where do you get you colour slide film developed?

eddo123

eddo123

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Edward Fury
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Hello there. I have just started to look into large format photography, and i was just wandering where you lot get your colour slide film porcessed. Im after a consistently good service that others can reccommed really.

Cheers Edd
 
Back in the day I used Colab, now they've changed to Onevision imaging I've sent a few rolls of slide film to them and was still happy with the results.
 
I've sent mine to The Darkroom UK Ltd for a few years with good results. http://www.the-darkroom.co.uk Others I've read about include Peak Imaging and Palm. I think OneVision are concentrating on schools photography these days but I haven't used them since they screwed up a C41 film years ago.
 
I have looked at the darkroom and thought it sounded a good service. I dont really want to risk getting bad results, or the screwing the film up. 5x4 aint cheap!!
 
I have heard good things about CC Imaging based in Leeds, I am dropping a roll of for E6 processing on Friday.
 
have any of you lot used bpd photech for getting your 5x4 slides scanned. I am looking at them for scanning my sheets, and getting work printed through them. They boast some good clients aswell. Just thought id see if there any good.
 
Might be worth a PM to Ghandi, he's the only other person I know on here who does large format.
 
Thirded ^, they are the biz, not the cheapest but the best usually isn't, I have enough trouble fashioning a decent photo without processor error adding to the mix, that's why I use them, well that and they are the only walk-in E6 processor for many a mile.

I was there on Wednesday, usually they are really tidy, but that day they were putting up prints, and I've never seen so much 35mm film laid out ready to cut or mount, must have been a couple of hundred rolls:eek:, and they say nobody shoots film anymore.
They do a 2 hour turnround on E6, I dropped 3 rolls of 120 off at 3pm on Tuesday, he said they'll be ready by 5pm, I said I might not get back today, he said it doesn't matter they'll still be ready by 5, call back when you want...:shrug:
 
Just got a little slip in with my last batch of E6 120 film saying as of 1st of December this year DLAB7 will no longer be offering an E6 service.

Bummer, they were really cheap and quick too.


So... who shall I use next?
 
I've used Peak Imaging a few times and have nothing to complain about. I have to say I haven't tried anywhere else for comparison though. Just yesterday I sent off a package of 25 Velvia 120s - £71
 
Sky just off Oxford Street used to be good, as did Tapestry. Locally I sue Monolab for mono, obviously.
 
For all you guys who have used The darkroom in the past, whats the process?

Do I just mail them my 120 transparencies with a cheques and a covering letter and they send me them back?:suspect:

This sounds like such a rubbish question but I feel like i'm missing a form or something to fill in?:bonk:
 
i did wander that aswell, glad someone else has asked, need to send my first batxh of 5x4 film off soon
 
Only B&W for me so far, so I process at home and scan.

£2+ per shot for velvia is a bit rich for my blood until I've re-learnt all the things I've forgotten about film!

However, when Winterval is over and I have some more cash I plan on shooting a box of chrome and dev'ing at home. I already have my home-made-temp controlled water bath set up and tested so it's just a matter of time! (fish-tank heater & thermostat in a plastic storage box lol)

You can buy a 3 step kit that I think will do more than suffice!

Seriously? How hard can it be? ;) and I'd rather know that it was me who shagged it up rather than a lab or the postman losing it etc!
 
eddo123 said:
i did wander that aswell, glad someone else has asked, need to send my first batxh of 5x4 film off soon
Click to expand...

It turns out if you send it off to them with your cheque and a note they do what you ask them to and send it back with some order forms for next time :clap:

I've got to say the service was brilliant:

my illegible rushed handwriting and a cheque which I forgot to make payable to anyone :bonk:, plus 3 films = 3 sets of brilliantly proccessed 6x6 slides

prices are going up in January :gag: but they are doing discounts on 10 or more rolls which put the prices below what they are now :woot:

Pictures will follow, prob in the show us your film shots thread
 
Gandhi said:
Only B&W for me so far, so I process at home and scan.

£2+ per shot for velvia is a bit rich for my blood until I've re-learnt all the things I've forgotten about film!

However, when Winterval is over and I have some more cash I plan on shooting a box of chrome and dev'ing at home. I already have my home-made-temp controlled water bath set up and tested so it's just a matter of time! (fish-tank heater & thermostat in a plastic storage box lol)

You can buy a 3 step kit that I think will do more than suffice!

Seriously? How hard can it be? ;) and I'd rather know that it was me who shagged it up rather than a lab or the postman losing it etc!
Click to expand...

Ghandi, your the only one i know of on this forum that shoots large format. I was just wandering which type of light meter you use as i am after one, but i dont want to pay through the roof prices for one.
Cheers:)
 
The best I've ever used is Colourworld Imaging. Their quality and consistency is excellent. I used to get all my E6 processed there and my wedding photos printed.
 
eddo123 said:
Ghandi, your the only one i know of on this forum that shoots large format. I was just wandering which type of light meter you use as i am after one, but i dont want to pay through the roof prices for one.
Cheers:)
Click to expand...

At the moment a Gossen Lunasix F that I picked up off of ebay for £25 or so. It works fine but I desperately need a decent spot meter, just waiting for one to come along at a reasonable price!

It seems to work quite well and I tend to point it at the shadows and then use the handy zone system bit on the meter to place them correctly, it seems to do an ok job but I'd prefer the extra control of a spotty. I did use the d300's spot meter to start off with but the extra bulk is too much to carry around really.


Kiasdad onm here also shoots LF and a spot meter. Dazzajl has dabbled but I havent seen him around these parts much recently.
 
oh right. Yeh i think they are probably the best option. I can borrow on from college now and again, but not when its a spur of the moment decision. I dont think I have seen one go for less that £190 on ebay as yet though. Before that though, i need to get my own LF camera kit really.
What sort of set up are you using atm ghandi. I have seen some of your b+w scans, they look good. I have been thinking about getting a 90mm for wide angle landscapes, and a 210 for closer detail work in the landscape.
Either way, its not cheap making the change to LF!!
 
Wista 45 dx3, schneider symmar-s 135 f5.6, mostly delta 100 in ID11 and then scanned with a Epson v700. I wish had bought a wider angle lens as it's a bit restricting, so I will probably go for something 65-90mm after chrimbo when I get my bonus.

The Wista i got very cheap second hand, same with the lens.It's all the other stuff that goes along with it that soon adds up, Loupe, Darkcloth, Decent tripod, Bigger bag Darkslides, film, dev, scanner, time etc etc.

I've had the camera over a couple of months now and am only just close to finishing my first box of 25 sheets of film. I think if I was still shooting digital i would've been nearer 1k shots!

Still learning but loving it!

I think for my uses, I probably could've gotten away with a cheaper camera such an an MPP or Graflex to learn on, but meh!
 
Oh right. Sounds a good little set up you have there then.

Where did you get your camera from then, i have been looking on ebay, there seems to be some that have caught my eye on there recently. Then it would be a lens and light meter. As for darkslides, Dark cloth, large bag, sturdy tripod, I have all of those already.

I currently have a MPP which I am borrowing atm. Its not all that easy to use as its not been maintained that great, the shutter sticks, and the ground glass seems not overly bright even when the lens is wide open.

But I love the slow thoughtful process of it all, and i think in time, it will help you learn a great deal more than machine gun snapping on a DSLR.
 
Camera came from fleabay believe it or not.

There are still bargains to be had out there. Have a google for large format forums as most of them have a for sale section with plenty bargains. Having said that though, Both Teamwork & Robert white sell the Shen Hao cameras which are certainly plenty good enough.

There's a guy on ebay called d.duhan who sells reconditioned graflex's that around the £300 mark, mostly with lens too although I think you'd be pushed to use anything shorter than 90mm on a graflex.
 
thanks ghandi. Been bidding on a camera tonight, but got outbid at the end. Never mind, I still have my sights on getting a LF camera in the not to distant future.
Pretty set on getting a shen hao i think. I have heard lots of good things about them and read good things aswell all over the net. Only problem is deciding which model.
 
joxby said:
Thirded ^, they are the biz, not the cheapest but the best usually isn't, I have enough trouble fashioning a decent photo without processor error adding to the mix, that's why I use them, well that and they are the only walk-in E6 processor for many a mile.

I was there on Wednesday, usually they are really tidy, but that day they were putting up prints, and I've never seen so much 35mm film laid out ready to cut or mount, must have been a couple of hundred rolls:eek:, and they say nobody shoots film anymore.
They do a 2 hour turnround on E6, I dropped 3 rolls of 120 off at 3pm on Tuesday, he said they'll be ready by 5pm, I said I might not get back today, he said it doesn't matter they'll still be ready by 5, call back when you want...:shrug:
Click to expand...
And you can get free coffee from the machine while you wait.
 
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