[irishwhite]

So, i've recently decided to try my luck with one of the film slr's i've recently purchased and had a question regarding developing the film. If i take it somewhere and go for the 1 hour development as opposed to whatever length of time the standard developing would be, am i losing out on quality as a tradeoff to speed or is it just more expensive?

Outside of expense, i don't know why someone would choose anything other than the one hour option when having a camera shop or the like develop the film. Thanks!

[Wheatfield]

It's all One Hour processing now.
If you send it to an outlab for "standard" developing, it is still run through a one hour system. The only difference is that you might have more knowledgeable people at the helm.
But then again, you might not.

[Ratmagiclady]

Yeah, unless you hit a pro lab, the time advertised isn't likely to be the determining factor. A place with someone *running* the minilab who cares and knows what they're doing is the important factor.

Often the local pharmacy will be employing kids who have no idea what they're doing, which gives predictable results. Ritz/Wolf used to be proud to give the best minilab results anywhere, but some of them seem to have stopped trying, too, in the interest of selling more digital cameras. (Not all, I hope/think! )

I don't know how many people have become convinced digital is superior for their snapshootery and stuff who show me prints, and I'm like, "Let's see negs." ...(seconds later) "These are great. Someone's just ripping you off on the machine prints."

May take some hunting and trying, but find someone who cares what they're doing and treat em right.

[rawr]

The best photolab I have ever come across was when I was in Moscow many years ago. Running the shop was a guy with a team of students from Moscow State University, including a PhD in chemistry. Prints were amazing.

Nothing I've seen since has matched them, especially as most of the photolabs here are run by minimum-wage teens just cluelessly punching buttons, and who have never used a film camera in their life.

It's unfortunate because while I still like using film, getting it developed properly using local labs is a real crap shoot.

[jgbryan021900]

I use to manage a 1/2 hour photo lab in NC and if the machines are calibrated correctly and you have someone who cares the prints will be fine, we had strict quality control in our lab as the owner insisted on it. It does make a huge difference if everything is in tune.

[zplus]

So, i've recently decided to try my luck with one of the film slr's i've recently purchased and had a question regarding developing the film. If i take it somewhere and go for the 1 hour development as opposed to whatever length of time the standard developing would be, am i losing out on quality as a tradeoff to speed or is it just more expensive?

Outside of expense, i don't know why someone would choose anything other than the one hour option when having a camera shop or the like develop the film. Thanks!

If you shoot something other than C-41 35mm film, such as E-6, medium format, black and white, etc. you wouldn't take it to a 1 hour place.

[Steinback]

The processing equipment the lab uses can also make a difference for prints, especially now that most are printing from scans. I've tried a number of labs in the last few years and been disappointed by several camera stores using Fuji equipment attached to poorly calibrated low resolution scanners. A corner drugstore with a Noritsu developer that had a built in high resolution scanner did a much better job, and almost matched a pro lab using the same equipment.

[George Lama]

Some labs are offering developing and photos on CD, no prints. You can then do your prints wherever you want.

Since I live in the middle of nowhere, the only place locally I can get such a service is at the WalMart next town over. They will develop the film and on request scan it at higher resolution than they usually do.

[irishwhite]

Thanks for the replies! I guess my thinking was still stuck in 1995 when you had to choose one hour or the standard length of time. knowledge is power!

[s162216]

After getting my negs done at several 1hr places, some of them are pretty good but generally I send most stuff to a pro lab these days as its about the same price and you get better quality for it!