Looking for a c22 lab

[paulc206]

I have some old 620 rolls that need c22 process to develop. I am aware of the Rocky Mountain folks, and have found these other labs as well by Google and by asking several local film shop folks in Seattle.

http://www.processc22.co.uk/

http://www.rapidphoto.net/c22.html

http://www.filmrescue.com/

If it is apropriate, I'm looking for some first-hand recommendations by people who have used one of these labs, or another C-22 capable shop, to get c-22 work done ... or failing that, any work, just to get an idea of the place's general quality of work.

Other possibly pertinent facts: I am a novice photographer. I have been using digital for eyars, even back when it sucked, and APS before that, so I have very little experience with "quality" film development. These are old 1960's era films and I am aware the results may be poor, foggy, or even blank. I'm willing to pay to see, since if there are images they are probably some good family memories.

I apologize if soliciting commercial recommendations is not allowed on these forums -- I read the FAQ and tried to pick the most appropriate forum on the TPF site. I would be happy to take recommendations in Private Messages, or to move this to a different subforum. Thanks in advance for any info you folks can provide.

 

[terri]

No problem, your post is fine here.

However, I've not used these labs and can't offer up a recommendation, unfortunately. Hopefully someone will weigh in here with some advice.

Good luck!

 

[Alpha]

I'm heading to my local pro lab today...i'll ask if they can do it.

 

[yoursatellite]

I'm a photographer but to make ends meet, I operate an estate managment company and with this come a good number of clients that have found old film in a persons belongings after a death. I've become a bit of an expert I think. This is my experience.......

Rocky Mountain is very slow (6 months to a year and a half), expensive and do little beyond processing your film in a developer that would have been appropriate for the time period but does little to compensate for the age of the film. Prints are then made on a mini-lab onto conventional color RA4 paper. You pay full price regardless of the results. They do seem to have the experience but it seems like they really don't give a damn. Though the most popular and the most recommended of all the places doing this work they are best avoided.

Process C-22 is run by an individual who is competent and truely seems to enjoy his work and have concern over what type of product he puts out. The turn-around time is not fast but hey....do you really need a fast turn-around on film that is 40 years old. Most film is developed in a developer that renders a B&W negative regardless if it is a color film or not. This is an appropriate approach with undeveloped vintage film as the silver content that is normally bleached from a color film is far more resilient over time then the color dye image. All work is scanned from the negative and digitally enhanced before it is printed. Your will pay for development regardless of results though you will not be charged the scanning and printing fee. Seems fair enough to me. Beyond the fact he's overseas he's an excellent option.

Rapid Photo. Their name is correct. Of all the places offering this service they are the fastest though by experience not as fast as they claim. The folks here seem competent enough and the phone service is good. If they are unable to salvage anything from your film you will be charged the developing price only. What I do like about thier service is that you pay only for the prints that they do. What I don't like is that if you pay by check, the full price assuming all of the pictures work out, getting a refund for the difference is unwieldy. They do include a cd along with prints but this cd is scanned from the print and not from the film. Much improvement can be made in the digital realm to these distressed images so this is an unfortunate approach. If you need your film back quickly this is the place to go to. I would recommend process only and then plan to take the time to do your own scanning (contrary to their claim that scanners will not scan negatives of this density...most can) so you can do some very necessary corrections before you output to paper.

Film Rescue is the most expensive of all of the above but in this case you do pay for what you get. They are moderately slow (6 to 9 weeks) but do tend to deliver about on time. As mentioned, you will pay more here then anywhere else but you will pay nothing if they are unable to salvage recognizable pictures from your film. Sounds like good motivation to do it right. I also like that if your film is bordline to the point the images may not be recognizable they do call to consult if you want to proceed with the digital work. If you say no then....no charge. You recieve back prints, negatives and digital files on CD-r. The price includes age appropriate development, scanning from the negative, digital corrections and return postage though with the price that they charge I don't think including the postage is that big of deal. They say that they keep digital records of all the work through their doors indefinitely in a bank vault (the company is in an old bank building apparently) in case...I don't know..if your house burns down? Maybe overkill but I do like the security knowing that if something is lost in the mail you have recourse. If you want Cadilac service and the film is important to you then this is the way to go....that does come with a price though.

Helen