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

I've been using The Darkroom to process my film since last year, and have always had a good experience. They provide free shipping labels and envelopes so you only pay return shipping, and the turnaround time is usually really fast. You get a link to download your scans within a few days of them receiving your film (I've gotten them same-day before) and prints/negatives arrive in the mail within a few days of that. It's true that they don't have a customer service number but I've emailed them a couple times and they respond pretty quickly, and have always been helpful. When I suggested to my boyfriend that he try them and he got some scans back with a faint blue line across them, he emailed them and they rescanned and corrected the same day. I love that they email you the scans link because I mostly share my photos on social media, so having ready access through either my phone or laptop is super convenient. The prints I've ordered far surpass the quality of places like Walmart or drug stores who develop film, and those places don't give you your negatives back. I trust The Darkroom and recommend them. Some photos they've developed for me are attached (35mm film). read more

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Got tired of waiting 3-4 weeks for my local camera shop(s) to develop and scan my photographs. Figured I'd try The Darkroom out after finding their website on line. Saw lots of good reviews and read about them and they seem like old school kinda folks when it comes to photography. I send a roll in from the east coast and I have my scans uploaded to my computer in roughly 5 days from mailing. They really make it easy and they do professional work. Their website also has great articles and tips on photography. I highly recommend using them. Here's a few photos from my last couple of batches. read more

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I'm so pleased with The Darkroom, and their excellent customer service. I found their services on the internet, as I'm trying to get into amateur photography. I sent in two rolls of film back in June, and low and behold my super uninformed self loaded the rolls incorrectly, and they produced two blank rolls. I realized my mistake after looking at Youtube, and seeing that I completely didn't load the film correctly. The Darkroom was so kind about it, and they sent me a voucher to develop two rolls of film. Then in July, I started taking pictures again -- this time obviously with the film wounding after each photo. I sent in my photos with the voucher their provided, and got the developed and uploaded to me within a week or so!! I live in NYC, so their turnaround time is impeccable! They are also super responsive via email, and I normally get a response within the hour, and they are able to remedy any problems I have. read more

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

Clearing out my office, I found an old roll of Advantix film. There was no clue as to age or subject of the photos, and I sent the roll off to The Darkroom without much hope. I was amazed to download beautiful photos from a trip my husband and kid took 20 years ago! The photos are bright and colorful and the download process was quick and easy. I'm absolutely delighted! read more

I settled on The Darkroom's mail-in service after comparing almost every method to develop Ilford HP5 black and white film in today's digital world. Mailing in film is fast becoming one of the only ways to have it developed for you, as the brick-and-mortar business is becoming increasingly rare. The Darkroom's rates are competitive by a large margin. My local lab was the most expensive and had polarized reviews. Harman Lab US, Ilford's own advertised mail-in service which uses all the genuine Ilford chemistry, is slightly less than the local lab's rate. I strongly considered that one until checking online maps and discovering Harman and Darkroom facilities appear to be located in the same building in San Clemente, CA. Assuming that information is accurate, it didn't seem worth the premium to upgrade to Harman since their facilities can't be that different. It's also more intuitive to fill out The Darkroom's online forms than it is to print and hand fill Harman's forms. From the Darkroom, I opted for development with standard scans included ($12). Shipping to them is free if you request their mailers, which they send via post. You pay for return shipping, however. They were incredibly fast, and I like that you can browse scans before the developed film returns to you. Scans themselves are adequate, but I think I'd use them as proofs rather than the final product. For one-off prints, I'd probably go to the local lab in my area. I'll definitely use The Darkroom again in the future due to its value, for both B&W and color film. read more

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

I love the ease of their process and how user friendly everything is. The contactless process is wonderful. I'm completely new to shooting on film and have had my first few rolls developed and scanned here. My second order was filled quickly and I was notified scans were uploaded very quickly. The photos were developed and scanned with no issues to the quality. My first order, however, has been kind of frustrating as I'm still dealing with it. I initially sent in two rolls and requested scans only. The first roll scanned and uploaded nicely, but the second had a white line through most of the photos in the roll. I emailed about it and they were quick to respond and let me knw it looks like a scanner issue. They offered to re-scan them postage pre-paid if I send back my negatives, which I appreciated. I just would've appreciated it bit more if this were caught at any point before it was uploaded, sent to me, and my negatives mailed back. I waited to send my negatives back for a few weeks and sent them in with my second order of film to be developed. The second set of film has been posted and uploaded as of Monday morning but no word on the re-scan by then, so I emailed them about the re-scan again and informed the negatives had just arrived and it was being worked on. I emailed them again 2 days later and they said likely today or tomorrow. I just am confused on how everything else went so quickly but I still am waiting on these. I still plan on using them for the future but hate how much follow up has been required to get this re-scanned. read more

Fast and amazing quality. I was a bit worried as I sent 12 rolls, I was afraid they would get lost but I received all pictures and again the quality was amazing read more

I will forever and always use the darkroom lab!! I live on the east coast and would rather mail my film to this amazing company then choose someone over here. The Darkroom has processed multiple rolls of film for me (120 & 35 mm) and I've been impressed with their service and turnaround each time! You CAN trust them. I've included some examples of film they've developed for me:) read more

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Really fast processing and scanning services, these guys do a killer job and very communicative! Will be coming back to them with more film in the future. read more

The worst photo processing and scanning business. Each film has a horizontal scratch caused by the scanner. The photo scan color is bad and the exposure adjustment is strange. And they didn't have any attention to what they were doing, the film editing was a failure, they would cut the edges of one film onto another film. The order number sticker stick on the film, so I have to peel it off by myself. Look at the photo I attached below. Never come back here again. read more

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The Darkroom did exactly as they promised. I am very pleased with the service and the photos themselves. read more

I needed a company that could deliver me good prints and online photos from disposable cameras and they did just that! They were so good quality and were very affordable! Will definitely buy from them again!!!! read more

The Dark Room is AMAZING! After being told it takes about 4-6 weeks to develop film at large chains (Walmart, CVS), I researched a quicker film developer, deciding on The Dark Room. Their order process is simple, and quick turn around. I shipped my 35mm film on a Saturday, and they received it that Wednesday. Two days later, I received a note my negatives were in the mail, and my digital scans were ready to view. I have the app, and it is very easy to use. Can't wait to continue to use The Dark Room for all my film needs. read more

UPDATE 9-7-20 : I recently sent films to The Darkroom Photo Lab,San Clemente,California and they turned out great-again! The Darkroom Photo Lab,a full service professional and hobbyist film afficianado lab, continues to be of great service through the current health/socio/political climates!They continue to be on top of their game! Great service,prompt turnaround,clean pro processing,great scans terrific people! The Darkroom Photo Lab-Is a complete E-Commerce/mailorder professional and enthusiast photo lab. Excellent service,clean processing,fast turnaround,servicing a wide range of film types and sizes for the current and vintage camera enthusiast. Fair prices-and very attentive staff answers your questions promptly makes The Darkroom a terrific film processing lab experiance! This photo lab makes film photography easy and rewarding! Wayne S.-A Film and digital Pro Photographer for over 40 years. . . . . #thedarkroom #thedarkroomphotolab #film #scans #filmsnotdead #ilovethedarkroomphotolab #professional #sanclemente #californiadreamin #californiadreaming #waynesalvatti #photografxworldwide #dipanddunk #refrema #blackandwhitefilm #colorfilm #35mm #120 #220 #127 #ishootfilm #filmscanning #covid #wereinbusiness #westcoast #leica #zeissikon #rolleiflex #pentax #canon #nikon #fuji #sony #yashica #voitlander #photofilm #besafe #stearnswharf #santabarbara #driftwood #tropical #palmtrees read more

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I used The Darkroom during the COVID-19 outbreak to avoid going in person to local darkrooms to get film processed. Unfortunately - they offer free scanning on all processing *except" sheet film. At $4 per image plus shipping I think this is really unfair. Then, USPS lost my negatives, and since The Darkroom didn't scan them like they do all the other film they process, the images are gone forever. I don't think it's responsible to run a mail-order processing business and not include at least low-res scans just in case the customer doesn't receive their negatives. All in all going with The Darkroom cost me about $35 (between film costs, processing and shipping) - for zero images. I don't blame them for USPS' incompetence, but had they scanned the film like they do with every other format I would at least have that as backup. read more

Tried to get my film developed and they said they couldn't do it, but still charged me in full. I tried to follow up by email. They replied promptly but I tried to reply twice (minutes later) and it's 'undeliverable'. read more

great company to get your Film photography process and to have prints made. I love that i get my negatives back. as not many places today will send back your negs. plus they processes all the older film sizes not just 35mm. read more

I had fallen in love with film photography about a year ago, and found out about The Darkroom through many YouTube videos. I sent two rolls a few weeks ago and have had the greatest experience ever! I sent my rolls on a Monday afternoon and received everything two or three days later, when I thought it was going to take forever. The film turned out amazing and just fell more in love with analog photography. I will keep sending all my rolls to The Darkroom, and recommend for you to do the same! They also have great customer service. I had questions over using 10 year old rolls and they were answering all my questions with amazing information. You guys are awesome! read more

The Darkroom - Love love love The Darkroom! Awesome service :) - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

Do not recommend. While turnaround was fast and negatives were mostly fine, the scans ended up being awful. Unfotunately used service multiple, due to being new in film I kept getting odd quality issues with the photos I assumed were due to my misunderstanding of the medium. After reviewing my negatives, I found my negatives did not have these issues and it was the poor scanning that caused a multitude of issues such as; motion blur, cross hatching, poor color, and an overall blurriness and fuzziness. I will not be using this lab again. I will say, luckily, my negatives are still mostly intact and decent quality so they are recoverable. read more

Ridiculously slow Sent My film over on the December 28 nothing since not even a update No one answer the phone read more

My goodness, where to begin.... I'm a photographer who has been shooting film for 32 years. Only now did I use The Darkroom mail order service and I cannot express in words how pleased I am with the service, therefore I shall do it in pictures. I was referred by the Film Photography Project. After having ordered specialty film from FPP, I received in the package a business response mail label so as not to have to pay the postage in order to send my order to The Darkroom. My order was rapidly turned around and I received it far sooner than I had expected to. The package was carefully prepared and so professionally put together. The CD scans are included with the price of development of the rolls. I sent in 3 color rolls and 2 black and white rolls. The prints look fantastic. They included thumbnail index sheets and each roll/set of prints comes with a certificate of inspection, signed by an employee at The Darkroom. The prints have a true matt finish and look really eye-catching with the white borders. Few photofinishing companies offer these features. I only wish that on their order form, they could include an option for double prints, or offer additional sets of prints for a decent reasonable deal, because the prints are so amazing that they have to be shared. Such beautiful results, Crystal clear images, great contrast, splendid colors. I will definitely send my next order to them. read more

The Darkroom - The order I received today - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

I had some old film laying around and was seeing if anyone was open during quarantine and found this place and knew some other folk who had used them and said good things. It only took a day or two after the lab received my film for my scans to be ready and they're beautiful! Great communication, service, and quality. I am so happy with how they turned out! Thank you!!!! read more

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

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They are the best place for film enthusiasts. They provide scans that are out of this world in quality and allow for me to pursue film fully. E-6 to standard film they got you covered read more

Recently got into analog cameras and need a place to develop my film, great service haven't run with any issues. Would highly recommend them. read more

I have been shooting on film for years but was getting the photos developed through CVS (rookie move). Getting the enhanced scans from The Darkroom was incredible - the quality is great and they were so easy to download. They are also very communicative - a canister had not been seen in the envelope when I first sent it but they responded to every email, found the canister and scanned the pictures! read more

If you want all your negatives scratched then send your films to The Darkroom. They've completely ruined FOUR rolls of color films I sent them over a period of time. The first two were a trial, the lab scans were great but when I scanned them myself at home every single frame had one or two adjacent linear scratches running the length of the entire negative. I somehow made the same mistake again months later and sent them two more rolls of color film, shot with two different film cameras this time to test if the problem was caused by my camera. Sure enough the lab scans looked great at first but when I tried rescanning them at home using my Plustek 35mm negative scanner every single frame had the same pattern of linear scratches running across the entire frame. To confirm the issue I sent two rolls of color films shot with the same Leica M6 TTL camera to Richard Photo Lab, and low and behold not a single frame had a linear scratch on it. I suspect this is a problem with scanning, but this lab doesn't allow you the option to get your film developed without scanning. I also suspect that many poor folks out there got their negatives scratched like me but didn't know about it because they got the scans back from the lab and never bothered to rescan them themselves. If you hold your negatives dearly DO NOT develop here, they will ruin your negatives. This is a lab for amateurs who want the (poor quality) scans back and never bother to rescan any of the negatives. I'm honestly surprised there's no more discussion of this problem on the forums. You've been warned! read more

The Darkroom - Enlarged portion of scanned negative showing linear scratch - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

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These guys are amazing! Super fast and quality work. I will use them forever!!! Keep film alive! read more

The Darkroom - Fujifilm 400 shot on a Canon AE-1, 50mm lens. Developed by The Darkroom - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - San Clemente, California

I honestly don't trust anyone else with developing my film. They are quick and they do an amazing job! I would highly recommend! read more

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Use at your own risk. Truly. I've read a few reviews on Yelp warning about questionable scans, and oh boy, were they right. Yelp reviews can be hit and miss; people often only write reviews if they have something negative to say (much less likely to review positive, but not out-of-this-world amazing, experiences). So I thought what the heck, I'll just give them a try. And among my 6 rolls of films, 3 came out horribly wrong with a never-seen-before green cast. Two of my Kodak Portra rolls (400 & 800) as well as Cinestill 50 roll suffered this fate. I've shot plenty of these types of films before, on the same camera, so I know they do not have this disgusting green overcast. The ones I attached are both "Portra 400". If you've ever shot Portra 400, it does not look like that... not by a long shot. I almost cried the moment I saw them. After this fiasco, I was just too down to think about sending the film back to them to demand a rescan. On the flip side, they do have a quick turnaround time, and other rolls namely Ektar 100 & Provia 100F turned out ok. To The Darkroom: People who take pictures with films are probably those who care just a little more about the quality of the pictures they take (there's something called a "smartphone" if I just wanted a quick snap of my vacation). Scanning pictures like the ones I posted below and releasing them to customers is not just unscrupulous, it's really heartless. read more

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

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I always have a great experience with The Darkroom! Shipping is fast and my scans and prints always look amazing. Highly recommend!

Above, good quality and they deliver on what they describe. But IMO great aspect is there top notch net/email communication for any glitch/question. I'll be back! read more

It's hard to believe I haven't reviewed this place before now. I've been using their services for years and have had nothing but outstanding service. I absolutely recommend them. Not only do they do a great job with the film, their customer service is beyond compare. I have alternatives but would rather use these folks. For me there is no comparison. Don't don't forget to check out the films they have for sale. Really nice offerings that cannot be obtained almost anywhere else. read more

I have used to darkroom for close to three years now, and they have always been consistent. There have even been a couple times where I was worried about a roll I shot because I felt it was either way underexposed or overexposed, and they do a very good job still trying to make sure I get an image back- even if I didn't do a great job of exposing my negatives. They are very responsive if you have questions and have a pretty quick turn around time. If you are trying film out first the first time and looking for somewhere to develop, I definitely recommend here and not somewhere like Walmart or CVS. read more

I sent my film last week, and they received it Friday! My 5 rolls were developed and put up online for me to view before midnight (eastern time) on that same day! The pictures look great and i'm very happy with the turnaround time. I received the negatives and disc on the following Monday! read more

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I ordered my photos to be developed less than a week ago and the digital copies have already come back! I am extremely impressed by the quality of the photos. I had dropped my other disposables at Walmart 3 weeks prior to getting my photos back from the Dark Room. I could not recommend them and their services enough! Thank you for helping my memories come to life. read more

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! thank you so much for always taking great care of my rolls of film. You've kept me sane during the pandemic. I live locally but take advantage of the mail in service. I always look forward to being notified of my film being scanned. They have an app as well. read more

I'm giving The Darkroom two stars instead of one because I have used them for film development a few times over the last couple years without any problems. Unfortunately, I will not be using them again after my last experience. I sent in a roll of Kodak 400TX in one of their prepaid grey mailers the first week of March this year. Stupidly on my part, I forgot to take a picture of the tracking number on the mailer before sending. And of course, the film never arrived, or was misplaced if it did. While it's obviously not The Darkroom's fault that I didn't take a picture of the tracking number or that the film went missing in the mail (if it did), I was so disappointed with their response. I emailed them in March, April, and June asking for help and each time received the bare minimum response, until I started to get frustrated and angry. I asked them questions multiple times before receiving an answer, and they flat-out refused to review orders processed in early March to make sure mine wasn't misplaced. Losing something as singular and unique as a roll of film is an upsetting experience, and this was the first time it had happened to me. The Darkroom seemed to have zero empathy and denied that they could have possibly had anything to do with my missing film. My question is: without double checking, how could they know? I have posted ads on Craigslist and Nextdoor and filled out two missing items forms with the USPS. No luck. My contact and credit card info was on a sheet inside the mailer, so I expected someone to either get in touch or rob me if they somehow got ahold of it. Neither has happened. Sad as it is, I can accept that my film is lost--I just wish The Darkroom would have done their best to be helpful and kind to a returning customer. P.S. If any customer reading this received a b&w roll that wasn't theirs this year, please let me know - photohtb at gmail dot com read more

I was so amazed by the by scan quality. I paid a little more for the enhanced scans which I think came out amazing. I never tried there normal so I wouldn't know how it would look like. Their email customer service line was more than kind to me and had no problem reaching back to me. I would definitely recommend everyone to get their scans done here! It is though pricey to get them done here but I'd for sure send in my film again read more

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