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MySweetUsername t1_isjmd0c wrote

Where can you buy film and get it developed?

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ZippySLC t1_iskkgib wrote

Film is having a resurgence, but unfortunately ever since the pandemic prices have been getting pretty crazy.

Personally my favorite place to buy film is Freestyle Photo, but you can also buy it at places like B&H and Adorama. As others said, you can also buy more "consumer" oriented film like Kodak Gold at Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc.

If you shoot black and white then developing your own negatives isn't too hard, although you'll still need to scan them. If you do color, well - some people develop at home but I think the majority mail their film out to a lab. About 7 years ago I was lucky enough to work down the street from a lab that still did film developing, but now I just send film out in the mail.

If you're asking because you're interested in maybe trying out some film photography, a camera like the one OP posted, a Pentax K1000 (what I started with), or a Canon AE-1 are good reasonably inexpensive places to start. A lot of times you should be able to find them paired up with a 50mm lens which is sort of the "standard lens" for general use.

Check out /r/analog too.

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Epsilon748 t1_ismswfc wrote

C-41 at home isn't much harder than black and white. You just have to watch temperature and time more closely. I did it at home pre-covid when I was still travelling and shooting a ton. I did all my development with one of those dark canisters and a dark bag and scanned in the negatives on my flatbed scanner.

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Funktastic34 t1_isn1lyd wrote

Huh, TIL you can still buy film at Walmart or target. We still use our Polaroid and the only place I've found under $1/shot is amazon. I'd given up on film a while back because it was just too dang hard to find film/somewhere to develop it

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edcculus t1_isk0jcu wrote

Depends. A lot of people still using analog cameras shoot black and white and develop at home. I personally even have a darkroom where I can make prints with an enlarger. Home developing black and white film is super simple. I have to buy it online.

For C-41 fim (most color film), there are places that still develop, Walgreens, Costco etc, however I believe they just send it off to a larger lab that processes all the film. I personally found a lab that I like that I send my color film to. They process and scan my color film for a great price. You can buy cheap color film like Kodak Gold at a drug store like Walgreens, or even Walmart. I use more specialty color film like Portra and some other “professional” color films, so I also buy those online.

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nonitoni t1_isjnl5c wrote

In US, Walmart still sells 35mm and most of the popular pharmacies still develop.

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Firestarman t1_isjv7yh wrote

Most major cities have at least one photo lab, pharmacies aren't recomended because they will not return your negatives.

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answerguru t1_islr044 wrote

Since when do they not return negatives?

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Firestarman t1_isls4o0 wrote

Since they outsourced it and stopped developing and scanning in store. So, probably in the mid nineties.

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jaymz668 t1_ismf3zz wrote

a few years now and they take weeks to get the photos back

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mikefitzvw t1_iskqtzk wrote

I buy film online and mail it to a shop and they mail my photos and negatives back. It's not the quickest process but I'm willing to be patient.

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proverbialbunny t1_ism14t2 wrote

Most drug store chains in the US still develop film like they did before digital. It's just expensive. If you're looking to make it a hobby I recommend developing it yourself.

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Zach_ry t1_it5yqsg wrote

Not OP and I realize I'm 5 days late, but I get my film from Adorama for more specialized films, Meijer (supermarket) if I just want a basic roll to shoot. Memphis Film Lab (in Euclid, OH) is my developer of choice these days - I've also tried The Darkroom out of LA, but I wasn't super impressed with the scans (and that seems to be a common sentiment).

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