Film developing in Melbourne: every lab, price and turnaround

Just finished a roll? Here's every place in Melbourne that develops film in 2026: what they process, what they charge, how fast they are, and where to drop your film after hours. Prices checked October 2026.

Dillon Jevon working under the red safelight at the enlarger in Brunswick Darkroom, with test strips pinned to the wall

Film is back, and so is the question that comes after every roll: where do I get this developed? Melbourne is a good city for it. There are labs in the CBD, Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick, drop boxes in cafes, and community darkrooms where you can learn to do it yourself.

This guide covers every place we could confirm is developing film in Melbourne right now, with prices taken from each lab's own website in October 2026. Prices change, so check the lab's site before you go.

Map · 12 labs, 2 darkrooms

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Quick answers

Cheapest 35mm colour develop and scan: Vanbar from $16.01 (low-res scans), Irohas $17 (hi-res), then Halide, Walkens and Open Lab at $18.
Same day: Irohas (colour, dropped off by 3pm), Photobee (before 2pm), digiDirect (usually, on request).
Slide film (E-6): Irohas, FilmNeverDie, Hillvale, Halide, Walkens and Vanbar.
Cinema film (ECN-2): Irohas, FilmNeverDie, Hillvale and Halide.
Medium format (120): almost every lab below, and most charge the same as 35mm.
Large format sheets: Hillvale, Vanbar and Brunswick Darkroom.
After hours: FilmNeverDie's 24/7 vending machine and drop box, Walkens' letter chute in Fitzroy, and drop boxes at Brunswick Darkroom and Ikigai.
Learn to develop and print yourself: Brunswick Darkroom and the Melbourne Camera Club.

What does it cost?

A roll of 35mm colour film, developed and scanned, costs between about $16 and $21 in Melbourne. Higher-resolution scans add a few dollars, to around $22 to $28. Black and white usually costs a little more than colour, and slide and cinema film more again, around $18 to $35.

The film itself has gone up too. Gary Wong, who runs FilmNeverDie, told us a roll that once cost $5 now costs around $25. Watch our film with Gary.

01 FilmNeverDie, Melbourne CBD

FilmNeverDie is a film shop, lab and gallery tucked into Watertank Way in the city. It develops colour (C-41), black and white, slide (E-6) and cinema (ECN-2) film, and scans 120, 110, 126 and 127 on a Frontier.

Address: 6 Watertank Way, Melbourne
35mm colour: $20 develop and high-res scan, $13.50 with low-res scans, $12 develop only
Black and white: $22 high-res. Slide and cinema: $35 high-res
Extras: push or pull processing +$5, 24-hour express (colour only) +$15, prints from +$15
Drop-off: a 24/7 vending machine and drop box outside the shop, a second at Stupid Vintage in Windsor, and drop boxes at AREPA DAYS in Preston and Todo Good Coffee in Northcote
Mail-in: yes, with an online form

When we filmed with Gary, he said the shop is built for beginners. "We want people to feel they're not just a number," he said. "Whatever question they have, this is a safe place to ask. No stupid questions."

Developing film in the Film Never Die lab — The lab at FilmNeverDie

02 Irohas Photo Film Lab, Melbourne CBD

Irohas is one of the fastest and cheapest labs in the city, open seven days. It processes everything on Noritsu machines, and says it has Australia's only E-6 Noritsu.

The Irohas Photo shopfront in Melbourne, an arched doorway with posters for same day film processing — Irohas Photo Film Lab, Melbourne. Image: Irohas Photo

Address: Ground floor, 15 McKillop St, Melbourne. Open 11am to 6pm, seven days
35mm colour: $17 develop and hi-res scan, $11 develop only. Same day if dropped off by 3pm
Black and white: $19. Slide (E-6): $21. Cinema (ECN-2): $18
Extras: push or pull on black and white and slide +$5 a stop, TIFF files $8 a roll, rush $13
Mail-in: yes, Australia-wide, plus an after-hours mail slot

03 Halide Supply, Collingwood, and Halide Express, CBD

Halide has been developing film since 2018, with a lab in Collingwood and a sister shop, Halide Express, on Bourke St in the city. You can track your roll live with a QR code.

The Halide Express shopfront seen through glass walls from an arcade, with a film processor, monitors and a plywood counter inside — Halide Express in the CBD. Image: Halide

Address: Shop 4A, 63 Little Oxford St, Collingwood (check opening hours before you go: it's closed Wednesdays and Saturdays)
35mm colour: $18 develop and hi-res scan (120: $22), $10 develop only
Black and white: $25. Slide and cinema: $35
Turnaround: colour is listed at one business day, though it was running at about three when we checked. Halide shows live turnaround times on its site
Extras: prints from $15 a roll, push +$5 a stop
Mail-in: yes

04 Walkens House of Film, Fitzroy and CBD

Walkens is a big film and camera shop with a lab, open since 2015, with shops on Brunswick St and in the Campbell Arcade under Flinders Street Station.

Walkens' curved glass shopfront in a tiled underground walkway beside a staircase, with Film Cameras and Film Processing on the glass — Walkens in the Campbell Arcade. Image: Walkens

Address: 338 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, and Shop 10, Campbell Arcade, 248 Flinders St, Melbourne
35mm colour: $18 develop and scan, $25 high-res, $12 develop only
Black and white: $23. Slide (E-6): $26
Turnaround: about 3 to 5 business days for colour and black and white, or one day with express (+$10)
Drop-off: a 24/7 letter chute at Fitzroy, plus partner drop boxes at The Keys Leisure Centre in Preston, Inner North Brewing in Brunswick and Blume Coffee in Abbotsford
Mail-in: yes

05 Hillvale Photo, Brunswick

Hillvale develops almost everything: colour, black and white, slide and cinema film, in 35mm, 120, 220, 110, 126, APS and large format sheets. It also has the biggest network of drop boxes in Melbourne.

White-gloved hands handling strips of developed colour negatives hanging on a wall — Negatives drying at Hillvale. Image: Hillvale Photo

Address: 43-45 Edward St, Brunswick
35mm or 120 colour: $19 with standard scans, $25 with large scans, $12 develop only
Black and white: from $15 develop only. Slide and cinema: $25 with standard scans
Large format (4x5, 5x7, 8x10): $10 a sheet, develop only
Turnaround: 2 to 5 business days for colour and black and white, longer for slide and cinema
Drop-off: boxes at Everyday Coffee Collingwood, Metro Auto Photo on Smith St, Piedimonte's in Fitzroy North, Mile End Bagels in Fitzroy, Market Lane at Prahran Market, Metropolis Bookshop in Curtin House, Rudimentary in Footscray, the Leica Stores in the CBD and Chadstone, and more
Mail-in: yes, with return postage $13

06 Open Lab, Collingwood

Open Lab started as the world's first self-service photo lab. Self-service is paused while it looks for a new home, but the lab still develops colour, black and white, slide and cinema film, and disposable cameras.

Corner of a white-painted shop with red trim and a striped awning, and a screen door with open lab on it — Open Lab, Collingwood. Image: Open Lab

Drop-off and post: 7 Easey St, Collingwood. Open Monday to Thursday, 11am to 4pm
35mm colour: $18 develop and scan
Turnaround: a day or two for colour, about a week for everything else

07 Vanbar Imaging, Thornbury

Vanbar has been around since 1982. It's a full camera and darkroom supply store with a professional lab, and one of the few that lists 4x5 sheet film.

A Vanbar staff member pointing up at the Vanbar Imaging sign above a doorway in a grey brick wall — Vanbar Imaging, Thornbury. Image: Vanbar Imaging

Address: 349 Darebin Rd, Thornbury, with free parking and a lab drop box at the door
35mm colour: $16.01 develop and low-res scan, $19.70 medium, $23 high, $11.31 develop only
Black and white: from $24.20. Slide (E-6): from $24
Turnaround: colour is normally two working days, with rush available

08 Brunswick Darkroom, Brunswick East

Brunswick Darkroom is a community darkroom and lab, run by Dillon and Kylie Jevon in a purpose-built space. It develops colour and black and white film, and it's where to go if you want to learn to print your own photos.

Dillon in gloves at the developing trays under the red safelight, a contact sheet in the last tray — Dillon Jevon at the trays in Brunswick Darkroom. Photo: Ordinary Giants

Address: 1/91-93 Nicholson St, Brunswick East, with a 24/7 drop box at the front
35mm, 120 and 4x5: $12 develop only, +$12 for high-res scans. 4x5 sheets $8 each (10-sheet minimum)
Turnaround: 3 to 9 days
Darkroom membership: from $35 a week, chemistry included, with colour and black and white enlargers
Workshops: a two-hour Darkroom Experience ($150) and a five-hour Darkroom Foundations ($250), plus colour film and advanced classes
Hand prints: contact sheet $23, 8x10 $55, 11x14 $85

We spent a day in the darkroom with Dillon printing photos from his daughter's first week. "You get to spend time with your memories in a way that isn't possible with any other medium," he told us. Watch the full process, from negative to print.

09 Ikigai Film Lab, Williamstown North

Ikigai develops colour, black and white and slide film in 35mm and 120, and lets you choose your scanner (Fuji Frontier or Noritsu). Every frame is colour corrected by hand, and it saves your colour preferences for next time.

Black and white photo of the Ikigai Film Lab room, with its wall sign, film scanners on a desk and hanging negatives — Ikigai Film Lab. Image: Ikigai Film Lab

Address: 62 Albemarle St, Williamstown North, with a 24/7 drop box
Other drop box: ONA Coffee, 22 Ovens St, Brunswick (collected Mondays)
Prices: in its online order form
Mail-in: yes, from anywhere

10 Photobee, Malvern

Photobee is a local photo shop that develops colour film on a Noritsu, plus black and white, and takes disposables.

Two strips of developed black and white negatives hanging in front of a cream film processor — Negatives at Photobee. Image: Photobee

Address: 161 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern, with an after-hours drop box
Turnaround: same day if in before 2pm, otherwise usually the next day
Prices: ask in store. Prints at developing add $12 (24 exposures) or $15 (36)
Mail-in: yes, with a free postage-paid label

11 digiDirect, Melbourne CBD

digiDirect develops colour and black and white film in 35mm, 120, 110 and APS, and takes disposables. Scans are made on a Fujifilm SP-3000.

The digiDirect Melbourne CBD shopfront on a street corner, with orange-framed windows and Photo Lab on the entrance pillar — digiDirect, Elizabeth St. Image: digiDirect

Address: 217 Elizabeth St, Melbourne
Turnaround: same day usually available on request, otherwise 1 to 3 days
Prices: ask in store
Mail-in: contact the store before posting

12 Ted's Cameras

Ted's develops 35mm colour film, with scans delivered to OneDrive. It's one of the pricier options, but it's handy if you're near one of its stores.

Melbourne store: 235 Elizabeth St, Melbourne
35mm colour: $20.95 scanned (24 exposures), $22.95 scanned (36), or $26.95 to $30.95 with prints

Same-day and 24-hour film developing

Need your photos fast? These are the quickest options for colour film in Melbourne. Black and white, slide and cinema film almost always take longer.

Irohas, CBD: same day if your colour roll is in by 3pm, open seven days. Rush service $13.
Photobee, Malvern: same day if it's in before 2pm, otherwise usually the next day.
digiDirect, CBD: same day is usually available if you ask, otherwise 1 to 3 days.
FilmNeverDie, CBD: 24-hour express on colour film for $15 extra.
Walkens, Fitzroy and CBD: one-day express for $10 extra.
Halide, Collingwood: colour is listed at one business day. Check the live turnaround on its site, as it was running at about three when we looked.
Open Lab, Collingwood: a day or two for colour.

ECN-2 processing in Melbourne

ECN-2 is cinema film, like Kodak Vision3, which a lot of people now shoot in stills cameras. It has a backing layer that has to come off before developing, so not every lab will take it. Four Melbourne labs do:

Irohas, CBD: $18, the cheapest we found
Hillvale, Brunswick: $25 with standard scans, slower than colour
FilmNeverDie, CBD: $35 with high-res scans
Halide, Collingwood: $35

Black and white film processing in Melbourne

Most labs develop black and white, but prices vary more than for colour. With scans, roll for roll:

Irohas: $19
FilmNeverDie: $22 with high-res scans
Walkens: $23
Vanbar: from $24.20
Halide: $25
Develop only: Brunswick Darkroom $12 (scans +$12), Hillvale from $15

Photobee and digiDirect also develop black and white; ask in store for prices. Ted's only develops colour.

Film labs and drop boxes by area

You don't have to go into a lab: many take film through drop boxes in cafes and shops, collected and developed for you.

Melbourne CBD: FilmNeverDie (Watertank Way), Irohas (McKillop St), Halide Express (Bourke St), Walkens (Campbell Arcade, Flinders St), digiDirect and Ted's (both on Elizabeth St). Hillvale drop boxes at the Leica Store and Metropolis Bookshop in Curtin House.
Fitzroy, Collingwood and Abbotsford: Walkens on Brunswick St, with a 24/7 letter chute. Halide Supply on Little Oxford St and Open Lab on Easey St, both in Collingwood. Hillvale drop boxes at Everyday Coffee Collingwood, Metro Auto Photo on Smith St, Mile End Bagels in Fitzroy and Piedimonte's in Fitzroy North. A Walkens drop box at Blume Coffee in Abbotsford.
Brunswick and the north: Hillvale on Edward St, Brunswick, and Brunswick Darkroom on Nicholson St, Brunswick East (24/7 drop box). Vanbar in Thornbury. Drop boxes at ONA Coffee in Brunswick (Ikigai), Inner North Brewing in Brunswick and The Keys in Preston (Walkens), AREPA DAYS in Preston and Todo Good Coffee in Northcote (FilmNeverDie).
The west: Ikigai in Williamstown North, with a 24/7 drop box. A Hillvale drop box at Rudimentary in Footscray.
South and south-east: Photobee in Malvern, with an after-hours drop box. A FilmNeverDie drop box at Stupid Vintage in Windsor, and Hillvale drop boxes at Market Lane in Prahran Market and the Leica Store in Chadstone.

Do it yourself: darkrooms in Melbourne

If you want to develop and print your own film, two places have darkrooms you can use.

Timber-panelled darkroom with three enlargers on a white bench, notices on the wall and a sink with trays — The Melbourne Camera Club darkroom. Image: Melbourne Camera Club

Brunswick Darkroom: membership from $35 a week with chemistry included, prints up to 20x24, and workshops for complete beginners (see above).
Melbourne Camera Club, South Melbourne: a members' darkroom at 254-256 Ferrars St with three enlargers (35mm to 4x5), $15 for up to six hours. You bring your own paper and chemicals. The club also runs analogue courses and an analogue group.

Posting your film

Most Melbourne labs above take film by post, so you can use them from anywhere in Australia. Rewind Photo Lab in Sydney is a mail-in only option: 35mm or 120 colour is $20 with standard scans, $28 with high-res, or $12 develop only.

Michaels, the old camera shop in the CBD, no longer develops film. It now does rentals in St Kilda, and scanning.

Film developing, explained

New to film? Here's what the words on the price lists mean.

C-41 is the process for colour negative film, like Kodak Gold, Ultramax and Portra. It's the most common and usually the cheapest and fastest to develop.
Black and white film, like Kodak Tri-X, is developed in its own chemistry, often by hand, so it can cost more and take longer.
E-6 is the process for slide film (colour transparency), like Kodak Ektachrome. Fewer labs do it, and it costs more.
ECN-2 is the process for motion picture film, which has a backing layer that has to be removed first. Not every lab does it.
35mm is the standard small film roll. 120 is medium format, a bigger negative that holds more detail. Most Melbourne labs charge the same for both.
Develop and scan means the lab develops your roll, scans it and emails you a download link. Develop only means you just get the negatives back, for scanning yourself or printing in a darkroom.
Push and pull means developing film as if it were a faster or slower film, usually because you shot it in low light. Labs charge a few dollars extra.
Hi-res and TIFF: higher-resolution scans are worth it if you want to print big. TIFF files are uncompressed and better for editing.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to develop film in Melbourne? About $16 to $21 for a roll of 35mm colour, developed and scanned, or around $10 to $12 for develop only. Black and white, slide and cinema film cost more, up to about $35.

Where can I get film developed the same day? Irohas in the CBD (colour, in by 3pm), Photobee in Malvern (in by 2pm) and digiDirect in the CBD (on request). FilmNeverDie and Walkens offer next-day express for $15 and $10 extra.

Where can I drop off film after hours? FilmNeverDie's 24/7 vending machine and drop box in the CBD, Walkens' letter chute in Fitzroy, and the 24/7 drop boxes at Brunswick Darkroom and Ikigai. Hillvale, Walkens and FilmNeverDie also have drop boxes in cafes and shops around Melbourne (see by area, above).

How long does film take to develop in Melbourne? Colour film is usually ready in one to five business days, and some labs do it the same day. Black and white, slide and cinema film take longer: up to two to four weeks where a lab sends them out.

Can I develop a disposable camera? Yes. Walkens, Open Lab, Photobee, digiDirect and Hillvale all take disposables. Most charge the same as a 35mm roll.

Do I get my negatives back? Yes, with develop and scan or develop only, though some labs only hold uncollected negatives for a set time (FilmNeverDie 7 days, Irohas 30 days). Pick them up, or pay for return postage.

Where can I learn to develop film? Brunswick Darkroom runs beginner workshops, and the Melbourne Camera Club runs analogue courses.

Know a Melbourne lab we've missed? Tell us.

Image credits

Featured image and the FilmNeverDie and Brunswick Darkroom photos: Ordinary Giants, from our films with Brunswick Darkroom and FilmNeverDie. Every other lab photo is the lab's own, from its website or Instagram, credited under each image.

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