Where to Develop Film in Chiang Mai

For a small city of a hundred thousand, Chiang Mai is remarkably well-equipped for film photographers. Should you need your lab to handle slide film, medium format, darkroom printing, or develop and scan within an hour, this article will help you find a place to go.

In this guide: Help me maintain this guide. Chiang Mai film photo lab list. Photo Bug. Negative Film Lab. CNX Film Studio. Rakuda Photo Artisans & Café. Thaislip Film Lab. Analog. Film Niyam. Colour Vision. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

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During my five years as an ex-pat in Chiang Mai, I found, explored, and tested every lab on this list. Having left Thailand in 2018, however, many things have changed — some labs closed and new ones opened.

Since then, a few readers have contacted me with updates about the labs, which help keep this list current and useful for anyone looking to develop film in Chiang Mai. If you find any inaccuracies in this list or know of a lab that’s not mentioned here, please email d at analog dot cafe, message me on Instagram/Mastodon, or just drop a comment below.

Chiang Mai film photo lab list.

This is an updated list of all the labs in Chiang Mai as of February 12, 2024, along with my recommendations for the service types. Please see the reviews, sample images, and detailed recommendations for each of the labs below.

Negative Film Lab is a new lab on this list. They have a great service and can develop + scan 35mm film in 1 hour. Thank you, Martijn, for the tip. Find them on Google Maps.

For slide film make a trip to Thaislip. It’s open from 10 AM to 5 PM on weekdays. Find them on Google Maps (look for a shed next to the restaurant).

For fast service and fair quality, scans go to CNX Film Studio. They are open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM Tuesday-Friday and 4 PM to 6 PM Saturday-Monday. Find them on Google Maps.

For fast service and new film, go to Analog. They are open every day from 9 AM to 4 PM. Find them on Google Maps.

Photo Bug develops and sells slide film. They are open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM with reduced hours on Sundays. Find them on Google Maps.

Try Niyam for black-and-white film. They are open every day until 8 PM. Find them to the right of Pinch of Salt bakery.

Color Vision. They are open from 8:30 AM to 6 PM. Find them on Google Maps.

Forfunfilm is a new lab on this list. Thank you, Martijn, for the tip. I have not tried their service. Find them on Google Maps.

Photo Bug.

There used to be a chain of those stores in Chiang Mai. Today there’s just the one. Photo Bug is a camera store that mostly sells digital photography gear and digital printing services. Amazingly, they also have a great selection of film, including slide and medium-format. You get a discount on expired rolls, too!

To the left of the cash register, there’s a fancy display of an impressive film camera collection with several Leicas, a beautiful Nikon rangefinder and many, many others. Unfortunately, none are for sale.

Photo Bug is something of a happy medium. Personally, I don’t feel that their scans are as good as those of some of the other labs below, but they do have a nice selection of film and digital photography gear as well. They typically return your scanned files within three to five business days.

Negative Film Lab.

This is a new lab on the list located next to Wat Suan Dok. The samples appear to be of good quality, and the service was great according to Martjin. This shop has a 1-hour service to develop and scan 35mm film, which is very impressive.

CNX Film Studio.

CNX Film Studio is a new/updated lab on this list. Thank you, Martijn, for the tip. It may be the same business as Airlab CNX that I used in Chiang Mai pre-2018, which moved and changed its name. Here’s what my experience was like with it back then:

Airlab has been around since 2015 in Bangkok and only opened its doors to Chiang Mai at the end of 2017.

Their service is very fast: I got my scans back in about an hour. A great alternative to Analog (below) if you are in the area.

Airlab also rents their darkroom and studio. You’d have to ask about those services within, but beware that the person I spoke to had very limited command of English (though I’m sure he’s not the only one manning the office).

Airlab currently does not sell film. Despite a large sign right above the entrance door, it was fairly difficult to find as their window sports T-shirts and nothing obviously photography-related.

They do process 35mm colour and monochrome film as well as medium format in black-and-white. Pushing is available at 40฿ per stop. I paid 150฿ to get my Agfa Vista 200 complete scans.

Rakuda Photo Artisans & Café.

✹ Update: It’s my unfortunate duty to report that Rakuda has recently closed its doors. I spoke to its founder, who’s still optimistic about returning to business someday. If you’d like to stay up-to-date on the situation, please consider creating your Analog.Cafe account, which will add you to our mailing list.

Please scroll down for six other great options in Chiang Mai for your film development needs — starting with Thaislip Film Lab.

Rakuda is a lab, a coffee shop and an exhibition space. Out of all the places described here, they are the easiest ones to find.

Rakuda is located at the intersection of Khang Ruan Jum and Ratvithi roads in downtown Chiang Mai (see Google Maps). They are open from 9 AM to 6 PM every day, except Mondays.

Here your film will be developed by hand, whether it’s black-and-white or colour. It can then be scanned at up to 12000 DPI (JPEG) on Epson V800 or you can request a darkroom print for your monochrome work. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 110, 35mm, medium or large format. They can push- and pull-develop your film; just ask in advance. Rakuda does not work with slide film, however. There’s another lab for that (below).

Most of the time, you can get your digital files back in about three business days, but I recommend you allow for more time to be fair to yourself and the girls. Their peak record is 1,000 orders in a single month, though, during the rainy season, you should have no problem getting your scans back on time. If you’re in a rush, there are other labs in the city that can do the job in about an hour.

Typically, my order is 250฿ per roll (about $8 USD), but I suggest you ask for their price list, should you want something specific. My usual cost breaks down to the baseline develop and scan service @1200 DPI for 200฿, plus 50฿ for doubling the resolution to 2400.

Ta, the owner, opened Rakuda about three years ago as Ung Gallery. The name has since been changed, and translates from Japanese as “camel.” To her, she says, it symbolizes adventure and patience.

Ta (who also goes by Nawaphat) got exposed to film photography at Payap University, only to have the program shortly cancelled and replaced with digital imaging courses. Since then she’s been dreaming of opening her own lab and supporting the craft she fell in love with as a student.

Her wish was granted when she found a space in an otherwise fully booked town. A year later, she met Khim, a former graphic designer who’s been helping her take care of their growing customer base.

Most images that I’ve published on Analog.Cafe so far (2018) have been through their hands. Rakuda is undoubtedly my favourite lab in the city, though they might not be perfect or suitable for all.

I’d say that the best work I’ve ever received from them was a roll of Ilford Pan 400 which was pushed two stops and scanned at a slightly higher resolution than what I usually ask for. The grain and the contrast came out phenomenal.

I’ve also had the girls push my Fuji Natura to ISO 3200, which ended up looking excellent. The end result came with a gritty, yet beautiful character I did not expect from the emulsion.

Ta and Khim do everything via a manual process that will come with some minor inconsistencies and their personal creative choices. The best way to see if they’re right for you is to give them your roll and see what comes out.

Thaislip Film Lab.

The most obscurely-located lab of the bunch. It’s a shed next to the restaurant which is about twenty minutes away from the city. It is, however, worth the drive if you want to develop your E-6 slide film!

The lab is located next to the มักเส้น restaurant (click the Thai name for the Google Maps link). It’s open 10 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, though you may still find it empty during those hours. In which case you can drop off your film with the eatery’s staff — they know what to do.

Thaislip hand-develops and scans film at about 2400DPI for 250฿ per roll. You may get it back in three days or it could take a week-and-a-half. This seems acceptable, considering that mailing your film to a lab overseas will cost you more, take longer, and isn’t likely to yield better results. Because Thaislip is excellent.

Analog.

Analog will get your images ready within one to two hours. However, I would recommend you scan your developed film at home. Analog has recently updated its film scanner, though I still find the colours to be a little too bright.

This lab enjoys a wonderful reputation for its service and overall experience.

The shop uses a machine to process your film (35mm and 120, although later they can not scan). The prices are cheap: just over 100฿ per roll.

There’s a great selection of fresh rolls there, too. The last time I checked, they had Fuji Natura, Sunny 16 and some other interesting brands, along with the staple Kodak Gold, Fuji Color C200 and the local special: Agfa Vista. Sadly, the latter stock has been discontinued, not sure how long it’ll remain on sale.

Analog is located in downtown Chiang Mai under a yellow Kodak sign (see Google Maps).

The shop is open every day from 8 AM to 8 PM.

You can find Analog staff on their Facebook page. There you can preview some scan samples, too.

✹ Update: I’ve been recently notified that Analog has also opened a coffee shop right next to the lab! Chill while you wait for your film — nice.

Film Niyam.

I’ve never tried their services but I took a trip across town to make sure that the lab is real. It is.

The shop is almost as difficult to find as Thaislip. It’s not visible on Google Street View, but you can recognize it by a beautiful Hasselblad camera in the window along with other nerd magnets. They are to the right of Pinch of Salt bakery.

Niyam is open every day until 8 PM. The lab offers hand-processing for black-and-white negatives with scanning for 250฿. No colour film.

I did see some samples of their silver gelatine prints and they looked fantastic. According to Facebook, Niyam has over seventeen thousand people “liking” them and twenty-eight five-star reviews.

Colour Vision.

You can buy film here, and you can get it developed. This is perhaps the cheapest place to do so in Chiang Mai. However, from what I’ve heard the quality isn’t as good. They haven’t got the redeeming one-hour service like Analog either. I did drive there to make sure that the lab was real. It is (as of 2018).

Colour Vision is located at 2 Chiang Rai Road, near Nimmanhaemin Road. They are open every day from 7 AM to 8 PM.