Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]John, > I feel rather sheepish saying this in the company of the LUG, but I don't > have a darkroom or access to one. I feel that has restricted me to consumer > level print films. (Maybe this an "amateur" mindset I need to break). No reason to feel sheepish. If you do not have a darkroom, you find a good lab that you trust. The mindset has nothing to do with whether the films are amateur or pro. > For > color print, I've been using Fuji 400 and rather like it, except for the low > light stuff. For low light color, I've tried the Kodak Max 800 (based on a > very positive review in Popular Photography, FWIW) and Konica 3200 to mixed > results. The Konica was butchered at a "custom lab", which was a shame, > having contained the last Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade. The Max > 800 just it's grabbing me. Then try the Fujicolor Press 800. > So my re-focused questions are: > - With no access to a home lab, do I switch to a professional-grade > (refrigerator) film? If yes, which are recommended? Best sources and > prices? (BTW, how do you handle the stuff?) If your lab butchers amateur film it will also butcher pro film. The pro film is not "better" in most cases, it is simply made to tighter tolerances and is designed to be used and processed quickly, as opposed to amateur film which is expected to sit in the camera for months (the average buyer of film shoots 5-6 rolls per year). > - Do I stop messing around with minilabs for development? How to chose a > good lab in rural Oregon? Are there reasonable mail-order alternatives? This is the critical part, I think. Maybe Mark Rabiner can help--I think he lives in Oregon too. > - If I move the purchase of a home darkroom up before a Summilux-M 35 (damn > things will be all snapped up, I fear), how do I achieve satisfactory > results with color? If you want good color negatives, that is easy. Buy a Jobo processor (consistency and temperature control are crucial here), find a dark space to load your film into the tank, and away you go. The printing of those negatives is more challenging. You need an enlarger with a color head, a print processor etc. I personally print my negatives from my computer after scanning them in. But there are people on the LUG who feel that this is not doing justice to my Leica lenses. Nathan - -- Nathan Wajsman Overijse, Belgium General photo site: http://belgiangator.tripod.com/ Belgium photo site: http://members.xoom.com/wajsman/ Motorcycle site: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/1704/