Damn you jessops :D

[Fate]

hehe im annoyed with Jessops. I gave in a b&w film to be developed... it took its usual 1 and a half weeks to get developed and then... i got it back with a letter saying it had been damaged during in processing I got a free proccesing out of it, but im annoyed lol.

Is there anywhere that specialises in B&W processing that i can send film too? I dont mind Jessops... it just takes toooooooo long!

 

[n1patrick]

I gave up on Jessops a while ago for a number of reasons. I now use Sky Photographic, Metro or even Snappy Snaps (who do a surprisingly good job). Though I rarely shoot B&W.

 

[Torus34]

If you're shooting a lot of B&W, processing the film and making contact sheets requires only a small investment in chemicals and gear.

 

[usayit]

I'm in the same boat. For many years, I've depended on local sources for B&W processing. Two things recently changed that dependence. First, I enrolled in college photo courses and learned just how much fun you can have in the darkroom working the negatives yourself. Second, my local source for B&W processing and printing retired. Dropping off my rolls to a local shop and having them send it to Kodak takes almost 2 weeks!

I'm now in the process of building a darkroom at home. With just a tank, reels, thermometer, negative hanging clips ( for drying ) and chemicals ( developer, stop bath, fixer, hypo-clear, pro-flow ) one can do the processing at home. With a little more work, contact sheets are also possible. So my vote is to do it yourself at home.

 

[Rob]

Post to Ilford works ok and it's much cheaper than Jessops.

Rob

 

[stingray]

do it yourself! prints are another matter, but if you just want the film developed it's very easy. My only gear for developing film here is as follows: Black bag equivalent: Doona/quilt in darkened room... can opener (kitchen style) to open film canisters and then a twenty dollar tank and reel.
it's very very simple... and, people will disagree i'm sure, but really not that exact of a science.. you can be a dgree or two out temperature wise and half a minute out in time and it won't make THAT much difference...
might be worth trying yourself just to start out?

 

[Fate]

Thanks for the advice guys

I'll look into starting up a darkroom. Im just wondering if its worth it as i may be purchasing a DSLR soon

 

[AIRIC]

The film can be damaged everywhere, even good labs can break a belt, expose it to light or mix the chemistry wrong. Doing it yourself can be costly if you do not shoot a lot of rolls and then you have dust, water spots and such to contend with. Don't get me wrong I have processed b//w since I was 9 years old and you can damage your film just as easily. If you are planning on going digital soon try and find a lab that processes b/w on site. They may charge a little more but it will be worth it.

Eric

 

[usayit]

Thanks for the advice guys

I'll look into starting up a darkroom. Im just wondering if its worth it as i may be purchasing a DSLR soon

Really depends on you... I love my DSLR but for Black and white, I found the basics straight forward and the results more pleasing than digital. For just processing B&W negatives there's really no need for a dedicated dark room. Just a light tight room or a changing back to load the negatives into a film reel and development tank. Loading negativese in complete darkness will be a whole lot easier if you can set your camera not to wind the leader into the film canister during rewind. The rest of the chemical processing can be done out in daylight once the film is properly installed into the reel and in the development tank.

Eric, the issue I'm faced with and probably the same issue as the original poster is that less and less labs are doing B&W. I'm sure as digital's grip on the market tightens it will be almost impossible.