Ritz/Wolf better than Walgreens?

[schow]

Hey folks,
well, I received my negatives from Walgreens today and La Dee Dah there are fingerprint smudges all over my negs.

Which brings me to the question, are Wolf/Ritz any better at handling, developing, and printing than Walgreens? I see them around, but how good are they?


schow

 

[dazedgonebye]

I think it's down to who's at the machine at the time, no matter where you go.

 

[vrgard]

I think that's, sadly, probably right. The Walgreens near me does a pretty good job. Of course, I've worked to make the machine operators my friends. Doesn't mean they know anything more about what they're doing, but does raise the odds that they'll listen when I ask them to handle my stuff carefully.

 

[schow]

I think it's down to who's at the machine at the time, no matter where you go.

Sure, I agree with you there. But relatively for the price do you get more of what you pay for at ritz/wolf than at walgreens? does anyone know if ritz/wolf has a slightly more rigorous hiring procedure?


schow

 

[dazedgonebye]

The people at the ritz near me are overall good. Every one seems to be someone with a real interest in photography.
I'd have to guess that improves your odds a bit, but again, it might not be like that at your ritz.
I have no idea about their hiring practices.

 

[vrgard]

I don't think ritz/wolf, in general, does any better job at hiring and/or training. The folks who work at the ritz near me are clueless while the folks who work at a ritz a bit further away are into cameras & photography. I think that when it comes down to punching buttons on what is essentially a computer in a large container (the processing lab unit), training is generally limited to which buttons to push for the typical job. And that's likely the same whether we're talking Walgreens or Ritz/Wolf. The exception, therefore, is when an individual working there has a personal interest which takes them beyond the minimum requirements.

 

[popstar]

I agree with those who say it depends on who is operating the machine at any given time. It helps to befriend those operators you can, but it is still a risk every time you go.

Just curious - Is there not an independent photo lab near you in central Florida? I know that can mean a large area, but if you're in the Orlando area, I'd guess there's a dedicated photo shop that could take care of you reasonably well. Some shops can be on the expensive side, but small doesn't necessarily equal expensive; sometimes it just means more care goes into processing your film. Just a thought... 🙂

 

[colyn]

As has been noted it's who is operating the machine. I never take my film to Walgreen's or CVS because every one I have tried mucked up my negs. I usually use a pro lab here in Fort Worth but when I need processing on the weekend I go to Wolf on University since they know me.

A note to anybody in Fort Worth: NEVER.....NEVER use the Wolf on Camp Bowie. That store is staffed by complete idiots. They don't even know the difference between Tri-X and T-Max..

 

[Trius]

I agree with popstar's recommendation to go to an independent lab. There are a few here (as you can imagine), ranging from amateur to semi-pro to pro. My default is an amateur lab near where I work. They have never mishandled my film, their scans (high res TIFF) are consistently good, and the price is reasonable. A roll costs about $10 for develop and scan (no prints); I know I could do better at a in-store minilab at a grocery store, drugstore, etc., but the quality and care of the employee of the day is not worth it except for throwaway test rolls.

 

[vrgard]

I use ritz because you can get "high resolution" scans.

Roland.

Hey, Roland, how "high" is the Ritz high resolution scan? The best I get from Walgreens is only about 1.5 megabytes.

Thanks,
Randy

 

[davidbivins]

In NYC I go to Alkit for color developing (I do the b/w myself). They are the least expensive non-drugstore lab in town that I've found. That said I got a slide back once with a big ol' fingerprint on it. I shoot very little color anyway.

 

[Gray Fox]

Ritz/Wolf

Ritz/Wolf

Ritz and Wolf do at least screen their employees for prior photo knowledge and o have a formal training program for their sales and lab personnel. One of the two stores near me can develop my 120 C41 in their machine, but not print, which is fine since I want to scan it anyway. Just got my first roll done from the Moskva 5 I got from Steve on this site. They did a good job in under two hours for a little less than $5. Another thing to consider is how well and how dilligently the personnel mix and replenish the chemicals at any lab. I make it a point to talk to the manager and politely let them know what my needs are and ask that they handle my negs with gloves, which they usually do, as I'm watching them roll the film when they give it to me. This relationship helps in other ways, too. Last month I went in and the manager had gotten a 20 roll box of 24 exp Superia that the Atlanta pro store was liquidating. He said I was one of his few customers who shoot film and he let me have the box for $25. I will admit it is sometimes hard to develop this kind of relationships these days, but it doesn't hurt to try.