I had a roll of 35mm film sitting in my office for years, and I finally decided it was time to figure out how to get it developed. Thedarkroom.com was one of several options that came up, but what really stood out to me was how easy their website and app were to use and how upfront their pricing was. The entire process was seamless. Their communication and turnaround time were phenomenal. As soon as they received my film, I got an email. When my photos were ready to view online, I got another. And when my order shipped, they sent tracking information right away. I always knew exactly where things were in the process. I wasn't even sure what to expect since the film ended up being about 15 years old, but the pictures turned out great. I don't know if I'll need film development services again anytime soon, but if I do, I will absolutely use The Darkroom again--and I highly recommend them to anyone who has old film tucked away and wants to bring those memories back to life. read more

The Darkroom - Purchased items are packed professionally. - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

The Darkroom i stumbled on because I had a bunch of older disposable cameras and a few rolls in a box I couldn't find forever. I sent them in because no one does in house printing anymore. I read the good the bad and ugly after sending my rolls and disposable cameras out. To be honest I didn't have high expectations after reading a few bad and ugly reviews. I had nothing but great interactions with the Darkroom. They were super fast and had wonderful communication. A lot of my pics didn't come out due to the age of the disposable cameras. So I wasn't too upset. They were very kind and gave me a offer for one free disposable camera on my next order as I spent a pretty penny. They also sent back one roll and refunded me for it as it was unused lol I had no idea and they could have most definitely lied and just said it was blank and kept my money but they didn't. I really appreciate honesty as it's hard to come by. I most definitely recommend the Darkroom! Ill be sending the rest of my disposable cameras keeping my fingers crossed they will get more pics off of them. read more

I've been looking for a new lab to develop my film, and was pleased to see that The Darkroom was minutes from work. Always heard of them but never used their services. I am SO stoked with the quality of their work. From easy drop off and high quality scans to the quick turnaround and ease of receiving photos (app and mailed negatives), this place is top notch. Very excited to have a new lab and I cannot wait to bring more of my film in! read more

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I've been using The Darkroom to have my film developed for nearly six years now and have always had a consistently amazing experience. I'm always so impressed and grateful for their quick turnaround time and easy process of placing orders! The best part is they include a mailer with every order they send back to you so you have it handy for next time (and for me, there has always been a next time!). Awesome value, awesome people, awesome quality. Will continue happily supporting this business! read more

Their service is TOPS! Whatever photography services you may need, chances are they provide them. Their prices are very competitive. read more

They are awesome just got my first roll developed with them and they did a awesome job read more

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On a recent trip to my parent's house, I found my dad's old Yashica MG-2 lying around. Got myself a Kodak color film and took it on a trip. Heard very good reviews about The Darkroom from my colleagues and friends, so decided to use their development and scanning (enhanced) service. They provide a free USPS shipping label, which is used to send the film. You only pay for the return shipping. Within a few days of shipping I received an email that my photos have been scanned and uploaded. The photos can be viewed on their website or on the mobile app. I received the negatives in a couple days after that. Overall, I'm very happy with the quality and service. read more

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I have developed and scanned 35mm color negatives twice here now, and I have nothing but great things to say about The Darkroom! The scans are wonderful quality, the turnaround is about a week from shipping, and the negatives get back to you a week after that. The prepaid mailer for your film is such a useful service, and the enhanced scans are well worth it! Cannot recommend The Darkroom enough for your film developing needs! Great value and wonderful customer service! read more

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I had 4 disposable cameras from probably 2004. I assumed the pictures and quality would not be the best, but my overall experience with this company was horrible. I spent $18 per camera, one basically had 0 photos come out but they didn't care. Out of these 4 cameras I got about 52 pictures. First issue was I received the negatives in the mail only, and had to contact customer service about why I didn't have any pictures uploaded to the web. Instead of receiving any type of response, I got notified they were uploaded to the web. I didn't care no response from customer service since the issue was fixed. Second issue was every time I tried to download more than one picture, it would automatically put them in a .zip file, as most websites do however when you unzip them, there were no properties and you could not open the pictures. I contacted Customer Service and tried to upload one of the JPG files and the site didn't even recognize it as a JPG. I contacted customer service, sent the picture that I couldn't even upload their corrupt picture, and guess what? No response again. I ended up having to manually download all 52 pictures 1 by 1. Their site is broken and wonky, and they have 0 customer service. I will be going somewhere else for my 4 other cameras. This was a terrible experience and I highly advise against using this company. read more

The Darkroom - Website didn't even recognize the pictures I DLed from the SAME WEBSITE as a JPG - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

I like their fast service and appreciate the good quality of the scans and prints. They also do a good job of developing prints.

After doing some pandemic cleaning I found a few old disposable cameras from 15-20 years ago that had obviously expired a very long time ago. I came across The Darkroom after searching for film developing in Orange County. The mail-in form was really easy to use and I was updated on my order status every step of the way. I only sent one of my cameras in to see if they would be able to develop old film and I will definitely be using their services again. read more

Absolutely blown away by this lab! I sent in a test roll just to see how their service stacked up and now I'm sending all my film to them. Not only were the results stunning (the quality of the scans far exceeded my expectations) but their turnaround time was super speedy. On top of that, the price was great and when I had a question, they responded with genuinely helpful advice. USPS can take its time getting the rolls there (as it does) but once the lab receives them, the process is so fast and smooth. So worth it. Highly recommend and I will never develop my film elsewhere. read more

Quality work!! Like in the labs of the '70s and '80s and 90s! Using technology from the 70s and '80s contactless film processing as opposed to Roller transport machine which can scratch your film!! I worked in the industry back in the'70s and '80s although my lab closed a long time ago, can still be done today in the 2000s!! read more

I love using this service to develop my film. It's very quick and easy. I used to go to a local place but they would take forever to develop my film. Now I just mail it into the darkroom and I get my scans back within a week or less. read more

I've used The Darkroom's services a few times for black and white and color negative 35mm film development and have always been pleased with the results. They return the negatives as well, which is great. Turnaround time is a few days, but I've gotten scans back within a day of them receiving my film. I like how they have an app that's easy to use so I can download my photos efficiently. Ordering is a breeze either through their website, app, or paper. There are various options for prints, as well as optional services such as pushing and pulling, cross processing, and more. Also, when I received my film, they send a prepaid bag for my next order that already has tracking! It's a really efficient system. Price is on par or better than other places I have tried. read more

I've been using The Darkroom for about 3 years now, I'm from Arizona and it's hard to find a consistent place out here that also returns your film. Though I mostly only use disposable cameras for fun - shipping them out is so easy and usually quick. Turn around times are usually 24 hours which is awesome and I love they get uploaded straight to the site and app. One thing I was really let down on was that normally I just go for the cheapest standard scans, but this last round of cameras I decided to go with enhanced scans and pay extra since I wanted to see if it would help with the blurriness I get in most scans - they were even MORE blurry with the enhanced option, like the most blurred scans i have ever encountered in my 3 years with this company and that made me sad :( I'll have to see if I can get them rescanned elsewhere once I get my film back. for example: the most simple, up close in range picture of my cat is super blurry like what even, not a single one of my photos with my friends from a trip is clear or even as good as the standard scans were, so sad read more

The Darkroom - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

I sent in two rolls of film to be developed, but this lab unfortunately lost one of them. I emailed back asking if it was stuck in the package, and I was unhappy to have to wait seven days before they replied confirming the loss. They did express sympathy ("we here at The Darkroom understand how precious ANY roll of film is"), but I guess in this age of customer service I expected to be taken care of a little more. For example, I then switched to another lab that made a mistake and owned it with a sincere apology email, and gave me my next order for free. The lost roll was client work, so the stakes were a bit high. Having to explain the loss to the client, and having to re-shoot was a huge pain. Because it's client work I researched for a long time to make sure I was dealing with a reputable lab, and heard great things, but I just didn't have that experience. I definitely recommend Reformed Film Lab or Bay Photo (my current go-to) if you have had a similar experience and are looking to switch! read more

I've been sending my film to The Darkroom for years and have always been extremely satisfied with their service. I trust them to handle my film with care, and the results are always available online quickly. Thanks for the excellent service! read more

I didn't get all my photos back. I really liked this place, but I recently sent in 2 disposable cameras and didn't receive all the photos back. I'm really disappointed and will stop using them for my film. read more

I recently graduated college, and I was worried about getting a good place near my hometown to get my film developed. My old place (Dot Dotsons) set very high expectations, so I spent a lot of time researching. Tried this place out and the film scans were phenomenal. The app is also really convenient and it only took about 3 business days as well. The only thing is that I wish I could change is being able to drop off my film at the store and get it the next day, but other than that, this place is great Here are some of the photos I took read more

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Just a quick update. Someone reached out and finalized that they were not able to find the other film roll. Im still pretty bummed about it since it was the roll I was most looking forward to seeing. The other roll that was uploaded was from a point and shoot camera at a wedding. Those didn't turn out well, but that's my fault for taking horrible photos haha. The darkroom was able to give me a refund for the missing roll which was nice, but hopefully this doesn't happen again if I decide to go with getting my rolls developed here. read more

18 reels of Advantix film and 5 reels of 35mm film to be converted to digital, all of which were scanned at very poor quality and have to be redone by another company. Using The Darkroom was a waste of time and money that we now have to spend again. I do not recommend The Darkroom for converting any film. read more

I have sampled a few labs where to send film for development and The Darkroom is by far the best in terms of price, value, service, promptness and communication. Let's begin with the fact that they provide a shipping label with a tracking number, inform you of the progress of your order, upload the film scans in such a way it's very easy to download them, and ship you back the developed film swiftly and efficiently. And the whole thing takes between a week and 10 days, from beginning to end! It's even faster than taking my film to the nearest local big store (where they won't return my negs). I intend to stay with The Darkroom for as long as they stay in business. read more

The best things about Darkroom are their speed, ease of service, and the range of development they offer. I could not find a single film developer that would take my 110 B&W roll in LA, and despite the whole mailing ordeal being a bit pricier than I would've liked (would also love if they added an option to *not* mail back negatives), it was a very easy mailing process with clear instructions provided. Even better - 110 rolls are marked as a "10-12 day" turnaround on their FAQ, but my pictures were available less than 5 days after they sent me the notification they received the roll. Bonus points for making the pictures available to download off their website directly as opposed to using third-party apps like Dropbox or Fileshare. Definitely recommend Darkroom is you want guaranteed quality and reliability! read more

Over a week an no response from any emails to answer some simple questions. I've read from reviews that the company has been going down in service and quality recently. I knew it was a red flag when they said they DO NO list a phone number to talk to clients. The only time I've seen a business do that is when they are going rotten and have to many complaints. So glad I did not send them my many films, they lost some hefty business from me. read more

Strictly online business model which is fine. Mailing film was a breeze and they promptly developed it and shipped it back to me. The entire process from mailing undeveloped film to receiving my developed film took about a week. Developed film looked great! Highly recommend them. read more

I sent e-mail containing questions similar to the ones written below. The reply I got was: "We utilize Fuji chemicals for C-41 processing and IlfoTec DD by Ilford for all b/w processing. We use the latest Noritsu scanners/processors. We use Fuji Supreme photographic paper and Ilford True b/w paper." I wrote that it does not answer all the questions, and if they are working from or have been to their facility. The reply I got they were not comfortable providing that information and the person has worked at that lab. Currently, if users go to https://thedarkroom.com/ , go down to the bottom of the webpage, and click on the "Film Developing Only" link, they will see the text. "All E-6 and Black & White film is processed in our Sitte Tischer or Refrema dip and dunk processors. Additionally, all 120 C-41 film is processed in our Refrema dip and dunk processor." A post dated November 16, 2012, at https://thedarkroom.com/contest-how-much-gravy/ says, " Our processors are: 1. Our black and white processor is a Refrema 2. Our C-41 (color negative) is a Sitte Tischer TruTrak 3. Our E-6 (color slides) is also a Sitte Tischer Trutrak " The reply I got mentioned Noritsu processors, not the dip and dunk processors. According to https://thedarkroom.com/faq/ , color prints are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Supreme Paper. According to https://thedarkroom.com/product/prints-and-enlargements/ , "Color files are printed on traditional wet-process FujiFilm Supreme silver halide color paper." I would assume they do not feel comfortable answering the make and model of the printer because that would reveal it is not capable of doing the traditional wet process. For C-41 film. 1. Brand of film processing chemicals? 2. Make and model of film processor? 3. Make and model of film scanner? For E-6 film. 4. Brand of film processing chemicals? 5. Make and model of film processor? 6. Make and model of film scanner? For color prints. 7. Brand of printing chemicals? 8. Make and model of printer? 9. Make and model of paper? The How It's Made television series has a segment called "Photographs" that shows Les Pros de la Photo developing film and printing prints, from and to Shoppers Drug Mart branded envelopes. read more

We found an undeveloped roll of film from 1967 and The Dark Room did their best to pull some images. Super great service by Carey via email and fast work, will for sure use their services again! read more

I've been using these guys to process my film for several years now, and I'm always happy with the service and the results! Excellent quality along with wonderful service, the crew there is really friendly and helpful. I just got some digital prints done for the first time there as well and they came out great! I plan on using The Darkroom as long as they're around! read more

Lackluster customer service, you will never be good enough for them. They'll never respond in kind and never really thank you. I don't expect any brown-nosing, but dang, at least be nice! They literally do not care about how they come off to their customer base. Very much 'f you, thanks for the money, sucker'. What a waste of time and money. It's really not that professional quality and has become too expensive. They just want to try and talk you into getting prints and unnecessary hi-res scans. Going back to doing it myself in the basement. More time consuming on my part, but I can do just as good for less than half the price (aside from upping my scanner technology). I used to like getting the dev/scan done which saved me time (more time for taking pics) but now we've renovated the basement bye bye rude darkroom. read more

Just alright. Good development and scans. Ok turnaround time if you segregate your special request rolls.

I've developed five rolls with The Darkroom and so far I've been very pleased with the results. The price is just about the same as local shops to me, without the attitude (customer service here is excellent, and they'll even give you a voucher if a roll isn't developable.) It is also mail-in so I receive my negatives delivered straight to my house. I haven't ordered prints yet so I am not sure how those turn out; but even their standard scans are far superior to any other place I have been to. read more

The DarkRoom has been my film developer since I started shooting film. They are always SO quick (usually with turnaround times under a week from mailing it out to getting digital uploads). Always so happy with the way my photos turn out. In no way am I a professional photographer, but they always make me feel like I am. Also, incredibly fair priced against competitors! read more

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TL;DR: The overall three stars is because I received my refund. During COVID19 I've been looking for an easy solution to send in the rolls of film I picked up from my dad's house after his passing. Generally putting it off because I'm not sure if there's even film in the rolls and our amazing developing store we would usually use is in San Jose. Enter in The Darkroom. To be frank, their website is hard to navigate but very tempting since it gives the impression of touch free processing. I originally ordered a mail packet, thinking I would send the rolls in and be charged. After I never received anything, I went back through the process, paying up front about $100 for having the rolls reviewed. It isn't really clear when you go to make your order that there's a label you need to print out (which didn't populate correctly on my computer, even if I owned a printer). So I emailed the support email to confirm and went back through the process of requesting a mailer be sent to me again. I even emailed a second time to confirm I did it right. I waited a week, never hearing from anyone. No communication, no mailer received. I emailed again, and two days later, after still having never heard back I opened a dispute through Paypal. In part because the way time moves now, I knew I'd forget and look up six months later having never gotten my product and wasted my money. I was refunded after someone finally emailed me, and while I understand that these are trying times, that there was confusion around my email, and that they may not have the best ticketing email system - for how much money I spent, final product sight unseen, the overall customer service with the simple expectation of getting a mailer, sending in my film, and getting it back fell very short of the painless experience I wanted to have. I won't be using The Darkroom again read more

Their continued excuse for not taking new customers - the pandemic - seems so, oh, 2020. I mean, it's not even a "business" any more. It's more like a private club. A private club that's not taking any new members. Perhaps they shouldn't even be on Yelp. read more

Tell me why thedarkroom.com will lock all of your images in the incorrect rotation orientation, FORCING me to rotate and then download, using their shitty preview system on the website. Tell me why they can't take any special requests when I ask them to scan the framelines or send un-cropped scans even though they're using a flatbed anyway. Completely unhelpful, just backed up with orders so everyone gets sub par. The most pixelly scans too with weird jpg compression. Yeahhhh, very fun. read more

Fantastic place! i sent my film, prepaid, and have my downloads before I even got my negatives back. I only experienced quick and honest service. The film is as good as i've seen. read more

The Darkroom - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

I would not recommend this company to process your film. I spent $200 and ALL of my film came back extremely contrasty. After several emails back and forth, they took zero responsibilty. When I asked why the negatives were so contrasty, this was their answer: "Generally more contrast is good and give a more dramatic look to the images vs low contrast." That is NOT true! The contrast should be balanced. AVOID this company at all costs! read more

Service is quick & efficient. I've never had an issue or problem. Online gallery/app is easy to download electronic files. 10/10. I will only use The Darkroom going forward for my development needs. read more

Absolute waste of money. Never ever will I order from them again. And don't fall for the whole "Dark Room" name. Nothing there is printed in an actual dark room. You can get the same exact true silver halide prints from Printique for 1/4 the price they charge you. Save your money. read more