Shipping
How do I ship my film, and how do I get my negatives back?
If you place an order in my webshop, you’ll first have to get your film to me. You can ship it to the address listed at the bottom of the page, in which case I’d recommend packing your film well. Please add a note with your order number. You can also drop off your film if you’re in the neighborhood, pack your rolls in an envelope or something with a note attached then just drop it in my mailbox.
A normal letter can get lost, I’ve had this happen with some customer’s films, so please spend the extra amount required for a tracked parcel instead of a regular letter as you’ll be entitled to an investigation when your parcel is lost.
To get your negatives back, you have the option to choose either a tracked letterbox parcel or a tracked regular parcel. If you live in NL, you’ll also get the option to choose pickup, in this case I’ll send you a mail when your negatives are ready so we can make an appointment for you to drop by to come and pick up your negatives.
If you don’t want your negatives back (keep them for the future, really!), I can also shred them for you to save on return shipping costs.
Do you have visiting hours?
If you want to drop off your film or pick up your negs, and have a chat about film nerd stuff, feel free to send me a message to make an appointment. I love chatting with my customers about everything film related.
But, I don’t have visiting hours, so please don’t show up on my doorstep unannounced (unless you’re only dropping off film 🙂 )
When will my order be shipped?
Negatives are usually shipped in the first half of the week (Monday or Tuesday). Chemistry orders are compiled fresh on Fridays or Saturdays and shipped the same weekend. Spare parts are shipped together with chemistry orders.
How do I track my order?
You will receive a tracking code when I’ve shipped your package out. You can track your parcel at PostNL’s tracking page.
Development
Which film types can you develop?
I can develop ECN-2, black-and-white and E-6 (slide) positive film. C-41 films can also be developed (cross-processed) in ECN-2 chemistry, this will net a lower contrast image when compared to C-41 processed negatives.
I can also process old Kodachrome (K-14) in black-and-white chemistry for either a negative or a positive image. I’d recommend choosing negative as these old films are usually pretty fogged.
Formats supported are 35mm/135 (also disposables), 120, 220, 620, 126, 127, 110 and 16mm short-ends, up to a maximum length of 150cm per film type. The price for development is the same for each film type.
Do you do push and/or pull processing?
Yes! It’ll cost you a flat fee of €2,50 per roll as I need to start a separate run for it. The exception to this is if you send in 8 films which you want to have developed for the same amount of time, then the fee is waived: just select “None” for push/pull and add a note to your order with the amount of stops you want to change.
Do you offer bleach bypassing?
Also yes! This is not a standard service though, so send me a message first if this is something you want. Fee is also €2,50 per roll.
Do you process sheet films?
No. I’ve never worked with sizes over 65mm. I’m planning on going 4×5 in the near future, as soon as I get the development process down I will offer it as development option as well.
Do you develop motion picture lengths?
Not yet. 8mm film development (15,24m/50ft) is coming soon: €36 for B&W or ECN-2, €38 for B&W positive and €42 for E-6 per cartridge or core, excluding scans. 16mm/Double-8/DS8 might be a future option, but that requires significantly different hardware than what I have now.
Do you accept souped film?
Yes! Souped film is possible, but please let me know beforehand, I need to develop your film separately from other rolls to prevent damage to other customer’s films so it’ll be slightly more expensive. If you send me a souped roll without notice and it screws up other customer’s films I’ll have to send you the bill for replacement films and chemistry, unfortunately. So send me a message via the contact page first.
What about black-and-white slides/positives?
Working on it! Currently trialing Foma R100 with homebrew chemistry. Should be ready for use somewhere in Q2 2026.
Keep in mind that the results are very dependent on the film you choose. All B&W films can in theory be developed as positive, but not all of them will look good. Films with a clear base (e.g. Foma R100, Adox Scala, Rollei 400) work best.
What do you use to develop my film?
I develop all film by hand in a Jobo CPP2 semiautomatic rotary processor using Jobo 1501 reels, except for specific black-and-white developers that work better by hand such as Rodinal. Super-8 is processed in a Jobo 2840 print drum with a custom designed rotary processing core, also in the CPP2 for accuracy.
As for the chemistry:
- I mix ECN-2 developer according to Kodak’s official specifications, listed in Module 7 of the Kodak Cine handbook. This is the same chemistry I also sell in my webshop, although I use Fujifilm Environeg RA bleach instead of SR-29 ferricyanide bleach to reduce the danger of forming Prussian blue in larger batches.
- D-96 is formulated using Module 15 of the same handbook, also sold here.
- For FX-55 I use the recipe from Pictorial Planet, which in turn is a modified version of the Gainer formulation. This is (I believe) the same formulation that’s sold by other photochemistry stores as it’s the most stable and easy to dose, and allows you to use the times from the Massive Dev chart without needing to increase development times.
- E-6, when available, is developed using Bellini’s 6 bath kit using the full process, for best color accuracy. This makes it slightly more expensive, but I’m not a fan of 4-bath kits since they seem to cut into the exposure latency of the film.
What is your turnaround time?
If you get ECN-2 or B&W films here on or before Thursday, 80% of the time I will develop them the same weekend, depending on volume. For E-6, I usually dev them within a month. But, turnaround can be up to 2 weeks for ECN-2 and B&W films, and up to 2 months for E-6 due to significantly lower volume.
If you’ve ordered scans with development, your negatives will be returned a couple of days later depending on the scan backlog.
In any case, you’ll get an estimate when I receive your films.
Do you do rush jobs?
If you have a rush job, send me a mail, usually we can come to some kind of accommodation. Don’t expect same-day service as I still have a day job, but within 24-36h should be possible depending on backlog volume and my agenda.
How are my negatives cut?
Normally I cut negatives in strips of 6 and sleeve them in regular minilab sleeving or in ADOX Adofile sleeves for €0,50 per roll. I can also leave your roll uncut if you ask for it, but you’ll have to send me the plastic canisters with your rolls as I will roll your negatives in a strip of paper and stick them in the can. Make sure to leave the cap off the can if you’re shipping via letterbox parcel, as it won’t fit the mail slot otherwise (and you’ll probably get fined because the postal service will upgrade your letter to a parcel).
6×4.5 will be cut 4×4, 6×6 as 4×3, 6×7 will be 2×3 and 2×2, 6×8 and 6×9 will be 4×2.
Scanning
What do you scan my film with?
I have 3 scanners at my disposal:
- a Nikon Coolscan 5000 which is slow, but produces crazy sharp 24MP (6000×4000) files from 135 film
- a Pakon F-135+ lab scanner, built for speed and nice colours, producing 6MP (3000×2000) files
- and for 120 a Minolta DiMAGE Scan Multi PRO which can pull 86MP (11300×7550) from 6×9 negatives.
Pakon F-135+
- Scans have a resolution of 2000dpi (6MP, 3000×2000).
- More than good enough for sharing online or printing up to 20x25cm without quality loss.
- 8-bit TIFFs by default. If you want 16-bit raw ungraded (or uninverted with orange mask) TIFFs instead, add a note.
Coolscan 5000
- Scans have a resolution of 4000dpi (24MP, 6000×4000).
- These take a lot of time to do (about 60-70 mins per roll) so they’re pricy, but you can easily print up to 40x50cm from most exposures. And your pics will be higher resolution than most Frontier SP-3000 scans!
- Your files will be delivered as 16-bit TIFFs, inverted with Nikon color profiles.
- I can also do raw negative scans (with orange mask still present) from the Coolscan, but this’ll add a €5 surcharge as I need to cut the roll first.
Minolta Dimage Scan Multi PRO
- High-res scans are 3200dpi (86MP, 11300×7550 for 6×9).
- Standard scans are 1600dpi (22MP, 5650×3750 for 6×9).
Both options produce high-quality 16-bit TIFFs.
Scanning 220 film carries a €5 surcharge due to the fact that it doubles the amount of scans needed.
Do you scan exotic formats (e.g. XPan, panorama)?
Yes! XPan and other 35mm pano scans are Pakon scanned by default, with a resolution of 6000×2000. High-res XPan scans are done using the Minolta, but this carries a €5 surcharge due to the length.
Do you offer scanning services for already developed film?
It depends on the film, and the volume. nbtg is mainly a development lab, scanning is offered as a service for development orders. Send me a mail to see what I can do for you.
Chemistry
What is the shelf life of your chemistry?
ECN-2
When mixed and unused, I will keep my developer for up to 5 days. When used, I will discard it after a maximum of 2 days, but I almost always use it one-shot in batches of 8 films.
My ECN-2 kit is not as shelf-stable as “real” commercial kits, such as those from Bellini or Jobo. Kodak’s Module 7 formulation produces identical results to commercial kits, it just has a slightly shorter shelf life. I suspect commerical kits use a different chemical composition for the developer which increases its shelf life, adding additional oxygen scavengers (most likely sodium metabisulfite). I don’t have this formula, and I’m not versed enough in chemistry nor do I have the equipment to change the recipe while still obtaining the required density and contrast curves.
Part B (CD-3, the color developer compound) is the culprit. When dry, it is very stable, but as soon as it’s mixed it will start to oxidize. A trick to extend your kit is to make a stock solution of part A, measuring it out when you want to use it then adding the required amount of part B just before development, discarding it after use. You’ll need to add 1 gram of part B per 250ml of stock solution.
D-96
D-96 is very stable with its high sulfite content. When mixed and stored in a closed container without oxygen it’ll last for at least a month, up to about 6 months. Since I use it in a rotary processing machine myself (which introduces a lot of oxygen in the process) I use it one-shot.
FX-55
FX-55 lasts indefinitely (or close to it) when parts A and B are kept separate. Working solutions should be used within 3 days.
Prints
Do you do prints?
Not by default! I only have an oldschool wet darkroom with an enlarger. I can do prints on request but it’s manual labour, so it takes a lot of time. A single color contact sheet is €12,50 on high-quality Fuji Crystal Archive DPII, black-and-white €10 on Fomaspeed Variant 313 pearl paper.
For individual handprints, contact me for a quote. I have a lot of experience in the darkroom and can produce high-quality wet prints from most negatives using a Durst Laborator 1200 and Bellini RA-4 chemistry or Kodak D-72, given that they’ve been correctly exposed. If you shoot tungsten film (500T/200T) in daylight without a correcting 85 filter it’s hard to get the color balance right, though.
Parts
Do you have <part X> in stock?
All standard stock is listed on the site. If you’re looking for something exotic, send me a message and I’ll see what I can do. I have quite a few bits and bobs lying around, and a steady 3D printer for the custom work.
Repairs
Do you offer repair services?
That depends what you have for me to repair! I can clean and lube most non-CRC prime lenses, so if you’ve got a nice Nikkor with fungus I might be able to help you out. I’m not afraid of working with helicoids either. Don’t come by with crazy expensive Leitz glass though, as I’m not a trained repairman, just an engineer with steady hands and lots of tools (which shows in the price, of course)!
I can also replace light seals on nearly all types of cameras, do some standard electrical repairs such as capacitor replacement and replace the occasional broken drive belt in a Super-8 camera, but a full camera CLA is above my pay grade.
Just send me a mail if you have something to repair, and I’ll see what I can do!
I have another question!
You’re always welcome to send me a mail via the contact page! Looking forward to hearing from you 🙂