Gamma Imaging

Their film processing is quite expensive compared to CSW. However they do a very good job with prints, I’ve never had a problem with them. I’d just go elsewhere if you want to get your film developed

When I inherited a print that I needed restored and copied, Gamma was recommended to me by my business associate. I called and spoke with Erik, and he was extremely knowledgeable about the services required. I had several inquiries about the process involved in restoring the print, and he addressed all of my questions.
The restored print and copies were done by the time I requested, and I was extremely pleased with the outcome. The colors are vibrant and the image looks crystal clear. They exceeded my expectations. If you want quality photo restoration, Gamma is a go. All around very pleased with their services.

Forget about service at this place.
What not to expect Gamma:
Don’t expect anyone here to call you back, even when they say «ill call you right back».
Dont expect a call back, even when you call to complain something was wrong with your order.
Dont expect to get what you asked for, even when they say, sure we can do what you are asking for.
What to expect from Gamma:
Expect to get charged for «Packaging» for your order, beyond the original quote.
Dont expect a quote unless you demand it over the phone.
Dont expect to get your specific requests met, even when they say «oh, thats not a problem, we can do that for sure, then get a call a day later saying the job was ready, but they did not do that extra thing you asked for. Why? no answer.
Expect to wait 3 weeks, then get a call from someone who does not know what your original complaint was who asks you «so what do you want to do about it now?»
Need something printed, from sings to photos to anything really? shop elsewhere.

My parents have both passed away and they had portraits of themselves that hung on the wall of their bedroom. I believe these portraits were taken in the 70’s. As far as I know there are no other copies of these photos. These were severely faded after more than a quarter of a century of hanging on the wall. Since there are four siblings we all, of course, wanted copies of these very sentimental pictures. I knew that I wanted a high quality job and didn’t know where to turn. I phoned my local framer, who has been in the Chicagoland area for a very long time and knows all the best places. I described to him what I needed and his response was that in this digital age there are many places left that do work like this. He recommended Gamma not even knowing if they were still in business. Well they are, and how lucky for me!
I went into Gamma and showed them the photos (still in the original frames). Tony was at the desk that day and his first comment was that due to the fading they would need color restoration. He asked many questions about the original details of the pictures so that they could best be restored to the originals.
Since I don’t live in the city they were happy to mail to me the proofs for approval. That was a value added service. Actually one of the photos needed some additional work so it was a good thing that I had the proofs.
All the work was completed in a timely fashion. In the end it was easiest for each family’s copies to be FedExed to them. Gamma was very helpful in getting them sent out for me.
The only reason that Gamma is not five stars is that they are pricey. At these prices they aren’t for the average consumer. However, it is quaility work, good customer service all done in a reasonable time frame.

Gamma is a great quality, top notch service photo shop. The employees are well informed AND nice, and go above and beyond to make sure that my order is as good as it gets. Especially Erik, he not only recommended a service that saved me hundreds, he delivered my order right to my door. I can not say enough good things about this place. It really lives up to it’s historic name.

I admit it. I love b&w photography and I do it old school (some would argue the only way to do black and white photography). That is, I use film. But when I’m in the darkroom, I just don’t have the patience (and wrist strength) anymore to develop film for hours at a time. I have used other camera stores’ developing services and was disappointed; thank god Gamma still exists.
Yes, you’ll pay a premium, I have been very pleased with the service and results when they have developed my film. The contact sheets they make are very good, too.
I have not used them to make prints, however. When I inquired about printing a few family snapshots, even the I’ll-pay-the-price-because-I-just-don’t-have-time-to-work-on-these-family-shots yuppie turned into her usual miser self. Yeah, I’ll just do it myself in the darkroom, thanks.
Parking is a hassle on Superior, but possible, if you are patient with circling around the block for a few minutes.
Recommend Gamma for black & white film processing for sure.

I have used Gamma several times, mostly for color slide film processing. Most recent time I had the film processed plus a CD made of the digital images. Yes they are a bit pricey, but they are a professional shop, and not really for consumer processing/​printing. If you want it done right and done when you need it, go to Gamma. If you want it done on the cheep, go somewhere else.

If you chose to get photography-​related work done at Gamma Imaging, beware. My story might be a fluke, but here it is:
I brought in a very simple order to Gamma Imaging – three small prints to be mounted to Gatorboard – on a Friday morning and was told that the prints would be mounted and ready for pickup by Tuesday, if not before. Having received no call from Gamma on Tuesday, I phoned them to check on my order, at which point they told it would be ready on Thursday afternoon. Again, having received no call on Thursday afternoon, I called them to check my order’s status. They then told me it would be ready Friday morning. Then, Friday morning they called me to say it would be ready by noon. An hour later they called to tell me that, actually, they didn’t know when my prints would be ready. Finally, a couple hours later, I picked up my prints and took them somewhere else to be mounted. (P + R Group – 222 W Hubbard – got them done within one afternoon. I highly recommend them. In fact, they were cheaper, too.)
As I mentioned, this was a simple order – one that Gamma Imaging sat on for more than a week, during which they wasted my time and plainly misled me with timelines for its completion. Additionally, they twice failed to update me on my order’s status. Gamma Imaging’s website says that «normal service» for mounting jobs is «48 hours for reasonable quantities.» As stated above, my order consisted of three small prints to be mounted onto Gatorboard – it doesn’t get much more reasonable than this. I’d hate to see how they handle orders less reasonable than mine.
Gamma Imaging is a joke.

How I wish I could afford Gamma’s services all of the time! That’s also the lazy part of me that doesn’t want to develop the rolls myself.
I found the employees at Gamma to be very helpful. Suggesting alternative developing techniques, sizes, etc. Especially when I needed to load a roll in complete darkness — they let me into the darkroom in their basement to do so.
They’re the only place (from my experience) that will charge you about an $ 8 fee for developing a roll that was blank. (Hey — I have a lot of potentially new rolls with the leader inside! My mistake.)
And parking is somewhat of a pain if you don’t want to tip the valet.

It’s too bad to hear about Thom’s experience with Gamma Photo’s customer service, but I have actually used their services; Gamma has always returned my work in top shape, unharmed.
While most shops around Chicago send out a customer’s film, Gamma develops it on site. I have had them develop around 100 rolls of 35 mm E-​6 slide film, and make small color prints from selected frames. While I develop my own black and white film, I have given them some of this as well; they use deep developing tanks.

Long story short: bad service and outrageous prices. Read on for the gory details.
My parents visited Chicago and stayed near Busse Woods. Mom saw some cranes nests there and asked me to take a picture of them so she could remember the place. So I went and snapped a few pictures, thinking it would make for a nice Christmas present for mom.
Then I put off having the pictures printed until the last minute. Okay, I’m the doofus here.
I learned that one of the best kinds of print you can have made is on a ‘Lambda’ printer, made by German company Durst. And by searching the web, I found out that Gamma Photo Labs has one of these printers.
First: their web site was down when I tried to get info. I tried from two totally different computers (and I’m an IT nerd at work) and I was pretty sure it was dead. I called them from home, on my cell phone, first thing in the morning; the guy I spoke to was CERTAIN it was up, and asked me if I spelled the URL correctly. Finally, he checked and whaddya know? He said, «I’ll deal with that and call you right back.» Okay. So I kept the phone next to me on the way to work so I won’t miss his call.
A couple of hours go by and still no return call. I’m kind of freaking out because it’s Wednesday and I need this print made by end-​of-​day Friday. I’m willing to pay for a rush job, too. So I call back and described the call I’d had that morning, saying I hadn’t heard back. The girl said, «Oh, I know EXACTLY who you mean…» and transferred me. Meaning I’m not the only one who gets treated like this; apparently that guy is bad about returning phone calls.
So I’m put back on the phone with Doug. He’s SO happy that I bothered to call back, SO happy that I brought the broken web site to his attention, yadda. He’s got my cell number, he’ll call me when it’s functional, etc. I try to tell him my work number and he ignores me. I have to explain that I work underground and my cell doesn’t work here. Finally he takes my work number, promises that the site will be up within the hour, don’t worry, they’ll respect my schedule and get the job done, etc. But he doesn’t seem very sincere.
Well, it’s more than an hour later and I’m not holding my breath. Let me tell you about their pricing instead…
I read online that the materials for lambda prints don’t actually cost very much at all, but for a $ 200,000 printer, the company has to recoup their costs, so folks should expect to pay around $ 12/​sq ft. My print was an 8×12. Doug explained that their regular prints at this size cost $ 53; subsequent prints of the same image cost $ 26.50. And they’re not taking jobs until after Christmas, unless it’s on a rush schedule — meaning, multiply by 1.5. So, it would cost me $ 119 + tax to get a print (and a spare, just in case) made for my Mom’s Christmas present.
Forget that noise! I called Durst in New York (they make the Lambda HS printers) and asked who ELSE around here has their products. The girl put me in touch with Digital Imaging Resources. I spoke to a guy named Al. He was a lot friendlier, and explained that they could do a few one-​offs for me, and they charge about $ 18/​sq ft. Much more reasonable, and no, it wouldn’t be a rush job for them — in fact, it’d probably be done by tomorrow.
Oh, and their web site worked. I was able to upload the file, call them to confirm it was there and move on to other things (like writing this review).
Still no word from Doug…
I’m glad I shopped around. Now maybe I can afford the time and money to have the picture framed and matted!