Photo Lab Review #1: The Camera Shop
In the modern age, you’ve got a lot of options for where to send your film. There’s a lot of contenders for your business out there. Right now, I’m getting my film processed as cheaply as I can and doing all my own scanning, since I trust no one. The question is, is there someone out there I CAN trust to scan my film and have it look nice? This series (which I hope can continue for a long time) is intended to look at the products (processing, proof prints, and digital scans) that I receive from various labs. Because you never know when you’ll have to call on a professional to do your dirty work…
The Camera Shop
http://www.statecollegecamerashop.com/
Location: State College, PA
Formats: 35mm, 120
Processes: B&W, C-41, E-6
For my first photo lab review, I thought I would go local. The Camera Shop in State College, PA is a pretty small business that is pretty obviously stuck between two different identities. They offer a number of digital items, and DSLRs and lenses are pretty steeply priced, when you consider the primary competition is online vendors. However, they stock a number of film photography supplies, from developing tanks to chemicals to a pretty decent amount of film. Sometimes the markup will even be cheaper than ordering from Freestyle, Adorama, or B&H with their shipping costs, and you get the added satisfaction of supporting local business. For this reason, they have the highest odds of getting my C-41 development business.
Development: A roll of 120 is $4, and that’s made quite attractive by the fact that there’s no return shipping for me to pay. I can’t remember whether 35mm is cheaper to develop or it’s also $4. The downside is that the C-41 machine only gets run about one day a week. Orders are allowed to accumulate so that they’re processed all at once. You could end up waiting anywhere from thirty minutes to five days. E-6 development is even more variable. First, there were color balancing issues with the chemistry, and the owner is now having to test a new, smaller batch from his distributor. Thanks to these problems, the current batch of E-6 processing that’s about to happen includes rolls that have been waiting for months. The bottom line is, there’s no set turnaround time for anything. There have also occasionally been an odd spot or two left on a few of my negatives – odd dots here and there that look like a clear, sticky substance was on the roll. Easily photoshopped. B&W processing is also available. I’ll try to remember to mention this for all labs
Scans: The one time I had them scan me some film, I gave them cross-processed 35mm. Not really a fair fight, surely, but see my scan comparison that I did once I got my own Epson V700 below. This was made after maybe thirty minutes of learning the EpsonScan software. I also got some C-41 prints at one point, meaning those were also scanned, and the color balance seemed a bit off. I have yet to try them with images I’ve submitted digitally, but their printers would certainly beat the piece of crap I have. Bottom line: for printing and scanning, I’d seek alternate methods.
Top: My scan. Bottom: Lab scan. The cloud presence alone justified using my own scanner.
Shopping: This feature won’t be included in other lab reviews, but I feel like The Camera Shop really deserves to be commended on their (film) products for sale. Being a regular customer, I can usually get a few bucks off some recently expired film if there’s any in stock. There’s a ton of photo chemicals and supplies lying around, too, so if I need a color correction filter, storage bottle, or a batch of HC-110, I can definitely get it from the Camera Shop before waiting for FedEx to drive here from California to deliver a Freestyle order.
The Bottom Line: The Camera Shop, the only truly local photo lab available, is a great option for basic film development and purchasing necessary chemicals.
