Best place to get E6 developed?

[Chan Tran]

Since I have no darkroom anymore so I think I would want to shoot some Ektachrome E100. I wonder where is the best place to send the film for developed and mounted. I prefer cardboard mount rather than plastic.

 

[EricTheReddish]

I'll be interested in this too. Though many (most?) places I've found that process E-6 don't do mounting

 

[blee1996]

I don't know if it is the best place, but Dwayne's E6 service is inexpensive and mounted in cardboard.

 

[runswithsizzers]

Please define what you mean by "best."

Are you looking for the cheapest? The fastest turn around? Or the highest quality no matter how much it costs or how long it takes?

The E6 process is standardized, so processing quality *should* be similar from any lab. But of course there may be some labs that try to cut corners, and other labs that rigorously follow the chemistry manufacturer's quality assurance recommendations. I am guessing it is probably going to be difficult to get any kind of reliable data about which labs are consistanatly "better."

It may be like the French fries, and depend on whether yours are the first order to be fried in the freshly changed oil, or the the last order to be fried in the old oil which should have been changed yesterday. ;-)

 

[cjbecker]

Agx imaging in MI

 

[Chan Tran]

Please define what you mean by "best."

Are you looking for the cheapest? The fastest turn around? Or the highest quality no matter how much it costs or how long it takes?

The E6 process is standardized, so processing quality *should* be similar from any lab. But of course there may be some labs that try to cut corners, and other labs that rigorously follow the chemistry manufacturer's quality assurance recommendations. I am guessing it is probably going to be difficult to get any kind of reliable data about which labs are consistanatly "better."

It may be like the French fries, and depend on whether yours are the first order to be fried in the freshly changed oil, or the the last order to be fried in the old oil which should have been changed yesterday. ;-)

Best in quality regardless of price. Best means adhere strictly to manufacturer's recommendations. Keep the process in tight control. Keep the film clean. It's not like the French fires where personal preference plays a role. If the process is in control the first and the last roll should be the same. You don't replace the chemicals but rather continuously replenish them.

 

[runswithsizzers]

Best in quality regardless of price. Best means adhere strictly to manufacturer's recommendations. Keep the process in tight control. Keep the film clean. It's not like the French fires where personal preference plays a role.

I understand, but how are any of us really going to know? Sure, we can tell you if something has gone wrong (dust, fingerprints, etc.) but otherwise, we can only assume everything was done correctly.

The point I was trying to make with the French fries has nothing to do with personal preferences. I was trying to illustrate there can be random influences on quality. Some may call it "luck." A lab can return a thousand rolls of perfectly processed film to hundreds of satisfied customers, but if yours is the one roll that came back with a thumbprint on it, what does that mean?
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The only lab I've actually used for E6 in the past decade was Process One, in the Kansas City MO area. I sent them two rolls of slide film in 2019, and they looked good. However, I see this on their page about E6 processing at: https://processonephoto.com/e6-slide-film-processing.htm,
"Note: Due to a global shortage of mounts, we currently cannot mount 35mm slides. We can return your slide film uncut in roll sleeving, or cut and sleeved in strips of 4 frames."
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I have been maintaining a list of processing labs, which I've put together over the years. At one time or another, some photography forum member recommended one of the following labs. When checking the links today, I see quite a few are saying they are not currently mounting slides with their E6 processing.

In no particular order:
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Simple Photography Services, Petaluma, CA
Photrio member Adrian Bacon. I've been happy with his C4 processing and digitizing services. (I have not sent any E6)

Film Processing, Sales, & Cameras, Bespoke Prints, Darkroom Rental | Simple Photography Services

Film processing and sales nationwide via mail-order or local pickup/drop-off and darkroom rental in the North SF Bay Area.

www.simplephotographyservices.com

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Photolab (Photolaboratory), Berkeley, CA
https://www.photolaboratory.com/film-processing.html
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Precision Photo, Austin, TX
https://precisionphotolab.com/film-developing
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The Darkroom, San Clemente, CA,

35mm Film Developing – Free Mailer & Fastest Turnaround

Send your 35mm rolls with our free mailer for C‑41, E‑6 & B&W processing. Fastest mail-in film developing and scan upload - starting at $13.

thedarkroom.com

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North Coast Photographic Services
5451 Avenida Encinas Suite D Carlsbad, CA 92008 760-931-6809
https://northcoastphoto.com
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Richard Photo Lab, Los Angeles,
21515 Centre Pointe Parkway in Santa Clarita, California

Richard Photo Lab: Premium Film Developing, Scanning and Printing

Since 1970, Richard Photo Lab provides world-class film developing to both novice and professional photographers around the world. Whether you shoot C-41, Black and White or E6 - your film is in good hands.

www.richardphotolab.com

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NortheastPhotographic, Westport Island, ME
Photrio sponsor

Northeast Photographic

Northeast Photographic is New England's premier film lab. Located in Bath, Maine, we develop and scan 35mm, medium format, 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10.

www.northeastphotographic.com

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[blee1996]

I also had good experience with Precision Camera & Video in Austin TX doing E6 processing of 120 and 135 film. I always ask for not-cut (default is cut and sleeved), so I don't know if they will mount in cardboard or not.

 

[Trail Images]

I've used this group for years. The quality and turn around time is excellent.

The Great American Photo Lab

 

[runswithsizzers]

I've used this group for years. The quality and turn around time is excellent.

The Great American Photo Lab

The Great American Photo Lab is apparently the same lab shown on my list as "North Coast Photographic Services." The ULR for their website is, "northcoastphoto.com," but their home webpage is titled, "The Great American Photo Lab," and under that it says, "SAME GREAT CREW. SAME GREAT SERVICES. SAME GREAT QUALITY. FORMERLY NCPS."

The recommendation by @Trail Images makes a total of 4 recommendations I have seen posted for that lab.

 

[F4U]

Does Kodak in Rochester do it?. Even though Eastman Kodak Co is a defunct bankrupt shadow of it's former self, perhaps the buyer, being Alaris I believe, still offers this service. If so, I believe I'd be inclined to send it to them.

 

[MattKing]

Does Kodak in Rochester do it?. Even though Eastman Kodak Co is a defunct bankrupt shadow of it's former self, perhaps the buyer, being Alaris I believe, still offers this service. If so, I believe I'd be inclined to send it to them.

Eastman Kodak and all of its international subsidiaries had left the film processing business prior to the bankruptcy, so there was nothing for Kodak Alaris to "inherit".
Actually, from very early on, Kodak preferred to concentrate on the business of supporting labs run by others, rather than running them themselves. Most likely there was a lot more money in that part of the business!
With respect to Canada, the Kodachrome and Ektachrome processing lab in North Vancouver, BC Canada closed in 1984. My father was Customer Service manager there between its opening in 1961 and his retirement in 1983. The original Canadian Kodak facility in Toronto - Kodak Heights - closed in 2005. Then the final facility in Brampton closed in 2006.

 

[Trail Images]

The Great American Photo Lab is apparently the same lab shown on my list as "North Coast Photographic Services." The ULR for their website is, "northcoastphoto.com," but their home webpage is titled, "The Great American Photo Lab," and under that it says, "SAME GREAT CREW. SAME GREAT SERVICES. SAME GREAT QUALITY. FORMERLY NCPS."

The recommendation by @Trail Images makes a total of 4 recommendations I have seen posted for that lab.

You're absolutely correct. For many years it was North Coast. A year or two back they had the name change to Great American. I've known Richard Schute the original owner since the 1980's. He was a well known photographer throughout So Cal amongst all of us who were Drag Racers back then. He frequented the race facilities as a reporter / photographer. He sold the business awhile back but is sill listed as part of the long time team at the Carlsbad location.