I’ve used AGFA Scala 200X black-and-white slide film off and on for a while. I think I still have two rolls of 120 film and a 35mm cartridge in my freezer.
Looks like I’d better use it now. Even if it’s to just burn off the rolls.
Apparently only one company still exists that can properly develop the film with reasonable results, an Iowa-based company called .dr5. This is on their Facebook page right now.
This was on their Facebook page yesterday.
Attention one and all – Fellow dr5’ers.
It has been with great contemplation, thought and some sadness that it is time for all good things to end. The dr5 service is approaching its 25th year and is coming to an end as it currently exists.
Sadly, without industry support and a higher volume of film, the service is not sustainable in this digital driven world. Custom shops like ours simply can’t make ends meet and maintain quality. The cost of raw materials, water, power and gas – some up 800%, have made this highly custom process too costly to provide, and we can’t see film users paying gross amounts more per roll for processing, which in-turn will further deplete the volume we need for the highest quality control.
Dr5 is an important photographic process. We still are looking to publish dr5 and we hope the publishers of the darkroom cookbook want to add dr5 to its pages.
As the creator, my plan is to bring it back home and close to the vest. Dr5 has come ‘full-circle’. It will be once again for my own shooting work.
There is plan to maybe set up a private service down the road – no plans are yet made in this regard.
In the meantime, in 2022 we may announced dr5 runs and we’ll have to figure out how to broadcast that news – stay tuned.
We are currently in production. THIS IS THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE LAST DR5 LAB RUN. SORRY. NO SEPIA RUN. We will keep the line going for as long as films com in, SO GET THOSE ROLLS INTO US! I expect the line to be active, possible to July, but will depend on films that come in or when chemistry is depleted.
Thanks for all the films over the years. I’ve seen each and every roll, numbering into the 100s of thousands.
All the best. Dave Wood / dr5
Nuts.
Oh well. I think I have a couple of spots where I can use this film, but I have to be prudent with it.
It’s like when Kodachrome processing went belly-up a dozen years ago. I took pictures, got some great images, but then December 2010 came and went … and now Kodachrome is just a distant memory.
Thankfully, Dave Wood is trying to get his .dr5 process added to various home developing manuals, so maybe AGFA Scala 200x processing can continue. We shall see.
But for now … I’ll find a spot, a location, and just get some great images with my remaining rolls. And go from there.
At least I have some time to work towards an amenable solution with this film.
So there’s that.
Chuck The Writer 