Quality of E-6 processing?

[Ronald_H]

Last year I bought 10 rolls of Agfa Precisa CT-100 for little money. Expiry was somewhere in 2008, so I thought it a good deal. Of course I knew Agfa was dead.

To put it bluntly: Results were very disappointing. Low resolution, highlights blew at the slightest provocation. I burned rolls in all the film cameras I currently own (Nikon FM, FE, Olympus Mju-II, Minolta Dynax 7) and results were consistently bad.

I also bought a new Nikon Coolscan V last year and started scanning my older (1998-2001) slides. Most, if not all, of this was shot on cheap HEMA (Dutch department store) film. Results were frankly excellent!

I have yet to shoot a full roll of Fuji Sensia (most of my film work is B/W) but I wondering if it was not the film, but simply the processing? My local lab has retired their E-6 machine due to lack of volume. I had a few films done there, and a few via a local photostore. Results were bad in all cases.

So, has anyone noticed a drop in E-6 processing quality?

 

[Trius]

Unless the film was stored badly prior to your purchase, it's the processing. Precisa was a good film.

 

[fbf]

I love shooting slide but the processing price is just ... 12.95$ for 35mm, 7.95 for 120. (NY)

 

[TheHub]

E-6 is quite good in Japan. If I drop off some slide film before 1pm I can have it back the next evening - from both Fuji and Kodak.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I must be fortunate that here in Orlando we have two places that do 1-2 hour E-6 turnaournd, excellent QC, $5- per roll.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Bob, you sure are lucky. Orlando is lucky. Here in North Miami we had 2 E-6 labs with two hour processing a decade ago. Both gone! Even back then it cost more than $5. It's getting difficult to even find film locally, other than Kodak Gold at the drug stores.

 

[Ronald_H]

Slide film is still available in most photography related shops here (The Netherlands), but they do look at me if I'm a bit odd when I order it. The HEMA department store has only just stopped offering their slide film and B/W seems on the way out too (pity, it was rebranded Ilford).

There is NO fast E-6 processing left nearby (nearby as in drop it before work and pick up after). E-6 processing is available anywhere where you can have film processed (a.k.a every supermarket and drugstore who obviously uses the big Fuji and CEWE labs).

Anyway, I have finished a roll of Sensia which will go to Fuji in a few days.