FAQ

+ Where is Ikigai? What are your opening hours?

Ikigai HQ is at 2/62 Albemarle Street, Williamstown North but we are not open for pickups and we do not have a storefront.

Film can be dropped using our box on the front fence 24/7

+ What is your turnaround time?

In general we operate on a 3-5 business day turnaround, but this may be longer during peak periods.

+ I sent my film in, has it arrived yet?

We'll send you an SMS notification when we receive your film.

It's best to double check your tracking number to see if your film has arrived.

If you've sent your film using one of our dropboxes, please wait for this message to arrive.

+ Do you have an update or ETA on my film?

Please do not send us this question while your film is within a reasonable turnaround period. This period is provided when your film arrives.

+ Are there any brands of 35mm film you don't process?

Why We Don't Process Film from Certain Brands

We love film as much as you do, however, there are a few films that we don't process. Here's why, in the spirit of transparency:

Film Never Die branded film: We believe in fair and ethical practices.

Film Never Die has a history of using unpaid internships and what we see as the exploitation of international student labour.

Film Never Die also has a track record of spreading misinformation regarding the origins of the film they sell. We feel this is anti-consumer and bad for the industry we work in.

Mr Negative branded film

We don’t process Mr Negative film because:

Misleading Branding: They obscure the true origin of their rebranded Kodak Vision film, which we find deceptive.

Quality Issues: We've faced problems with heavy age fogging and poor remjet removal, which can compromise our chemical process and damage our equipment.

For reliable results, we recommend purchasing Kodak Vision film with remjet removed from a trusted supplier.

Walkens House of Film Branded Film: In the past, Walkens House of Film took action against our business that was both unprofessional and damaging. The owner of Walkens registered our domain (ikigaicamera.com.au) and redirected it elsewhere, a move we found to be not only disruptive but also requiring official intervention from AUDA to resolve. Such behavior goes against our values of fair play and ethical business conduct.

35mmco Branded Film: 35mmco sold a film labeled as C-41, which, upon processing, was revealed to be a black and white film. Consequently, every roll processed in C-41 yielded blank results.

This mislabeling has led to an increased number of blank rolls from photographers using 35mmco film in their cameras. We find this practice to be unethical, as it misrepresents the product and causes frustration for our customers.

Additionally, concerns have arisen regarding the origin and pricing of 35mmco cameras. We believe that 35mmco is reselling cameras sourced from Alibaba at a considerable markup, misleading customers about the product's true value. Furthermore, there are allegations of greenwashing, where 35mmco claims environmental benefits without clear evidence to support such claims.

In light of these issues, we have chosen to discontinue the processing of 35mmco film.

+ What types of film do you process?

We develop C-41, E-6 and B&W film in 35mm and 120.

This includes disposable cameras.

We do not develop 110, 126, 4x5 or 8x10, Super 8, 16mm or disc film.

+ Do you develop disposable cameras?

We certainly do! Disposable cameras are the same price as regular rolls and all you need to do is send the entire camera in (we have a special tool to get the film out!)

+ I'd like a digital copy of my colour disposable camera, what do I select on the order form?

Our order form is here

Step 1. Process & Scan

Step 2. C-41 film

Step 3. 35mm film

Step 4. Choose whether you want Standard or Pro scans

Step 1-3 and Step 4 in image form

+ My disposable camera is supposed to have 27 shots but I received less in my scan folder, where are the rest?

Disposable cameras have a fixed aperture and shutter speed. This means if there isn't enough light to create a photo, there will be no photo on the film for us to scan.

We scan everything on the film.

The most common cause of this problem with disposables is not using the flash indoors or shooting at night.

+ I want to pick up my negatives today, how do I do that?

We're not open for pickups. Please complete our negative return form to arrange postage.

+ How long will you store my files on Dropbox?

We store your photos online for 90 days. Download them as soon as you get your link to be safe!

+ Do you offer develop and print?

We don't offer develop and print.

+ Why don't you do same day process and scan?

We know you're eager to see your film but there's a simple reason why we don't offer same day process and scan as a standard service.

We're committed to ensuring that each roll is done properly and actively prioritise the quality of our work over quicker turnaround times.

Think of it like a slow-cooked meal—more time and care lead to a tastier outcome. (We know you can overcook food but we're low on analogies today)

The additional time we invest in your film results in better scans.

+ Do you develop super 8 film?

No, but we recommend Nanolab

+ Do you develop 35mm half frame?

Yes. We can scan as single frames or as diptychs.

Half frame is scanned as single frame by default unless diptychs are specified.

+ Do you develop ECN-2 or Vision 3 film?

We don't offer ECN-2 at this time

+ Can you scan the sprockets of my film?

We only offer contact sheets for full border scans. We do not offer single frame or full roll scans that include the sprockets due to scanner limitations.

Contact sheets are a great way to get full border scans and are available on our order form under advanced options

+ Do you do high res single frame scanning?

We only scan full rolls. Rolls must be sent in and clearly marked for rescanning.

We cannot go through your stored negatives and identify rolls or individual shots for rescanning.

+ How are files delivered?

Scans are delivered as .jpg files in the Adobe sRGB colour space.

We deliver files via a Dropbox link to your mobile phone. The link itself won't change from order to order, so feel free to bookmark it on a computer and all your future scans will show up in the same place.

+ Do you offer TIFF?

We do not offer TIFF scans.

+ Can you scan film I've already developed? I like to develop my own B&W

Yes we can! We will do our best to give a blemish free scan, but due to the nature of receiving film from an uncontrolled environment, we cannot make any guarantees.

+ What equipment and chemistry do you use to process film?

We use Noritsu QSF-V50P film processors and a rotary tube system for black and white and E-6.

For our C-41 process we Fujifilm chemistry.

For our black and white process we use Ilfotec HC Developer

For our E-6 process we use 6 bath Fuji PRO6 chemistry.

+ Do you run control strips?

Yes. We run Kodak C-41 and Fuji CR-56 control strips to constantly monitor the chemical and mechanical conditions of our equipment and to ensure our processes are within control.

+ Will you sleeve my negatives for me?

We will sleeve your 35mm and 120 film by default using Fujicolor archival sleeves. 35mm is cut into 6 frame lengths.

We do not offer uncut negs

+ Do you offer push/pull/cross processing

We do. If you'd like your film cross processed or pushed, please select the option on our order form and clearly label your film to be pushed/pulled or cross processed.

We can push and pull C-41 and B&W film. We cannot push or pull E-6 film.

+ What do you use to scan film? Can I choose?

Unlike most other labs, we offer a choice between Fujifilm and Noritsu scanners. You can learn about the differences between Noritsu and Fuji scans here

+ What is the difference between Standard and Pro resolution scans?

We offer two tiers for resolution

Standard is approximately 8" at 300 DPI High Res is approximately 12-16" at 300 DPI

Standard is perfect for small-medium sized prints or web use

Our high resolution is better for large prints or if you just want the maximum our scanners are capable of.

+ Do you scan XPAN frames

We sure do! Our Noritsu scanners are capable of huge resolution on Xpan frames. We can scan up to 12297px on the long edge!

We're one of the only labs in Australia that can scan your xpan frames on both the Frontier and Noritsu so feel free to try both

+ What is your policy on blank rolls?

For fresh film and beginner mistakes, we'll only charge you developing and refund the scan portion. We'll also send you some notes to help troubleshoot so you can avoid it on your next roll.

For expired/"found film" we do not refund scans and the risk is assumed when sending it in. This is to cover the extra admin of processing expired film.

+ What is your expired film policy?

All expired rolls are scanned on the Noritsu. We are unable to scan expired film on the Frontier due to fogging. If you've chosen Frontier and have sent in expired film, the scanner we use will be the Noritsu.

+ Can I send in old negatives for contact sheets?

We only offer contact sheets for film we've developed due to the preparation and workflow involved.

+ Can you return my spools, canisters or sleeve my film for me into the sleeves I like?

Unfortunately we are unable to return spools or film canisters.

We also have a specific sleeving workflow so we only sleeve using Fuji crystal archive and our frosted 35mm roll sleeves.

35mm is cut in strips of 6 and 120 is cut depending on the format (2 frames for 6x7, 3 for 6X6 and so on)

+ How long will you keep my negatives?

We currently store negatives for 1 year as of the end of 2021. We do have a leeway period but please be sure to organise negative return before this period ends as we can't archive your film indefinitely.

Negative collation and post can be requested via our negative return form

+ If I order film, can you send my negatives back at the same time to save on postage?

At this stage we do not offer this service due to our storage system for negatives and film warehousing workflow.

+ What options are there for getting my film to you?

You can either post your film to us, drop off your film at one of drop off points, or drop it off in person.

We are not open for face to face drop-offs, but we do have drop box on our fence that is accessible 24/7.

+ I want to post or drop off my film, how do I do that?

Fill out an online order form and either:

Post your film to:

Ikigai Film Lab PO BOX 971 WILLIAMSTOWN, VIC 3016

We recommend you use a box or satchel to post your film.

We also have some more tips here

Or, if you're dropping off in person, use the dropbox on the fence at our HQ. Envelopes and a pen are provided.

+ I put my film in your dropbox out front but haven't received a message saying you've received my film

Don't stress! We assume you know you dropped the film off at our HQ, so we don't send the arrival alert for film dropped off in person/in our HQ dropbox.

+ I haven't paid for prints, or given you my address. Why haven't I received prints of my film in the mail?

We don't offer develop and print.

Your negatives will not be posted to you unless you've given us your address and selected "post my negatives" on your order form.

+ I've found an old camera, can you repair it?

Sorry! Unfortunately we don't repair cameras.

+ Do you know when "insert product" will be back in stock?

Unfortunately we don't get any heads up when stock is coming in.

The best way to know when stock is arriving is to add your email to the product wait list on the product page.

+ What is your order cut-off time?

12 pm AEST sharp! If we receive an order after 12 pm and Australia Post is running late to collect from us, we'll do our best to pack it and still have it sent. Unfortunately with our volumes we cannot always make extra trips to the post office for late orders.

If something is very urgent (e.g: You need a roll of Portra for your wedding day), message us and we'll do our best to accommodate!

+ Why don't you have a phone number?

We're a small team, so all of our support is handled via email. If you have a question that's not answered here, send us an email