Whampoa Colour Centre - Best Photo Lab in SG?

This might just be my new favourite film lab. I'll talk about the processing quality and also the film stocks they supply. Also, I'll be making a whole lot of comparisons to Triple D cause that's my usual lab (not anymoreeeee?). Let's get straight to it.

Whampoa Colour Centre, 272 Balestier Rd, Singapore 329723

Now, getting there won't be easy (if you don't know how to use Google Maps). There are no MRT stations within walking distance or landmarks anywhere nearby. I go there by bus from SOTA (Bus 139). About a 15 mins ride, not bad.

Film Stock Prices

Alright so lemme just get this crazy shit out of the way. If you think Triple D is cheap, check these prices out:

(Prices as of December 2020,

not all film stocks available shown here)

LOOK AT THAT PRICE DIFFERENCE!

Everything (except Portra 400) is ATLEAST $1.50 cheaper, Ektar is a whole whooping $4 cheaper! A box of Portra 400 means each roll is just $13.80, I've never seen Portra 400 for that price.

The auntie there who's very friendly (the uncle too) said prices next year are gonna be higher sadly so my impulsive ass had to get 'em Portra 400s.

Now when you do buy your film from here, you get these cute coupons to get $1 off of your processing + scanning fee. According to what's printed, the coupon has an expiry BUT auntie said no expiry so I think you can just ignore that. I brought 3 rolls to develop and got $3 discount cause I came about a month earlier and bought some rolls, getting those coupons. I got another 5 for the Portras I bought. One coupon for one roll only.

Developing + Scans (C41 Colour)

One gripe I had with Triple D is that they have this really crazy green tone on your scans and it's annoying cause I have to go in photoshop to colour correct every shot. I thought it might be the film stock I use cause I always stick with my tried and tested Fuji Superia Xtra 400 but then I remembered I did shoot a roll of Ultramax before so that ain't it. This was honestly the main reason I went searching for another lab and boy did Whampoa Colour Centre fit that glass heel fucking perfectly. Time for another table:

(For C-41 colour scan, file type JPEG. Table not including TIFF scans)

You see those columns in red? There's a reason for that. When you go in to a store and say "Hello auntie, I want to develop my film rolls please and thank you!" They won't tell you all the variety of options they have and will most definitely pick a default scan type for you, unless you know what you want beforehand. That's what those red columns are. Triple D will give you a 4 base scan unless you state otherwise, while WCC will give you a 16 base scan by default. That's why as a casual film photographer, WCC might seem more expensive but in reality you're comparing two way different quality scans. 16 base scan is $2.50 cheaper from WCC.

As mentioned I sent three rolls, from three different cameras. Minus the coupon discount it was a total of $33. Sent my rolls at 6.30pm on Wednesday and received an email from them at 4.30am Thursday, auntie never sleep like me lol. Checked the pictures and I had to write this post straightaway. (Side note it's already 7.44am, I'm tired) Anyway let's get to the scans themselves huh? Keep in mind these are straight from the lab, no edits on my part.

1 - Minolta Freedom II | 2,3 - Canon A35F | 4,5 - Minolta X700 | Fuji Superia Xtra 400

Look at these picture man, come on. They speak for themselves. I do notice some cropping aren't the best but nothing photoshop can't fix (picture 2, top left & picture 3, bottom). The colours are way better than what I'm used to, they're beautiful. I cannot wait to see how the Portra 400 I bought will turn out but seeing these scan results, I don't even need Portra honestly, these really came out great.

All in all, definitely coming back here. Service is good, scans are good, prices are good, 16 base scans in just a day. If I had to nitpick, that cropping could be better and the distance to the areas that I usually commute is not as convenient as Triple D but I digress, that's far from a deal breaker. WCC, you've got yourself a new regular.