Where to process and scan film in the US?

[PLW]

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I recently bought a Leica M6TTL to experiment with getting back into film photography.  I have an old home darkroom I haven't used in years, and have been using various Leica digital cameras in recent years.  I finished my first TMAX 400 roll and sent it to The Darkroom in San Clemente CA, using a free mailer given to me at the Leica Store where I bought the M6.   I believe I opted for the medium grade scan option if I recall correctly.  I am disappointed by the scan quality -- grainy, not all that sharp.  For any "keeper" images I will have to take the negatives (when I get them in the mail back from the lab) to a local processor near where I live, Dodge Chrome in Maryland, to get better scans.   For my next roll I would like to try a new lab.  Any recommendations?  And what should I do in terms of requested scan quality?  Any "keeper images" I'll want as high quality as possible (I'm used to dealing with M10 RAW files), though not all images are keepers.  What do folks do....just get high quality scans for all?  Many thanks in advance.  (I realize there's no right answer, I'm just wondering about the best practices others may have adopted.)

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[BWColor]

I have been using Citizen’s Photo in Portland.  Multiple forum members at FM praised their work and their more than reasonable prices.  I’ve only done develop only in that I use a Negative Supply copy setup with my A7CR.  Most labs offer jpg files with TIFF being a good bit more expensive.  I know that Citizen’s offers two resolution options, but I believe they have an even higher resolution scan option and providing TIFF only costs an additional $1.00 per roll.  Also, film choices make a major difference in what you will see.  There are many high resolution B&W films.  I’m fully digital with B&W in that I love the M11 Monochrom, but color is a different matter.  I have been using Portra 160 @ ISO 100.  The film stock is surprisingly high resolution and skin tones are amazing.  Ektar 100 is lower resolution but less granularity with added punch/micro-contrast/saturation.

Notice that their high resolution scans are 2000x3000, but their Noritsu S-2 can provide 4000x6000 and you definitely want the flexibility of TIFF.  This is a small operation, so the owner usually answers the phone.  He can tell you what the charges are for a roll develop and scanned at 4000x6000 and delivered in TIFF.  Just to add another level should you decide to call them, the Noritsu S-2 scanner is capable of scanning at 4600ppi which makes 35mm full frame scans max out at around 4600x6900.   That said, when you look at the line pair/mm resolution of Portra 160, it probably maxes out at around a digital equivalent (if there is such a thing) of around 16Mpix, so it isn’t going to compete with your M10.

The maximum postage that I’ve encountered when shipping four 35mm rolls from Texas to Oregon was $5 each way.  Use the USPS Click & Ship to get the lower shipping rates.  They shipped my negatives to me using a 4”x4”x4” box and so that is what I now use to ship film to the lab.

Edited September 25 by BWColor
Added Citizen’s Info.

[TomB_tx]

I used Dwayne's Photo Processing in Kansas for years with good results for what I wanted in color films (C41 & E6), but have always done B&W myself. However, when postage went up to about $10 each way I decided to get back to doing it myself as well. The modern color processes are easier than when I last did color (1970s) and I've been trying the AGO processor and Cinestill 2-bath C41 chemistry with fair results. My 3 grandkids have all started shooting color film, so I can help them afford it by processing here.

I've been meaning to shoot a couple of rolls identically and compare my processing to Dwayne's as I expect their results will shame me, but it's fun to experiment.

I just scan on on Epson flat bed (850) which is adequate for our use.

I'll admit for color my M10 & M10R can beat anything I do on film, but my heart prefers film cameras after using them for 60 + years.

[dleibow]

I have been using Royal We film lab in Oakland, CA. They do a great job, but I get their highest offered quality TIFF scans. Those scans are very comparable to the results from a Nikon CS9000. The Royal We scans are particularly better than the Nikon scanner for black and white film. The Nikon scans are typically a bit sharper.

 

https://www.royalwefilmlab.com/

[pgh]

On 9/25/2025 at 8:54 AM, PLW said:

(I'm used to dealing with M10 RAW files)

Judged by most metrics other than perhaps highlight rolloff/retention, this will generally beat any 35mm scan, even a very good scan, fwiw. 35mm just has its limits (part of where the charm comes from). 

I "scan" my 35mm negatives with my SL2 and a 70mm macro lens and do my own inversions. I find this generally preferable to my local shop (Camera Mall in Ann Arbor) which offers high res Noritsu scans - which are about as good as can be hoped for as well. For now though, I drop off all my c41 and bw film with them. I may go back to doing b/w development at home but with a small kid and no real film project going on at the moment I'm not there yet.