I got the email yesterday, with a whopping 10 day notice, no more developing C41 on sheet film, no more B&W of any kind (they had already discontinued E6 with similar short notice). Looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and develop C41 on those very rare occasions when I shoot C41 in 4x5.
Yet another impediment to people discovering, or re-discovering the beauty of film. It's too bad indeed.
Well, I can't help you with the color, but it looks like it's time to discover, or re-discover, the joys and specificity of developing film yourself.
I got my first "film is dead" shock in Dallas. In 2008, I made a trip to Dallas and was going to buy the film I needed there. Hey, big city! Lots of film! I went to Dallas Camera, asked for some 120 EPN and got the "it's special order" message. I was able to buy some Portra 160 but it was a shock. The guys there said, "The market for film hasn't just dropped, it has driven off a cliff". Should have known. There were five or six refrigerator cases out in the parking lot, waiting to be taken away.
I use Edgar Praus.
In Washington State, nobody commercially develops large format color film. Panda Lab does LF B&W, and has promised color, but it's never actually been done.
"It's the way to educate your eyes. Stare. Pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." - Walker Evans
Thanks, I do develop my own black and white, just not color.Originally Posted by ROL
Well, I can't help you with the color, but it looks like it's time to discover, or re-discover, the joys and specificity of developing film yourself.
I'm going to suggest Citizens Photo here in Portland - I bet they're quicker. They do dip & dunk processing.
In this era of everyone owning a digital camera of some type, and either just posting them on the web or owning a desktop printer themselves, what kind of business
does a lab suppose it's going to be doing in the future anyway???? Even the "digital only" lab down the street still processes C441 120 and 35mm rolls themselves, and scans any size film or copy, and takes in ALL sizes of sheet film, E6 and C41, as a convenience to their customers, which are sent to a much larger "full service" lab not too far away (but driving another twenty minutes round trip for me during rush hour makes it worth my time to pay them a bit extra, and saves me the headache)... And even they process black and white film, even sheets. Not a lot of fancy choices of developers, but it gives people who prefer film and want it scanned an option. Sounds odd, but I even have friends like that. They shoot film then put it into an inversion tank in a changing bag, then chemically develop it, then scan it themselves. Why???? Cause they got too young kids, a fresh house payment, and want a darkroom in the future, but can't afford it yet. Similarly,
there are a lot of these student types around that prefer film but have to choose between reviewing it with a scan or using a rental darkroom. Some have tried
things like contact printing and a tray ladder in a closet... but that can be kinda stuffy if you're just renting an appt and can't install a light-tight fan. Landlords in
this college town aren't exactly cooperative to suggestions, much less complaints.
The price is right at Citizen's, and we also have Blue Moon Camera and Machine.
Need your 4x5 color film done? Send it to me.
Still figuring out a few things...pricing and how many sheets we need for a minimum run, etc... I've not made a formal announcement yet, while the pricing and deadlines are being worked out, but let's talk if you need some stuff done.
http://basementdarkroom.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/basementdarkroom
Blue Moon forwards their LF to Citizens
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