How do YOU get prints from medium format color film?

[abstraxion]

I've got black and white down, no problem.

But color? Man, what a pain. I still haven't found a good solution to this problem. I get my 120 developed via Wal-Mart (Fuji sendout?) since I can't afford the $15-20 a roll some labs want. I'm sure I could get proofs too, but what about big prints?

I mean, isn't that what we all came here for? I want a gorgeous, grainless color 16x20" on my wall. Is the only solution to pay through the nose at a local pro lab? I could scan it, but that would require getting an incredibly expensive film scanner to produce 16x20" quality source files. I've got tons of great color negatives just sitting in my binder.

What do you guys do to get big color prints?

 

[Ian Grant]

DIY. I have two colour enlargers and a Nova slot processor, very easy up to 12"x16" if I want larger I dish process., but I raerely print ove 12x16.

Otherwise I go to a Pro lab and I find the prices quite reasonable veven compared to doing my own.

Ian

 

[ricksplace]

I have to chime in and agree with DIY. I started colour a few years ago and in a lot of ways, it's easier than black and white. Lots of threads here on how to get started. Go for it.

 

[Krzys]

In Aus I cant get anything 120 color for less than $30, and thats just negs and scans...

 

[removed account4]

i am in the same boat as you ...
but i am able to get large and very large
color prints, but i am not permitted to
say how i get this done ... i will just say
that i have a pro-lab print them for me, and it
costs less than having it done "locally" ...
my local lab does a very good job, but i can't afford her very often

I've got black and white down, no problem.

But color? Man, what a pain. I still haven't found a good solution to this problem. I get my 120 developed via Wal-Mart (Fuji sendout?) since I can't afford the $15-20 a roll some labs want. I'm sure I could get proofs too, but what about big prints?

I mean, isn't that what we all came here for? I want a gorgeous, grainless color 16x20" on my wall. Is the only solution to pay through the nose at a local pro lab? I could scan it, but that would require getting an incredibly expensive film scanner to produce 16x20" quality source files. I've got tons of great color negatives just sitting in my binder.

What do you guys do to get big color prints?

 

[Q.G.]

The hybrid way, i'm afraid.
Through a local lab.

 

[Mike1234]

My local printer has a Lightjet.

 

[abstraxion]

I hate to say it but it looks like I should go digital (blasphemy!) for color medium format. What a darn shame. It seems ironic that larger formats are where film truly excels, and larger format film services are exactly what seem to have been hit hardest in the transition to digital.

 

[Fred De Van]

I've got black and white down, no problem.

I mean, isn't that what we all came here for? I want a gorgeous, grainless color 16x20" on my wall.

The answer to that has been the same for 30 years. Gorgeous grainless 16x20 means Ilfochrome (Cibachrome).

The only cost besides the E-6 processing is the cost of the DIY 16x20 print materials.

It is a lot easier to get it right than color neg printing also. The prints do not fade. Extremely little waste materials. Type C materials do not even come close as far as quality.

I have been doing it with perfect results for 25 years.

 

[WolfTales]

I hear ink is more valuable the gold now a days... think I heard it in a local paper regarding HP's declining ink sales in the recession..

However, I use an Epson 4490 for scans (~$130) and just view on screen. I do my own histograms rather the relying on Epson's histograms. I may buy a digital frame to view them!

 

[RPippin]

Where can you get Ilfochrome? I've been scoureing the web since this thread started and I can't seem to find any online. I just bought a color head for my Omega 4X5 at a real good price.

 

[L Gebhardt]

The answer to that has been the same for 30 years. Gorgeous grainless 16x20 means Ilfochrome (Cibachrome).

The only cost besides the E-6 processing is the cost of the DIY 16x20 print materials.

It is a lot easier to get it right than color neg printing also. The prints do not fade. Extremely little waste materials. Type C materials do not even come close as far as quality.

I have been doing it with perfect results for 25 years.

I find color neg to be much easier to print than Ilfochrome. To get a good Ilfochrome you almost always need a mask. Then there is the color crossover issue with most films. Looks good for some images, but not most of mine.

To answer the original question, I print my own color. It's really not that hard technically. Getting my eyes to see the subtle color casts has taken a bit of time.

 

[Mike1234]

I hate to say it but it looks like I should go digital (blasphemy!) for color medium format. What a darn shame. It seems ironic that larger formats are where film truly excels, and larger format film services are exactly what seem to have been hit hardest in the transition to digital.

Not really blasphemy... modern hi-res 48 bit scanners and software are quite good. It's just another means to an end. In a few years digital sensors will take over even large format film and that's not really a bad thing. Besides, cameras and lenses really won't change much so we can still use our current equipment for a very long time. It's still just about recording information we need to produce a final image. Tools are just tools.

 

[Sirius Glass]

For 12"x12" prints, I scan the negative with an Epson 4490 Photo scanner [got to Epson.com and look up refurbished scanners. I got it last year for $100 including shipping] and put the file on a memory stick. I bring the memory stick to Costco and have the manager print the 12'x12" for $3.

For larger prints, I use a custom lab that is all optical that is very good.
http://www.goldencolor.com/

Steve

 

[JRJacobs]

I've always had my local lab do them. But I would love to do my own. However, whenever I have looked into it, it appears that the chemicals have a very short shelf life, which would make it very expensive. Is this true?

 

[BradS]

perhaps, the discussion of hybrid printing processes would be more properly held somewhere else. I've heard there is a special place for this type of conversation....but, am quite certain that it does not belong here.

 

[SuzanneR]

Agreed... this thread is moved off topic for APUG. It's not blasphemy to work this way by any means, but there is information to be found at our sister site, Hybrid Photo.

www.hybridphoto.com