About Us

We’re a walk-in lab dedicated to the art of film photography. We keep our throughput intentionally modest - compared to labs processing hundreds of rolls a day who compete by constant social media advertising. Instead, we match the care and enthusiasm you put into your camera, your memories, your art, or your photography business.

We’re here for practical advice - not just film and processing, but photography and equipment in general. You’ll see hundreds of film cameras in stock, and every day we handle results from local photographers, so we know what techniques and gear work in the real world.

Our Noritsu scanner is operated by a degree-trained photographer, and the lab is maintained by the owner (with a physics background).

In short: we care about your film, and back that up with time, craft, and conversation.

Noritsu HS-1800: natural colour, true to film

We use the Noritsu HS-1800 because it renders colour the way the film actually looks. The colours it produces are unmatched by any other scanner, or any digital camera. This is why people shoot film, including for commercial, wedding, artistic and portrait photography.

We keep auto-enhancements off by default, preserving colours and micro-contrast, so skin tones stay believable, blues don’t clip to cyan, and negative film’s highlight roll-off remains soft rather than “digital.” Our make operator-led adjustments are for density and balance. That means Portra keeps its calm palette, Superia keeps its punch, and your black-and-white retains tonality without harsh edges.

Why 16-bit colour depth matters

We scan in a 16-bit pipeline end-to-end. In practice, that gives your files more real information and less guesswork:

  • Smoother tones, fewer artefacts. 16-bit captures far more tone steps than 8-bit, reducing banding in skies and skin and preserving delicate colour transitions.
  • Better highlight and shadow recovery. Negative film holds a lot of detail; 16-bit keeps that latitude so you can lift shadows or tame highlights without colour shifts.
  • Cleaner edits. Pushing contrast, curves or white balance in post won’t break the file as quickly, so you can grade confidently.

For real world samples - see images stating "NORITSU-KOKI" as the scanner on Flickr.

Darkroom-quality prints made from your negatives


When you order prints, we make real photographic (C-type) prints on silver-halide paper using a Noritsu minilab printer–processor — the same wet process used in darkrooms.

What that means for your photographs

  • Continuous-tone output. Light exposes light-sensitive paper; chemistry develops a smooth, luminous image (not ink laid on top).
  • Colour you can rely on. We calibrate daily and print with tight control over density and balance, so your lab-made prints match the colours and density of your scans.
  • Built for longevity. Proper RA-4 processing on quality paper gives durable, display-ready results.
  • Made here in Brighton. Talk to us about paper surface, borders, and sizing — we’ll guide you to the combination that best suits the work.

(Our printer is a Noritsu QSS-3502 - a proven self-calibrating RA-4 system used by professional labs worldwide.)

Film Developing