Panda Lab Reviews

Over-priced and grouchy. Originally quoted a moderately competitive rate for a group order of head shots. Decided mid stream that it was "to much of a hassle" and raised the price by 150%. As much as I prefer to keep my money local, I can get better service for less, online.

Panda Lab has a friendly and knowledgeable staff. I normally work directly with Jessica and she's great. I often do my artistic and professional photography using film, and for the times that I need/want a lab to process or print my work, Panda Lab is the only place in the Pacific Northwest I trust.

Also, they are increasing their involvement with their community and it's a pleasure to see other photographers' works when I pay them a visit.

Experience has been consistently good. They offer plenty of services, and fast turn around. Prices are good for film development.

The staff at Panda Lab are exceptional. We dropped off film from a new to us, old Nikon, and asked for BW film and Color slides traditionally and scanned to prints. We also ordered a series of digital prints at 11x14 and 12x18. Speed and quality were top notch.

I've used Panda Photo Labs for a few years now. I started off with BW negative film for develop only. I do that at home now, but whenever I shoot color film (both negative & slides, 35mm & 120) they have done a great job developing them. No scratches, stains, or watermarks. The drugstore does it cheaper, but you really do get what you paid for. I've gotten scans here before as well. They were not high resolution, but the colors looked accurate. Jessica has always been helpful, and she always remembers my name :) All in all a good local lab!

Always use these guys, they do an amazing job for a good price. Thanks panda lab!

Always enjoy talking to the extremely helpful and kind staff. Love getting my photographs developed here!

If you'd like a 30 min bike ride in the cold and rain only to find out they couldn't be bothered to print out 3 simple 4x6 glossys 24 hours after the quoted delivery delivery date, definitely use this place. I was willing to pay for a quality product and support a local business, but i guess unless you're developing $800 worth of gallery prints, stick to CVS/Shutterfly.

I first should preface by saying that I have used Panda Lab two times now to process film. The first time I processed film through Panda Lab was for a couple rolls of 120 black and white film which was processed a couple days after they said they would have it which wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have a deadline for when I had my photos. The second time I brought a roll of Provia 100f in a film canister for pan-f I told the employee that was working at the time that the film was Provia but it still was labeled incorrectly leading to my film being ruined. After these two experiences I am reluctant to return but as there is really no other labs I guess I will try again and hope I am not disappointed.

Panda is my go-to spot for film development and scanning, as well as occasional printing. I use their services primarily for color film (35 mm & 120), but also for B&W unless I develop it myself. They provide great quality and customer service.

Panda has survived the digital turn by offering services to the new wave, while maintaining a film presence. They are the total professional lab to use.

Panda has done great work for me for 10 years now..
I shoot mostly color negative film in the 35mm and 120 formats, but sometimes color positive and black and white films.
They do a great job of processing, scanning and burning to disc or any memory device I want.
I've had a few large prints done at the lab. No problems to report in their printing. Always cheerful service.
Thanks Panda Lab.

They shipped my work using usps, first red flag. (It was very banged up) They had to send my color film to Oregon which had chemical mistakes weeks later upon return. Second chance, they told me my film would be ready on a date that was not true blaming another employee for giving me the wrong information. As much as I need these places to survive it s hard to deal with them. I m just going to move.

A Small Business with nice vibes. Not for people who are cheap and don't understand how hard it might be to run a business that doing something thats consider outdated and have a store front right next to Space Needle.

I went here to have an old Polaroid picture cleaned up and blown up to a 5x7. They were very friendly and professional. The workers were very knowledgeable of the process and were up front about the time and cost. The photo came out better than I could have hoped for.

I lucked out with the darkroom gal (Mary), not knowing where to go in Seattle. I'd made some crude printouts with some instructions as to alignment and cropping and dodging, but she implicitly understood what I was after and the wedding print from a 25 yo B&W negative came out beautifully. That kind of expertise has reignited my interest in photography.

Super nice store! My film got stuck in my camera and they took it out without any charge. Plus they've got a cute dog named Ducky.

Some of my scans were slightly smudged/blemished with water stains and dust and the processing took two weeks. I would expect a little more for the high prices.

Panda Labs is awesome for processing color film. I shoot 120 in either Ektar or Fuji print film and have Panda process and scan. They do a great job at a very reasonable price with quick turnaround times. You can't ask for more in a custom lab.

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! Dropped my first two rolls of 120 off for developing and they were spectacular talking me through options. One was B+W, one Color. I mentioned i wanted to get the negatives back to scan and she (Jen) asked if i wanted the color done tonight (machine was already on it seems)! 40 minutes later i had the color negatives in hand. And it was a couple minutes past closing. That's the type of customer service i miss. Great folks and look forward to working with them for a long time!

I've worked with Panda Lab for years, taking all of my film there for everything from just messing around to big, important projects. They consistently do excellent work, and they're very accommodating for whatever request you may have. I trust them 100% with my film. Great folks running this place.

They do B/W, C41, and E6 processing in 35mm, 120, and 220.

As far as I know, it's the only place left in the entire Seattle area that will develop film on-site. We're fortunate that it also happens to be a great shop. If you shoot film around Seattle, keep it local and give them your business.

They literally made a Christmas miracle happen! They blew up photos and corrected them in ways that I have been told was impossible by several other shops in Seattle. They did what no one else could with a smile on their face and extremely fast service. I couldn't have imagined that it would have turned out as good as it did, let alone as fast or for such a great price. Honestly these people were absolutely incredible.

In regards to quality of services provided I haven't been disappointed with Panda Lab.

In regards to business ethics,

I have yet to receive a straight forward answer that does not involve scapegoating, deflection, or condescension from the manager Jessica.

When I had simple questions regarding billing and tax rates she spoke to me condescendingly and later apologized for how she came across when she allowed herself to have self control and awareness.

On numerous occasions if I've had an issue
instead of behaving like a professional she has behaved like a street thug or bully.

When I called to check on the status of my order she said their servers were down. Although I spoke with Jackson earlier in the day and he said my order would be done at the end of the day. When I dropped my order off on 8-31 Jen told me next Friday my order would be ready. However when I spoke with Jessica around 4:45-5:25 Friday 9/7/18 she said the servers had been down for 24 hours. I ended the call disappointedly.

I immediately called back within five minutes and questioned why Jackson would have told me the end of the day to which Jessica stated "Jackson doesn't know how these things work, he doesn't really pay attention to these things" and when I questioned how long the servers had been down on our second phone call she quoted a timeline that fell between 36-48 hours and mentioned how Jackson was working on the issue at that time.

I have found Jessica to be a professional of low moral character and I am incredibly disappointed that Panda Lab has a manager that represents them in such a manner.

* UPDATE * 9/12/18

After numerous emails back and forth the the manager decided to move forward in a petty ill mannered way and let me know they no longer wish to do business with me and informed me MoonPhoto would not take my business either. While I do appreciate the swiftness in her response time
the blatant blackball is HIGHLY unprofessional
not very becoming of a business in a large city
but very common with high school cliques.

I appreciate the time and effort on Panda Lab's part but I would not recommend this lab if you are a person that
is highly inquisitive, disciplined, has self control, likes playful banter and is seeking a professional business that you can grow with.

These guys printed me some pictures with a great quality and the most important the size I needed . It's a really good lab !

Best lab in Seattle! The work is high quality and archival. I have been a customer for over 20 years.

Wow I am seriously never getting my photos developed here again. Not only do they take forever (even pre covid!!) it s super expensive and they have lost my film on more than one occasion. Do yourself a favor and mail your film to citizens photo in Portland where the turn over is faster, the price is 1/3 that it is at panda lab and the quality is great

Pretty surprised at the negative reviews here. I've been using Panda for years now and have had every type of film imaginable processed in both 35mm and 120. They deliver consistent, gorgeous scans of everything I give them. I've also had them do digital prints and darkroom prints, both of which came out brilliantly. You pay for what you get, which is why the cost is high. You'll never get anywhere near the quality Panda can provide by going to a drugstore developer. I like Panda so much that after moving to California I still mail my film back to them for processing. I couldn't get the same quality and consistency at the labs here in LA.

I have done mostly 120 B&W with the lab and I am very happy with how the processed film looks. 5 stars. I have the equipment at home, but no matter how careful I am I always get spots on my negs. Panda's processing is spotless. I now have a scanner and my darkroom equipment has sat idle for a long time. Will most likely put it up for sale. I was never a good printer anyway and I get great results by digitizing my negatives.

The ONLY place to go for higher end photo printing. Jessica is da bomb.

If you are printing color film this place is an rip-off. It costs $16.50 to develop a roll and get the pictures printed and yet they just scan the film into the computer and print digital photos instead of actually developing them, which is exactly what Rite-Aid or Walgreen's does for half the money. And why would I shoot film if I wanted digital prints anyway? It defeats the whole purpose. Not to mention, before I knew this was the case, I asked them to make contact sheets instead of prints, thinking it would save me money, only to find out after I paid that it would have cost the same to just print every photo off the roll. Seems like something the clerk could have mentioned. They might do black and white differently but there is no point in going here for color film.

This place isn't a rip-off. After reading other reviews, I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I have been having film developed here for years, and I have not had any issue with either the service or the staff. It is a great feeling to support local, but it is more than that. They do good work! If you have concerns, talk to them. I have never found them anything other than knowledgeable and accommodating. I feel sorry for small business owners having to deal with the public. As an avid photographer, I am constantly shooting Ektar 100 and any variety of b/w stocks, mostly Kodak. I know I can count on this local lab to deliver, and I will continue to support them and sing their praises. Going online is lazy and unwarranted when you have an outstanding lab right in your own backyard. And I live on the Eastside, and I don't believe in that "invisible wall" that everyone sees when they think Seattle is "too far". I stand with Panda Lab.

I live on the east side and the labs out here only do C41. I come out here for everything alternate format such as Ilford black and white. Very knowledgeable and willing to talk photography.

Brought in a photo slide from 1960s, clerk recognized photo type instantly and had my photo ready the next day! They even color corrected as much as they could. So happy with the results.

They've done a very nice job with my photos. Panda offers contact sheets, scans to digital, and cuts your negatives short or long. Real pros, and as far as I can tell, the only non-drugstore lab in the area.

I brought an odd roll of film (127 size) to Panda for developing and prints. After receiving a call about a week later that the film had been developed, I excitedly rushed to the lab to pick up what I thought would be my prints. Though the turn around time was wonderfully speedy, I realized that I had forgotten to ask for scans since the film size is so uncommon, regular prints aren t an option. That s fair. On June 29th, the employee filed them for scanning and put a rush order on it to be done by July 4th.

Though I received two calls the day that the film was initially developed, I never received a follow up call before or after the 4th to confirm that the scans were ready. After calling in to work out the logistics, I sent my husband in to pick up the developed film and scans which lead to a whole conundrum that didn t need to be.
My mistake for sending someone who doesn t know scans from prints to pick up my order, he didn t need to be patronized for that. And it did not help that my order was under the misspelt surname Lions , which I spelt out correctly (Lyons) the first time, and mentioned for correction again when I went in the second time to order scans, and mentioned for correction a third time when I called in to confirm that my order was ready. If, as an employee, you feel like a mistake was made by you because it s your handwriting on a misspelt name on a form it s ok, honestly, it happens! No need to berate the customer for it!

At the end of the day, my/our experience at Panda was pretty subpar. Which I hate to say, because my first experience at Panda, a few years back, was stellar! I love that Seattle still has such a crucial resource available for photographers in the area, but consider customer engagement and tone when dealing with those of us who are either unfamiliar with this process, re-familiarizing, or starting out and trying to fall in love with the art of film.

**The quality of the scans provided by Panda were amazing, and I feel confident and inspired to continue my work with film. I do feel discouraged from working with Panda after this experience, but want to continue to support this local business that is one of the last of its kind. Thank you, Panda Lab, for accommodating my order as 127 film is still quite unusual. Everything else aside, I am incredibly happy that Panda was able to bring these negatives to life.**

Dropped off a couple of rolls for development... Spoke to Chris who was very helpful. Had a great conversation with him on films and cameras... Looking forward to the results of the film. Will write a more detailed review once I get the film

They always provide great service and I love my prints when I come to pick them up! Pretty quick process too, for the quality.

I'll likely go back but last time I was there they had finally found my photos after not having been able to find them for a week or so and there was someone else there who it seems they could not find the film for. The prints they made for me did come out nice and they corrected some scanning they had done previously that resulted in a lot of dust popping out at no cost.

Awesome! That's how I would describe their service, they were prompt with returning phone calls, and fulfilling orders. I had my filmed shipped to and from PandLab in Seattle. Mark is the man. PandaLab was exactly what I was looking for when I needed a few rolls of 35mm processed and scanned, they answered all of my questions and even offered insight into things I had not considered, I look forward to working with them for many, many years in the future. I highly recommend them!

Film is expensive. Pretty sure their prices are reasonable if not right on the money. They are a lot of mixed reviews about the employees being cold and losing film. The latter has never happened, I ve got about 15 roles developed by them. The first point I could kinda see but I honestly I m a fan of the employees(not to say we ve become friends), and the interactions are incredibly short so I don t find it at all a very good reason to stop having them develop for you.

Brought my son, who is just taking an interest in photography, to show him what a pro lab can do to transform a print. Jackson was fantastic, took the time to show him around the lab, let him watch the whole process and explained what he was doing. Great service.

Photos come out as they should and in good time! Best place in Seattle to have them developed.

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.

I ve developed around 6 rolls of color and B&W through Panda and have had nothing but good experiences. Chris worked with me over the phone a lot when a double exposed roll didn t have obvious cut lines and was patient and professional through the process. Would absolutely recommend developing your film here.

came in today to get some old slides scanned and they gave me a break in the price. thanks guys!