would you trust drugstores (walmart, cvs, etc) to get film developed?

Question

Hi, I recieved a Lomography Fisheye camera (takes 35mm film) for my birthday and I was just wondering if it is safe to get the film processed at a drugstore lab? Everyone says to get it done at a professional lab because they know what they are doing. But the problem is is I live where none of that is available to me. (I live in Pennsylvania)

Should i just take them to walmart or something? and chance it. or should i sent out my film to a pro lab. If anyone has any experience with sending film out to a pro lab, how expensive is it? what are the costs? thank you!

Answer 1

Congrats on your new camera! I hope you enjoy it!



I am a professional 35mm photographer and take my stuff to many different labs for processing based on the type of film and the nature of the project. Professional labs are amazing but aren't necessary for non-paid projects and are particularly not useful if you are just learning how to take photos. In the beginning you're going to want to shoot A LOT and you won't be making money off the images so why not find a good cheap lab until you work up to the higher quality and expense? I mean, I spend as much as $30 per roll of film for processing and scanning, then I can spend several hundred on 10 or so good prints. Who can afford to do that for unpaid work?



I take the rest of my work, the stuff where I'm just walking around, taking fun photos as I ago about my life, to Target. They charge $0.95 to process and $5.99 to scan to CD. I don't get prints because prints at minilabs are usually garbage but cost twice as much as scans and I don't want prints of every single photo on a roll--only the ones I care about, which can sometymes be only a few shots per 36 exposure roll.



Here's a shot I had processed and scanned at Target, looks great to me!



http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnymartyr/5756609264/in/set-72157623882514305



Here are the limitation to drugstore/consumer grade labs though:



--They only process C41 film. No E6 or B&W. Read a basic 35mm Photography manual to learn the differences in these types of film. You should really read a basic 35mm guide if you want to understand what you are doing and take better photos. The thing with C41, though, is that as long as the machine is maintained properly, there is absolute ZERO ways to ruin the processing. The remaining problems can only come from bad printing/scanning/film handling



--They only give you low resolution scans which are suitable for posting online but not really for making prints from or editing extensively (although if you shoot Lomo you probably won't want to edit extensively!)



--The employees are not professionals. So you get quality variation from lab to lab and employee to employee. So try all your local labs. Even if you have to just burn "test rolls" where you just take stupid photos of nothing, do that and drop the film off at all the local labs as you have the tyme. Decide which lab has the most friendly, helpful staff and produces the best results. Make sure there are very few, if any scratches on the negatives and that the scans are clean and free of weird marks and dust. Then just keep going to that lab. You may even befriend a particular employee and you can request that only that person does your work. Dealing with labs is all about being social.



--Expect scratches on your negatives (which can be scanned out of C41 film and aren't a big deal for non-important work in my opinion) and scanner lines on the files (which are not on the negatives so they can always just be rescanned.) Don't forget, you are getting a discounted service, so don't expect perfection. As long as your stuff USUALLY comes out well and nobody ruins your negatives, it's a good consumer grade lab! Once you get tired of this stuff, and know your camera, you can take your stuff to a semi-pro or pro lab.





Personally, I have never sent my film out because that makes me uncomfortable but there are many you can send to who all have different prices. One popular one is Dwayne's:



http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/



Good luck and email me with any questions at [e-mail]

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Some drug stores only offer glossy prints. I know Walgreens does. I don't like glossy prints. Walmart gives you the choice of glossy or matte.



I have used Walmart in the past and most of the time they've done just fine. But they did once lose a roll of my film that had been sent out and I would sometimes get prints with red lines or spots that weren't in the negatives.



So I just decided only to use a local professional lab. They aren't really that much more expensive than Walmart.



But, for convenience, I see no reason why you shouldn't give Walmart a try. Since you are using a lomo fisheye camera, you aren't shooting portraits, and probably not fine art either so there's not really much risk.

Answer 4

If you are not processing anything special with your film ("normal processing"), a drug store photo lab will do fine. Many pro photo labs may even use the same machines for a similar price at around $10 a roll with processing and (small resolution) scans.



When it comes down to it, the person manning the processing machine is what makes the difference. These photo machines require careful maintenance, with frequent chemistry replenishment. Some places are either cutting corners, or have under trained or uncaring employees. This is why a pro type photo labs might be better at not messing up your film. Again, it all depends. Doesn't mean someone knowledgeable and caring does not exist in drug store photo labs. You can interview them at different places.



Other options you might try :

Costco

Target



Or something in between a pro lab and a drug store lab

Wolf camera

Answer 5

These days especially, I would not trust Walmart or the like.



Even when film was popular, often the 1 hour stores did lousy jobs in keeping their equipment clean, and often resulted in dust and even hair on the photos.



These days, the profit margin of the local stores is so low, that they generally run the processor until it breaks, then they rip it out of the store.



But since you are doing Lomography, you are not concerned about quality anyway. Who knows, dust bunnies on the print might be a new form of art...

Answer 6

Depends on what you are shooting.

Most "drug stores" can't do Black and white in house anymore.

But for the most part, for just straight developing, I use CVS all the time.

What they don't do in house they send out to a company I have had no trouble with.



Unless you have a lot of money, don't be picky while learning to shoot.

Answer 7

I know they can develop 120 film. Doesn't hurt to check.