Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Interesting. This has recently become an "issue" that's important to me. Up to this past summer, I shot color in digital, and B&W in traditional films that I would soup myself. Now, I just don't have the energy (due to illness) to soup my B&W film - I have an embarrasing pile of the stuff yet to be developed :-( So I've started shooting XP2 and having it developed for me, using 4x6 prints for proofing. I have a bunch of it in the freezer, and so far, it seems to do the trick well enough. Ok not well enough, but I'll take what I can get at this point :-) I've spoken to the guy at the local Ritz down the street about properly processing/printing XP2, and he seems sensitive to the issue, and I don't get any weird blue or green prints that I've gotten in past years. I've also got some Fuji chrome film (Velvia 50 and Provia) and some Fuji mailers, but I've had a *HELL* of a time scanning slides that even *remotely* resemble what they look like through my Mamiya loupe. Maybe I need more practice here - don't know. But my health is starting to look up, and maybe I'll get back to good old traditional film grain soon enough! Since I got sick, I've learned that a big advantage of living in a big city is access to a wide variety of medical specialists. Now I can add access to C-41 processing :-) Scott Don Dory wrote: >Scott, >Your question gets to the heart of my question. In small towns I think that >the closing of minilabs will happen sooner than later. You will still be >able to get your digital capture printed, but C-41 films will have to be >farmed out probably to Kodak. In a more urban environment, I believe that >the current density of labs will thin out quite a bit. Here in Atlanta >where I live you probably could hit a C-41 machine every half mile on >average; however, I don't see much film hanging. Plenty of digital prints >but not a lot of film. > >I suspect that in the rural and very suburban enviromments, those labs that >have figured out new strategies to survive such as wedding, portrait, >retouching, restoration, novelties, scrapbooking, studio, custom printing, >digital printing will look at the time and expense of keeping the C-41 up >and running and at some point will decide to scrap the beast. > >I also suspect that the drug store lab will morph into your digital print >center and will lose the C-41 machine as well. For drug stores and even >Wal-Mart the print business is a lure to get people in the store. Once a >customer graces the front door, they are almost guarenteed a $50 basket at >the check out counter. > >Don >don.dory@gmail.com > > >On 2/22/06, Scott McLoughlin <scott@adrenaline.com> wrote: > > >>Is this mostly an issue in small towns or suberbs? >> >>At least the various Ritz cameras around downtown DC I >>sometimes use always have someone in the back working at the >>machine and cranking out prints. I don't know about the Penn >>Cameras downtown because the "guts of the operation" are not >>visible. But Penn is still renting out MF film gear, selling film >>including a reasonable selection of B&W films and 120 films, >>and so forth. >> >>Is this some kind of "special case"? >> >>Scott >> >>Don Dory wrote: >> >> >> >>>Adam, >>>The hassle of keeping your typical mini-lab C-41 up to snuff is no light >>>matter for the home enthusiast. Volumes start at about 10 litres and you >>>would have to run possibly 5 rolls a day to keep the chemistry fresh. >>> >>> >>Then >> >> >>>there is the rack maintenance to keep dried chemistry from scratching >>> >>> >>your >> >> >>>negatives. For the home, the Jobo system makes much more sense.. >>> >>>Don >>>don.dory@gmail.com >>> >>> >>>On 2/22/06, Adam Bridge <abridge@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>>If these minilabs start being sold maybe there's an opportunity there >>>>for a really wiz-bang home lab! >>>> >>>>On 2/22/06, Richard S. Taylor <r.s.taylor@comcast.net> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>(snip) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>So, those of you who use C-41, how busy are your labs? >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>Don - The short answer is not very busy at all, at least as far as >>>>>C-41 processing is concerned. I would guess that part of his >>>>>business has dropped to about 25% of what it was at its peak. To >>>>>survive, he has had to change with the times. He (actually, one man >>>>>plus one gal on the counter) now offers a wide range of digital >>>>>printing services, portraiture, sports and wedding photography, photo >>>>>copying and restoration, and does a lot of commercial business as >>>>>well as the retail he started with. >>>>> >>>>>He seems committed to keeping the C-41 service alive and long may he >>>>>be successful. His product is superior to either of the two local >>>>>alternatives, a CVS and a video store. >>>>> >>>>>I processed my own B&W film (35, 120, 616, 116) for years. Now the >>>>>convenience of C-41 really appeals, particularly since the shop does >>>>>good work and deals with the hassle of scanning all the negatives. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>(snip) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>Don >>>>>>don.dory@gmail.com >>>>>> >>>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>>Leica Users Group. >>>>>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>-- >>>>>Regards, >>>>> >>>>>Dick >>>>> >>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>Leica Users Group. >>>>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>Leica Users Group. >>>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>Leica Users Group. >>>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >>> >>> >>> >>-- >>Pics @ http://www.adrenaline.com/snaps >>Leica M6TTL, Bessa R, Nikon FM3a, Nikon D70, Rollei AFM35 >>(Jihad Sigint NSA FBI Patriot Act) >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>Leica Users Group. >>See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > -- Pics @ http://www.adrenaline.com/snaps Leica M6TTL, Bessa R, Nikon FM3a, Nikon D70, Rollei AFM35 (Jihad Sigint NSA FBI Patriot Act)