hey all,
Just wanted to take some time and give a little shout out to my new favorite pro-lab, SAMYS805. The funny name, if none of you know it, stands for 1. Samy's(as in the small chain of camera stores out here in so. California). 2. 805 is the area code for Santa Barbara, where they're located.
so, on to the fun stuff!
This is a pro-lab. Not some "mom and pop" 35mm-only, get your prints back in 3 days kind of place; no. They're much better than that! The run E-6 and C-41 on Refrema dip-n-dunk processors, and when I was given a nice tour of the lab my Matt(lab manager), he's 1 of 2 Matts working in this lab, can't remember his last name however
. Well, after getting there(long story, I was driving through S.B. going north yesterday), I decided to drop my rolls of c-41 and e-6 off to get processed. I got there, and immediately, I was struck that this lab was legit. No mess on the counters, all the people behind the counter were terrific and super helpful, and since I have been sending them film since last summer, they've come to see my name a lot, mostly because of the terrific pricing on processing they offer(see below for pricing outlay)! Well, since I was there, I asked if Matt(the lab's manager whom I had originally spoken to when I called them last summer) could give me a little 'tour', since he had offered it when we had last spoken.
After going behind the counter, entering the main processing room, where they keep their Fuji mini-lab printers, slide mounter, and finishing station(sleeving, cutting, etc...), he showed me the Refrema processors. They currently have 2 machines, one for c-41 and one for E-6. They had the E-6 machine running when I got there, and it was a treat to be able to see it in-person, I've never seen one up close before, just in videos. Well, he walked me through the steps of loading the racks, positioning the 'flags', which tell the machine(this machine's unique) HOW to process the film(duration, +, - development, etc...) They can push IIRC up to +3, and can pull to -1, IIRC, call them for an accurate quote though.
After seeing the C-41 machine, which is much smaller than the E-6 machine(due to less steps), Matt mentioned that they were going to be shutting down the c-41 refrema, to use it as a parts machine for the e-6 one. Being that Refrema as a business is NO LONGER around, and getting parts is a real problem, he mentioned that there is 1 guy in the USA who can repair these fine machines, and he's on the east coast(so they'd have to fly him in for repairs, think $$$).
Much to my agony upon hearing this, I asked him if they were on the lookout for "parts" machines, seeing that so many labs in the past few years have gone belly-up, and they've been selling off their machines for pennies on the dollar. He said they WERE on the lookout for parts machines, but seeing that there are lots of other labs who need these parts as well, they can't always get what they need.
SO, he said that soon(didn't give a 100% date) they'd be shutting down the c-41 machine, and only running c-41 through their new Noritsu r-t processor(eww... r-t stinks, he COMPLETELY AGREED though on this fact, much preferring to run ALL the c-41 film 35mm -> 8x10 on the Refrema). I immediately started thinking of ways to help them get parts needed to keep the c-41 machine running, since that's primarily what I shoot in 4X5 nad 8x10, portra. So having a lab that offers 4x5 C-41 for $1.50/sheet(yes, $1.50/4x5 sheet!!!, and $5/8x10 sheet for c-41), I need some more ideas than my own(adding another 50c/sheet to go into a "spare parts" fund for instance).
Oh.. almost forgot! They are running a reverse-osmosis system for ALL their water in the lab, meaning ALL the water is super clean, and this ensures clean, stable results! Not all labs do this. And seeing that they DO run it for all their water, it ensures me of their commitment to quality!
They use Fuji chemistry for E-6 and C-41(much to Matt's chagrin mind you). When I asked him why, he stated that the Kodak chemicals were JUST BETTER. Easier to take care of, and didn't seem to oxidize as fast as the Fuji-Hunt Chems. But seeing that Samy's partnered with Fuji to supply the paper and chems for their all store's mini-labs, it was a give-in that they'd have to switch from Kodak to Fuji chems when the transition happened.
Up until now, I haven't had ANY problems WHAT SO EVER with this lab, I have NO connection with them(other than being a prior Samy's employee in another store, and sending them ALL my c-41 and e-6 since last summer), I've been a very happy, satisfied customer!
Pricing:
now, this is where things get terrific! Samy's pricing on DIP-N-DUNK processing is super cheap compared to LA labs(think A&I), and their results(IMO) are vastly superior. I've worked with A&I before(when working with Samy's), and Samy's is SOOO much better on the phone, and in-person too!.
here's a link to their processing page for pricing(yes, its ALL current pricing
!!!)
Dead Link Removed
and here's a link for their $5/roll for 35mm(mounted or un-mounted),120, and 220, all for $5/roll!!! Yikes, that's cheap!!!
Dead Link Removed
Mail Order Services:
ALL the services that are listed on their website, Dead Link Removed, are available through mail-order. This is how I've been sending them film for the past year, with no problems what so ever. Just put your film in a Priority Box(F.R. small box generally for me $5), and include a copy of the filled-out processing sheet, for c-41 or E-6, there are 2 sheets (Dead Link Removed)
in the end, just like most other mail-order developing firms, but this one, IMO, is vastly superior. This lab's employees ACTUALLY CARE for film users, mostly because most of them ARE film-shooters. I explained how I was getting worried about how most pro-labs don't care about their customers film anymore, and run "run it", but with Samy's, they DO care. This, in my book, goes a long way. Having a lab that cares about how they treat their customer's film tells something about the company itself, and how they value their services they offer.
check em out! What's to lose? There's only more to gain!
-Dan
Just wanted to take some time and give a little shout out to my new favorite pro-lab, SAMYS805. The funny name, if none of you know it, stands for 1. Samy's(as in the small chain of camera stores out here in so. California). 2. 805 is the area code for Santa Barbara, where they're located.
so, on to the fun stuff!
This is a pro-lab. Not some "mom and pop" 35mm-only, get your prints back in 3 days kind of place; no. They're much better than that! The run E-6 and C-41 on Refrema dip-n-dunk processors, and when I was given a nice tour of the lab my Matt(lab manager), he's 1 of 2 Matts working in this lab, can't remember his last name however
. Well, after getting there(long story, I was driving through S.B. going north yesterday), I decided to drop my rolls of c-41 and e-6 off to get processed. I got there, and immediately, I was struck that this lab was legit. No mess on the counters, all the people behind the counter were terrific and super helpful, and since I have been sending them film since last summer, they've come to see my name a lot, mostly because of the terrific pricing on processing they offer(see below for pricing outlay)! Well, since I was there, I asked if Matt(the lab's manager whom I had originally spoken to when I called them last summer) could give me a little 'tour', since he had offered it when we had last spoken. After going behind the counter, entering the main processing room, where they keep their Fuji mini-lab printers, slide mounter, and finishing station(sleeving, cutting, etc...), he showed me the Refrema processors. They currently have 2 machines, one for c-41 and one for E-6. They had the E-6 machine running when I got there, and it was a treat to be able to see it in-person, I've never seen one up close before, just in videos. Well, he walked me through the steps of loading the racks, positioning the 'flags', which tell the machine(this machine's unique) HOW to process the film(duration, +, - development, etc...) They can push IIRC up to +3, and can pull to -1, IIRC, call them for an accurate quote though.
After seeing the C-41 machine, which is much smaller than the E-6 machine(due to less steps), Matt mentioned that they were going to be shutting down the c-41 refrema, to use it as a parts machine for the e-6 one. Being that Refrema as a business is NO LONGER around, and getting parts is a real problem, he mentioned that there is 1 guy in the USA who can repair these fine machines, and he's on the east coast(so they'd have to fly him in for repairs, think $$$).
Much to my agony upon hearing this, I asked him if they were on the lookout for "parts" machines, seeing that so many labs in the past few years have gone belly-up, and they've been selling off their machines for pennies on the dollar. He said they WERE on the lookout for parts machines, but seeing that there are lots of other labs who need these parts as well, they can't always get what they need.
SO, he said that soon(didn't give a 100% date) they'd be shutting down the c-41 machine, and only running c-41 through their new Noritsu r-t processor(eww... r-t stinks, he COMPLETELY AGREED though on this fact, much preferring to run ALL the c-41 film 35mm -> 8x10 on the Refrema). I immediately started thinking of ways to help them get parts needed to keep the c-41 machine running, since that's primarily what I shoot in 4X5 nad 8x10, portra. So having a lab that offers 4x5 C-41 for $1.50/sheet(yes, $1.50/4x5 sheet!!!, and $5/8x10 sheet for c-41), I need some more ideas than my own(adding another 50c/sheet to go into a "spare parts" fund for instance).
Oh.. almost forgot! They are running a reverse-osmosis system for ALL their water in the lab, meaning ALL the water is super clean, and this ensures clean, stable results! Not all labs do this. And seeing that they DO run it for all their water, it ensures me of their commitment to quality!
They use Fuji chemistry for E-6 and C-41(much to Matt's chagrin mind you). When I asked him why, he stated that the Kodak chemicals were JUST BETTER. Easier to take care of, and didn't seem to oxidize as fast as the Fuji-Hunt Chems. But seeing that Samy's partnered with Fuji to supply the paper and chems for their all store's mini-labs, it was a give-in that they'd have to switch from Kodak to Fuji chems when the transition happened.
Up until now, I haven't had ANY problems WHAT SO EVER with this lab, I have NO connection with them(other than being a prior Samy's employee in another store, and sending them ALL my c-41 and e-6 since last summer), I've been a very happy, satisfied customer!
Pricing:
now, this is where things get terrific! Samy's pricing on DIP-N-DUNK processing is super cheap compared to LA labs(think A&I), and their results(IMO) are vastly superior. I've worked with A&I before(when working with Samy's), and Samy's is SOOO much better on the phone, and in-person too!.
here's a link to their processing page for pricing(yes, its ALL current pricing
!!!)Dead Link Removed
and here's a link for their $5/roll for 35mm(mounted or un-mounted),120, and 220, all for $5/roll!!! Yikes, that's cheap!!!
Dead Link Removed
Mail Order Services:
ALL the services that are listed on their website, Dead Link Removed, are available through mail-order. This is how I've been sending them film for the past year, with no problems what so ever. Just put your film in a Priority Box(F.R. small box generally for me $5), and include a copy of the filled-out processing sheet, for c-41 or E-6, there are 2 sheets (Dead Link Removed)
in the end, just like most other mail-order developing firms, but this one, IMO, is vastly superior. This lab's employees ACTUALLY CARE for film users, mostly because most of them ARE film-shooters. I explained how I was getting worried about how most pro-labs don't care about their customers film anymore, and run "run it", but with Samy's, they DO care. This, in my book, goes a long way. Having a lab that cares about how they treat their customer's film tells something about the company itself, and how they value their services they offer.
check em out! What's to lose? There's only more to gain!
-Dan
.
.
