Anyone know of a good 35mm photography forum?

Nick Norton · February 13, 2007

This forum is great for any of my cinematography concerns, but i also shoot 35mm photography.

Anyone know a website that has a good photography forum, comparable to this one? My main question i was looking to have answered was if having my photos processed and printed at Wallgreens would be any different than having them done at Albertsons. (local grocery store) i know albertsons doesn't do the processing themselves, they mail the film out.

I don't expect anyone to be able to answer my question, but perhaps you know of a place that could?

Thank You-

Nick Norton

Terry Mester · February 13, 2007

Check out www.apug.org and www.photo.net .

J. Lamar King IMPOSTOR · February 13, 2007

Well I used to be a still photographer myself and I would say that if you had to make that choice I would go with whoever was Kodak certified. Maybe they both are.

What I would suggest though is that you check out some pro labs in your area. You can usually get processing and a contact print for a very low cost and you will know it is done right. You can then only have prints made from the good shots. After a while you can just loop your neg and know a good shot when you see it.

Be very careful processing pro stills films in these mini labs. I can remember way back in High School I was shooting for a local paper and I got paid a pawltry amount for each photo printed. They sent me out on a story where I photographed lots of people from the community for a 'Day in the Life' kind of thing. They were going to publish 30 photos guaranteed. On this ocassion I used a film that I didn't normaly shoot with but had shot and processed at a PRO lab with no problems. The paper had a film processing deal with a local grocery store so I took their project film there. Guess what? They F'ed up those two rolls so bad it was unreal. Not one usable shot. Not one dollar for me. Turns out the film was thicker than most and not recommended for mini labs. It looked like a 35mm sized accordian. I can't remember what stock it was but I'm sure it is long obsoleted by Kodak now. Anyway, lesson learned.

Davon Slininger · February 13, 2007

If the photographs are of any value to you I would suggest taking them to a local professional lab. For a roll of 35mm C-41 normal processing, the costs aren't that much more than Walgreens, and the accountability is much greater. At a lab you have a processing technician and a printer both accountable for getting your negs to you properly. Most professional labs are also insured and will compensate you for any mishaps, or provide credit for future orders. Quality control is also a huge factor for them since they have clients with big commercial orders.

Processing at 1hr type places such as Walgreens are staffed with employees trained at operating a machine rather than employees considerate of processing your artfully exposed negs. You run the risk of these employees being inattentive to the freshness or appropriate mixture of the processing chemicals, the buildup of abrasive sediments on rollers and gears (fixer and stopbath are corrosive), and temperature consistency among other things all vital to processing negs properly. Not to mention dust and scratches.

I've had enough film ruined in the past, and have worked in enough labs that I don't even consider "1hr processing". Like I said though, if they are of any "value" then take them to a lab. If they are snapshots of random camping trips, or the air show (yes, i know, some people consider these of value too) then maybe Walgreens is appropriate enough.