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Home >> Photography
Vancouver Photography Stores and Professional
Labs
Click
here for my thoughts on Internet retailers,
which is found further down this page
For local
readers of this web site, here are some comments on the stores and labs
I’ve visited and shopped at. Please keep in mind that these are comments
based upon my experiences and my relationship (if I’ve developed one)
with the staff in the stores. Also note that although I am supportive
and quite positive about a couple of stores and labs, I have not received
consideration of any sort for my comments. Also note most
of these comments were written back in 2001/2002. I don't do business
with any of the pro labs on a regular basis since going digital.
Professional Labs in Vancouver
Broadway
Camera
 My number one choice for photography shopping. I think 75 to 80 percent
of my big-ticket purchases have been at this store, located near the
intersection of Oak and Broadway. My main contact at this store is Henry
Wong, as he has been my contact since I first started shopping at Broadway
Camera in 1997 (when I started this crazy hobby). Henry is a freelancer
in his spare time and is often called upon by Hong Kong publications
for images pertaining to Canada but of interest in Hong Kong. He was
also a regular columnist about photography for the local Chinese language
daily, Sing Tao newspaper, but no longer.
I think
it is important that a long term relationship be built with one or two
of the sales staff at whichever store you choose to frequent because
it will be this long term relationship that will help you out at certain
times in your dealings at the store. It is not always about money (although
it is a primary motivator) but where you will obtain good service above
and beyond what the mall shops or mail order houses would offer you.
Try and return a faulty used camera outside of the return period at
a mail order house (or from an E-bay sale) and you’ll come to appreciate
what a close relationship will provide you.
Broadway
Camera is a competitive store with a policy of beating other stores
prices. Want to buy some big-ticket items, then start negotiating because
it's not out of line to do so. I’ve come to accept a give and take position
with my long-term sales contacts. I push for a good deal but not so
much that the sales person gets annoyed at me for trying to squeak out
every last cent from his commission. The fellow has to feed and clothe
his family too you know. I determine what would be a good deal for me
and offer it and much more often than not it gets accepted and both
sides are happy over the deal.
 Broadway
Camera caters to the Asian (read Chinese) market quite heavily with
at least five Asians working the counters and one or two token Caucasians.
All major
brands are carried at Broadway Camera with preponderance towards 35mm
format. Some medium format equipment is available but not much and anything
beyond the basics will require ordering from the distributor. But if
you want the big sexy gear such as the Nikon F5 and AFS lenses or the
Canon EOS 1v and USM lenses, Broadway will have them.
The store
is medium size, very clean still pretty new looking after having moved
to its current location a few years ago (the old store was actually
bigger). The store changed the layout of equipment from showcasing new
35mm equipment in the centre of the store, as seen below to now giving
digital pride of place to reflect the new reality of digital taking
over from film in terms of sales.
Both images courtesy
of Henry Wong
Update January 14,
2006 - Broadway Camera no longer offers consignment sale opportunities
and no longer accepts trade-ins towards new equipment. It's a shame
because I've used their consignment opporunities to sell equipment in
the past only to plow the proceeds back into the store buying more equipment.
It's not a customer-friendly policy to do away with consignment and
trade-ins, and other stores offer so little for trade-in value, or take
such a large cut of a consignment that eBay is looking like the only
way to sell off older and/or unused equipment. |
| |
Dunne
and Rundle
 Two small stores located in downtown Vancouver. The one I know best
is the main store at the corner of Smythe and Granville. It’s a small
store with most of the major brands carried but it really caters to
the entry and mid level shopper. It’s not a full line Nikon pro dealer
so you won’t be able to buy a F100 or F5 but curiously enough you can
order AFS lenses from them. They have brought in other brand’s top-notch
bodies such as the Canon EOS 3 and Minolta Maxxum 9.
I have
dealt with two of the main staff and I suggest you seek them out too
for the most knowledgeable and personable service. Dave and Jack are
two good guys who will serve you well and Jack in particular has a lot
of stories from his time as a freelance news photographer. He particularly
likes to regale listeners with how he obtained some of his most memorable
shots with a Konica Hexar Silver, a very well regarded fixed-lens, rangefinder-style
compact camera.
Dunne and
Rundle is a family run business and the Newcombes are excellent people
to deal with. You’ll often see the patriarch, the elderly Mr. Newcombe,
put in some time at the counter. Again, when you develop a good relationship
at a store you often receive consideration in some borderline situations
and one incident for a purchase of a used camera resulted in personal
handling by the owner to resolve the problem I had.
Dunne and
Rundle’s pricing is also among the best in Vancouver. For the products
they do carry you’ll be hard pressed to do better at other stores. Used
equipment selection is not good though as very little interesting equipment
passes through, although I did very well in selling most of my Nikon
gear when I was doing a revamping and upgrading of the kit last year.
The good pieces such as the F90x and Nikkor lenses went very quickly
at very close to the prices I wanted (then again my equipment was probably
the best to have come through the shop in a while).
Reader's
Comment:
Hello,
Im writing this email as more information than anything else. For
people out in the suburbs or Delta and Surrey area there is a lab
out there that does very good work. The store name is Photo EXPERT.
Im not sure if you have heard of them but they have some very talented
printers. Also I read your comment about Broadway Camera When ever
Ihave bought any of my gear i have shopped around at all the local
stores. Each time Brad at photo expert has given me the best price
by far. So to any one looking for good prices on gear give them a
call. (604-591-8833). I highly suggest checking these guys out Iswear
by them.
Jeff
Update
May 2006 - Dunne and Rundle have closed their Granville St.
store. |
| |
Lens
and Shutter
 Two stores in Vancouver, another in the suburb of Abbotsford, and one
in the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The Broadway location on
the border of Vancouver’s trendy Kitsilano and tony Point Grey neighborhoods
is the largest photography store in Vancouver. This store has a lot
of equipment including many big-ticket Leica and Hasselblad products.
Used equipment selection is very decent. If you want the best selection
of new equipment Lens and Shutter’s flagship store is the place to look
but I wouldn’t want to buy from them unless you negotiated hard for
a good deal.
L&S
prices are always at suggested retail price while almost all of their
competitors sell at “street price”. It seems you have to negotiate hard
just get street price for a piece of equipment. I’ve generally shopped
at L&S when I really needed something quick or they alone had what
I wanted at the time. It is also sometimes the case that because L&S
is so big they can order in certain products that other stores would
hesitate at or dilly-dally in quick turn around. My 16x20 size Printfile
archival sleeves being an example (the staff did not even know such
large sleeves exist).
Update
July 2, 2001 - I purchased my Nikon Coolpix 950 from Lens and Shutter's
Pacific Centre Mall location after finding that L&S offered the
very best price in town for this digital camera. In a strange turn of
events, L&S was the price beater and most other stores were at least
$30-40 more expensive. What was very disappointing was that my regular
store, Broadway Camera, seemed uninterested in competing and had priced
the CP 950 at the highest price in town. Curious that this should be
the case but I was not prepared to pay 10% more out of loyalty to Broadway
Camera. This only shows that it pays to shop around and check ALL the
prices in town. One store was incredulous at the L&S price on the
CP 950 and wondered if they even had any stock of the camera. I walked
in shortly after getting off the phone with that store and walked out
in ten minutes with a brand spanking new CP 950, so this was not a bait
and switch tactic. Incidentally, the price on the CP 950 was $699.99
CAN before tax but only a week after purchase I was able to save another
$50 on a price matching done by L&S after Broadway Camera advertised
the CP950 for $650.00. I was of course highly annoyed but still thankful
for Broadway Camera's wierd pricing policy.
I do however
use their one-hour film processing services at their downtown Pacific
Centre Mall location for most of my family photos. They have consistently
provided good-looking color prints at this location. L&S film prices
are also quite good too, especially when you buy in bulk. L&S is
associated with Customcolor, a pro lab in the Yaletown area of Vancouver
and can offer attractive pricing for processing included rolls of E-6
film in 35mm format. Buy ten or more rolls of film and get another 10
percent off the price but be sure to remind the staff that you are buying
in bulk otherwise they just might charge you the full price.
I didn’t
do a whole lot of major shopping at L&S so I never did develop a
good relationship with any of the sale staff. There are two sales people
I did deal with on a somewhat regular basis when L&S still had a
store on trendy Robson Street. Both are named Keith and both now work
out of the flagship store on Broadway Ave. Both are excellent for service
and very knowledgeable and if L&S had better pricing on equipment,
chances are I would have known these two fellows much better.
Update
May 2006 - the Pacific Centre outlet has been closed.
Reader's
Comment from 2002:
I
just thought I'd mention that I moved to Vancouver about a year ago.
Prior to that I was in Victoria and did most of my family photo processing
at L&S cause of the sweet processing included deal they offer.
I was pretty happy with the quality BUT... then I had some developed
in Vancouver.
Yikes!
The first batch was a set of reprints. When I first got them
I thought something looked funny. So I compared them with the
originals done in Victoria. Sure enough the colors were WAY
off!!! So I took them in to be redone assuming that something
was temporarily messed up. The next batch wasn't great but
better, I'm assuming because they were able to do an A/B comparison.
I've had two rolls developed since that incident and even without
orginals to compare to ... it was obvious that the colors are
awful!
The
same artifacts as with the original set of reprints. The colors in
the photos make the picture look sooooo fake, as though it had been
printed on a deskjet printer! I'm not sure how do describe it but
they really consistently look like crap!!! After 3 tries it's safe
to say I'll never bother taking anything to L&S again. Despite
the good deal, it's a waste of money cause I'm just going to have
to reprint them all somewhere else.
Edwin's
Response: For developing and printing of negative films, the
quality of the printer is very important and from location to location
of even a chain that should have standardized procedures, variations can
result in very different results.
I
had some prints done at the old Robson St. location of Lens and Shutter
and sometimes the results were not good at all; however, prints done
at the Pacific Centre Mall location have been consistently good. I should
note though that it has been some time since I had any prints made due
to favouring the digital process now, so my reflections about the Mall
location of Lens and Shutter is at least a year in the past.
If possible,
you could try Customcolor for the film deals, since Lens and Shutter
and Customcolor are part of the same company and buying pre-paid film
from one location allows you to have it processed at the other. Since
Customcolor is a professional lab, you should receive more consistent
results from them. If
you're really finished with Lens and Shutter, G. King Photo is a very
good professional lab, unfortunately, no price deals available like
from L&S or Customcolor.
Reader's
comment from March 1, 2007:
Enjoyed
the store reviews ... I'd like
to add a comment or two which may be helpful to some.
I've
been a pro for many years, and I have a full-time general photography
career with a large post-secondary institution. I never let on that
I have professional knowledge and experience when I'm talking to
sales staff ... I like to see how they answer my questions, and
I'm usually amazed by their retention of the specifications from
the product brochures, and shocked by their weak practical knowledge.
I
take great pride in the fact that I've consciously refused to work
with Lens and Shutter professionally because of the poor customer
relations that I've experienced on nearly every visit to the W.
Broadway location. I've NOT purchased tens of thousands of dollars
worth of equipment and supplies (on behalf of my employer, and personally),
and advised all of the many people that ask for my opinions, away
from L&S.
I
find their sales staff to be snooty and unhelpful, unwilling to
go the distance on small purchases that aren't in stock, and their
pricing seems high and inflexible. Generally speaking, I find their
staff defensive and protective of their information, and they try
to talk down to me, making me feel inadequate. I find it extremely
insulting. The staff in sales, and in photo finishing all seem unhappy.
The problem is worse at the W. Broadway location, but I find similar
attitude at the other stores, and CustomColour, so I think it's
endemic to this chain. The problem isn't new ... I've had this complaint
for at least 15 years.
Lest
you might think that I'm a difficult customer, nothing could be further
from the truth ... I'm undemanding, friendly, not a time-waster, and
I enjoy excellent relations with the staff at Leo's, Beau Photo, and
every other camera store that I visit.
I
do find the staff at Leo's to be very helpful and knowledgeable,
but they're so busy and understaffed that it's tough getting the
help you're after.
My
preferred business and personal transactions are at Beau Photo ...
they're prompt, helpful, and friendly; maybe because they only deal
with professionals, and aren't so much bothered by the point 'n
shoot crowd. They also go to the trouble of remembering me, and
greeting me in a friendly and helpful manner.
Personally,
I’ve not been to the W. Broadway location for some years now,
as it is too far out of the way for me. I used to buy film and small
accessories at the Pacific Centre Mall location, but they shut it
down when the Mall began renovations for the new Holt Renfrew store.
Otherwise, I agree that the prices on the big items aren’t that
competitive and there’s only so much give on the prices if you
ask for better than list.
March
7, 2007 - Counterpoint from a reader about Lens and Shutter's
service (original comments posted on March 1, above):
To
be honest, I haven't had that sort of reaction to the people at
the Lens & Shutter West Broadway Store when I have gone there.
As far as I'm concerned, they're happy to talk photos with me
and I have never felt like they've been pedantic at all.
As
a serious-amateur planning to go professional, I feel that it's
important for the retailers to understand that there are people
who will be put off by a snobbish attitude and "being talked
down to". I have never found the majority of the salespeople
at the West Broadway store to be that way, from my friend, Ed
up to the head manager, Wayne, as far as I know. They're always
well-informed, and eager to talk about cameras, equipment and
the latest thing that's out there. Ed and I have swapped on numerous
occasions, chatter about where might be the best location to shoot
at on a particular day.
On
the other hand, I have gone into Leo's and have received the same
type of treatment (informative and helpful), in that they are
able to help out where necessary. To tell you the truth, I feel
that it is all in the way that you approach the sales-staff. If
you come in there with a high'n mighty attitude, you'll get the
same treatment. If you come in there with the attitude of "Hey,
even professionals can learn something", then by all means,
they'll be accomodating back.
I
can't say much for Beau Photo, as I have never, ever been there,
nor am I going to comment on their customer service unless I do
go there.
Hugo
|
| |
Leo’s
Camera Supply
 Leo’s is located on Granville Street in downtown around the seedy area
of this once grand thoroughfare. It’s quite an eclectic store with a
significant quantity of classic equipment, especially Leica but also
a good mix of all formats from 35mm to medium format to large format.
In fact Leo’s is the only store in town that actually has a large format
system available for purchase. I cannot recall seeing large format gear
available even at Lens and Shutter’s main store.
Good selection
of medium format gear with all major brands represented. One quirk though
is no new Nikon gear at all, only used. Canon is the major 35mm brand
at this shop and it seems most of the staff are Canon users too. Speaking
of staff, probably the best over all sales staff of any photo shop in
Vancouver. All seem to be freelancers with a wide range of experience
and equipment holdings. Very knowledgeable and very friendly and if
you walk in during a slow time you’ll have the ear of the person you’re
talking to for as long as you want but usually Leo’s is quite busy with
a steady flow of traffic and telephone inquiries.
Leo’s is
also a rental outlet and you can rent a wide range of equipment including
some big-ticket telephoto lenses (for Canon of course). |
| |
 Update
January 3, 2007 - Interpro Photo has closed the Howe St. location
and opened a much cozier store inside Sinclair Centre on Granville and
Hastings (the passport office mall).
Inter-Pro
Photo
Another downtown store located on Howe Street across the street from Pacific
Centre Mall. Not a full line Nikon outlet so no F100 or F5 bodies but
relatively well stocked for entry and mid-level gear. Essentially a larger
and better-stocked Dunne and Rundle type of store. Not a lot in used gear
either but the store is willing to deal for larger purchases and is often
the place to beat for certain pieces of equipment. I’ve only done piecemeal
purchases for accessories here and there.
The owners
and staff are Chinese, so sometimes a language barrier can prevent you
from clearly expressing what you want and though they are generally knowledgeable
about what they sell, language can sometimes hamper their ability to communicate
effectively. I do not speak Chinese and only understand the basics when
I hear it so I use English. However, when talking to sales staff whose
first language is not English I would say something and a lot of times
I see quizzical expressions on their faces and of course vice versa. Just
take it slow and keep the language plain, not dumbed down, but just plain. |
| |
Kerrisdale
Camera
I have only visited the main store in the Kerrisdale neighborhood of
Vancouver once. A small and old store with a ton of used equipment for
sale. Prices are in between what Lens and Shutter would sell something
for and what Dunne and Rundle would sell the same thing for, meaning
about average.
I have
never purchased anything at the store so can offer no comment on the
sales staff. I visited more to see what the store was about than for
any serious shopping. The store is just too far away for me to make
the trip and try to buy something when other stores are closer to me.
However, if you live close by then it would certainly make sense to
develop a good relationship there. Kerrisdale also has stores in other
Vancouver suburbs |
| |
Beau
Photo
I have only
ever been to Beau Photo once , so I can't say much about them. I've
heard that a lot pros like to shop there because of an excellent supply
of wedding albums. They also sell film, photographic equipment from
assorted brands, and rent out equipment.
Although
I've never shopped at Beau, I have used their equipment rental rates
as the basis for my own fees when my workplace asks me to take photos
at events. Another reason for my lack of shopping at Beau is that they
seem pretty strict on wanting to deal only with professional photographers,
as on my one and only visit there, I got grilled on which studio I was
from. Granted that this was years ago, so I don't know if they have
changed their attitude. Lastly, their hours aren't convenient for me
to be able to shop there given that they're only open Monday to Fridays,
and guess what, I work on those same days. |
| |
Other
Misc. Stores
 I have been in a few other stores besides the major ones listed above.
Most are of the small mall store variety and for the most part I would
suggest not buying anything from them because prices are never better
than the major shops and obviously the selection is never as good.
For the
mall shops, Blacks and Japan Camera are probably the major chains and
admittedly, I purchased my first major camera kit from Blacks back in
1997. When I first stepped into Broadway Camera and started dealing
with Henry, he asked where I had bought my Nikon F70 and lenses. Upon
hearing the name Blacks, he just shook his head like the old master
admonishing his student and suggested that buying from the London Drugs
chain would have made more sense than buying at Blacks. However, Blacks
does have a nice two-week tryout period for the equipment they do sell.
I purchased the Nikon F50 kit from Blacks and was able to return the
kit in exchange for the F70 kit within a ten day period of initlal ownership.
Oh yes,
London Drugs, they are actually a major player in the entry to mid-level
photography market with most major 35mm brands carried. I have seen
a Nikon F5 displayed at one of the main stores in the chain but most
items at London Drugs are for the masses. London Drugs does keep the
other stores on their toes though as I have seen staff at one local
store, keep tabs on the equipment London Drugs have on sale. London
Drugs also has a very generous two-week tryout and return policy for
most of their electronic goods.
|
Processors & Labs
There is
something peculiar about the local pro labs; most have really crappy
hours of operation for a working at a day-job, serious-amateur. Most
of the labs are open Monday to Friday and not on Saturdays or Sundays
when working stiffs like me have the time to drop film off and then
pick up the orders when completed. Most are only open to 5 or 5:30pm,
so I really have to push it if trying to do something right after work.
Damn inconvenient and one reason why I have continued to use Customcolor
on a regular basis despite some screw-ups in the past. I have also used
ABC on a fairly regular basis too.
Customcolor
This lab is associated with the retail photo store chain, Lens and Shutter.
You can purchase processing-included rolls of 35mm E-6 or color negative
films at very good prices. Customcolor was the lab that I used when I
first got into photography and began shooting mostly slide films.
Although,
one gets the impression that it is a mass-market volume dealer of a
lab when visiting the shop in the Yaletown area of Vancouver, they do
offer a comprehensive line of services (but so too do all the others).
I was satisfied for the most part with their service but a minor screw
up of a wedding shoot left me somewhat dissatisfied and I began to drop
off my films with ABC.
I have
started to use Customcolor again for much of my processing needs with
E-6 films but for my next wedding shoot I will likely find an alternative
lab to use. Using Customcolor for E-6 is cost effective and convenient
because their associated retail outlet of Lens and Shutter has a shop
in Pacific Center Mall, and I just happen to work in a building with
direct, indoor access to the mall.
E-6 turnaround
time is same day if you drop the film off directly in Yaletown before
10am but when I drop it off at Lens and Shutter before noon, I get it
back in 24 hours. Color negative films in 120 format are processed every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so you will generally have at least a
two-day turnaround, depending upon volume. B&W proof prints may
take a bit longer.
On an overall
basis, I would say that Customcolor is probably average in cost and
quality. Customcolor is a Kodak-based processor.
Update: If in need of high quality enlargements, I would have major hesitation
to use or recommend Customcolour, as they appear to be doing enlargements
digitally only. This is normally not a problem but Customcolour's services
are a bit spotty in this regard and I think there are other labs in
town that will do a consistently better job for the same kind of money.
Reader's Comment
I would
just like to make a comment about Customcolor lab in downtown Vancouver.
I am a new customer because I just moved into town,and I ran a pro
lab for 5 years, so I am a tad picky you could say. However, pickiness
aside, I was really displeased with the customer service there.
I dropped a roll off on a Friday and was give a Wednesday pickup
time. I returned the following Thursday morning. After about 20
minutes of waiting as they searched for my roll, they returned saying
that it would not be ready until Friday. They offered no explanation,
and the worst part was that they did not have the courtesy to call
me and tell me of the delay.
To
add insult to injury, the gentleman who was helped directly after
me was give a 3 hour turnaround on his roll of film. I strongly
feel that any new customer should be treated the same as long time
customers. In doing this, they have lost my business. Thanks for
letting me vent!
C
Nystrom
Edwin's
response: Being late on an order is not uncommon for the
various pro labs in town. I myself was in a similar situation from
only this past weekend when a print order was not processed when
expected by ABC Photo and only received a call today that my enlargements
would be ready. Quite frankly, the fact that they're late is a non-factor
for the lab, because they already have your business and if you
walk out unhappy and never come back, well they have enough repeat
business that they won't care and there are only so many pro labs
in town (five major ones by my count).
I
am; however, a bit surprised that Customcolor would be so late for
a single roll of film. E-6 turnaround is same day if dropped off
in the morning and at worst, next day delivery unless you bring
in a large number of rolls. I use them for my E-6 rolls, but dropped
off at Lens and Shutter in Pacific Centre Mall and they have always
returned the rolls in 24 hours, except when I bring in 10 or more
rolls at once.
C-41
processing and printing is offered at various times depending on the
discount you desire, but generally does not go past 48 hours, unless
again, a large number of rolls are dropped off. And given the high
volume of rolls processed by them, I do find it odd that they would
be so late for your one roll of film.
ABC
Photo Colour
I started using this lab after the minor mishap Customcolor had with an
order. Although this lab is located on 4th Avenue in the Kitsilano
neighborhood of Vancouver, they have a partnership with Dunne and Rundle
in downtown Vancouver, so all I have to do is drop off and pickup in downtown.
E-6
turnaround is 24 hours if you drop the film off by about 10am, before
the once a day run to the lab. Color negative in 120 format take a bit
longer depending on volume and sometimes I have to wait five days before
receiving the proof prints back.
Comparing
the services offered by ABC to that of Customcolor reveals ABC to be
more comprehensive, especially in the different types of texture for
portrait prints and protective coatings.
ABC’s quality
is probably the same as Customcolor as I have not noticed much in the
way of differences for E-6 processing of color negative proofs. ABC
is a Kodak-based processor.
Update - I have been informed by one of Cymbolic Sciences (believe it or not
the company is Vancouver based) engineers that ABC has LightJet 5000
printer services available now. For those who have not experienced the
best that professional digital printing has to offer, I suggest you
give it a try as the prices are similar to traditional chemical enlargements.
Colorific may also offer Lightjet services too.
Readers Comment:
Hi Edwin,
I'm
a fellow Vancouverite. I really enjoy your website. It's very insightful
and well laid out. I just thought I'd add some comments on Vancouver
processing labs. I've decided to share some thoughts after a somewhat
bad experience with one of the larger pro labs in town.
I generally
proof my 35mm photos at London Drugs (as they're quick and have a
Fuji Frontier machine, which is a good match for the films that I
shoot most often -- Reala, NPH, NPZ, and xp2 super). I find that
London drugs does a pretty consistent job.
For
enlargements and 120, I generally take stuff to Custom Color, ABC
Photocolour, or G. King. While all three places to a good job, I
have found ABC Photocolour to be very unreliable in terms of having
120 enlargements ready when they say they will be ready. The last
two times I have ordered enlargements at ABC, they were not ready
in time. To make matters worse, I didn't find the ABC staff very
helpful or appologetic. I was very unhappy with ABC during the most
recent episode and phoned a supervisor to complain. I can't say I
was overly impressed with the manner in which she handled it.
I will
not take any more stuff to ABC or recommend it to anyone.
From
now on, I'll take my stuff to Custom Color (despite the experience
you had with them) or G. King.
I always
take my black and white enlarging jobs to Abbott and Tincombe. I
find their staff very helpful and friendly.
Anyways,
thanks for giving me a soapbox. Keep up the great work.
Scott
Edwin's
response: If it means anything, there are apparently two faces
to ABC, one for the consumer and one for the professional clients.
The consumers are serviced at the main store front entrance on 4th
Ave. whereas the professionals have a hidden entrance in ABC's loading
dock. If you have the volume to be classified as a professional, it
would appear that the service is better with staff who do actually
know about photo finishing services. You'll even get a tour of ABC's
backrooms.
However,
even as a professional client, this does not guarantee any better
or faster service for 120 processing. How do I know? A friend of mine
has access to ABC's professional services and the last time I shot
some 120 film for one of his wedding clients, the processing and proofing
took several more days than the 35mm rolls of film we shot. ABC explained
it as high volume right at that time, but in my own experiences with
ABC's medium format services, I too have experienced delays in receiving
the processed film and prints back.
I
have so far been taking 35mm color negative rolls for processing and
proofing to G. King, which has provided very good service and good
looking prints. I have not done much medium format processing with
them; these I have still been using Customcolour, more for convenience
of locale to my downtown workplace. I trust Customcolour to process
the E-6 films but I find their negative film (both color and B&W)
processing and printing to be spotty, hence the use of G. King.
One
last item about ABC, the dirty little secret amongst Vancouver's many
Asian photographers is that ABC does their processing for them for
the "Asian" look to their prints. If you or other readers
come across a photographer who claims to have his/her rolls of film
specially processed in Taiwan, take it with a large dose of salt.
Dear
Edwin,
I have
been browsing your comments regarding professional labs in the city
and was and have a few comments that I would like to make. In regards
to your comments on ABC Photocolour and the two faces, or departments,
pro and amateur, I would like to disagree. I happen to know all of
the staff thier intimately including all of thier backgrounds. As
it would be, the staff in the main customer service department all
have professional education in photography, have worked in a minimum
of 2 labs, done thier own printing etc. For example, the current customer
service manager has a BFA in Photography, has had her photographic
art published and exhibited internationally and has actually done
almost every process available including custom printing, scanning,
etc., etc. On the other hand, those employees in the professional
department have no formal education in photography, and though one
of them shoots professionally, the other has no actual technical experience,
and neither of them have ever printed. Ironic, isn't it?! Professional
photographers are expected to know everything that they want and need
and ask for it without consultation. At least at customer service,
they will be thorough and help you determine your needs and actually
provide impeccable support.
It is
apparent that none of the people writing in have actually worked in
a lab. Let's compare Macdonalds to fine dining; quality and speed
are often polar opposites. You receive quality based on the amount
of time alloted. No one does their best work in a rush, especially
when everyone wants a rush these days. Often 5 business days refers
to the actual lab operational days, ie. Monday to Friday, which is
a common misunderstanding which may make an order appear to take more
time then promised if you count the weekend when no one is there to
print.
Anyways, I could go on, but in my experience it takes time and communication
to develop a rapor with a lab. The consumer needs to ask the right
questions and customer service needs to answer them clearly. Often,
in any business, their are defaults. For example, if you order a latte
at Starbucks, it will always be made with whole milk, unless otherwise
requested to be made with something different.
The
same laws of defaults exist in lab protocol. Your B& W film may
be processed with TMAX developer as a default, or your scans done
as JPEGS, unless otherwise requested. Find out the defaults to the
services you need and then thier are no surprises.
Oh, and
as for giving filing at Abott and Tincombe using a number instead
of a customer's last name, unfortunately, 50% of clients do not bring
their claim tags in, rendering the number useless. If you can't keep
track of a slip of paper, at least you can remember your last name.
If it was spelled wrong on the order, chances are it was also spelled
wrong on the claim tag, which would have been very useful in locating
the order, even if it was misspelled, it would be a consistent error.
Obviously that woman did not bring her claim tag when going to pick
up her order, otherwise they would not have questioned things like,
"maybe you're at the wrong lab". In all honesty, it happens
more often than you would like to think.
By the
way, ABC is one of the only labs that will still do traditional prints
when you bring in film. This is particularly nice when dropping off
B&W film, which they have been doing for over 35 years.
the
Lab
This pro lab is well off the beaten track in a very industrialized part
of Vancouver (see location update below) on West 1st Avenue. The area is not a place
I would want to walk around at night but the Lab is one of only two
places I know of that offers Lightjet prints. This is how I know of
the Lab and I have ordered two Lightjet prints from them to see if the
digital prints are worthy of their hype.
Lightjet
prints do seem quite sharp and clear but I would need to do some more
orders with varied subjects to come to an overall conclusion about the
absolute quality. Prices on Lightjet prints are certainly competitive
with traditional custom chemical prints so cost should not be a factor
in obtaining high quality digital prints.
Update: the Lab does very good work with 35mm processing and printing but it
is more expensive than pretty much every other lab in town. One printer
in particular does excellent work for enlargements.
Comment: Just an update about The Lab. It moved locations since August 2006 and is now located at 295 East Second Avenue, which is 2 blocks east of Main on Scotia north west corner. There is generally parking in the front of the building, if there isn't any available there are spots available at the back of the building. For straight film processing of E-6 and C-41 processing it is a 2 hour turn around; yes a continuous run from 7 AM until 5 PM. If you need push or pull processing then it is a 3 hour turnaround. There are two cut off times for contact sheets and everything else is 3 day turn around.
The front crew all have knowledge in the photographic world, not just sales people trying to sell you another roll of film or should I say trying to sell you another flash card.
Yes I could go on and on but then it sounds like a brag. Good to see people writing about labs and the stores to keep people updated
Yes as you imagined, I am from the lab. Thanks for listening
Gamma
Pro
I have not used this pro lab for anything outside of Agfa Scala processing.
Gamma Pro is the authorized Vancouver drop off and pick up for Agfa Scala
B&W slide film processing but the processing is not done by Gamme
Pro. This lab merely sends the film to Toronto for actual processing.
Given how expensive Agfa Scala film and processing is I doubt I will see
much of Gamma Pro now that I have shot my last remaining rolls of Scala.
Gamma Pro
has a good reputation for its work and my friend Wilson prefers the
service over any other lab. This lab also seems to be among the few
that uses Fuji processing and papers instead of Kodak’s, which can be
a very important consideration if you are a Fuji film user and want
to obtain the best out of them. A bit out of the way as it is located
in an industrial area of Vancouver but not terribly so. Located at on
West 5th Avenue by Columbia cross street.
Hey
Edwin, I just wanted to pass along an update on this lab. First,
Gamma no longer is sending out Scala for customers. In fact, there
isn't any lab willing to provide this service at the moment. What
this means is that the consumer has to shell out $16.00 shipping
(traceable Priority Post), on top of the $15.00 processing (35mm
mounted), on top of the price of the film!! Not cheap.
The
digital printing department at Gamma has broken away,...next door,
and is now Vancouver Image Works. At the moment, they're possibly
one of the only labs offering true B & W digital output. For
this, they utilize an Epson 9500 running MIS Hex-tone inks. Very
impressive looking prints.
Generally,
for processing, etc,...I often use G. King because they're almost
next door, and the Lab when it really counts.
Due
to repeated quality issues with service and materials, I haven't
gone near ABC or CustomColour, respectively, for years.
Edwin's
Response: Thanks for the update on Gamma Pro's services.
A shame that Agfa had to make the processing of Scala so difficult
and costly that few photographers are likely to partake of the quality
offered by the film. When I bought some 35mm Scala (quite some time
ago now), I bought it for about $21 per 36 roll and this included
processing, but the 120 rolls I had cost $15 per 12 roll to process,
as you said, not cheap!
G.
King
I know of G. King only by reputation but a couple of photographers I
know swear by this pro lab as providing excellent quality. Once upon
a time I lived within a 15-minute walk to this lab and did not even
know it and by the time I did I was already doing most of my processing
at Customcolor. I did not live close by for too long and now that I
live in Burnaby, G. King would be well out of my way to visit. Located
on 15th Avenue by Cambie cross street. Another Kodak-based
processing lab.
G. King
has an Imacon Flextight Precision II film scanner, Epson 10000 printer,
and Lightjet services printer services, for those into digital imaging,
and yes, they still offer chemical services too.
Abbot
& Tincombe
This outlet specializes in black and white processing and has a very
good reputation for quality. I know of this place via Dunne Rundle who
uses them for B&W orders instead of ABC.
When I
was shooting some rolls of 120 format Ilford Delta 3200, I had some
rolls processed by A&T and some by Customcolor. The difference was
interesting as the Customcolor prints were very coarse looking, which
I had expected given the high ISO of the film. However, the A&T
prints were remarkably smooth and more satisfying to look at. Jack at
Dunne and Rundle explained it as different chemicals being used at the
two labs.
What I
usually do with B&W films is order a contact sheet so that I can
see all the differences in my exposure decisions. A few people scoffed
at my rationale but the way I see it, if the contact sheet is exposed
at a set standard for the given ISO, then it stands to reason that even
small changes in side by side frames will reveal themselves, just as
if you were shooting slide film. If you merely ask for proof prints
then each print will be printed at what the printer or machine thinks
is the correct exposure and you will never know the variables for each
frame unless you prefer to examine the negatives themselves, which I
do not.
Hello
Edwin.Excellent and useful site!! Great job
I would like to add a comment on the service I got after dropping
off a roll of B&W film at 'Abbot and Tincombe' lab.
The
quality is excellent, I have to admit, but the service was somewhat
rude.
I went
back to the lab to pick u my roll of film I dropped off earlier
that week.I told them the name I put it under,and was told that
such name did not appear in the processed bunch. Of course I started
doubting myself,and listed whole bunch of names I could've put it
under,but the 2 ladies helping me could not find it.So they said
that I must've dropped it off at some other lab! and asked me if
I was sure it wasn't the one half the block down?! Of course I knew
where I came to,and even pointed out the displayed borders I ordered
to be done on my prints.
I told one of the women what was on my film,and she finally acknowledged
my soberness saying that Yes,she remembered processing that roll.
It turned out that the person who took my roll wrote down an enigmatic
version of my last name,that consisted of 2 parts and did not resemble
mine at all.
One
would think that in a multicultural city such as Vancouver spelling
out of one's surname is crucial to places such as Abbot & Tincombe
that use the system of filing under surnames.What's wrong with recording
a unique number and giving a stub to the client??
I will
never go back to this lab, since the service is just brutal and
highly offensive.Too bad cause the prints were very well done.
Ana
Vancouver
Edwin's
response: A shame that you received such treatment at an
otherwise stellar lab, quality wise. You might try Rocket Repro,
which I hear also has very good quality, but I have no idea about
the service. I've never been to Abbot & Tincombe directly, only
through Dunne and Rundle in downtown as a drop off service.
Unfortunately
enough, a female photographer friend has also run into some service
issues at most of the photo stores in town. She is certainly a capable
photographer who knows the craft and when going into a store to check
on some gear, she receives condescension and a "well, what we
can for you little lady" attitude.
If
you find another good place for B&W development and printing,
do let me know so I can post a follow-up.
Mail
Order Shops
February 11, 2007
Through the years I've been involved in photography
(almost 10 as at this writing), I've done the bulk of my major purchases
locally because of good service and good prices. The relationship
with my main store in Vancouver has been nurtured for those 10-years
and there's a mutual respect and understanding of what everyone desires.
I want a good price, but the store needs to make a profit, which I
certainly want to see happen so that they can continue to exist.
However,
the local stores don't always carry items of interest, or the used
selection for some interesting lenses is not extensive, so I have
little choice but to order items in from out of town, out of province,
and/or out of country. All of the purchases have been done through
the Internet and I find it very odd, brutal even, that some companies
don't get the new retailing model.
The shops
I've done purchases from are listed below. If you don't see a retailer
listed, it means I haven't made a purchase and cannot offer any comment.
You might try ResellerRatings.com for reviews on other stores for additional information.
I offer
one bit of advice if you're a Canadian reader ordering from US retailers;
never have a package shipped by UPS Ground. You will otherwise pay
hefty brokerage fees based on a percentage of the dollar value of
the item being delivered. Retailers have to declare the value of the
goods shipped to you for Canada Customs. UPS takes that declared amount
and charges a brokerage fee.
Once,
I received a package of promotional materials (freebie stuff), but
the shipper marked a dollar value for the shipment instead of just
declaring the items as free promotional material and I got dinged
by UPS for brokerage and Canadian taxes so that the fees were almost
as much as what the declared value of the items were. It was ridiculous
to have to pay for so-called free items this way and if I had been
the one to have received it when delivered (I was at work) I would
have rejected the package.
Other
courier companies such as FedEx and DHL do not charge brokerage like
UPS does (they do collect taxes though on behalf of Canada Customs).
UPS does offer a more expensive shipping option that will include
brokerage, but generally, if I can have a choice, I ask for US Postal
Service delivery. I will still pay a brokerage fee, but it's a flat
rate of Can $8 charged by Canada Post to broker the package through
Canada Customs.
B&H
Photo
Disclosure first: B&H is an advertiser at my other website of
NikonLinks. I can only recall making one purchase from this largest
of US-based photography stores long before I ever owned NikonLinks,
but the product arrived and the transaction was concluded without
a hitch.
Highly
recommended by pretty much everyone that has shopped at the store.
The store is owned by observant Jews, so will close during Jewish
holy days and even the website will not take orders until after the
holy day/s have passed. Otherwise, the standard to which all other
Internet and mail order retailers are compared to.
Camera
Canada
This is just the web interface of a large Ontario-based store (Forest
City Image Centre) with competitive pricing for a number of cameras
and lenses. I use their price for comparison shopping to see how far
off local prices are. I've made one purchase from them and no problems
with the order.
KEH
Camera Broker
This largest of used photo equipment dealers is highly regarded for
being very conservative with their used equipment ratings. I can confirm
from first hand experience that KEH is indeed conservative and a Bronica
lens that I bought rated as Bargain, was in fact almost like new with
nary a mark on it. I was irked though, when I found that the lens
had been stripped of its front and end caps. However, KEH does indicate
which lenses come with caps and I didn't pay attention to the fact
that my lens' description made no mention of caps.
My other
irk is that KEH seems to charge a premium price for S&H to Canada,
even via USPS instead of a courier. These days, whatever I buy from
KEH, I think hard about it first before clicking on the confirmation
button to send the order through. Nobody likes paying more for something
than they should, especially when delivery seems to be by mule train.
Typically, three weeks from order confirmation to delivery, which
is a tad brutal - I've had orders that were much larger and heavier,
come from the other side of the world, delivered by courier in a few
days, for about the same cost as what KEH charges - double brutal!
Kirk
Photo
I was making purchases from Kirk, back when it still had a very definite
Star Trek affiliation. In the late 1990s, Kirk Photo was known as
Kirk Enterprises - if I need to say anymore to explain that then you've
done a Rip Van Winkle for the last 40-years 8^)
Kirk makes a number of after-market accessories that many photographers
find indispensible. Items such as high-quality Arca Swiss style camera
and lens plates, as well as a large number of L-brackets for camera
bodies, with and without motor/battery grips. Kirk also produced their
own knock off of the venerable Arca Swiss B1 ball head for a little
less money.
Kirk use to be the only game in town, then Really Right Stuff (RRS)
showed up and through the years, RRS appears to have found favour
amongst the pros that use to use Kirk products. Both companies make
excellent products that seem little different from each other in many
instances, but the little nuances that make or break a product appear
to favour RRS.
I have been a repeat customer of Kirk since the late 1990s with my
last purchase being the L-brakets for the D2X and D200.
Power
In Numbers
An Australian-based Internet retailer that sells portable hard drive
cases, the hard drives to go inside of those cases, batteries, and
my favorite, really good compact flash cards from Ridata (aka Ritek,
a Taiwanese maker of flash cards).
Ridata
cards aren't going to lead the market with cutting edge speed like
Sandisk and they aren't going to get the pro endorsements like Lexar,
but Ridata cards are speedy, reliable and cost a heckuva lot less
than the two main brands. I don't find it smart money to blow nearly
twice as much for the same capacity and no less security and reliability.
Power
In Numbers is reliable retailer and I've made several purchases going
back to 2002 when I bought the D100 and my first two Ridata compact
flash cards.
Vistek
This is the largest photography store in Canada (the B&H of Canada)
with a large website filled with stocked items that one will never
see in Vancouver unless special ordered. Pricing is not particularly
competitive, being, for the most part, regular retail list. But, sometimes,
when you really need something, you gotta go with the big V.
The majority
of my mail order purchasing has been with Vistek and most orders have
arrived quickly and without any problems, but, as with any operation
run by humans, mistakes can happen, but Vistek is good about correcting
their mistakes.
As big
as Vistek is, even they cannot get stock of items of interest. I waited
several months before the Nikon SD-8A battery packs were delivered
and they were unable to procure some Moab Chinle pages in Natural
finish. So, my only caveat is that if you see an item that says "Special
Order" you could be waiting quite a while before Vistek can actually
get it in, none of which is the fault of Vistek.
Woodmere
Camera
Disclosure first: Woodmere is an advertiser at my other website of
NikonLinks. Be that as it may, Richard Woodmere is a good guy and
will charge you what S&H really costs instead of padding it. I
bought my Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 AF-S lens from him, which he rated as
a 9/10. When I received the lens, I found it cosmetically dirty, but
the glass was pristine. 20 minutes of cleaning later and I had a great
lens for my kit.
And speaking
of S&H, at the time that I bought the 28-70 lens from Woodmere,
I had already placed an order at KEH a few days prior and was awaiting
delivery. After putting the order through Woodmere, I received his
package several days ahead of the KEH order and his S&H was well
under what KEH was charging for a similar sized and weight box. |
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