who process negatives at grocery store?

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ywenz

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I think most people here scan their negatives, so how many people here actually take their B&W rolls to the local grocery store to get the negatives developed? Versus taking it to a professional photo lab? I paid $10 to develop a 24exp roll at a professional photo lab and I just found out the grocery store down the street charges $2.00.

Any horror stories from these grocery store photo labs?
 
I develop my own B+W negatives but take any colour negatives to the grocery store to process. It is a new store. They have the most modern machines, and they have a satisfaction guarrantee on their prints.

I use medium format for any paid work in colour, and it goes to a pro lab.
 
I would never let anybody else process my b&w; but I send 35mm colour to the grocery store, because I don't take the colour stuff seriously.
 
ywenz said:
I think most people here scan their negatives, so how many people here actually take their B&W rolls to the local grocery store to get the negatives developed? Versus taking it to a professional photo lab? I paid $10 to develop a 24exp roll at a professional photo lab and I just found out the grocery store down the street charges $2.00.

Any horror stories from these grocery store photo labs?
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Are we talking about true BW or the chromogenic stuff (i.e. XP2)?

I often take test chromogenic BW rolls to my local grocery store. The prints may come out with a green tint, but the price is good and they do it in a half hour.

I want to develop my own BW, but my dormitory doesn't approve of me having the required chemicals to do my own work :(. So for now, I take it to a lab that does it for $5.
 
If i'm doing color at the grocery store, is there a lot of room for an unskilled operator to screw up the "processing the negative" part? Or is it that once the film is exposed, any variations of the processing quality will end up with negatives of equal quality?
 
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I've used my grocery store for color negs a few times and the results haven't been any worse than a wolf/ritz type place. They get the negs done while I shop. It may not be the best, but it sure is convenient.

I develop my own B&W.

Dave
 
I have a local pro lab nearby that'll do c-41 dev only, no prints for about $2-.
 
ywenz said:
how many people here actually take their B&W rolls to the local grocery store to get the negatives developed?
Click to expand...

Do any supermarkets or mini-labs do B&W at all? (I assume you mean real B&W, not the chromogenic B&W.)

Any horror stories from these grocery store photo labs?
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After a change of personnel at a Target' store, (I take everyday stuff to mini-labs, semi-serious stuff to an indie shop) I started noticing scratches (more like one long scratch in places) on my negatives, and I was almost blaming the motor-rewind on the Olympus. For some reason I took one roll to Wally World and it was amazingly free of scratches. I told the "manager" at Tar-jhay (a kid about half my age at most) about it and he didn't seem too concerned. :(
 
I have used Costco for C-41 BW negatives. I request them not to cut the negs so i can cut into strips of 6 at home. My local store does a good job for about $3.00. I than scan the ones I want to print or go into my darkroom for wet prints. Most of my BW work is done on regular BW film which i process myself.

leo
 
jan normandale said:
Hi Kin

Excellent price, who would that be??

Jn
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Oops. Make that $3.50 CDN. The labs called Phoenix Pro Labs (www.phoenixprolabs.com) in the plaza at the corner of Markham and Sheppard.

It's $2.50 for 120 if you order prints, otherwise also $3.50. Their prints are about $.50 ea.
 
I develop my own b/w. If the color or chromogenic b/w photos are extra special, I take them to the lab. If not, I usually look for a place with new, Fuji Frontier equipment. Had good results from the local Walmart (but the lines can be long). The new Walgreen's nearby had the same equipment, but there was a long scratch running the length of the strip.

There is a lot of variation from place to place, and between operators, and between different types of equipment. Try out different places with test rolls and see what you prefer.
 
ywenz said:
what is the difference between "real" B&W and chromogenic B&W?
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let's see if I get this straight... chromogenic means film that is designed to be processed in a standard color bath (C-41) yet will give you actual black and white prints without any serious color tint

a lot of photography enthusiasts process their own b&w film at home because it's relatively cheap and easy.. and since most casual photographers (meaning, not us) only shoot color, and enthusiasts are processing their own, most grocery stores/drugstores/WallyWorld/Target don't see much b&w film coming in.. so they only process C-41 in-house.. any b&w film is sent to a different lab

so, film manufacturers have found a compromise for those of us without a darkroom at home who still want to shoot b&w but don't want to wait a week for our prints.. C-41 chromogenic film
 
ywenz said:
how many people here actually take their B&W rolls to the local grocery store to get the negatives developed? Versus taking it to a professional photo lab?
Click to expand...

None of the grocery stores I know of develop b&w and none of the photo labs I know of sell groceries. It works out to my advantage I think.
 
ywenz said:
If i'm doing color at the grocery store, is there a lot of room for an unskilled operator to screw up the "processing the negative" part? Or is it that once the film is exposed, any variations of the processing quality will end up with negatives of equal quality?
Click to expand...


While the machine that processes the film is basically automatic, there is still a lot of room for screw-up's in the way the unskilled operator maintains the machine, and the chemistry. Improper loading can scratch the film, improper chemical replacement can cause color shifts or density variations in the negatives, and improper handling of the processed negatives taking them from the machine to the cutting sleeving table can scratch the film.
 
JoeFriday said:
let's see if I get this straight... chromogenic means film that is designed to be processed in a standard color bath (C-41) yet will give you actual black and white prints without any serious color tint

a lot of photography enthusiasts process their own b&w film at home because it's relatively cheap and easy.. and since most casual photographers (meaning, not us) only shoot color, and enthusiasts are processing their own, most grocery stores/drugstores/WallyWorld/Target don't see much b&w film coming in.. so they only process C-41 in-house.. any b&w film is sent to a different lab

so, film manufacturers have found a compromise for those of us without a darkroom at home who still want to shoot b&w but don't want to wait a week for our prints.. C-41 chromogenic film
Click to expand...

You are corrrect. However, while slightly harder, processing Chromogenic b/w film at home is quite simple and easy, and you will get better results than at a "grocery store" lab. Processing kits are readily available. You use the same reel and tank you now have, as well as the same thermometer.
 
One thing I've noticed since the rise of digital the quality of conventional labs seems to have improved a lot. We've had one or two high profile bankrupcies in the UK maybe that helped. By the way process only in the UK is $8-9 approx. but you do get a free constitutional monarchy


Toby
 
"What I don't do, dosn't happen" :angel:

That means NOBODY screws up for me. I am a poor delegator, but my "stuff-ups" are minimal and because I am responsible, I am the first to know and can act promptly to correct a problem, if possible.

Nobody's service is faster than mine and I am even open on the week end.

PHILOSOPHY:
I tend to own the best gear money can buy, so why let some unskilled jerk in a grocery store stuff it all up in the processing?

If an unskilled jerk is going to stuff anything up, let it be me behind the camera!
 
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