Photosmith

I’ve been using Photosmith for my 120 mm film processing. Even though I live in California, I can ship my film to them (postage pre-​paid) and receive it with a CD scan of my negatives for $ 12. That’s about $ 1 per photo. To compare that to the local CVS that develops my 35 mm, it’s about the same price point, but Photosmith includes shipping in the price.
For the service I receive my negatives stored inside of archival-​quality acetate and a CD with my scans and some kind of silly Fuji software. I could do without the software. To copy your scans off the CD, simple open up My Computer, go to your CD drive, and instead of double-​clicking, right click it and select «Explore.»
The negative scans produce positive images of reasonable quality. The 120 mm scans come back as 96dpi, 1523X1523 images. At 100% printing, that’s a medium-​high resolution image 15.865 inches by 15.865 inches.
My first roll I had no idea that 120 mm film transfers onto the existing film reel in the camera. I was shooting with a 1940-​s era Voightlander Perkeo 1 and the original metal film reel. I left them a note to return the film reel, and they did. When I sent them my second roll, shot with a 1936 Balda Baldax, I didn’t use the original roll. The whole point of that is to say that I don’t know if every developer out there would send the reel back, since that would likely affect their shipping cost and change the profit and loss profile.
As for the film results, the processing was very well done. The negatives are evenly developed and, bar none, the most professional results I’ve ever received from a lab. The CD scans are clean and dust-​free (much different than the local CVS, but that’s not stiff competition.) Someday I’ll actually take a photo worth printing and can update my review to discuss their printing services.

Great Job! The picture from our meeting in Florida was extremely dark. They were able to detail all faces, lighten the foreground and even delete the sun in the background.
We will definitely use them again.
–Vanessa G
Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston

I joined Unilocal after resisting for a long time because I wanted to praise these guys for their amazing service, and super quick turnaround.
It is a giant pain to develop 120 film these days, and I sent rolls out to all the places nearby that I could find, to figure out who I would be using in the future. I found photosmith through a google search, sent the mailer out, and bam, had my rolls back to me in less than a week. The shipping was free, the developing was cheap, and he sent everything back with a nice handwritten card thanking me for my business. I am still waiting for all my other film from the other services I used, and some of the other mailers I ordered from a different company have not even arrived so I could send the rolls out yet.
Long story short, they are really quick, and actually seem to care about personal service. Which is rare.

Where would I be without Photosmith? In a time when so many film processing centers are vanishing and the few that exist seem to be homogenized and faceless, Photosmith shines like a beacon. The staff at Photosmith are attentive, well-​versed in a variety of cameras, film, processing techniques, etc. They keep abreast of current trends and, above all, they are approachable. When I received my first Holga in ’09, Steve Frank and his knowledgeable staff were indispensable in not only developing my film, but helping me become a better photographer. Best of all, Photosmith is affordable, making Photosmith the Seacoast’s (and, arguably, the nation’s) best kept secret.
Whether you live locally or across the country, are an amateur or professional photographer, I highly recommend Photosmith. Photosmith’s winning ways & great prices make it an invaluable resource for anyone.