do request tiff files, so maybe that has a bearing on it. I think they only brought tiff back as an option a few months ago, didn't they?

This isn't a complaint about their service BTW. I hope they're getting loads of business, and it's only because I was previously spoiled by their speedy 1-day turnarounds that I've noticed the difference lately.
 
Good to see some others using FilmDev, I’ve used them earlier this year and found the service to be pretty damn good!

Which services do you all tend to use for them? I’ve only ever had medium scans back, but are the larger ones worth paying for?
 
I've noticed that the turnaround times for Filmdev have increased for me lately. I used to get my scans back the day after posting the film, but it's often three days now. I've only been using them since the start of the year (just for colour), so I'm assuming that this is just down to more people shooting film during the warmer months and their workload increasing as a result?
According to an email I've received recently, AG Photolab now offer a download service for scanned images, perhaps give them a try and see if they're any quicker? You should find a downloadable postage-paid label on their website to post your first film to them, after that just use the pre-paid envelope they send you with the negs.
 
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I’ve only ever had medium scans back, but are the larger ones worth paying for?
That would depend on how big you wanted to print, wouldn't it? The answer lies in your court.

How were the lab scans anyway of your hopefully well-exposed originals? Any blown highlights? Blocked shadows? Give us an assessment.
 
That would depend on how big you wanted to print, wouldn't it? The answer lies in your court.

How were the lab scans anyway of your hopefully well-exposed originals? Any blown highlights? Blocked shadows? Give us an assessment.

I guess the true answer is I don’t print them out very often at all, mostly view on my iPad and 24” PC screen. Medium scans have always seemed fine to me, any that weren’t were certainly my error in taking the photographs :LOL: Exposure has always been pretty much spot on for my taste, I’ve been using a camera with AE and it’s gosh darn accurate :D
 
Well, I finally got round to updating the Nifty Dev-Scan Price Estimator, linked from the opening post. As I mentioned earlier, I had made the mistake of trying to update my local copy to add 4x5 processing, but I totally screwed that up, and then discovered I'd over-written my copy, and the last good copy was before my earliest Time Machine backup. In the end I recreated it by downloading the Google Drive copy, and I checked all the data. The underlying data sheets now show the last date the prices were checked. I've also removed Club35, who've disappeared, and added the SilverPan Film Lab from Bristol.

As always, this is only a guide. In many cases I've had to interpret some rather difficult pricing guides, and I'm rarely totally sure about things like small versus medium scans, and postage costs. Someone has left a comment on the spreadsheet to the effect that CC Imaging now doesn't charge regular customers VAT, but I haven't checked if this is true yet. If you find any errors, please let me know.

Anyway, hope this is helpful.
 
Thanks Chris, really useful (y)
 
I don't usually get my black and white films lab-developed, but what with Edinburgh Festival I ended up with 4 films, and away from home. So I decided to try @AgPhotographic process only. One thing I did notice was that the postage cost for them in the nifty price estimator is wrong, so that'll get corrected in the next update. I posted the films freepost Sunday in Edinburgh, for a Monday morning RM collection (not a public holiday in Scotland). I got an email that they'd been received on Wednesday, then another that they'd been despatched later on Wednesday, and this morning they arrived. I thought that was pretty good service. I used to have problems with delays etc years ago, but it looks like they've really improved their systems.

When I first opened the envelope, I rather liked the feel of the sleeves they have put the film in... but I've just realised there are no filing holes, so unlike FilmDev I'll have to re-sleeve the negatives once I've scanned them. Just a bit annoying, so @AgPhotographic if you're reading this, sleeves that can go straight into a binder would be really useful! (Maybe they supply them with a request? Anyone know?)
 
You can buy strips of holes (for want of a better phrase) which can be stuck to contact sheets for adding to a negative file, so possibly something like that would prevent resleeving?
 
I don't usually get my black and white films lab-developed, but what with Edinburgh Festival I ended up with 4 films, and away from home. So I decided to try @AgPhotographic process only. One thing I did notice was that the postage cost for them in the nifty price estimator is wrong, so that'll get corrected in the next update. I posted the films freepost Sunday in Edinburgh, for a Monday morning RM collection (not a public holiday in Scotland). I got an email that they'd been received on Wednesday, then another that they'd been despatched later on Wednesday, and this morning they arrived. I thought that was pretty good service. I used to have problems with delays etc years ago, but it looks like they've really improved their systems.

When I first opened the envelope, I rather liked the feel of the sleeves they have put the film in... but I've just realised there are no filing holes, so unlike FilmDev I'll have to re-sleeve the negatives once I've scanned them. Just a bit annoying, so @AgPhotographic if you're reading this, sleeves that can go straight into a binder would be really useful! (Maybe they supply them with a request? Anyone know?)
I used them for E6 and found the same with the sleeves. I've got quite a lot of Kenro clear sleeves and just re sleeved the strips after scanning. I would imagine a busy lab might have a machine for cutting and sleeving, but perhaps not?
 
You can buy strips of holes (for want of a better phrase) which can be stuck to contact sheets for adding to a negative file, so possibly something like that would prevent resleeving?
I used them for E6 and found the same with the sleeves. I've got quite a lot of Kenro clear sleeves and just re sleeved the strips after scanning. I would imagine a busy lab might have a machine for cutting and sleeving, but perhaps not?

It's not too bad, really, since you have to take the strips out for scanning anyway, so it's just putting them back in a different sleeve. Just a minor annoyance.
 
I've noticed that the turnaround times for Filmdev have increased for me lately

H'mm I posted films sunday night 2nd class and they should have got to filmdev wed morning first post...well it's now thurs at 5:30 and still no email that the films are done. Mind you, one of the films has my moon shots going back months so I suppose what's a few days more :rolleyes:
 
I normally get the invoice on Friday if posted Monday :) Once the invoice is paid it’s normally pretty sharpish for the transfer email to come through.

I spent a whole weekend recently waiting for the wetransfer email so got in contact on Monday to make sure nothing was amiss, there certainly was something as I hadn’t actually paid the invoice, just opened it :LOL: can’t really blame anyone other than myself for that one!
 
Used twice recently - love the fact that you download, much better than waiting for a CD. Sent mine at weekend so depending on post got there Mon or Tues. Invoice received this morning, paid and received link this afternoon. Very happy with them
 
I normally get the invoice on Friday if posted Monday

Same here as just got the invoice through...so if posting 2nd class first thing monday you will get the invoice early friday morning ATM.
 
Snaps in Bournemouth have started using WeTransfer instead of the odd system they used to use, and - it may be coincidence - I seem to be getting scans through much quicker than I used to, often day after receipt of colour film.
 
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