Noritsu-quality lab scans. Real photographic C-Type prints. No compromise.
Professional film developing, scanning and printing in Brighton — built around quality, consistency and proper photographic output.
Noritsu HS-1800 scans
Our scan workflow is built around a professional Noritsu HS-1800 setup, chosen because scan quality matters. That means lab scans with the colour, tone and consistency people associate with a proper Noritsu workflow.
True 16-bit scan options
For photographers who care about tonal control, grading latitude and preserving the full look of the negative, our 16-bit TIFF options provide more editing flexibility than standard JPEG files.
C-Type wet-lab printing
Our prints are made on photographic paper in a true wet-lab C-Type process, not by inkjet or dry-lab printing. That means proper photographic output, daily colour control and a print workflow built around quality.
Noritsu V30 black & white processing
Black and white deserves its own attention. Our Noritsu V30-based workflow brings machine-controlled consistency to black and white film processing, with the rapid turnaround that makes one-hour black and white possible.
Noritsu is part of the
visual language
of a whole generation
of film photography.
If you’ve spent time browsing film photos online, there’s a good chance a lot of what you’ve loved, the smooth tones, the gentle colour, the classic lab-scan feel, was defined by a Noritsu. In that sense, Noritsu isn’t just a scanner brand, it’s part of the visual language of a whole generation of film photography.
We use an 'HS-1800', the last and greatest Noritsu scanner, for unbeatable images. This is the only lab scanner that can output real 16-bit files - essential to any professional work flow.
What size are your film scans?
Approximate image dimensions and typical file sizes for our Noritsu scan options. TIFF file sizes are approximate and may vary depending on image content.
35mm film scan options
Choose the scan type that suits how you want to use your images — from everyday sharing to high-resolution editing and printing.
Medium JPEG
A great everyday option for sharing online and general use. Medium scans are typically sufficient for prints up to 12 × 8 inches, depending on the image and viewing distance.
High JPEG
Extracts the maximum detail from 35mm film, with smoother tonal transitions and finer texture.
Medium 16-bit TIFF
The same pixel dimensions as Medium JPEG, but saved as a 16-bit TIFF for greater editing flexibility.
High 16-bit TIFF
Our highest-resolution TIFF option for 35mm, combining maximum detail with a 16-bit workflow.
35mm notes
- Medium JPEG is usually the best value everyday option.
- High JPEG is ideal when you want the fullest detail from 35mm film.
- * 16-bit TIFF keeps the same scan resolution as the matching JPEG size, but in a higher-bit-depth file format for editing and archiving.
120 film scan options
Dimensions below are based on a 6 × 7 negative. Other 120 formats will be proportionally smaller or larger.
Medium JPEG
Ideal for web use and everyday sharing. Medium scans are typically sufficient for prints up to 12 × 10 inches.
High JPEG
Captures the full look of medium format with excellent detail and smooth tonal transitions.
Medium 16-bit TIFF
The same pixel dimensions as Medium JPEG, but saved as a 16-bit TIFF for greater editing flexibility.
High 16-bit TIFF
Our highest-resolution TIFF option for 120 film, retaining excellent detail with a 16-bit workflow.
120 notes
- These dimensions are based on 6 × 7 negatives.
- Other 120 formats such as 6 × 4.5, 6 × 6, 6 × 8 or 6 × 9 will be proportionally smaller or larger.
- * 16-bit TIFF keeps the same scan resolution as the matching JPEG size, but in a higher-bit-depth file format for editing and archiving.
Why 16-bit TIFF gives you more than resolution.
16-bit files are not just larger files. They preserve more tonal and colour information, giving photographers greater flexibility for editing, grading, printing and archiving.
16-bit preserves vastly more information.
A true 16-bit-per-channel TIFF preserves vastly more discrete tonal and colour values than an 8-bit TIFF or JPEG file.
That extra precision matters when you do real colour work: setting neutrals, refining skin tones, balancing highlights vs shadows, or making subtle HSL/curve adjustments. In an 8-bit workflow the “steps” between colour/tonal values are much larger, so heavier edits can introduce banding, posterisation, or colour shifts. In 16-bit, the same edits remain smooth because you’re manipulating a set of colour and density values that contain 256 x more information.
Cleaner shadow and midtone work.
For black & white, the key benefit of 16-bit is tonal separation—especially in the low end. When you lift shadows, shape midtones with curves, dodge/burn, or push local contrast, 8-bit files can break apart: blocked shadows, harsh transitions, banding, and “muddy” tonal areas.
A 16-bit TIFF won’t invent detail that isn’t on the negative, but it preserves far more of the scanner’s captured tonal information, so deep tones can be opened up more cleanly—often closer to the feel of working a real negative in the darkroom.
The file you keep for the future.
A 16-bit TIFF is best thought of as an archival master. It’s the version you keep if you want maximum flexibility for future printing, re-grading, or different looks as your taste/software changes.
JPEG is an excellent delivery format for most people, but it’s already tone-mapped and compressed, and it gives you less margin for major reinterpretation later. Keeping a 16-bit master is the digital equivalent of keeping the negative: it’s the file you return to when you want the most faithful and flexible starting point.
TIFF does not always mean 16-bit.
Many labs offer “TIFF” simply as an 8-bit, uncompressed alternative to JPEG. That can be useful, because it avoids JPEG compression artefacts, but it’s not the same as a true high-bit workflow—editing headroom is still limited by 8-bit precision.
With the Noritsu HS-1800 workflow, the advantage is larger: we can output true 16-bit TIFF files, retaining far more tonal and colour precision. In other words, on many systems TIFF mainly reduces compression artefacts; on a true 16-bit Noritsu workflow the TIFF option is about substantially greater tonal/colour latitude for serious grading and printing.
Preserving the subtlety of the negative.
Those qualities aren’t just “resolution”; they’re about how tones are mapped and how colour is held together. A true 16-bit workflow preserves that nuance so you can refine highlight/midtone/shadow relationships and colour balance without the file collapsing.
If you care about the exact character of a film stock, 16-bit TIFF is the format that best preserves the negative’s subtlety for interpretation, grading, and printmaking.