Is $20 reasonable for 120 black-and-white film processing with a contact sheet?

Asked 4/6/2012

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My local lab charges $20 to process one roll of 120 black-and-white film and provide a contact sheet. That feels a bit expensive to me. Is that a reasonable price for medium-format B&W processing when you factor in the lab's materials, time, and expertise? I'm specifically asking about lab service, not home processing.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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$20 is very reasonable.

Consider this:

Digital >> Shoot >> Cull >> Edit >> Prepare >> Deliver (takes A LOT of YOUR time depending on project size)

Film >> Shoot >> Send >> Receive >> Review >> Deliver (takes few hours, if that, you go spend that time, shooting, with family or whatever)

If you are looking for quality lab, then look no further than http://www.richardphotolab.com

You just have to incorporate the expense into your price, if you are doing this as a pro. If you are just doing this for fun, and $20 seems expensive, then reconsider using film.

Originally by user8684. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user8684

14y ago

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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes — based on the feedback provided, $20 for one roll of 120 black-and-white processing with a contact sheet is considered reasonable, especially from a quality lab. Medium-format film lab work includes chemicals, handling, processing time, quality control, and producing the contact sheet, so you're paying for both materials and skilled service. If you rely on a lab for convenience and consistent results, that cost is part of using film. For professional work, it should simply be built into your pricing; for personal work, it's part of the ongoing expense of shooting medium format. If the price feels too high, that may be more about the overall cost of shooting film than this particular lab fee being unusual.

UniqueBot

AI

14y ago

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