Another pro lab bites the dust - filmwise!

[Lopaka]

Meteor (Troy, MI and Atlanta, GA) as of May 31 discontinued all film processing and optical printing services. They have gone to digital processing only - yes, they do print RA-4 on a Lambda. There are still 2 pro labs left in the Troy, MI area that do E-6 and C-41, but I still hate to see a top lab abandon the market segment.

Time to start doing my own E-6?

Bob

 

[jd callow]

With any luck they have an auction for all that useless equipment.

 

[mark]

Folks gotta eat, I guess.

 

[Lopaka]

With any luck they have an auction for all that useless equipment.

When I pick up the very last roll of E-6 tomorrow, I'll ask if anything is for sale.

 

[Lopaka]

Didn't the one in Atlanta bite the dust a couple of years ago? I ask because I used the Atlanta facility for 15 years, then moved to the Miami area only to find they had closed their 11th Street Atlanta address.

Darr

They still list Atlanta as a location. They did go through changes a few years ago when the original owners sold out to a UK company, then about a year later some key managers got together and bought it back. Atlanta was the last location in the company to print Ilfochrome.

Bob

 

[jd callow]

Meteor was bought out by Photobition. Photobition got into money trouble and sold the Troy shop back to the original owners. There was a time when Meteor was as good as any lab in the contry. This was back when Detroit had an agency presence second only to NY NY. As the auto industry went so went the work.

 

[donbga]

Meteor (Troy, MI and Atlanta, GA) as of May 31 discontinued all film processing and optical printing services. They have gone to digital processing only - yes, they do print RA-4 on a Lambda. There are still 2 pro labs left in the Troy, MI area that do E-6 and C-41, but I still hate to see a top lab abandon the market segment.

Time to start doing my own E-6?

Bob

Well if you are in Atlanta you can still use E-6 labs, a much better lab than Meteor or Photobition (I always hated that name).

 

[roteague]

I use Calypso Imaging in Santa Clara, CA for all my E-6 processing. Their service is fast, extremely consistent, and cheap ($1.30 for 4x5 E6). However, I believe they have discontinued, or are getting ready to discountinue, their C-41 service.

 

[BradS]

Another hand waving high in the air for Calypso. I am going to have to check with them about the C-41 stuff though...I still have almost 40 sheets of NPS left to feed my pinhole camera.

 

[roteague]

The C-41 is still on their website, I got the information off an email. I'll dig it up when I get home.

 

[BradS]

Last time I was there (about a week ago now) there was a sign on the door explaining a new $15 minimum order but nothing about dropping the C-41 line. The not so friendly lady was at the counter though so, I didn't inquire too deeply about the business and so forth.

Hmmmm, now that I'm thinking about it, I do remember there being some notice about the C-41 line a while back...I think (thought?) it had to do with the two hour turn though.....not sure. I'll ask next time I'm over that way.

 

[roteague]

Here is what the email read:

After taking a look at what our customers need, we're refocussing our efforts. To do this, we're making a few changes to the services we offer:

• We will be adding an Epson 9800 printer and will let you know shortly when it will arrive.
• Our front lobby hours will change to 10-5:30 starting on June 1.
• We will no longer be processing C-41 starting on June 1.
• We will be offering an Economy B&W/COLOR digital printing service from negatives starting June 1.
• We no longer offer framing services, although mounting, matting and laminating are still available for your convenience.
• All walk-in orders MUST meet a $15 minimum per order starting on June 1.

 

[BradS]

We will no longer be processing C-41 starting on June 1.

Ouch. I wonder how hard it is to process C-41 at home <heavy sigh>.

 

[unregistered]

For C-41 see if The New Lab (in San Francisco) offers it still. There is also In Color II (also in SF), a small, more detail oriented lab who strictly does C-41. Eric is the owner...tell him I sent you.

 

[battra92]

How about us in NW Mass? There are no pro labs around here. We have Vermont Color which is pretty crappy. I've gotten to the point I just send my E-6 to Fuji or Konica via the supermarket. (You can scoff but for amateur stuff, they beat the others around here)

 

[donbga]

I used E-6 Labs a lot when I was in Atlanta for 15 years. The school where I attended (Portfolio Center) and the school I taught at (Southeastern Center for the Arts) always sent students their way. It's nice to know their still in business. I'll be up in ATL this summer visiting friends in Virginia Highlands and I'll go visit them. Thanks for the info.

Darr

I haven't heard anyone mention the SCA in years. I have some friends that went there. And the portfolio center is still going strong. As for the Virginia Highlands area it just keeps getting better, only more expensive and more traffic.

 

[Lopaka]

Meteor update

Well sorta. Nobody seems to know at this point what their plans are for the idled equipment. I got the impression that they just started informing their regular customers yesterday that yesterday was the last day to accept any film jobs. I talked to the owner of one of the remaining labs that still do all film services and his phone started ringing off the hook yesterday.

Bob

 

[jd callow]

Bob,
Who is still doing it. Tri color has (I believed) stoped, Titan or Pastel?

 

[Lopaka]

Tri-Color has stopped most from what I hear (not checked directly). Titan and Pastel are both offering color services, only Pastel is still offering B&W. I spoke with Jerry at Pastel. He recently replaced all EK color processes with Fuji - had some difficulties with EK, so far is pleased with Fuji service.

Bob

 

[donbga]

I think Neil Chaput de Saintonge closed SCA a few years after I left to run his Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Montana full time. I was asked back then (late 80's/early 90's) if I was interested in teaching in Montana in the summer, but I had to pass.

Portfolio Center was a great school to attend if you were interested in a career in advertising photography. You shot only 4x5, learned how to build props and style all your shots. I was majoring in food photography so styling was a big deal to me. I learned how to put lipstick on the tomatoes and all kinds of "yummy" tricks. It was challenging, but worth the expensive price tag. Thanks for the info on Virgina Highlands. My friends tell me the same thing about traffic and prices.

Best,
Darr

I think Neil was hitting on several people in the region to teach or work ther in the summer.

Do you know Craig Tanner?

I've heard good and bad things about the Portfolio Center. I think a lot of the emphasis is working with digital now which makes sense for commercial work.

 

[rjphil]

How about us in NW Mass? There are no pro labs around here. We have Vermont Color which is pretty crappy. I've gotten to the point I just send my E-6 to Fuji or Konica via the supermarket. (You can scoff but for amateur stuff, they beat the others around here)

Give me a call (860-267-4617). I've been running E6 for 25 years. Also custom B/W hand processing and printing, and traditional color printing.

 

[waynecrider]

Labs are changing their services all the time, and from what I have heard recently, PhotoPro down in Miami is considering dropping their E6 in 4x5. My own lab Chromatek in Fort Lauderdale seems to be chugging along and their work is good but they are the last left in town that I know of. They still enlarge optically too. I'm wondering if it will ever get to the point that you will have no choice but to send your film to the manufactuer to get it developed. There's got to be some critical point where chemicals will be stopped being produced for distribution.