Don't do what I did!

[SteveYork]

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I just got back from the Baltic where I shot about 20 rolls and that's good, because I've shot very little film these last two years. I just got back from my developer after telling them to "make two each -- 5x7s" -- and that's bad, because 5x7 cost 5x a 4x6 print. Just thinking about the math makes me cringe. I knew 5x7s were more expensive, but not five times as much. What's the world coming to?

 

So the bottom line of my story is that I could almost have purchased a used lens for what I paid to develop 20 rolls. No one to blame, but myself. And to make matters worse, the pictures were only family snap shots, nothing of any value, because I haven't been shooting much and my eye has gone south. Sometimes you just have to laugh, because if you don't, you may cry.

 

The postscript of the story is that I saw one M user during my two week trip -- a lady with an old black M3 or M4 in Gdansk, Poland. Most everybody else was digital.

[stunsworth]

Try Jessops, there's not much difference in price - certainly not 5 times.

[earleygallery]

Who did you use?

 

I'm guessing if you used a pro lab the 5X7's might be hand prints as opposed to machine 6X4's.

 

Snappy Snaps - who I've used and are excellent - charge £10 for 1 hr D&P to 6X4 and £14 for 5X7's.

[robert_parker]

If there isn't a Snappy Snaps nearby, Boots the Chemist offer a good one hour service, with images scanned to disk thrown in

[mongrelnomad]

No. No. NO!

 

If you value your negatives (and the associated memories), DO NOT USE A HIGH-STREET LAB!

 

Snappy Snaps, Jessops and Boots have all at some point destroyed a roll of film for me. So much so that I exclusively use Metro in the UK. My god are they expensive, but you really get what you pay for.

 

Here in Israel though I use a place called Fotogen - very good and very reasonable. (If anyone wants to send a film to try: +9723-6299102)

[andybarton]

AFAIK, Metro no longer process film.

 

There are fewer processing places on the High Street every week. Even our local Sainsbury's refitted 6 months ago, has already got rid of their lab. It's now a place to get house keys cut.

[Guest trix]

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I?

 

And to make matters worse, the pictures were only family snap shots, nothing of any value, .

 

 

 

20 years from now these "family snap shots without any value" will be worth a million words and your "serious stuff" will be without any value.

And with two hardcopies chances are good that you will even be able to view them ;-)

[stunsworth]

As the previous poster says, you'll look at the 'snaps' in 20 years time with affection, while the 'arty' shots will have been forgotten.

[ndjambrose]

AFAIK, Metro no longer process film.

 

There are fewer processing places on the High Street every week. Even our local Sainsbury's refitted 6 months ago, has already got rid of their lab. It's now a place to get house keys cut.

 

Lucky you're wrong then :-)

 

Metro do process film. I get all my stuff done there. Just dropped off 40 rolls a few days ago.

[moikle]

According to Steve's profile he lives in Florida so Jessops and Snappy Snaps might prove more expensive ;-)

 

Mike

[earleygallery]

According to Steve's profile he lives in Florida so Jessops and Snappy Snaps might prove more expensive ;-)

 

Mike

 

Maybe not,

 

Taking the Snappy Snaps £10 for 6X4's if he paid 5 times that for 5X7's he would have paid a total of £1000 for his D&P, so he could afford the airfare to London, D&P at Snappy Snaps and probably have enough left over for a hotel room, a meal out and a few pints of English ale!!

[masjah]

Am I just lucky then? I've settled on an independent local lab, who will do me a 36 exposure colour film with 9x6 prints on a Frontierlab machine for about £10, and look after my film properly. For another two pounds or so they will throw in the "viewing" CD.

[moikle]

Maybe not,

 

Taking the Snappy Snaps £10 for 6X4's if he paid 5 times that for 5X7's he would have paid a total of £1000 for his D&P, so he could afford the airfare to London, D&P at Snappy Snaps and probably have enough left over for a hotel room, a meal out and a few pints of English ale!!

 

Just goes to prove that I was not thinking positively! Some years ago I lectured one of our protoyping engineers in the art of positive thinking, he was reknown for giving negative reponses when asked when the prototype would be finished. He listened intently and nodded "I understand" he said. Then came the classic line "I can tell you you positively ain't gonna get it when you want it".

 

Mike

[chris_livsey]

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[AndrejP]

I need to say it, because i think that most people dont know it:

 

Developing machines, like Noritsu need to develop at least few 10 negative film rols per day, (it is said cca 30-50, depending on machine type) to achive normal developing and good negatives. At this days most small photolabs develop around 5 rolls per day, which is not even near to that. Chemestry needs to be changed practicly every day,..but in most photolabs it is not. I have noticed that quality of my films has droped dramaticly. First i tought,...ok, film is not what it used to be,..it is made in Mexico nowdays,..jadajada,... But film is ok,... developing is, what is not. The last good developed film i got was around 3 years ago.

 

Slides are different however. In Slovenia, i think that there is only one E6 developer left. It makes sense if i conclude that it is busy.

 

If you ask me, shooting slides and scanning at home is the way to go. Velvia is expensive as hell, good scanner and e6 developing to, that is true, but you get what you are paying for. C41 is dead and allready part of the history at least at smaller photolabs in small towns.

[abrewer]

I would march straight back into that store and demand to speak to the manager or owner.

 

That is ridiculous.

[jacarape]

No. No. NO!

 

If you value your negatives (and the associated memories), DO NOT USE A HIGH-STREET LAB!

 

Snappy Snaps, Jessops and Boots have all at some point destroyed a roll of film for me. So much so that I exclusively use Metro in the UK. My god are they expensive, but you really get what you pay for.

 

Here in Israel though I use a place called Fotogen - very good and very reasonable. (If anyone wants to send a film to try: +9723-6299102)

 

Hey Julian,is Jurgens on Ben Yehuda still there? Or "The Lab" they did all my b+w, excellent.