E6 Processing

Question for you guys who shoot E6 / slide film. I took my first roll to a local lab, who told me no one does E6 in the entire state any more, so they'd send it out. That's fine with me. What isn't so fine is that it will take 2 weeks and still cost $19.95 for development and scanning to a CD, no prints. I know 120 film and E6 are more expensive, but that seems a bit much to me. All I want is development and scans with enough resolution for large size computer display; I figure if I want a print I'll have it made from the actual film itself. So, can anyone recommend any good/cheaper mail-in processors?

And a semi-related question, I have a box of Velvia 100 on the way from Adorama. I've seen several pictures of people storing 120 film in refrigerators. Do I need to do that? Is the reason just to keep the chemicals more stable until you use the film? All the film stuff is new to me so I'm trying to learn about it.

Thanks for your help. I'm anxious to get that first roll back; when I do I'll share the results.

I send all of my E6 film to Photo Craft Imaging I don't do a lot of E6 shooting, but I have been very please with their service. They charge $4.90/roll of 120 film. The E6 developing is the only service I have used from them, but they do offer scanning, as well as printing services as well.

On a side note. I did take a roll of 120 E6 to the local Walmart a while back. The people working behind the counter had never seen or heard of 120 film. I wasn't surprised. They did however send the film out to their regular lab and they developed it just fine. It was pretty inexpensive too.

My local lab does mail in, www.borge.net.
$20 for processing, postage and scanning, might sound expensive but it is pretty resaonable.
Call them and check for prices.
Good luck!
Brian

Hmm. I've been able to find very cheap developing prices (as low as $3.50 at http://www.showprints.com/film_color.php ), and even very cheap print prices as well ($0.70 for 5x5 there), but everyone seems to charge $12 and up for scanning. I understand there's a little labor and time involved, but my gosh there's no expense to the process at all. I guess the labs realize a lot of people would like it and are trying to turn a big profit on it. Honestly, if I can get the things developed and printed for 50% of the cost, I can just scan the photo prints with my crappy scanner at home. Oh well.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. Mike, that's pretty surprising the Walmart people actually took it. Shocking, actually. The ones around here can hardly print an 8x12, so I'm not about to attempt to give them my 120.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brmill26

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. Mike, that's pretty surprising the Walmart people actually took it. Shocking, actually. The ones around here can hardly print an 8x12, so I'm not about to attempt to give them my 120.

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Yeah, I was a little surprised too. I knew they couldn't do it in house, so I made sure they called the lab they send film to when people don't want the the 1 hour processing. I think I had them call at least twice.

I do have a local guy who I use to scan 35mm slides. He charges me $2/slide and I get a 55mb file burned to CD from him. It's pretty inexpensive, but it does add up. I have spent a couple hundred dollars having him scan stuff for me. For a couple hundred more, I could have gotten myself a very nice film scanner and done it myself. I have boxes of old slides that my grandma took many years ago that I want to digitize. It would cost a fortune to have them done, so I can see a slide scanner in my future.

I have never had the local guy scan any MF film, but I'm pretty sure he can do it. Here is a link to his site if you want to contact him.

The lab I mentioned, upped their prices earlier this year for all processing.
About a year ago it was about $5.50, now it's $7.
I don't know what scanning is.
Brian

I guess I'm pretty lucky here. I have a local lab that will do it in a couple of hours for about $4 a roll (uncut, no scans). When I've gotten scans it was more like $10, and the scans were 6MP for 35mm, and pretty darn good. I've mostly done 36 exp rolls of 35mm, but I have done a couple of rolls of 120 and I think the price was the same. I'm not sure if they do mail order, but the link to their website is below. It might be worth sending them an email to ask. I've always had good service and they've never messed up a roll.

Paul

http://www.precision-camera.com/

Thanks for all your help guys! I think there are some cheaper, but still quality options out there to explore. A few bucks saved per roll adds up quickly for the student budget.

Better Image in Champaign, Illinois just merged with the on-line store http://www.netprintz.net. They have a very clean E-6 line that develops 35mm and 120.
the manager there is great with quanity discounts and works with people to keep prices down. Visit the website or phone them at 217-352-0213

Lots of Photo stuff for sale aqt this Ebay Store.
Check it out.

http://stores.ebay.com/NetPrintz-pho...ital-equipment
:aureola:

The E-6 process (often abbreviated to E-6) is a chromogenic photographic process for developing Ektachrome, Fujichrome, and other color reversal (slide) photographic film.

Unlike some other color reversal processes (such as Kodachrome K-14) that produce positive transparencies, E-6 processing can be performed by amateurs with the same equipment that is used for processing black and white negative film or C-41 color negative film. The process is sensitive to temperature variations; a tempered water bath is recommended to stabilize the temperature at 38 °C (100 °F) for the first developer and first wash to maintain process tolerances.

I always took mine to Wal-Mart and they sent it out. Yes two week turn around but cheap, $5.00 or so. But I scanned them at home. End the end I quit shooting E6 when I carried a heavy back pack hiking with a Mamiya and realized the difference in the digital shots I took and the E6 was just not that much, almost the same. I just hated the turn around time.

I live in Portland Ore. and our local lab Citizens Photo does E-6 and C-41 with Refrema Dip & Dunk machines which can handle up to 8x10 film and can also push and pull the film in 1/4 stop increments. Always good service. The also scan with an Imacon scanner. Citizens Photo .com 503-232-8501

I recommend oldschoolphotolab.com they are a small mom & pop lab and they will treat you right.