please stop knocking one hour photo

bob100684 · May 3, 2007

a LOT of us work our asses off to give you amazing pictures. Granted we don't do custom work, but at my job we run control strips 4x daily for film 2x for print. For those of you in western ct if you don't believe me pm me I'll send you to my store and I'm willing I'm able to outprint any lab's machine proofs.

Mike Kennedy · May 3, 2007

For my every day colour shots I use the Sobey's photo lab.Sobey's is a grocery store chain in eastern Canada.The girl who runs the lab does a dam fine job with my film.And the cost is 1/3 of my pro studio.

ben-s · May 3, 2007

I have had very good results from 1 hour places.
I assure you, at least some of us (and I suspect quite a lot of us) appreciate the convenience of quick, generally reliable processing.
I have a good relationship with the folks at my local 1 hour lab, and I use them for quite a lot of film and most of my digital work.
I'd be the last one to start knocking the humble 1 hour lab

Ian Grant · May 3, 2007

Most Pro labs now use exactly the same digital minilab machines as the local high street photo-store, grocers, even supermarkets.

So here in the UK my local prolab uses the same machine as; Boots the Chemist, Jessops, Sainsbury's, and in the US Walmart.

Ian

Roger Hicks · May 3, 2007

bob100684 said:
a LOT of us work our asses off to give you amazing pictures. Granted we don't do custom work, but at my job we run control strips 4x daily for film 2x for print. For those of you in western ct if you don't believe me pm me I'll send you to my store and I'm willing I'm able to outprint any lab's machine proofs.

Dear Bob,

I'd never knock all of you indiscriminately, but nor would I praise uniformly. So much depends on the operator -- and almost nothing depends on price. The best one-hour labs are wonderful; the worst are awful; and with change of personnel, they can change overnight. I've seen it happen!

Cheers,

R.

Snapshot · May 3, 2007

I must admit, I've seen some great color results from my local Wal-mart and occasionally some unsatisfying ones too. I've never had a negative ruined by them, however. I don't have them do my enlargements but for general pictures they're more than adequate.

Christopher Walrath · May 3, 2007

Instructions. Read as cheesy movie trailer. And just add water.

IN A WORLD OF CRISIS (movie guys voice), THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM! IN RURAL CONNECTICUT LIES A SMALL TOWN THAT WAS PEACEFUL AND QUIET. . . . . UNTIL . . . "Quick! GET THE FIXER!" (Dramatic marching music) Four roll left. I need more time! (Cut to black. Halt music) QUALITY NEVER SLEEPS. "Let's kick some butt!"

THE DEVELOPER. COMING SOON TO A ONE HOUR LAB NEAR YOU!

Don't be upset, just trying to make light.

bdial · May 3, 2007

The only film I've had ruined recently, was some E-6 at a pro-level camera shop in the LA area. Everything that I've ever had done at 1 hour shops has fine. You won't be hearing me knock them. As Roger says, not all are equal, but that's true of pretty much everything.

reellis67 · May 3, 2007

I fully agree with Roger's statements. I personally have had very good results from one particular Ritz Camera - the operators knew their stuff, printed exactly the way I asked, and always did first rate work. The problem is that so many places hire people at minimum wage, show them only the very basics, and turn them loose. I can tell you, again from personal experience, that some one-hour places treat film like it was a grocery bag. I've seen it walked on, drug on the floor, handled with bare fingers, draped over metal edges and open 3-ring binder hoops, and left to hang in the open air right behind the store counter to collect dust.

You cannot ever make sweeping generalizations about anything - there is always some example that breaks the generalization...

- Randy

gr82bart · May 3, 2007

Who's knock'n ya? I've had pretty good results from 1-hour labs.

Regards, Art.

Akki14 · May 3, 2007

gr82bart said:
Who's knock'n ya? I've had pretty good results from 1-hour labs.

Regards, Art.

I was wondering that too. I quite like most Snappy Snaps branches here in the UK (though I'm cheap and tend to go for their 24hour service instead of their 1hour stuff)

jstraw · May 3, 2007

When I was shooting a lot of live concerts for work, and was still shooting color neg for that (hadn't bought a dslr yet) and the Wing-Lynch was no longer in operation at the paper, I used the 1-hour at a supermarket that was on my way, to and from work. They ran all my film for about a year. I never had a problem with their C-41 work. It was process and cut only, no prints.

Sirius Glass · May 3, 2007

The only film that I have had lost in a number of years was when Kodak [Qualitex] lost three rolls at once.

Since then, if I need film processed quickly I take it to Costco and wait for their one hour service. They have gotten to know me there and I can get them to adjust the prints for me on the spot when I need them to.

One big advantage of a one hour photo finisher is that it is unlikely that they will lose the order and if they do they do not have to look through much.

Large orders that can take time now go to Dwaynes.

Steve

Stephanie Brim · May 3, 2007

I had Wal-Mart cut through frames once...used them only sparingly after that. Now that I work at a minilab I just do my own developing there...but I don't print. I dislike the machine we use. It doesn't give good color representation on the monitor and, because of that, prints can look really wrong.

PHOTOTONE · May 3, 2007

My personal experience with mini-labs, is that I can get better prints from my local Wal-Mart in-store mini-lab than I can get from our one local small chain camera store. They use very similar Fuji Frontier type equipment. I only use mini-labs for proof prints where I need the numbering on the back.

copake_ham · May 3, 2007

My experiences with 1-hour pharmacy labs (Walgreens in Tucson and Duane Reade in NYC) has generally been positive. Just wish thay also processed 120.

removed account4 · May 3, 2007

i wish my local sam's club had a mini lab!
i bring them most if not all my 110, 120 and 35mm cn / slide film
and they send it to fujilabs in albany who sends it to dwayne's ( happyd )
if they can't do it inhouse ...

labs can be either very good, or very bad, and i have experineced both kinds ..

Paul Sorensen · May 3, 2007

I have used Costco and been happy with it, I have also used a particular Walgreens and not been happy with it. I agree that it is the operator and I guess that Costco does get something by paying their employees well.

I have a friend who used to take her 120 film to Sam's Club where she had convinced them that they actually had the facilities to develop it in their minilab machine. She would bring her own sleeves when she picked it up, but otherwise, they did a fine job. Apparently it did take some convincing to get they to try it, however, but since she was a former lab tech, she was able to do so.

scootermm · May 3, 2007

what I never understood is what the point of taking work to a one hour lab is, when bothering to shoot film. I would think that, more often than not, the reasoning for shooting film is control, of output... from exposing the film, to developing film, to making a print. Yet when a lab (or outside source) comes into the picture (pun intended) you are completely losing what seems like a major part of the control and handing it over to an unknown variable - the lab or outside source.

why not just shoot digitally... Ive always felt (and this is a personal feeling) that if I was going to shoot color work Id just shoot digitally from the get go, or at the least shoot film, develop it myself and print it myself... so that all control/responsibility and results are created by my hand (or with a little help from a computer in the case of digitally)

Snapshot · May 3, 2007

scootermm said:
what I never understood is what the point of taking work to a one hour lab is, when bothering to shoot film. I would think that, more often than not, the reasoning for shooting film is control, of output... from exposing the film, to developing film, to making a print. Yet when a lab (or outside source) comes into the picture (pun intended) you are completely losing what seems like a major part of the control and handing it over to an unknown variable - the lab or outside source.

why not just shoot digitally... Ive always felt (and this is a personal feeling) that if I was going to shoot color work Id just shoot digitally from the get go, or at the least shoot film, develop it myself and print it myself... so that all control/responsibility and results are created by my hand (or with a little help from a computer in the case of digitally)

I have found B&W easier to work with at home in terms of processing and output. However, to get proofs and C-41 processing, I have no problem with outsourcing to a convenient lab, Wal-mart or otherwise. Based on what comes of that, I will make my own enlargements on the pictures I think are worth enlarging.

bdial · May 3, 2007

For me the point is that I don't want to try and deal with color chemstry, keeping it fresh, even obtaining it, etc. There isn't much, if any, creativity lost in having a roll of C-41 or E-6 processed. The machines do it way better than I could, although I know how to do it, and I have equipment that can handle it.
I like the notion of working color digitally, from film or otherwise, but I don't currently have a printer that will get me the creative results I want.
There is so much to explore with B&W, I'm fine with doing that myself and using commericial processing when I do color.

laverdure · May 3, 2007

I've had fine luck with negatives, but it's been years since I got any worthwhile prints back from a lab, pro or corner. Lots of labs tried, lots of money wasted. I expect I'll take to scanning my color negatives from here on in, when I next start playing with color. I won't shoot digitally because I hate modern cameras, and doing my own color is just too much of a hassle. I hate photoshop too, but what can I do?

Bob- glad to hear there are still labs that try to get it right. But you're in the minority. Sending out color (anywhere) feels like gambling to me, and it seems like I'm on a losing streak. I've gone so far as to daydream about this being a conspiracy to get people to switch to digital.

Michel Hardy-Vallée · May 3, 2007

scootermm said:
what I never understood is what the point of taking work to a one hour lab is, when bothering to shoot film. I would think that, more often than not, the reasoning for shooting film is control, of output... from exposing the film, to developing film, to making a print. Yet when a lab (or outside source) comes into the picture (pun intended) you are completely losing what seems like a major part of the control and handing it over to an unknown variable - the lab or outside source.

why not just shoot digitally... Ive always felt (and this is a personal feeling) that if I was going to shoot color work Id just shoot digitally from the get go, or at the least shoot film, develop it myself and print it myself... so that all control/responsibility and results are created by my hand (or with a little help from a computer in the case of digitally)

Just look at the difference betweeen a print from a digi file and one from film. Even though the film is scanned nowadays, the colors are usually better, the contrast and the sharpness as well.

Oh, and have you ever waited in line behind people who brought their digi media cards/CDs?

"Wait, no, not that one it's upside-down. Oh, you can turn it? Ok, well honey what size do you want? Hm, I'm not sure, well anyway, give me two doubles of that first one, then six of the other one, but three 4x6, 2 5x7 and one 8x10. Oh, you only do 8.5x11 ? Is that going to be a problem with my binders?"

Ad infinitum. Me: bring film, says 4x6 glossy-with-borders-no doubles-plus a cd scan, and cheerio buddy, I'll see you later today!

I absolutely adore lab prints, it's like waiting for eBay mail to arrive!

copake_ham · May 3, 2007

scootermm said:
.....
why not just shoot digitally... Ive always felt (and this is a personal feeling) that if I was going to shoot color work Id just shoot digitally from the get go, or at the least shoot film, develop it myself and print it myself... so that all control/responsibility and results are created by my hand (or with a little help from a computer in the case of digitally)

I shoot color film (both neg and chromes) because I enjoy doing so. Long before there was digital - the only way to shoot color was to shoot film. Some of us from those olden times still enjoy doing so - even if we then have it processed commercially.

So yes, I am grateful for one-hour shops.

Rick Floyd · May 3, 2007

Years ago I took my 35mm to Jim at my local Sam's Club. He worked magic with the Fuji processor and made me a better photographer. He was a retired military guy with years of experience shooting combat and news. He was a treasure of informtion and I miss him. I came in with five rolls of Reala after a shoot and he was gone. Heart attack or stroke. He had a young girl he worked with for a while at the store and she did her best to match Jim's standards but eventually I had to move on to a different lab.

please stop knocking one hour photo

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