Ok, I have just purchased (4) Holga cameras for friends and family for the holiday season. After talking them (Holgas) up in a recent post and showcasing cool Holga photos/ photographers, suddenly they appeared on several holiday lists…mine included. No problem, the cameras are quite affordable and I have little concern about them being dropped or destroyed…But what about processing the film? Ugh!

It’s hard for me to fathom I would be complaining about processing black and white film, since I have done it for most of my life…but that was before the digital age. I have to admit the thought of black bags, chemicals, thermometers ( and temperatures), water spots, dust, and on and on….doesn’t do it for me anymore. I still have 3 enlargers gathering dust (can’t get to the point of selling them yet), timers, and enough trays and tongs to cater a wedding…but I’m unofficially out of the darkroom business.

And yet, I have purchased cameras that use 120 film that even Walmart can’t develop in an hour…Are there any labs that still develop black and white film? Well, the answer thankfully is YES.

A quick search revealed several photo labs offering complete black and white services..for very reasonable prices! Since I already have a negative scanner, getting film developed with a contact sheet seems to be a perfect solution. Listed below are a few of the labs I found offering black and white film developing services. Who do you use? I would love to know who you use for black and white processing…please comment. Still hand processing? …love to hear from you as well!

• Cox Black and White Lab
• E-Six Lab
• Black and White Lab
• Dr.5
• Dalmatian Lab
• BestLab ( I’ve personally used this lab in the past…great service!)