I needed some printed photographs scanned. Based on the quote, I dropped them off to be scanned. When I went to pick up the scans a week later, the price doubled. When I asked why, I was told I was quoted incorrectly. Being under a time crunch, I had no option but to pay the new price. I told the owner that it was not right to quote a customer one price and charge a higher price at the time of payment. She also accused me of wanting the work done 'for cheap'. I am more than willing to pay an agreed upon price, be it cheap or expensive. The owner was rude when I challenged her why she was baiting and switching me. read more

Panda is awesome! I am a professional photographer and brought in a color negative of a photo of a photo I had taken in Arizona in 1979 and they scanned it and Jackson made me a high quality 11" x 14" enlargement. They took a personal interest in my image, even though my order of a single picture was not exactly going to pay their rent or anything. read more

TL;DR: great film lab, bad digital scans. They have done a great job developing my 4x5, 120, and 35mm film. They're very knowledgeable, treat me very well, and have accommodated my particular needs. I highly recommend them for this. Thinking they must be the best option around for this, and preferring to support a local shop where some of them remember my name after only a few visits, instead of using mail order, I had some Velvia 50 35mm slides scanned, but was very disappointed in the quality. The slides look gorgeous, but the scans are in most cases useless even for posting on the web at small sizes. They have severely clipped highlights, the shadows are so noisy from being digitally brightened that the noise stays when I re-darken them, and the images are overall very flat in appearance. I called to discuss this, and while they offered to take another look and see what they can do to improve it, it sounds like it's simply a result of the equipment they use, rather than any special mistakes. Other local photographers I've talked to have told me that Panda's scans are disappointing to them as well. Maybe other films are more appropriate for their scanner, but for Velvia 50 I was expecting higher quality for the price that they charge, which is comparable to the mail-order enhanced scanning from The Darkroom that other Seattle film photographers are recommending I use. I'm going to try that instead next time, but I do like and appreciate the folks at Panda Lab and am happy with everything I've tried but the scanning, so I will keep finding excuses to patronize them for developing and printing. I believe the reason they charge so much for their low-quality scans is because they take time to remove dust in Photoshop. I think they would negotiate a lower price for skipping that step, but I think they could do a better job of not getting people's hopes up about the quality. Maybe set a lower default price, to indicate the actual quality, and have an add-on for dust removal, or something. I can remove dust myself; I cannot do better scans myself unless I invest in a quality scanner. And dust is of lower concern to me than digital noise and clipped shadows and highlights. read more

Panda rocks! I picked up a cool glass negative at a thrift store in Durango, CO, and these friendly folks helped me turn it into print. I know nothing about photography, but they were all very helpful (thanks, Mary) and gently walked me through the development process. On top of that, the staffers were hard at work during the snowstorm that we had just before Christmas last year, so I was able to get my sweetie's gift done in time. read more

Great service. I found they would make prints from some old slides I found stored away. They were close to home and the person who assisted me was patient while I chose what I wanted from each of ten slides. Thank you Panda Lab. read more

Rite Aid scanning was better. I had 363 Kodachrome slides scanned by Panda and 52 from the same collection scanned by Rite Aid. The Rite Aid scans were as good or better than Panda's on the basis of clarity/grain/sharpness, and the Rite Aids were much smaller file size (800K each for Rite Aid, 7MB for Panda). Given the same quality, I'd rather have a smaller file size - makes for easier storage and sending. Both Panda and Rite Aid had good color rendition. I corresponded more than once about the quality issue with the proprietor of Panda. He did impress me with his desire to do a good job but, even though he didn't compare his scan to my original, he states that he did a good job and that we're dealing with a difference in perception. Since I can and did compare to my original and I had the Rite Aid scans to compare to as well, my perception is that I would've preferred to have them all done by Rite Aid. read more

This is, hands down, the best place to have film processed and images printed in all of Seattle. The staff is smart and deeply knowledgeable about film and digital photography. They are generous with their time and advice if you need it, and their customer service is geared towards developing long terms relationships with their customers. I love this place. read more

I'm a wedding photograhper who shoots 120/220 film and Panda has always taken care of me. When I relocated my business to Seattle a few years ago, I shopped around at all the various film shops. I felt that Panda provided the best quality and prices to help my business grow. If something was urgent they are timely at getting it out, they are very knowledgeable and friendly. I like to get my film scanned as a JPEG and the workflow is seamless compared to when I shoot digital and have to import, edit, etc. I've always loved film but Panda justifies my capabilities to continue shooting using film in an ever increasing digital world. My clients love the look & feel of film, and I love that I don't have to do any editing and b/c I have digital copies of the neg's, I can put all their images online for proofing. This increases my sales to friends and relatives. If you shoot film (or are thinking of getting back into it) I would try Panda first for all your scanning/developing needs. read more

I highly recommend this place. I didn't give them an easy project -- "Can you blow up this low-res JPG and make it look good???"-- but not only was the final product outstanding, the customer service was A+. When my original print ripped, they reprinted it with little pushback and total courtesy. Whenever I need something printed, I'm going here. read more

customer service is a little cold but I wouldn't say unhelpful ! They definitely are very knowledgeable and helped me figure out what processing to do with a specific B&W film I was trying out for the first time. They always produce beautiful prints - I love Panda Lab! read more

Yikes! Horrible experience. If you are a professional, you'll want to skip this one. I'm a professional photog but had just moved back to Seattle from SF so I asked a friend for a professional photo lab for a small job (I admit I should have asked a Prof photog). I spoke with Jessica on the phone, going over each of the four prints to be printed. She assured me that she would make certain that the prints looked good. Um, no. She hadn't even looked at them before they were shipped out. Seriously? I put my total trust in her because I was going out of town and had to order online and have it mailed out. Ugh. One of my prints was even printed on the paper crooked and another wasn't dark enough! The worst part of it was Jessica's response, as if she hadn't screwed up and delayed the work by a week (not even offering to overnight it). read more

Panda photo is probably the only full service film developing photo lab in Seattle, or even Washington. They do amazing quality prints and use the best equipment, paper and color available. The staff is awesome and very helpful. In fact, we moved here to lower Queen Anne so we could be closer to the photo lab because we came here almost monthly! read more

Great service. Printed 2 images (one photo and one graphic) right there for me. I was in and out in 15 minutes. They even did some free tweaking of my photos (I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to levels and etc.) and printed a few different variations of the photo out, free of charge. Coming back here for all my fancy printing and photographic needs. read more

Incredibly helpful and they know exactly what I wanted. Perfect print. Highly recommend!

I had a large, somewhat complicated job. Jackson went above and beyond. The prints were beautiful, and the pricing was better than I had hoped for. I'm so glad these guys are still around! read more

This place develops film pretty well that's for sure BUT THEY SCAMMED ME AND THEIR SERVICE IS HORID. When I first came here to get two rolls developed I was given a receipt that said it would be $9.00 total, I was told my film would be ready within two days, any ways I was in a rush two days later and called to see if they were done, the same woman picked up the phone that I had talked to in store and said my name was not on any records in the back.. I was so pissed, i was put on hold for 5+ minutes for someone to go look in the back and when I became concerned I said hello? And was hung up on. I called back furiously and another man picked up the phone, I explained the situation to him and he acted as though there was no woman handling my problem and made me seem crazy. We went into the back and told me my film should have taken a matter of hours not days to be developed and I could've come in earlier. Anyways I come back in an hour after this call and the same woman charges me around $17 when my receipt said $9, now I know 9 is a little low and this was probably more of a confusion than a scam but I was still furious at this point. My film was still beautifully developed just the woman that works here is absolutely the worst, I wish I knew her name. She does not handle customers well let alone anything else, whoever put her in charge is a fool she is scaring away business. read more

Following a recommendation from Glazier's Camera, I had an excellent experience with Panda Lab. I needed to have a painting scanned and photoshopped for inclusion in a children's book. Time was of the essence. I left my painting and was able to return the next day for service. When I made a sudden change of mind during the process, Mr. Jackson was patient and kind. The cost was less than I expected, and I am more than pleased with the result. read more

Man oh man..where do I start? I went to panda lab after hearing good things. Worst idea ever. I went in mid December on a Monday or Tuesday to get a negative printed and blown up in the rc custom dark room pic 20x24 med format. now that I don't have a darkroom around I have to get them printed somewhere else. It was 50$ and when I went,got quoted the same price. I went early enough to get this printed with enough days to get it framed somewhere else. they said Tuesday the 18th it should be ready ,leaving a good amount (about a week) before Xmas because I was leaving town that Sunday. Tuesday comes and goes without a call. I call Wednesday to see if it was ready and the guy didn't even know I placed an order and couldn't fine my negatives! He calls me back and says that he found my negatives but they aren't done! Wtf. He puts a post it note for the printer to put it on express but she won't be in until Friday but not sure so he tells me to call back. I start freaking out and worry that I won't have a gift for bfs mom. I call back a few hours later and end up talking to a nice woman who says it will be ready Saturday morning (fine) and tells me people have not been showing up to work. Ok so skip to Saturday....I had to work and so my bf picked it up. He gets charged 100$!!!!! I call and the lady Tracy is completely rude after I tell her I was quoted 50$. She says "nope. It's 90. Do you know how long this takes? " then I tell her that they lost my negatives in the first place and are a week late and now cant get it framed. And tell her it took you guys less than a day because she just came in yesterday! She then rudely says "well we found them didn't we? So they weren't lost" wtf. I asked for a refund or the difference and she says i need to have the prints. So I call my bf who is already at work in Arlington so he says yes I'll take them back later. I leave for about an hour back to work on a client. On my 10 break I look up online for the price...$50! I call back and tell her that and then she says all nice "oh sure, I can refund you the difference." ok great that's what I wanted in the first place! I call my bf and he's pissed because he was already half way back to Seattle and has to turn back AGAIN. I got my difference and when I talked to my bf he also said she was super rude to him. I will never recommend this place or ever go back. I tried to support a local business but will be going to Costco from now on to get the same print and size for 10$( I later found out from a pro photographer friend.) I got no apology or any acknowledgement from their misplacing and extending the time of the print either. read more

We had the same experience as Jonathan S. They lost a roll of our film, though they gave us a roll that wasn't ours (I don't think it was Jonathan's though). When we called this to their attention, they first suggested that maybe the pictures were ours (apparently from that one time when we were two women on some kind of butterfly trip). Poor, uninterested service prevailed throughout our interactions with them to try to retrieve our film. We returned in person once and spoke over the phone several times. They took our contact number each time, but never responded. No one ever apologized. The last time we called and asked for our money back (we'll see if we get it), the person who answered asked, "Are you giving up?" as if we had some sort of control over the outcome. I have no faith that anyone ever looked for our pictures. I've certainly given up using Panda Lab. read more

A few people have had problems with the attitudes of the workers. For me, the workers are great but I had so many rolls of film screwed up and scratched and I decided that I will not go to this place again. For the premium prices they charge, the jobs they do are shockingly poor and inconsistent. read more

I have brought in over several months almost 1,000 old slides to be scanned electronically . The staff was always friendly, attentive, and interested in getting the best result from each slide. Considering that some slides were almost 35 years old, their results were awesome! read more

We ordered an expensive print to be lamenated onto a wood frame.... The print came out way too dark and somehow it still got sent to be framed. A lot of material and time was spent, but the final product was nice craftsmanship but the image dissapointing... It was alot of money and we were bummed. The manager saved the day by printing a range of exposures for us to see, then let us choose and he re-printed the image to our great satisfaction. It was a really nice way for him to deal with the situation and we will certainly use Panda for our printing future. read more

I have to say that the product can be amazing from this place. The gentleman who owns the place is a sweet man who cares about film a lot. However, I am a photography student and don't like to be charged 17 bucks for a roll of 35 mm color film to be developed. Some of the employees like to offer unwanted words of wisdom on things I could be doing better in my photography. I am a student and already paying to be critiqued so hearing that my film shooting could be improved is ridiculous. Also they get snippy about the time frame they return the photos to you. I understand they are a small scale business that self develops but they are completely "in the dark" about how to treat their returning costumers. I used to go in there all the time but they seemed ignorant to my loyalty each time I went in there. I am loyal to the bartelles up the street now. They do a fine job and it's one hour. Plus it's less than half the cost. read more

just wondering why it costs almost double to develop 220 film vs. 120. The same amount of chemicals are being used to develop each film! Makes no sense. Other than that gripe, service was great. The negs I got back were clean and boxed nicely. read more

As we speak (type), the fine people at Panda Lab are doing a rush job for me on a double-exposure art show film project. They're processing the film today, calling me back in to look at the negatives, and getting the prints done for me to pick up Wednesday. I've worked with them a few times before and they are super helpful and super knowledgeable -- I use them for 98% of my film processing in Seattle (the only thing I don't bring them are my expired disposable camera rolls, but I would if I wanted to do Actual Prints from them). You just can't beat the quality and expertise! read more

I have been coming here for years and no one else does a better job of developing and printing my film. The staff are all awesome and very accommodating. I wouldn't go anywhere else for your film/ print jobs. read more

I had a rush job. Called Panda on Friday mid morning. emailed digital images to Dana. Picked 35 8x10s plus 70 smaller prints at 4pm. I'm very appreciative that they could turn a job around that quickly. Quality was good. Prices reasonable. Dana was pleasant to work with. I'll be bringing more of my printing business here. read more

I just discovered Panda Labs couple of months ago. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and offer services that are not easy to find. For instance, they offer B&W film development with options to push or pull the development. You can request hi-res scans with your development at very reasonable prices. Another difficult to find service is optical enlargement rather than scanning. They work with 35mm, medium, and large formats as well as color. Overall, they offer everything that a pro might need, but also make amateurs feel welcome. read more

Wow where do I start. Ive worked at several labs over a period of 15 years and have plenty of experience with all types of development machines and printing processes. This place is a piece of work. First of all take a look around the corner just past the front counter, it looks like an episode of hoarders. There is stuff piled up everywhere and dust covering every surface. If there is one rule in a lab above all else it is keep things clean. That dust and chaotic organization translates directly to your film/prints. Moving on to the machines, next time your in there ask to look at the development tanks. These tanks contain the chemicals that react with your film to produce images. The state of these tanks in unbelievable. It looks like a science experiment gone wrong. There is all sorts of build up around the top of each tank. I don't even want to imagine what the parts of the tank you can't see look like. For most who don't care or bother to learn why neglected tanks are a serious no no when it comes to development the fact that their possible precious film is sitting in that doesn't concern them. For others with a shred of common sense it is disheartening to know that you are paying top dollar for bottom dollar processing. They have a top of the line BW film processor called a dip and dunk system but again the tanks are a mess. The inkjet printing is probably fine but thats pretty straight forward and hard to screw up. On another note all of the orders you see pilled up in folders along the wall just behind the counter are pressing on each other. Having materials such as film/prints being squished and possible bent, torn or other wise damaged is again a serious no no. There is no reason this lab should be run like this. Its in the heart of a major city and the prices are up there. Want my advice? Send your stuff out. There are several other labs around the country that are really wonderful. Richard photo lab in California is a great example. I visited them and had a tour. What a place. Every inch of that building is spotless. The machines are flawless and obviously the work they pump out is outstanding. Again if it doesn't bother you that your film is being handled in a less than professional way by all means keep going here. For most who look at a roll of film once and move on this place is probably fine. For others who truly care, be very skeptical. I invite you to ask to take a look at the machines and a quick tour. You will see what I am talking about. Good luck out there. read more