What the photolab does

hi guys,

so I am in process of getting the stuff I need to process the negatives myself. in the meantime and out of curiosity, what do photo labs at the store generally do?

I mean they offer to scan the images if you give them the film straight from the camera. How do they give the scanned images to you? CD? They sometimes offer to give you the negatives back. This is at a extra cost I assume. I could ask them to print all the pictures but that was such a waste of money last time.
Why not ask at the store, you may ask. Well as you might know me now. You know I am not in my home country and don't speak the language here. Certainly not enough to discuss a topic I don't know much about!

I am interested in getting the best of the pictures online. What is the best solution that does not involve me processing the negatives myself and buying a scanner

Hi
the lab i use (in Austria) charges for development of the film (something like 4€ for colour) and you get the negatives back (no extra charge, don't know how they handle people that don't go to the store as i live 10 min away). For scanning they charge extra (~8€) and you have the choice if you want the photos on CD or they send you an online link.
I don't know how other labs do that. Hope that helps
BR
Thomas

ongakublue said:

process the negatives myself.

Click to expand...

Color or B&W? If you are doing B&W it has no relationship to consumer photolabs activities. Even in the 1970s when I started, consumer photolabs couldn't process B&W.
If you are going to be doing C41 color, then you will likely be using tanks or drums rather than roller transport or dip&dunk like a commercial lab. DPUG can be a resource on scanning.

I stopped using Dwanye's because they would change the color of the red rock on the ground in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona to light green when they would develop and print my color print film. I would then have to send at my expense the negatives, scan disk, and prints back for them to get it right. Sometimes I had to send the same batch back more than once.

Dwanye's also would add dirt to the slides that they processed at no extra cost!

Even the worst one hour labs are better than Dwayne's.

Oh yes, Dwanye's does not send me a commission when I post comments about them, so there is no commercial ties between us.

ongakublue said:

hi guys,

so I am in process of getting the stuff I need to process the negatives myself. in the meantime and out of curiosity, what do photo labs at the store generally do?

I mean they offer to scan the images if you give them the film straight from the camera. How do they give the scanned images to you? CD? They sometimes offer to give you the negatives back. This is at a extra cost I assume. I could ask them to print all the pictures but that was such a waste of money last time.
Why not ask at the store, you may ask. Well as you might know me now. You know I am not in my home country and don't speak the language here. Certainly not enough to discuss a topic I don't know much about!

I am interested in getting the best of the pictures online. What is the best solution that does not involve me processing the negatives myself and buying a scanner

Click to expand...

it all depends on what the lab does.
most regular labs don't do b/w they only do c41, they send slides and b/w someplace else ..
when they get the negatives ( if there is film ) the negatives are scanned and auto correctd
or the person who is printing corrects the images if the color, contrast &c is off
and prints are made. if they are files from a camera, or something emailed to them
they just make the prints ( they don't have to covert anything to a file )
there are a few labs out there that still enlarge negatives with light and an enlarger
but not many of them.
now sure what your mother tongue is, or where you are
but it is usually the same most places.

good luck

ic-racer said:

Color or B&W? If you are doing B&W it has no relationship to consumer photolabs activities. Even in the 1970s when I started, consumer photolabs couldn't process B&W.

Click to expand...

Europe's largest photo finisher (related to drugstore chains) accepts any b&W negative film even in rare consumer formats.

They are developed in hanger processors.

Yes.

For mail order and client film I agree , hanger dip and dunk will be the only way, unless clients start using fresh film and stop buying up
all the old film sitting in fridges.
Some of the film I get now is impossible to load on my Jobo reels and I am considering a Jobo technolab.

AgX said:

Europe's largest photo finisher (related to drugstore chains) accepts any b&W negative film even in rare consumer formats.

They are developed in hanger processors.

Click to expand...

For that finisher it is hanger versus continuously running roller transport processors. The do not use small tanks.


What is your problem with long stored films and reels?

Which reels do you use? The older ones or the current ones?

Probably to do with the width of the film, as the Jobo standard reels won't go wider than 120. It is (was) possible to have a dip-and-dunk hanger with the cones adjustable for width. In the late 1980's I remember us having one in the place I worked, and it never needed to be used. Unfortunately I can't remember the maker of the hanger, though the machines (E6 and C41) were Refrema(?spelling).

Edit: Ooops, I reread Mr.Carnie's post and he likely does mean the springiness of very old, tightly-rolled film. I was thinking of strange and ancient roll-film sizes (which was supposedly why the lab had that adjustable-hanger).

Bob Carnie said:

For mail order and client film I agree , hanger dip and dunk will be the only way, unless clients start using fresh film and stop buying up
all the old film sitting in fridges.
Some of the film I get now is impossible to load on my Jobo reels and I am considering a Jobo technolab.

Click to expand...

Jobo 2500 reels & old 220 can be a royal nightmare...

Have you considered getting Hewes stainless reels made up? Last time I contacted them (within the last 18 months) I recall their quoted price for a 2500 reel was not much higher than a new Jobo reel - might be a cheaper solution than a hanger machine.

Really old film can be madly springy along it's length, but also rather concave on the emulsion side. That could make any sort of reel a tricky proposition as the curved film might not even reach the grooves/wires/channels that are meant to be in contact with the film, custom-made or not... A dip-and-dunk frame would still probably work though, but good luck finding a lab that uses them.

ongakublue said:

I mean they offer to scan the images if you give them the film straight from the camera. How do they give the scanned images to you? CD? They sometimes offer to give you the negatives back. This is at a extra cost I assume.
I am interested in getting the best of the pictures online. What is the best solution that does not involve me processing the negatives myself and buying a scanner

Click to expand...

The film out of the Camera becomes the negatives. if you are dealing with colour film - Often the process will involve scanning the negatives digitaly to make the 4x6 ot 3/13 by 5 Proof prints that wer typical way back. Some labs will offer a scan done in their print machine at sufficient quality to make a 4X6 inch print.

A few large consumer labs have gone to a system where they don't return your Negatives , assuming you will NEVER want a print larger than 4X6. This allows them to have the prints or CD made at a local plant when they only have one central plant to develop the film.

A professional Lab will generally be able to offer a choice of Scan sizes and will always carefully pack and return your negatives. (an exception are those who deal with commercial studios who file the clients negatives so that prints can be prepared faster when the ultimate customer has selected which shots they want to have enlarged.)

The Negatives, as they are the film that was in the camera have the best possible detail and allow for future printing in any format you desire at the maximum possible quality.

As others have mentioned the standard of service has a lot to do with the local cultural norms.

If you mention the countries where you are working, there is quite likly someone here who can give you recommendations of labs that they have found acceptable.

Sirius Glass said:

I stopped using Dwanye's because they would change the color of the red rock on the ground in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona to light green when they would develop and print my color print film. I would then have to send at my expense the negatives, scan disk, and prints back for them to get it right. Sometimes I had to send the same batch back more than once.

Dwanye's also would add dirt to the slides that they processed at no extra cost!

Even the worst one hour labs are better than Dwayne's.

Oh yes, Dwanye's does not send me a commission when I post comments about them, so there is no commercial ties between us.

Click to expand...

Regards the OP.....Pardon me for being absolutely No Help whatsoever, but.....this Really Appeals to my Dry/Dead-Pan sense of humor.
Thank You For Posting

CMoore said:

Regards the OP.....Pardon me for being absolutely No Help whatsoever, but.....this Really Appeals to my Dry/Dead-Pan sense of humor.
Thank You For Posting

Click to expand...

You are welcome. I am glad that I help you get your money's worth from APUG.