Someone’s been Googling “spectrum imaging for sale newcastle” and landing here, which is only mildly interesting, since the SEO for the mighty Wordpress themes is excellent, so the crawler bots are picking up words and connecting them robot-fashion. It doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody’s heard a rumour that Spectrum Imaging is for sale, does it?
Where do I get my film developed these days?
Colorworld in North Shields
They are my college’s film processor of choice, partly because they also do 5×4 and because they collect and drop off, are price-competitive and always very pleasant. They’ve never scratched negs, ever.
RGB in Middlesbrough
As near geographically, especially currently, and the first time I’ve seen technicians working in white cotton gloves in a retail lab. I like them. They did me a rushed job this morning with the utmost care and attention. Definitely top of the list after today.
I’m going to try the new MPS, now trading as Digitalab, in Stepney Bank just down the road from The Art Works, where the Swing Bridge photos end their run tomorrow. Asda in Hartlepool is also really, really good for one hour 35mm, unbelievably. The staff there are always interested and it’s spotless.
At any of the 3 above, you don’t get:
roll film tied with an elastic band
stray hairs (medium length, black) in the sleeves
fingerprints
management disinterest and adhoc price hikes
You do get:
cut or uncut negs on request without murmur
sleeving ditto
it’s impossible to get completely dust-free negs, but near is achievable
the feeling that one’s photographs are important…
Where do you go? Any recommendations, tips? Anywhere in the country you’ve had good service?
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6 Comments
I use Peak Imaging by post having had several bad experiences with the now defunct Ward Phillipson. They’re excellent but obviously you risk trusting you valuable images to the Royal Mail. Might give RGB a try, though they’re not too convenient for me to drop off in person. I’ve only ever used MPS/DigitalLab for digital prints but was very happy with their service.
fwiw, I process my own b&w all formats to 5×4 [2 home] and generally use a lab called Vanbars in Carlton, Melbourne Australia, for C41, 6×6 usually. Interesting article really, as film for me these days is either hard core zone system style processing by me or “a couple of rolls of colour I’ve shot”. Hope that makes sense?
Good luck with the auction and the show btw.
Digitalab are allegedly delivering a better service than their former incarnation, MPS. Not sure whether RGB do a postal service, but will ask them.
I forgot to mention 7dayshop.com’s dLab7 service, which I use for E6.
S2art: yes I process all my own b&w too – there are no labs near me who will do it now. Hard core zone does make sense, yes. But I’m also attempting hard core C41, ha.
Auction is looking interesting: will of course keep you all posted.
ive just had a couple of films developed at digitalab in newcastle and there is a improvement since they were formely known as mps.The films were kodak tri x and ive certainly have no complaints on the quality of developing though the price is slightly high for the service
Definitely worth trying them: thank you!
A brief update here, since someone at RGB in Boro has Googled themselves.
RGB refused to process a dozen rolls of 120 and 35mm a couple of weeks ago, saying that there were, and I quote: “a lot”. Since it had taken me a 3/4 hour car journey and parking to get there, you can imagine how frustrating this was. I shan’t try again.
The films went to Digitalab, who seem more than happy with that kind of quantity, and the condition of the negs is immaculate. Needs another write-up really. My 35mm colour neg snapshotty stuff will go to Asda in Hartlepool.