Got MY Prints AND My 120 negs Walmart

[kuzano]

Done both???/

Done both???/

A few questions for those who have done the envelope drop at walmart. Can you do both BW and color 120? Do you just ask for "develop only" on the envelope? Are you worried that you might never see your negs or anything again once you drop them in the box? And if not, why not? Thanks, looking forward to trying this out. Bob Nancarrow in Michigan.

I've done both, marking the custom section on the envelope either E6 or C41. My understanding is that Fujifilm does the C41 and sends out the E6, still doesn't effect the turnaround time of 10 business days in most cases.

I have marked the envelopes "process only, don't cut negs". My current understanding is that they won't do that, BUT HEY! if they want to send me the negs/transparencies properly cut, and prints for $1.46, Who am I to complain.

At least from this last roll, I learned from the prints that I need to do a manual exposure compensation, by fudging the ASA when I use my Auto Exposure AE100 Fujica lens. I would have had to do scans and print to make that determination. So the prints were an unexpected (cheap) bonus.

Regarding the possible loss of the negs, I am reluctant to step up on that question. It's never happened to me, but my photography is a very casual. If I had one or more extremely important image on a roll, I might pass on using Walmart. So far, I've only passed on Walmart to check pricing, and consistently, I've found that postage, Processing, scanning, no prints, and postage back often exceeds $20 with most other processing labs. Granted, I am not getting scanning with Walmart.

 

[van_d]

I was not intending to single you or your post out. I simply wanted to make sure others reading the post did not feel it reflected on Walmart.

This no negs back on 35mm is happening all over, and I gathered you felt that at well.

In concert with you, I also think the decision to throw away OUR negatives is simply ridiculous, if not bordering on unethical. Who, of us, ever gave away our rights to the negatives. We bought and own the film, and as a result of that we have the same ownership rights for the processed film, be it negs or transparency.

What other merchandise that we bring back into these people for tuning or maintenance, do they simply throw in the garbage.

It seems rather clear to me that not returning part of my film order is one of the biggest slaps in the face we are confronted with.

I also know full well that the only reason I am getting my negatives back on 120 film through Walmart is that neither Fuji nor Walmart are equipped, or prepared to scan my medium format film and put digital files on a CD. Considering I have to pay to have them scanned after, I might actually be OK with a CD in this case. But not to the extent of losing the original film processed into negs/transparencies.

Sucky, Sucky, Sucky.

I've luckily not had to deal with the no negs back thing. But I always send my film for processing to photography stores. Still costs under $4 for C-41 and B&W I now do myself for peanuts.

I'd still love it if somebody could explain the rational behind this. I don't get how any lab could justify not sending back the negatives? It is completely bonkers.