First, thanks to all who've posted comments regarding film and
processing in the last few days in response to my "test" using Fuji
SuperHG 1600. Your comments have been enlightening and helpful,
and I appreciate having the opportunity to "pick the brains" of so many
knowledgeble and talented photographers.
Now, some additional comments on my part. [Garth, feel free to jump
in if any of the following is off-base, or if you have some other local
alternatives to suggest.] Btw, all prices stated below are for 24
exposure film (we seldom shoot 36's).
FILM:
We were happy with Kirkland (Agfa) print film, and were sad when
Costco discontinued it because of some deal with Kodak. Before that
deal, there was a *significant* price difference between Kirkland and
Kodak... around CDN$15 (US$10) for a 10-pack of Kirkalnd, and around
CDN$22 (US$15) for a 7-pack of Kodak (I think?). When you shoot an
average of 5-10 rolls of film a week (which we do during nice weather),
that adds up over time!
Since that deal between Costco and Kodak, the cost of Kodak has
come down a bit. IIRC, it's now around CDN$17 (US$12) for a 7-pack of
Kodak Gold 200. That's better, but *still* not quite what we were paying
for Kirkland. However, it's pretty competitive with what we were paying
for Konica (VX200) at London Drugs.
Was Kirkland film "inferior" to Kodak? Could be, but *we* didn't notice a
significant difference. Keep in mind that we generally do *not* enlarge
our photos (if we do it's only to 8x10), and most of our stuff is for
personal viewing (of 4x6 prints) or scanning and uploading to the Net.
IMHO, for these purposes, Kirkland film (and Costco processing) is
"good 'nuff."
PROCESSING:
Yesterday, on the way home from work, I stopped by McBain's Photo in
downtown Edmonton and wrote-down their processing costs. Upon
arriving home, I immediately proceeded to lose the piece of paper with
that information. (SIGH!) So, what follows is what my feeble, aged, and
failing memory brings to mind....
McBain's charges around CDN$12 (US$8) for C-41 processing. That's
the price whether it takes them 2 hours or 2 days to get the work done.
For E-6 processing, I think the price was around CDN$10 (US$7) or
thereabouts.
I asked the guy what it would cost for "processing only" and a contact
sheet. He replied that processing only is CDN$3.50 (US$2.30) which
isn't bad, but the cost of having a contact sheet done is CDN$15
(US$10)! ACK!!! That leaves the idea of going that route out of the
question, as far as I'm concerned.
By the way, I used to have my stuff done at McBain's, and I *will* state
that their work is pretty darned good! Is it "better" than what we get at
Costco for half the price? Again, in our opinion not really, given that
we're merely looking at 4x6 prints to decide what to scan and upload to
the Net.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
I *do* agree with those who suggested having a pro lab do the
enlargements if they are going to be framed. We've had enlargements
done by Costco, and the results were acceptable, but they *don't* do
any cropping or other "special" stuff so it's a what-you-get-is-what-you-
get situation. McBain's, on the other hand, does *really* nice
enlargements! Again, the cost is 'bout double, but it's worth it.
I also agree with those who said one needs to "form a relationship" with
one's lab. That's what we've done at Costco, and it goes a *long* way in
getting better results. As I said earlier, I'm convinced that the staff at
Costco give our film a little bit of extra attention, and they're *much*
more amenable to special requests (like running a neg through again to
adjust the color) when we make them. Also, I'm convinced that they put
our stuff at the front of the "queue" because we never have to wait more
than 'bout 30-40 minutes for our one-hour work. Before we "made
friends" it was always the full one hour, if not a few minutes more.
Making friends with the techs at McBain's is out of the question, as
their lab is "in the back" or somewhere else where us customers never
get. We did have a "friend-in-sales" at the McBain's on 107th Avenue,
but he's since left. I've never met any of the techs at McBain's, and
probably never will.
Btw, someone said that Costco may rotate staff through the photo lab
because it's high volume? Not so! There's 4 people working the lab at
the Costco we go to. They've been there ever since we've been going
there (somewhere 'round 8 months), and the manager used to be the
manager of a local pro lab.
So, there you have it. Yes, I agree there's lots of good reasons for
having a pro lab do the work, and pay the price differential. But, as well,
I humbly submit that there are times when the "discount" labs are the
suitable choice. And, as I stated above, just because it's a high-
volume, discount lab does *not* mean that the output is crap! That
holds true *especially* if you take the time to "make friends" with the
staff.
Just my humble opinion. YYMV, of course!
Regards,
Chris
---
I'm *not* a Zuikoholic.... I'm a Zuikohobbiest!
Chris O'Neill (coneill@xxxxxxxxxxx)
http://www.nucleus.com/~coneill
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