Where is the most economical place to send slide film?

68degrees

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Im looking for a place to process slides like the old days where you j ust drop it off at the drug store and then pick it up all nice box of slides ready for projecting. It used to be like 3 bucks. Is there anyplace now that can do that? Florida here.
 
Not for that price. For E-6 processing you need to really shop around since you are putting the final image in the hands of someone who may or may not know the chemistry.

The key is finding a place that has a high volume of E-6 coming through. This is because E-6 chemistry needs to be replenished regularly. On top of the chemistry replenishment, the machines need to be cleaned daily. If you go the least expensive route, you are risking losing the quality that slide film can deliver.

These days, E-6 processing is going down the tube for all but the largest markets. Digital has taken over the color process and there are so few photographers using slide film that the labs which still have good quality control store up maybe 20-50 rolls over a period of a week or two to maximize the freshness of the chemistry. Labs save money this way and photographers get better results. If you find someone who says they can do it same day or within a few days, on a regular basis, all the time, walk away. You'll get stains on your slides and they may not be fixed or bleached properly. Maybe have them develop a junk roll.

I know of four labs in the country that I have used and that I trust, though I'm sure there are more. One in NYC, one in Philadelphia, Dwayne's in Kansas and Specialty in Santa Barbara, California.

As far as price goes you're going to be paying close to $10/roll for developing and mounting. There is more labor involved with slide processing so it's inherently more expensive.

Good luck and if you find a reliable lab in your area, post a photo and your opinion of service and QC here in the forum. Reliable labs with good QC are becoming scarce, so if we know where they are, we can help keep them open.

Phil Forrest
 
Holland Imaging here in Texas does E6 for $9.99 - next day turn around. Never disappointed me yet.

You'll pay $9.99 or more for crappy drug store prints, so the same price for mounted slides with a quick turn around is a bargain I think.
 
I couldn't figure out what "mount only uncut rolls" means. Nor was it clear whether $8.25 gets me just a strip of developed 135 slide film, or if it's at least put into sleeves. In any event, this is good to know.
 
is that 120 mounted or just strips?

135's are mounted. For 120 I always request the strips cut dependent on frame size (4/6x6 or 2/6x9). You could request mounting I imagine.

Please excuse the about the broken link. The linking function dogged me on my handy.
Here is the full Panda Photo site.
I live in Seattle now but have mailed in to them in the past when I lived out of the area.
A Great lab and well worth supporting. Killer printing service available as well.
 
Thanks kxl, for the NorthCoast plug. I looked at all the sites from the previous thread and NCP seemed the best one for me. I'm glad to hear that they are good.

And Roger, I've done it in the past so I guess I can still buy the chemicals. I just do so much B&W that I like the rest of sending color out.
 
I recommend AgX imaging in Sault St. Marie, MI.
Call Mike Lussier (906) 632-1850. He is the owner and the sole employee.
Mike handles ONLY E6. No C-41, nothing else. Slides are his passion.

If you don't want the slides mounted, the cost is $7/roll of 35mm film, and $6/roll of 120. They come on a long sleeve, coiled up against a cardboard core. If you want the slides mounted, for about $9, he will mount them in thick plastic GEPE mounts which are the most rigid glassless mounts I've ever seen. They are so thick however, that the slide feeder on my Nikon Coolscan 5000 won't work with them. Hence, I tend to order the uncut film instead. He can also cut them into strips and sleeve them if you wish. Just call him.
 
I should clarify - that's $9 (and change) to have the 35mm film developed and mounted into the plastic GEPE mounts. That's a total charge, not an additional charge.
 
Fujifilm printing service through Walmart (send-out):

135 slides, cardboard mounted, $6.88 + tax
120 slides, $4.88 + tax

If you can put up the 10-14 days of processing time.
 
I've used Panda and have been very happy with the results - both developing slides and having a 16x16 analog print made on fiber paper. They actually had a few versions of it and choose my favorite. Great work.

I don't shoot slides often. I should run a few rolls and send them their way again soon.
 
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