Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/09/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bill, in this country most labs set up a "Master" channel using a Kodak film, usually Gold 200. Then all the other emulsions are offsets from that starting point. Therefore, unless the lab specifically sets up a print channel for the four layer Fuji films using standard negatives typically "Trudi's" you will almost never get a good print from the Fuji films as the fourth layer almost acts as if there were color crossover issues. Likewise, a lab set up on Fuji films finds it difficult to print the new Kodak Supra films. A really good lab tech can get you good prints but they are rare and hard to find. A saving grace is that the really new printers on the market such as the Fuji Frontiers have outstanding analytical capability and will with some supervision give you good prints. The upscale Agfa printers also do a good job across the line. Stay away from labs that use a "unichannel" system as the further away from the standard you go the worse it gets. Advice: 1) Find a lab that uses Fuji films to set up their equipment. In the US that would be Ritz and Wal-Mart for the mass chains. 2)Find a smaller lab with a dedicated owner or tech that will take the time to set up their equipment properly. Check their charts, are they flat and centered on the 0 line or do they bounce around all over the place? How often do they rebalance the equipment using standard negatives? Do they set up after each emulsion change in the paper? 3) Search out a Fuji Frontier in your area and patronize that location. Don Dory dorysrus@mindspring.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html