Get to know the lab

A film lab, the way it should be.

We built Picture This Film Lab because we believe a film lab should know the photographers it serves.

At a drop-off counter, you rarely meet the people processing your film. With an industrial mail-order operation, those people may never get to know you, your camera or what you’re hoping to achieve.

We sell cameras, we test them, we shoot them ourselves. We develop and scan film on machines that run six days a week. And we talk to hundreds of active photographers every week — about their cameras, their results and their next roll.

Film is expensive. It’s also wonderful. We’re here to help you get the most out of it — whether that means choosing a camera, trying a different film or understanding why a photograph didn’t turn out as you expected.

So that’s what we mean by a film lab, the way it should be.

Find the right camera. Choose your next film.

We have hundreds of used film cameras in stock, and we buy good examples too.

We’d rather sell a camera in the shop, where we can talk about what you want to photograph, find something that suits you and show you how to use it. You can hold it, look through the viewfinder and ask questions before deciding.

The same thinking applies to film. We stock a wide range at competitive prices, with an additional 10% discount on retail film for lab customers. Choose your next roll in the shop or through My Film, for collection from the lab. We’d rather spend our time helping you choose your next roll than putting film in the post.

For us, selling cameras and film belongs alongside developing, scanning and printing. It means we can help from choosing a camera through to seeing the photographs you make with it.

Browse our used cameras →

An Olympus Trip 35 Black from the Picture This used-camera catalogue. — An Olympus Trip 35 from our used-camera selection. There’s much more to see in the shop.

What that means for you

A place you can walk into

Talk to the people doing the work.Bring your film, your camera or your questions. Our staff understand film processing and can help with choosing and using film cameras.
One minute from Brighton Station.Find us in the North Laine. Drop in during opening hours, or leave your film through our 24-hour letterbox. Order online before using the letterbox, and mark your secure envelope or bag with your name and order number.
No posting required.Hand your film to us and collect it here, avoiding postal delays and the risk of loss or damage in transit.

Your film, at your pace

Ready in as little as one hour.Medium JPEG, printed-photographs-only and develop-only fast services take one hour; High JPEG and TIFF fast services take two hours. Next-working-day and three-working-day services are also available. See fast-service options and cut-off times →
An economy option when you can wait.Our No Rush service takes 12–14 days, offering a lower price when speed isn’t the priority.
Time to come back for your negatives.We keep negatives and printed photographs for three months after completion. Please collect them as soon as possible.

Developed, scanned and printed here

Colour and black and white, both in-house.Dedicated processing machines mean your film stays with the team you speak to.
Black-and-white negatives dried inside the processor.Our dedicated black-and-white machine takes film through processing, washing and enclosed drying, reducing its exposure to dust in the lab.
Sleeved for storage.For orders with negative return, our standard 35mm sleeving uses strips of six frames, convenient for storing and viewing your negatives. Choose the negative-return option when ordering scans.
Real photographic prints.We make C-type prints on light-sensitive photographic paper using our professional Noritsu printer, calibrated daily for consistent colour and tonal reproduction. These are photographic prints, not inkjet.

The lab’s Noritsu HS-1800 scanner with its 120 film carrier. — Our Noritsu HS-1800 scanner, used for 35mm and 120 film.

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