Options for Medium Format Developing

While many of today's photographers are switching to digital cameras, some professionals still value the artistic merit that comes from shooting on film. Medium format film is more popular among professional photographers than 35 mm film, but finding medium format developing is becoming more and more challenging. Here are some options to consider when looking for a place to develop your medium format film.

A Professional Lab

Most professional labs are still developing medium format negatives. This may change, as there is less and less of a demand for the developing technique, but for now you will be fairly safe taking your cartridges to a professional lab. However, you will pay for professional developing, and you may have limited options in your area if you do not live near a large city.

Send-Away Lab Services

Most one-hour photo developing labs will not offer medium format developing. It is simply not cost effective for them to purchase the necessary equipment. However, most will have some sort of "send-away" service you can use. They will take your film cartridges, package them up, and send them out to a large lab for developing.

This is a very affordable option, but it has some drawbacks. First, the more people there are in the process who handle your films, the more likely it is that something will be damaged along the way. Also, you will have limited options for print sizes. Most of these send-away labs print a small 3 by 3 image. This works well for a proof album, but you will spend more time and money to get usable prints.

Mail Order Developing

Mail order medium format developing is another option. This is similar to using a send-away lab service, but you do the sending from your home, not the one-hour lab. This is a little better of an option, because fewer people will be handling your film along the way, but it still puts the film and resulting negatives at risk for damage. Also, your pictures or negatives could get lost in the mail. Even if you buy insurance on the package, you will not be able to get the images back if the mailman loses them.

Do It Yourself

If you have access to a dark room, you can actually process medium format film yourself. You can purchase a C-41 medium format developing kit to use in your own darkroom. This is only going to be cost effective if you plan to develop a lot of these films, because the cost of the chemicals and other materials necessary to develop C-41 film will add up quickly. Of course, with this option, you are the only one who will be handling your negatives, so any damage that happens is entirely on your shoulders.

Which of these options is best? The answer really depends on your comfort level and budget. Once you have the negatives, getting prints is not that difficult. Most one-hour labs have the equipment necessary to make prints from medium format negatives. You can also have your negatives scanned and burned onto a CD to preserve them for the future. Much can be done from medium format film; you simply need to find the right medium format developing option first.