I’ve just acquired a 35mm film-based SLR camera (actually three identical models). There was a reel of film in a capsule in the bag, and another one in one of the cameras. What do you do with it though, in 2011?

Of course – you Google “photo developing” – and you get loads of people who refer to the act of printing a digital photo on a printer, as “developing”. Even the photo printing companies are at it. “Photo processing” seems to get you offers of printing digital photos on key-rings, mouse-mats, etc.

I went into Tesco, but they don’t seem to develop film. They sell it though, strangely. £1.77 a roll, with a choice of one brand, at one speed. A search for this, finds that even in old forum posts from 5 or more years ago, this film isn’t (and was never) very good.

Back to processing, it seems that Boots do it, but the lack of any prices on the website puts me off. There are a load of mail-order places that do it, but the postage costs makes it quite expensive. I found a professional place called “Photographique“, but they’re priced for professionals, and these reels could be blank for all I know. They’ve been sat in this bag for at least 5 years, so they might be junk, even if they ever had something on them. I happened upon a Flickr discussion with other people discussing cheap developing in Bristol. Even this started a couple of years ago, but it’s local at least. The person who started that discussion, who discovered Asda were still doing it, “forgot to ask for a price for just processing”. I thought I’d give them a try.

I went in on Monday, asked about developing. They’ve still got a range of print sizes, and those funny envelopes that seem to have been designed purely for putting photos in. I was half way through agreeing to two lots of  6×4″ prints, and an extra CD, when I asked if they could just develop them and put them on the CD (no prints at all). Yes, they can. £2-per-film for developing, 97p to put them on CD. You can have up to 4 rolls of film on one CD, for the 97p price, IF they’re brought in at the same time. What a bargain.

Wednesday I went back to collect them, and was told that one film was blank. In the world of Asda, this means they don’t charge me for that film. Just £2.97 total. How would I like to pay? Ah..I’ve got no cash..better be a credit card.

Edit: The photos weren’t very good by the way. Funny light markings on all photos. I will do a proper test when I have a reel of film that hasn’t been left inside a camera for 10 years, in an unknown condition.