Questions about commercial processing of my films.

[footman]

Having sold all my digital equipment to fund a significant upgrade in my astrophotography gear I'm now making a cautious return to film photography. I will have to have my films processed commercially
and I've been looking at the various labs suggested on here in various posts. I'm somewhat overwhelmed by the choices, for example what res do I choose, jpeg or tiff, images on dvd vs cloud based and
there are other choices. I'd be grateful for any advice, my application for digital post processing will be DxO Photolab 3.

 

[FishyFish]

A few quick thoughts...

1. What resolution? That's up to you and what you want to do with the pictures. If you're just sticking them on Instagram then low-res files will probably be fine, but if you want to see more detail, or display or print them bigger, then go for higher res. Higher res files will cost more.
2. JPEG or TIFF? TIFF files will allow a lot more editing than JPEGs. TIFF files are usually more expensive though.
3. DVD vs cloud? Cloud will allow you to see your images as soon as the lab uploads them. With DVD you'll have to wait for it to arrive in the post. Cloud files are usually only stored by labs for a limited time, so you'll need to download your own copy if you want to keep them.

 

[Plain Nev]

Well, if you are prepared to post your films off you are really spoilt for choice. I think some labs are better than others, and occasionally you will hear horror stories of lesser known labs messing things up. But generally, if you stick to established names you won't go wrong. You will develop (no pun intended) your own preferences on that score. I use Exposure Film Lab in Hereford, because they have always given me good service. And they are close enough if I want to pop in myself.

TIFF files go without saying. They will give you much more latitude to tweak your scans. JPEG's will invariably be cheaper though. Personally I go for a medium scan TIFF file with neutral development, and download them once they are complete. They will send you a link. Other labs will not upload your scans, and only supply the files on a CD, which is fine. It's all a matter of preference.

Have fun. And don't get carried away. Because it's an expensive game.

 

[lindsay]

I have happily used FilmDev, AG Labs and Analogue Wonderland which all give me choices. You could do worse than try a few labs out with films that you are not too anxious about.