Over the years I have got pretty fed up with the varied quality of colour film processing - muddy colours and so on - that I have nearly given up on it. But colour prints are still useful. Should I:

a) choose a pro lab and pay three times as much?

b) put up with variable quality and have only the best two or three enlarged?

c) shoot on slides and print just the best?

d) scan and print them myself, or have them scanned then print them?

As a follow-up question, which colour print film do you favour as a all-round favourite?

-- David Killick (dalex@inet.net.nz), March 18, 2002

Answers

The best way to get color prints is to scan with a film scanner and then output on a Fuji Frontier for small format or Lambda/Lightjet for larger prints.

As for film, slides are much easier to edit and, frequently, easier to scan too.

-- Roger (roger@photo.net), March 18, 2002.

"varied quality of colour film processing - muddy colours "

You have to shop around, some very good, some very poor.

Look for labs using Fuji film processor, it has automatic reporting system back to Fuji about the condition of the chemicals to prevent operator from using stale chemicals to save money.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), March 18, 2002.

a) Choose a Fuji lab with a Frontier printer. I was in the same situation as you till I tried Fuji's latest and greatest. Simply awesome.

b) Never put up with second best. Pay what you have to (within financial means) to get the most out of your equipment.

c) Printing from slides on a Frontier is not impressive, but OK. I now get prints done by hand at a special lab using a process called "R3". Though I know nothing more about the process. Looks almost as good as ciba/ilfachrome. The prints look like slides on paper. Although, unlike a print from neg, you get slightly less shades. More contrast.

d) Scanning and self-printing is expensive to aquire the gear and to print. This comes down to personal expense and taste. Obviously you have more control, but at what price?

Lastly, I use strictly only Fuji Reala on print and Fuji Provia/Sensia II 100 on slide.

Good luck

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

The best way to get great color prints is to shoot a professional color negative film, have it processed by a good lab and printed by a skilled printer.

Too many labs just 'plug and chug' and don't give a crap, so they'll tell you lies about what they can and cannot do, or what acceptable results are. If you're not happy, have them re-do it, or give you a refund. A professional lab worth its salt will not argue, and many times they offer discounts to those who are loyal customers.

I don't know why color neg films get such a bad rap...there are certainly some dogs out there, but if what you want is prints in the end, I think a good negative film will be better than a slide film. Even William Eggleston, arguably one of the most influencial color photographers, has shot almost exclusively with negative films in the last decade, abandoning Kodachrome.

In the digital darkroom, there are some great performing printers and new archival papers out there now, and if you have the hardware to really do it right, go for it! My experience has led me to believe that you don't save much time and money when you factor everything in, and we have yet to see how long these prints will last, but time will tell.

For film, I like the Kodak Portra series, the Fuji films tend to be a little more blue/ magenta, but they are quite good as well.

In the end, you get what you pay for...edit in the viewfinder and make each one of those images count! It's a terrible thing to have a great picture ruined by a 1hour lab.

-- Carlin (carlinm@abac.com), March 18, 2002.

Scan and print yourself. Portra 160VC.

-- Peter Hughes (ravenart@pacbell.net), March 18, 2002.

I have never had much success printing off slides. Whats the secret involved in getting representative results?

-- Jay Bee (JBee193@aol.com), March 18, 2002.

a) choose a pro lab and pay three times as much?

You mean you're not using a pro lab already? Other people on this board have mentioned using consumer and 1 hour labs. I really don't understand the point of spending extra $$ on Leica glass and then dropping the film off to a Walmart or something.

-- richard (rvle@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002.

Can I get some help in locating a Fuji processing outlet in Northern NJ (Bergen County)? Went to the Fujifilm site and they do not have any sort of dealer locator for processing. I currently use a kodak premium processing place and want to compare the differences.

thx

-- Jay Bee (JBee193@aol.com), March 18, 2002.

I have never had much success printing off slides. Whats the secret involved in getting representative results?

With either slides or negs, go digital. A decent scan, Photoshop to correct the color and contrast and get rid of dust & scratches, output to Fuji Crystal Archive via LightJet, Fuji Frontier, ZBE Chromira, Noritsu 2901 or the like. You should be able to get the print to look exactly like the slide. It ain't cheap but the results are first-rate.

http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/HBIRD.JPG
This photo is unprintable via conventional means because of accumulated crud and scratches. The slide is over 30 years old but with the digital printing process the prints match the slide exactly (minus crud & scratches).

-- Douglas Herr (doug@wildlightphoto.com), March 18, 2002.

oops, here's the photo:



-- Douglas Herr (doug@wildlightphoto.com), March 18, 2002.

Appreciate your reponse Doug. Nice shot.

-- Jay Bee (JBee193@aol.com), March 18, 2002.

Richard and Carlin make great points. It is also the "person behind the printing" as well as "you get what you pay for".

It is also up to you to specifically ddescribe what you want prior to paying for it. This way, your expectations can be more easily met.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 18, 2002.

I opt for the cheap wal-mart up the street, they are the closest with a fuji frontier machine. It may not be the best around, but compared to any other machine, the fuji frontier gives the best of the "cheap" labs. Later I take the negs to a pro for anything to hang on the wall.

-- Chris Lutz (mesheca@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002.

I'm a 'do-it-yourselfer' when it comes to photography - so I combine c) and d)..

I mostly shoot slides (Velvia) but would use Kodak Supra 100 and 400 if I needed negatives.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), March 19, 2002.

Thanks for your answers. Though some of the one-hour labs can be fine, sometimes they're not - it's the inconsistency that's annoying. So I'll go to the more expensive pro lab mostly. I'll also try Fuji processing, Reala and Portra film, and do some more of my own inkjet printing when I get time. Doug: nice pic, luminiscent, it just has to be a Leica!

-- David Killick (dalex@inet.net.nz), March 19, 2002.