Do labs make a difference in the negative

[Ponsoldt]

I do not know much about developing color film. I was curious if anyone has noticed a big difference in the negatives from a high end lab vs a walgreens, drug store , etc. I have noticed a big difference in prints but I am curious about the negatives because I am going to scan the negatives.

Bill

 

[kaiyen]

There shouldn't be any difference, no. The chemicals are the same, and the process is fixed. The only possible issue would be if they didn't keep the chemicals up to date, but that would be one horrible lab.

allan

 

[x-ray]

Even between pro labs there will be some differences. All should be within spec per controll strip readings with a densitometer but in reality there are differences, sometimes great differences. Low cost labs can be all over the spectrum.

 

[woodphoto]

Usually Mom & Pop labs are ok, I don't trust places like walgreens, or save-on. they have such heavy volume that the chemicals get weak.
One of my old photo classmates paid for school working in the photo dept at
save-on, he had some horror stories....
(tip, if you get a roll back and its clear, its because the film got ate by the chmicls or the machine (or lost it) and they ran a new unexposed roll in its place to give you.)
high end labs usually have the same machines as the smaller labs, just newer models.
Like anything just test them out and pick a place that feels good.
But the answer is no, there shouldn't be a difference.

 

[dmr]

But the answer is no, there shouldn't be a difference.

I think the real difference is that the pro labs are less likely to foul up or ruin your negatives than Walgreens or Wally World or Target' is.

The pro labs will pay closer attention to handling of film, the QA of the machine and the chemistry, and overall attention to detail.

Yes, the consumer oriented places can be inconsistent.

 

[kully]

As has been said - the cheaper, mass-processing places don't tend to handle the film as well. In my experience, all my rolls at Costco have had weird stains on the leader and sometimes the first frame or two and scratches and finger prints along the roll.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

The independents, whether high end or local, will know how to handle negatives and will know not to put thumb prints on your work.

 

[Stephanie Brim]

One thing about the Wal-Mart in Fort Dodge is that the woman who works there that I know had a darkroom herself once...she knows to keep the machines up well and I've never had bad results when SHE handled my film. I've had bad results when some of the student-types handled it, though, and now I try to go only when she's there or take my film elsewhere. The bad results happened *after* the images left the machines, though...as in some idgit, when sleeving the negatives, cut through the frame instead of through the area between frames. I was a bit pissed.

If the negatives are important to you, take them to a lab you can trust. I have the local Wal-Mart, but only because I know that at least one of the employees doesn't have her head up her you-know-where.

And if you want good prints, take the negatives to a pro lab. I have Wal-Mart give me a "contact sheet" with develop only. They're tiny, but they show if you've at least gotten things half right. 🙂

 

[Pherdinand]

There are definitely differences between them. It should be the same but it is not - it matters how often they refresh chemicals, how good the temperature control is, and so on.
And it also matters how the people handle the film; some of them don't care much and you get scratches, dust or even fingerprints.

 

[Stephan]

Most non professional C-41 labs suck and will scratch your negs (from not cleaning the processing machine regularly enough), and most pro c-41 labs are more expensive and will still screw up every once in a while. At least that's my experience here in Brussels: only 2 or 3 labs are really trustworthy and you need to look around a lot to find them. And labs that do BW processing usually don't fix the films half long enough :/


PS: I guess my answer to the original question is: yes, there is a big difference in labs.

 

[phototone]

Poor mini-lab management is the norm.

Poor mini-lab management is the norm.

There shouldn't be any difference, no. The chemicals are the same, and the process is fixed. The only possible issue would be if they didn't keep the chemicals up to date, but that would be one horrible lab.

allan

There are differences in the chemicals used in different C-41 color negative mini-labs. They do not all adhere precisely to the Kodak standard for C-41.

The main problem, though is operator inexperience. As an example, a couple of years ago my wife worked as a part-time clerk at a Walgreens here. Nobody wanted to work in the photolab, and they had a tremendous turn-over in personel, and workers were only given a day or two training. It is difficult to see how this would be adequate, and in practice, my wife told me that many many customers complained about the quality of the images.

On the other hand, the local WalMart Stupidcenter seems to do a good job.

Generally, the mini-lab equipment of all manufacturers is capable of giving excellent results with good chemistry and adequate operator training.