Developing Labs in Canada

Hi;
I'm new to LF and at this point the only camera I have is a turn of the century (the previous one) Rochester optical Pony Premo No. 3. Anyhow that camera has got me interested in LF and I'm seriously looking at a Chamonix 4x5 and prowling the web for lenses. I live semi-rurally in northwestern Alberta so there are absolutely no labs around here and I'm not sure I want to set up a home darkroom. Does anyone know of a lab in Canada that I could send exposed film in to - possibly with specific instructions per image. I don't even know of another LF shooter in the area so probably out of luck with sharing a darkroom.

You could try Labworks in Ottawa:

http://gpclabworks.com/contact.php

But you could also develop 4x5 and just contact print, without an enlarger. I did that for some time until I got a bigger darkroom.

Are you looking for a lab to just develop your film?

Welcome to the forum! Setting up a darkroom might mean using your bathroom. After dark, with a blind or cloth over the window. It need not be elaborate. Some trays, maybe a piece of wood over the bathtub for the trays. Some chemicals. And you will learn a lot!

http://www.torontoimageworks.com is in Toronto and is Ed Burytinsky's lab. When I'm short on time and can't process at home, I send my film to TIW (35 up to 8x10 bw).

I've never used his film processing services (had Lambda b/w wet prints made though) but Bob Carnie's http://www.alternativephotoservices....er-prints.html would be an excellent choice as well.

Either will obviously require sending film via CanPost or courier.

For colour film processing and proofing I used to use ABC Photo in Vancouver http://www.abcphoto.com. Being close to Detroit, I've also saved on shipping and driven a few orders across to Titan, but I don't think that was any cheaper. (taking into account gas and tunnel fees, plus the exchange on the Canadian Dollar)

I've got a couple of boxes of Ektar and Portra sitting in my fridge, so I think I'll watch to see where this thread goes, as it doesn't look as though Lake Erie is going to let my darkroom dry out this year.

Cheers,
Tom

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Collins

Welcome to the forum! Setting up a darkroom might mean using your bathroom. After dark, with a blind or cloth over the window. It need not be elaborate. Some trays, maybe a piece of wood over the bathtub for the trays. Some chemicals. And you will learn a lot!

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^^^This^^^

Hi Everyone;
Thanks for all the input. I realize now that I should have probably given a bit more detail. I am pushing 70 and did do my own 35mm developing and contact printing (in the bathroom) as a teenager. My interest in labs at this time is really based on space and marital bliss. I currently live about 500 km northwest of Edmonton, AB so there are definitely no labs and not even a higher end photo store nearby. I'm anticipating that for some time all I will be shooting in LF is B&W. What I was hoping was that there would be labs out there that I could use for developing only. I'd like to mail the exposed film to them, possibly with any required special instructions, and then I would scan the images for printing from there. If I wanted to print from the neg then it would have to be back to the mail. In part I'm trying to think of all the alligators before draining the swamp as it were.
Thanks again to everyone

Pete

You could send your exposed film to me, if you cannot find a lab or anyone else. PM me.

You might try Canadian Film Labs in Vancouver as I believe they do 4X5 in black and white. I have nit tried them yet as I still have a lab in Medicine Hat that can do C41 up to at least 4X5 but they do not do black and white nor do I think they scan, not sure.

I lived in Grand Prairie way back when, you must be quite a bit further nirth.

I would use the http://www.thelabvancouver.com. They are really good