What do you guys do with color negatives? I just got some results and it's bad...

[jernejk]

For color I really love slides. But you know the problem - the choice of slide film is almost nonexistent. I'm thankful for what I'm still able to get, but it's ISO 100 only and no real difference between emulsions, at least for skin colors (I'm not that much into landscape).

Anyway, I just got some negative films developed which I shot through the last year or so. Some Portra 1600, some BW400Cn... Now, I used to live in another city and there was this guy who has a lab and he has a Fuji Frontier machine. Great stuff, and I really liked the results. And it was a small city in a small country.

Now I moved and found another lab; so far I only used them for slides, results are ok, so I took my negatives there as well and ask to scan. I mean, what else is there to do with negatives? One way or another they are going through the digital process, even if I asked them for prints - they would be scanned first. The results are bad. Like, really bad. I don't have a sample here at the moment, but it's grainy, colors are off, BW400Cn seems totally underexposed. Ugghh.. And by folder names I figured they have a noritsu (kodak) machine. I'm actually considering taking negatives to my old lab and scan there just to see the difference. Not to mention, scanning cost me an arm and a leg

Anyway, just venting. I'll continue shooing slides as much as possible. I have portra 400 in camera at the moment and I'm really considering throwing it out and using slide. Then again, I have lots of great, great etkar photos, but scanned by the previous lab...

 

[Sirius Glass]

1. Where are you located? Please put it in your profile so that we can direct you to stores, repair people, film processors, ...
2. I keep the negatives in PrintFile sheets http://www.freestylephoto.biz/22201...hival-35mm-Verticle-Slide-Preservers-Top-Load & http://www.freestylephoto.biz/35625-Printfile-35-6HB-Archival-Negative-Preservers-35mm-6-Strips-of-6
3. For 35mm I get my C-41 processed at Costco. For 120 I get my C-41 processed at Samys in Culver City http://www.samys.com/g/Store-Locations-and-Directions/2220.html
4. If I am shooting 4"x5" film or I have a lot of C-41 I process it myself.
5. Printing: 35mm Costco or Samys. 120 Samys or I print it myself.

 

[trythis]

Try sending some to a couple of labs and see what you like. You could also shoot a digi snap on a light table and let us see if its the negs or the scans they are getting. I know its off topic but default scans are going to be flat and lack full dynamic range of the negs. You're also used to chromes which look great because they are backlit.


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[railwayman3]

I've always felt that one advantage of slides is that every shot, good, bad, or indifferent, is ready to view immediately. Printing, or scanning-and-printing colour negs can be very time consuming, and, if you're using a lab, you're in their hands as to the quality, or otherwise, of the results.

But, of course, not an over-riding reason to use slides all the time.

 

[Richard Man]

I process all my C-41 (and indeed all films). If you have things setup right, it costs ~$1 of chemical to process 4 rolls 135.

 

[Peltigera]

You say that the BW400Cn seems totally underexposed - is that the scans or looking at the negatives? No point in rescanning elsewhere if the negs are thin to start with.

 

[jernejk]

Dunno.. maybe I just don't like Portra?

Ski in shadow area is strangely green. I know, shadow in general is a pain, but sunny images are not much better. The colors of the toys are strangely ok, just skin is.. off? I also prefer a bit more contrast.

This is etkar from the same machine... i like this much better.

 

[jernejk]

You say that the BW400Cn seems totally underexposed - is that the scans or looking at the negatives? No point in rescanning elsewhere if the negs are thin to start with.

I need to check the negatives, maybe really digitalise using my digicam, but my camera in really doesn't in general underexpose like this. This one of the better results! Then again, maybe it should be printed on a much smaller paper to get more DPI, monitor is a terrible media for looking at photos!

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

These days, while scanners still remain expensive, given the prices labs charge regardless of their quality, you really ought to do this yourself. Learn how to process your own film - you only need total darkness for loading film into the developing tank, and that can be accomplished for 35mm or 120 with just a simple changing bag. Temperature control for C-41 is a little tricky if you're not using a machine like a Jobo, but it's not impossible for a home processor. A good prosumer grade scanner like an Epson or Nikon will run you in the range of $1000 USD, which sounds expensive until you do the math on what you spend on processing and scanning fees at the lab. In all probability your savings over lab fees will pay for your scanner and development equipment within a year or two at the most.

 

[jernejk]

Uh no. I hate scanning with passion. I need hobbies which pull me away from the computer, not enslave me even more! That's why I love slides, you shot and you are done... and the results are awesome (was even more true with kodak extra color, loved that film for the pop it had!)

 

[Sirius Glass]

Uh no. I hate scanning with passion. I need hobbies which pull me away from the computer, not enslave me even more! That's why I love slides, you shot and you are done... and the results are awesome (was even more true with kodak extra color, loved that film for the pop it had!)

Process your own film and set up a darkroom.

 

[jernejk]

Process your own film and set up a darkroom.

...and that's why the question is for color negatives. No, I'm not doing that, no way.

 

[Vonder]

Well, I have a Nikon Coolscan 5000 with both the roll film adapter and the slider sorter, so my color stuff gets scanned and occasionally printed. In essence, I put the film in, hit scan, and walk away. Slide film scanning is easy. Negatives may need a run through a batch process in Photoshop, but that's it.

You state that you can't spend time at the computer. The only way to digititize any negative involves a computer somewhere. I can only see the one option for you. Use a lab, get the film scanned there. Find a lab that does the quality you like. As you never say, despite being asked, where you live, nobody can suggest a lab you might be able to use nor a close-ish mail order place.

 

[madgardener]

Like most here I develop my own and scan them. While not the best scanner, my HP G4050 is decent enough, especially with vuescan. Scanning is very slow for me. But avoiding that, and not knowing where you live, you could try mail order like Dwaynes or The Darkroom.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

...and that's why the question is for color negatives. No, I'm not doing that, no way.

Well, the only reliable way to guarantee quality if you don't like what you're getting from the lab is to do it yourself. You'll save a lot of money in the long run as well. I don't know what your local lab charges, but here, the only real choice in local labs charges $9/roll for C-41 (develop only!), and it takes roughly a week to get it back. I can turn my C-41 around in an evening if I need it that fast, and it costs me $1.50/roll. A 70%+ savings over the lab fees adds up really fast.

 

[Doc W]

...and that's why the question is for color negatives. No, I'm not doing that, no way.

I can sympathize with you. I have a Jobo and could process C41 if I wanted, but I have an aversion to doing my own colour. I have enough trouble with b&w printing. Processing colour negs and making my own colour prints seems very complicated to me. About 5-6 years ago, I tried scanning and printing my own colour but I never - not once - got skin tones that I thought looked good on my printer. Calibrating a monitor is one thing, but I could never get any prints of skin tones that looked decent to me. In the end, I mostly gave up although I still do the odd scan. There is a very good lab in the city where I live that processes C41 and E6. I still scan both pos and neg just for preliminary assessment and if there is something I really want printed, I get the lab to do it. It is more expensive in the long run, but I worked in high tech for years and now that I am retired, I really really really really don't want to spend any of the precious time I have left reading manuals the thickness of a medieval Bible.

If the lab disappeared, I would either stop shooting in colour altogether or I would bite the bullet and learn how to do it in the darkroom. I wouldn't scan and print digitally.

 

[EdSawyer]

home-darkroom color (C41 and RA4) is really not that bad. No worse than b&W really, with the right tools.

If you refuse to scan and refuse to use a home darkroom, you are really at the mercy of lab choices, and will pay through the nose for it (prints/scans).

 

[Sirius Glass]

Learning to process color film, slides or color negatives, is as easy as falling off a motorcycle. Actually easier. So much easier that I do it.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I can sympathize with you. I have a Jobo and could process C41 if I wanted, but I have an aversion to doing my own colour. I have enough trouble with b&w printing. Processing colour negs and making my own colour prints seems very complicated to me. About 5-6 years ago, I tried scanning and printing my own colour but I never - not once - got skin tones that I thought looked good on my printer. Calibrating a monitor is one thing, but I could never get any prints of skin tones that looked decent to me. In the end, I mostly gave up although I still do the odd scan. There is a very good lab in the city where I live that processes C41 and E6. I still scan both pos and neg just for preliminary assessment and if there is something I really want printed, I get the lab to do it. It is more expensive in the long run, but I worked in high tech for years and now that I am retired, I really really really really don't want to spend any of the precious time I have left reading manuals the thickness of a medieval Bible.

If the lab disappeared, I would either stop shooting in colour altogether or I would bite the bullet and learn how to do it in the darkroom. I wouldn't scan and print digitally.

I used to have that same aversion- I had the Jobo CPP2+ and all the right drums and chemistry bottles, but just wouldn't do it. I only ran B/W through it. Well, economic and chronological circumstances required me to change my mind on that, and now that I do it myself, I realize it couldn't be easier. 3:15 in the developer, 6:00 in the blix, four 1:00 wash cycles, 0:30 in the stabilizer, done. No adjusting anything else for film brand or film speed. The negs come out dead on, accurate color. I don't do RA-4 printing at home because that ends up costing me money - I don't do enough of it and the chems go bad before I print enough so I'm throwing away money on that, plus the RA-4 chemistry is the really stinky one and my darkroom ventilation isn't that good. But developing C-41 at home is really easy. And as I mentioned before, really cheap too.

 

[Doc W]

I used to have that same aversion- I had the Jobo CPP2+ and all the right drums and chemistry bottles, but just wouldn't do it. I only ran B/W through it. Well, economic and chronological circumstances required me to change my mind on that, and now that I do it myself, I realize it couldn't be easier. 3:15 in the developer, 6:00 in the blix, four 1:00 wash cycles, 0:30 in the stabilizer, done. No adjusting anything else for film brand or film speed. The negs come out dead on, accurate color. I don't do RA-4 printing at home because that ends up costing me money - I don't do enough of it and the chems go bad before I print enough so I'm throwing away money on that, plus the RA-4 chemistry is the really stinky one and my darkroom ventilation isn't that good. But developing C-41 at home is really easy. And as I mentioned before, really cheap too.

Stop it! You're gonna convince me to do colour.

 

[wblynch]

Why would one ever print color (scans) at home when you can have them done so nicely on real photo paper at hundreds of sites all over the world? Just upload the images and get real photo prints. Most prices are way less than trying to do it yourself and the ink jet supplies are insane.

Just my thoughts.

Even though I develop and scan my own color film, I just send them out for printing. Never sorry.

One day I will try optical RA-4 at home. That will be fun. But forget the ink jets

 

[DREW WILEY]

If you want something done right, do it yourself. RA4 ain't all that difficult. You can learn it in a day, then spend a lifetime refining your skills,
just like black and white printing or any other media.

 

[gone]

Good responses here. This is why I only shoot B&W :]

For those few times that I convince myself that colour is needed, I send it out. Uploading the files to an off site for printing on real photography paper is a good way to go. I mean, that's the point of photography, having prints, not files.

But remembering how my stuff looked when I was sending out my B&W, then when I started doing it myself, wow, you lose a LOT of quality and flexibility. Doing my own developing and printing improved my photography immeasurably. It's still 97% crap and 3% keepers, but doing your own work means saving a ton of money and you shoot more, so you get more keepers.

If I shot colour I would HAVE to learn it myself, because like B&W, I suspect the quality and quantity of shooting would go way up.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Stop it! You're gonna convince me to do colour.

We have only just begun working on you.

After we have you shooting color, we will have you carrying two cameras. One for color and one for black & white.

After we have you carrying two cameras, we will get you interested in changeable film backs. That will be the drug gateway to medium format cameras.

After we have you shooting with medium format cameras, we will have you go on a lens buying binge.

After we have you go on a lens buying binge, we will have you realize that what you want is a hand held 4"x5" press camera.

After we have you shooting 4"x5" film, we will get you to understand that there is no one in your city to develop the sheet film and that what you really want is a darkroom.

After we have you setting up a darkroom, we will have you shopping for a Jobo processor and a color head for the enlarger.

After we have you processing and printing color, we will convince you that to do it right that you should stop working and just retire to be a photographer.

We have only just begun ...

 

[Theo Sulphate]

We have only just begun working on you. After we have you shooting color, we will have you carrying two cameras. One for color and one for black & white.

Yes, this happened.

After we have you carrying two cameras, we will get you interested in changeable film backs. That will be the drug gateway to medium format cameras.

Yes.

After we have you shooting with medium format cameras, we will have you go on a lens buying binge.

Yup.

After we have you go on a lens buying binge, we will have you realize that what you want is a hand held 4"x5" press camera.

Yuup.

After we have you shooting 4"x5" film, we will get you to understand that there is no one in your city to develop the sheet film and that what you really want is a darkroom.

Yuuup.

After we have you setting up a darkroom, we will have you shopping for a Jobo processor and a color head for the enlarger.

So - I really need to do my own color printing because I haven't been getting consistently good results from outside labs. However, all I've ever done is B&W film development and printing. That's pretty easy. I've avoided color because it seemed too demanding. I'm not sure I can maintain consistent temperatures. I'm afraid I'd spend eight hours trying to get the filters correct. I should probably watch a few YouTube videos on it.