The Great American Photo Lab / North Coast Photographic Services — Attraction in Carlsbad

I have used 5-6 photo service companies to develop my 35mm film, scan, and print over the last 6-8 years. Of the places I have used these North Coast is the most consistent high quality of all of them. Besides very high quality results they are also helpful when you need it. You can easily call them and get your questions answered. Bonnie has spent quite a bit of time with me on the phone to organize getting files the right specs for them to print. They are fast. I sometimes send in my rolls and they turn them around in about 2 days. And sometimes I drive the hour and drop off. Seems like they are always done the next day. Plus, and this is a big point, the resulting scans or film is of excellent quality. The scans are clean and color or black and whites are like I want them and not just run through the mill with no one checking them.

The one thing they don't do is mount slides. I still have a slide projector and like to get scans and mounted slides. But maybe they will start to do this...

This is an excellent place to print or any sorts of photographic services that they are providing. I am a film photographer and went here several times with development requests and final prints. It is hard to find the quality of work in photographic printing nowadays. Not to mention their profound knowledge and their prices are super reasonable. I recently printed a B&W photo in a 11x14 size. I am happy with my final digital file to send over to them via their app. I received the photo that looks exactly what I wanted it with no communication. And more, what amazed me is that Bonnie did 2 photos for me with no additional charges to get the looks that I wanted by sensing that the first one came out a bit darker than what the file shows. We all know the differences between digital files and printers and how they translate pixels and colors into physical copies. She knows her machines. And how do I know all this, two photos arrived to me with just some notes...

It was confidence-inspiring to discover this lab in 2012. I have been dealing with them ever since, and have never been less than fully pleased - even excited - with how they bring my work to life. Their E-6 processing is consistently the cleanest I've ever experienced from a lab, and I have been shooting slides for decades. I am also impressed with how clean my B/W and C-41 color negs are when I get them back. I'm an East Coast customer and was pretty amazed at the timing of my most recent order, sent to NCPS on Jan 21, received today, Jan 29. No review of this fine lab could be complete without a mention of their outstanding customer service if one has a concern. It's not that I've needed assistance often, but as was the case today in discussing one very old roll I should have shot and had processed much, much sooner, Bonnie is always there for her customers to offer intelligent and...