Bad News

[Harlee]

Yesterday I went to a local Walmart Marketplace store here in Orlando to get some film developed, and noticed the processing machines were no longer there. I thought this must be a decision the local mgr. has made, or perhaps they were being upgraded. But in talking with the clerk, I was informed that the Marketplace Walmarts will no longer process 35MM film.

I therefore went to a second Walmart Marketplace store and was told the same thing. I fear this is just another nail in the coffin for 35MM users like myself. While I do have 4 digital cameras, including some excellent ones, not the little slip in the shirt pocket type, but I still shoot 35MM 95-97% of the time.

On the other hand, in looking through a photo magazine at the doctor's office, I saw an advertisement for some new Kodak film they are now marketing. So hopefully, the lid isn't quite in place on the coffin!

 

[jplomley]

Fuji Provia 400X, the re-introduction of Velvia 50, new Tmax 400. Film is far from dead.

 

[Todd Frederick]

I used to use Wal*Mart for film processing but that has been some time ago. I'm not sure how a "Marketplace" Wal*Mart differs from the other stores.

I use C-41 B/W film and I get very good service at Walgreens Drugstores and they provide good quality CDs. I also get no BS about, "What kind of film is this?" They also had many rolls of real film hanging so it seems many people still use film.

I do some digital post-processing for a good friend and fine photography in the Miami area, who turned me on the using Walgreens. See his blog here for samples of his super wide angle film self-portraiture: http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com/

All of his photos were captured with a Voigtlander Cosina L and a CV 15mm lens with Kodak Gold 200 (consumer pack) and tweaked in Photoshop by me.

If I get back into wedding photography I plan to go back to film use since I seem to get better quality at capture than with digital SLR. I can still get CD's made from the film and do digital post process ing from the film.

Could you give more info on this?

I think that many of these corporate decisions are made by MBA's from Harvard who don't know one end of a film camera from the other and couldn't care less!

Yesterday I went to a local Walmart Marketplace store here in Orlando to get some film developed, and noticed the processing machines were no longer there. I thought this must be a decision the local mgr. has made, or perhaps they were being upgraded. But in talking with the clerk, I was informed that the Marketplace Walmarts will no longer process 35MM film.

I therefore went to a second Walmart Marketplace store and was told the same thing. I fear this is just another nail in the coffin for 35MM users like myself. While I do have 4 digital cameras, including some excellent ones, not the little slip in the shirt pocket type, but I still shoot 35MM 95-97% of the time.

On the other hand, in looking through a photo magazine at the doctor's office, I saw an advertisement for some new Kodak film they are now marketing. So hopefully, the lid isn't quite in place on the coffin!

 

[Brennotdan]

oh man, now I have one less place to have my film scratched and lost !

 

[cmedin]

Is "Marketplace" those small Wal-Marts that are mostly for groceries?

My local Wal-Mart does a pretty decent job, though they struggle to print and scan XP2 well.

 

[Al Kaplan]

I suspect that with every Walgreens and CVS drugstore, at least here in South Florida, having a 24 hour a day one-hour lab the market is a bit saturated. Also, it's hard to go more than ten or fifteen blocks without seeing one. As for Walmart, what they're probably hoping is that when you go to one of their big superstores you'll hang out, wander the aisles, and find plenty of things to buy while you're waiting for your prints. At the smaller places that ain't going to happen.

 

[Todd Frederick]

Chromogenic Mini-lab prints

Chromogenic Mini-lab prints

"...though they struggle to print and scan XP2 well."

I don't get any chromogenic film printed at any mini-color lab. They tend to have a color cast and the contrast is not handled well.

I get the film developed (no scratches so far at Walgreens) and have the images scanned to a CD. NO PRINTS!

I then take them home and work with them in Photoshop and make proof prints on the wonderful Epson PictureMate printer.

Here's a few samples. All of these were taken on the same day with a tiny Konica C35 I'm restoring, using Kodak BW400CN, processed and scanned to a CD at Walgreens, with minor post-processings in Photoshop.

 

[Al Kaplan]

(shhhhhh ~ you're not supposed to know this🙂 If you take decent pix, and bring in a steady amount of work, ask about the pro discount at Walgreens. It's in the 15 to 20% range and will work for processing at any Walgreens when they put your phone number in the computer. I always splurge and get an "index print" with the thumbnails of the pix.

 

[aad]

I've never seen a Marketplace Wal Mart-never heard of one 'til now.

I'd try Costco if one was around, but at $2/roll for 36 exposures, Walgreens is fine.

 

[vrgard]

Up here in the frozen northern reaches of the Yukon, all I have access to for 35 is Wal-mart. They produce a file of about 400kb per image. I've asked the techs if they can increase the depth of scan but they demurred. Ken Rockwell is getting much better (larger) file sizes from Costco in the lower 48, according to his website. What size files are you getting at Walgreen's, Wal-Mart (U.S.) My only alternative here is a pro lab which runs at about $30 bucks a 24 exp roll.

My Walgreen's scans are typically just over 1 MB per image. This is in Northern California. And I've recieved the same size scans at Walgreen's in Austin, Texas.

-Randy

 

[jan normandale]

Up here in the frozen northern reaches of the Yukon, all I have access to for 35 is Wal-mart. They produce a file of about 400kb per image. I've asked the techs if they can increase the depth of scan but they demurred. Ken Rockwell is getting much better (larger) file sizes from Costco in the lower 48, according to his website. What size files are you getting at Walgreen's, Wal-Mart (U.S.) My only alternative here is a pro lab which runs at about $30 bucks a 24 exp roll.

I don't know if there are Shoppers Drug Mart's in WH but in Toronto they process and scan 24/36 to CD with 1.0MB images and an index of thumbs for $2.99

I'd check London Drugs. I'd think they have something competitive.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Yesterday I went to a local Walmart Marketplace store here in Orlando to get some film developed, and noticed the processing machines were no longer there. I thought this must be a decision the local mgr. has made, or perhaps they were being upgraded. But in talking with the clerk, I was informed that the Marketplace Walmarts will no longer process 35MM film.

I therefore went to a second Walmart Marketplace store and was told the same thing. I fear this is just another nail in the coffin for 35MM users like myself. While I do have 4 digital cameras, including some excellent ones, not the little slip in the shirt pocket type, but I still shoot 35MM 95-97% of the time.

On the other hand, in looking through a photo magazine at the doctor's office, I saw an advertisement for some new Kodak film they are now marketing. So hopefully, the lid isn't quite in place on the coffin!

I would never go to a Walmart for that anyway. I know four people who took film there for processing and had bad experiences. With two of them, Walmart used their photos for advertizing, without their permission. Another guy got his film back with black spots all over it -- seems they didn't bother to clean the machine. The worst one though, was a friend who took them a roll that had a nude on it. Someone there made up his own copy and posted photos of the guy's wife all over the internet.

 

[Harlee]

Walmart Marketplace is owned by Walmart [obviously], but they don't sell clothing, tools, etc., strictly groceries. They usually have a green store front rather than the Walmart blue, and say in large bold letters, "Walmart Marketplace." Here in Orlando they had film and digital processing but no more. I've had good luck with a Walmart Superstore processing; the only problem there is that their machines are down a good share of the time and it takes weeks for them to get a service rep out and get them fixed.

Last summer shot an Indian engagement party, which by the way is a really big shindig. I used both digital and 35MM. Of course the battery in my Fuji
2900 went dead and I resorted to my tried and true SRT MCII, Minolta 50MM F1.2 lens with flash to finish up my shooting. I took the 35MM to a CVS Drugs for processing and they absolutely ruined my negs, Fuji 400. They were flat and washed out. To say the least I was rather ticked off. I saved what I could on my scanner and printer, but I vowed never to darken the door of a CVS again.

As of late I've gotten excellent processing from Walmart, but I've been carrying around a test roll of 35MM for two weeks waiting for their equiptment to get repaired. Every day I'm in there I check and they just shrug their shoulders and say "sorry."

"You must have patience Mr. Copperfield!" Thank you Uriah Heep.

 

[thawkins]

I gave up on Wal-Mart film processing due to poor attitude of the employees. I have used Walgreen pharmacy since. The results have been good. Last week they sent off a roll of Kodak T100 to an outside lab that processes real black and white. The prints came back in less than five days and the cost (for 24 exposures) was a bit over eight dollars. The prints are good, the negatives aren't scratched and I am pleased.

Tom

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I don't know if there are Shoppers Drug Mart's in WH but in Toronto they process and scan 24/36 to CD with 1.0MB images and an index of thumbs for $2.99

Some of you guys are lucky. Here in Minne-so-tah you're lucky to get processing and a low-res scan for under $8.00 that is actually decent.

I'm so afraid of shooting XP2 now; I've consistently gotten back really poorly processed C-41 B&W film, and there's no amount of ICE that will get rid of dye blotchiness.

It's hard to find anybody qualified to do these jobs. Slave wages. Practically non existing customer service. Of course, Superkapitalism could never turn to Third World ways.

Ok, off my soapbox now (checking if made you-know-where)

 

[hairy_paperclip]

I gave up on Wal-Mart film processing due to poor attitude of the employees.

Agreed. I have seen some excellent processing from them, but I have been turned off by the strange treatment I recieve from their employees. After shooting one of my friends' senior portraits recently I took a few rolls of fuji astia to get processed (I'd rather go to Tempe Camera, but I had a deadline).

I placed the film on the counter and after about five minutes a sleepy, husky sixteen year old emerged from the rear of the store, as if he had been disturbed from a deep hibernation. He wrapped the rolls with a meaty hand and tossed them into an alphabetically maked bin, silently staring at a computer for a good minute.

"Aaron?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like taking pictures or something?"

"Why?"

"'Cause you're in here like . . . all the time. Your stuff'll be done by like nine tomorrow, so you can get 'em then. Do you wanna memories CD?"

"Sure."

"OK."

He then ended the conversation with a click of the mouse and a somewhat hastened retreat to the break room. I didn't mind the attitude so much, until aftery they failed to meet the "promise time" (I gave them 12 hours) and presented me with a fifth set of negatives belonging to someone else (a Janet Carpenter?). Nevertheless, the negatives came out beautifully, even Janet's set which were evidently shot with a disposable camera at the Phoenix zoo.

 

[Bill58]

I've got a Kodak shop in the same bldg. where I work. A two hour wait is necessary for color, but their B+W sucks, so I gotta go to Seoul for that and it's two hours there too.

 

[Trius]

Drugstore/superstore processing is an individual thing. The Rite-Aid (formerly Eckerds) nearest me has a great track record ... no scratches, etc. A Walgreens and CVS near my work gave me back scratched negs, in spite of a young film enthusiast operating the machine at one of them.

Find the person who gives you consistent high quality and stick with that person. Accidents/mistakes do happen even with the best ... I recently screwed up two rolls of my own Tri-X due to senior moments. Sigh.

 

[Harlee]

I can't tell you how many times I've had a chat with our Walmart Superstore mgr., his name is "Dub." This is the south ya know! There has been times previously when I've had the same roll printed 3-4 times because they were so bad. I finally said to "Dub," 'ya know you're wasting my time and you're losing money!' 'You've got a bunch of kids back there who don't know what they're doing and couldn't care less.' He must have had a little chat with them cause the prints started coming out pretty decent.

I know a little about photography and developing, cause I was in charge of IBM's Space Guidance Center's photo lab in upstate NY on the night shift back in the 60's. Fortunately the system has changed a bit since then, as our 3000' rolls of 35MM film had to be developed in total darkness and every so often the film would break half way through processing, and you had very little time to locate the break, splice it together and get the developing going again. So the machines they use today are really a piece of cake and every neg should come back "picture perfect" so to speak.