Superior resolution thanks to camera scanning: Insights from a NYC photo lab

July 15, 2026|Jahan Saber

Classic lab scans are an art form, shaped by skilled technicians making creative color and density choices behind the scenes. However, as the film community matures, many photographers now crave the deep, uncompressed control of a raw "digital negative" to edit themselves.

Embracing this shift, NYC Filmlab has become one of the first commercial labs to integrate professional camera scanning alongside their classic options. To find out how they balance traditional craft with cutting-edge tech, we sat down with the team at NYC Filmlab to discuss the rewards and challenges of bringing camera scanning to scale.

Tell us about your lab. Where are you located, and what services do you offer?

We are a full service photo lab with two locations in NYC (Bushwick and Williamsburg) and one location in LA. We offer film developing, scanning, and prints from our C-print machine. We can process C-41, Black and White, E-6, and ECN-2 film with various sleeving options so the customer has the choice to get their film back with what works best for them. Our scans include Noritsu HS-1800 large jpeg or x-large tiffs, flat bed scans, and of course, pro camera scans using the VALOI easy 120 and 35.
Why did you choose this scanning option? What needs does camera scanning help you meet? Do people have special request or wishes for their scans you can get via this approach?

We chose this scanning option to provide a more premium choice for our customers to take advantage of their films potential with modern capturing technology. The special requests we do get are for older films that need a more-gentle approach that may not work or look the best in an automated film scanner.
What is the difference between a lab workflow and a home workflow for scanning?

The major differences between a lab workflow vs at home scanning is the speed and organization of it all from when we receive the order to when the order has been fulfilled for the customer. A lab has to provide clean, professional results in a timely manner without losing track of any orders. To ensure quality, our pro camera scans have a 10 day turnaround time. At home, you have the flexibility to scan your film as you please.
How are people responding to camera scanning?

We have very dedicated camera scanning customers. Those customers usually want the most resolution for their projects or want more editing latitude with the wide color space and flexibility of a raw file. The customers that try it out typically never go back to our Noritsu scans because the resolution is that impressive and worth the turnaround time.
How do you optimise your workflow?

We look for ways to optimize our workflow as much as possible, going as far as automating our file delivery system for customers so they can receive their files as soon as we’re done scanning their negatives. One of the newer changes for us was adding a magnetic lens filter to our VALOI setup that allows us to quickly switch between 35 and 120 formats. It also allows for quick dust cleaning inbetween a roll.
What formats do people most often want camera-scanned?

Between 35 and 120 negatives, it’s split about 60/40. Although it is fluctuating all the time and depends who drops off their film.
What conversion workflow do you use, and why?

With DSLR scanning, we are on the frontier of conversion software. We try out every new software that comes down the pipeline and, while there are exciting new options, we typically stick with Negative Lab Pro. It is fairly consistent and allows a clean export for our customers to edit their photos further if they choose. We also offer an economy raw option where we don’t crop or convert, leaving all of the creative potential in the hands of the customer.