[gofour3]

I have used the dr5 CHROME process before for b&w Fompan R 100 reversal film and have been impressed. I finally got around to sending them some real b&w negative film (Efke 50) for the dr5 process. The end result produces b&w transparencies, which I then have mounted as slides.

dr5 CHROME - Black and White slide / transparency process + THE ONLY RELIABLE SCALA PROCESSING WORLDWIDE

I’m totally impressed, they look great. I’ll get some scanned and post them in a week or so. For me this is the best of two worlds, being able to shoot most b&w negative film and have it processed as a slide. I shoot slides for almost all my colour film work, so now I can store everything in slide trays and not have to deal with filing negatives separately.

Phil.

[k100d]

looking forward to seeing what the results and your comments on the dynamic range, the ease of scanning, and whether you think it's worth it.

if you're more interested in the process, there is an interview here:
Inside Analog Photo Radio - dr5 Chrome Lab | Inside Analog Photo Radio & TV

[gofour3]

I have thought about trying dr5. Just wondering, how do the transparencies scan?

Chris

I'm going to take a few into a lab for scanning tomorrow, so will see how it goes. I have had a lot of the Fomapan slides scanned and they came out fine.

I'll post the results next week.

PS The cost for a roll of 36 is $14.75 for the DR5 processing and $2.75 for mounting. Then the shipping costs as well.

Phil.

[gofour3]

Well the first attempts by my local lab to scan these slides were not very good. Not sure if it was the operator or if the source is too hard to scan. Will have to take them back and have them redone.

Here is one example of a very bad attempt:

Attached Images

 

[k100d]

yuk ... i did see someone else here who had tried dr5 and gotten some respectable scans.
i'm guessing it's more of the inexperience of the operator and / or limitations of the equipment.
the normal frontier / noritsu machines wouldn't get this right.

edit: NM hahaha it was you who posted about dr5 last year https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/57018-fomapan-...rsal-film.html

maybe time to start scanning on your own

[gofour3]

I also had some colour slides scanned at the same time as the above shot and they turned out well. The same lab also did the Fomapan R scans and they turned out fine.

I’ll get them to try another scanner next time. I have thought of getting my own scanner, but am trying to avoid it.

Phil.

[lbenac]

Well that is a bit of a let down after spending that much on the dr5 development and shipping.
I have two good scanners Minolta Elite 5400 and Minolta Dual Scan IV and I am used to scan so if there is a problem, we can try on one of my machine see if this can be righted.

Cheers,

Luc

[gofour3]

Well that is a bit of a let down after spending that much on the dr5 development and shipping.
I have two good scanners Minolta Elite 5400 and Minolta Dual Scan IV and I am used to scan so if there is a problem, we can try on one of my machine see if this can be righted.

Cheers,

Luc

Hi Luc:

Thanks for the offer to try your scanners. ABC Photo Lab owes me a rescan, so I’ll see what they say when I take them back this weekend. If they can’t do a better job and give me a refund, then I’ll take you up on your offer.

I’ve talked to the staff at ABC and they have five or six scanners. They use each scanner for different jobs. Most of the time I just bring in a few slides to get scanned and I guess I got the el cheepo scanner this time. I know the scanner they reserve for large jobs is good, so I’ll see if they will use that one.

I also think what I’ll do next time is get DR5 to do the scanning at the time of processing.

thanks, Phil.

[gofour3]

I got the rescans done and they are much better, still not close to the original slide but as good as I’m going to get unless I pay a fortune per scan. I also posted a couple in the “K-Club” in the lens section.

Phil.

[Votesh]

Those are quite nice.
I'd read somewhere, maybe on Flickr, where someone said that dr5 slides came out looking weird. I'm glad to see that's not actually the case.
I'm gonna have to give it a try sometime.

[gofour3]

Those are quite nice.
I'd read somewhere, maybe on Flickr, where someone said that dr5 slides came out looking weird. I'm glad to see that's not actually the case.
I'm gonna have to give it a try sometime.

Thanks!

If you decide to try the dr5 process I would recommend checking their web site for the reviews of various b&w negative films they have tried with dr5. Not all b&w negative film will work and some are better than others. Example Fuji Acros will not work.

I base my all my b&w film buying on what works best in the dr5 process and if I’m in a hurry I can always get the negatives done at a local lab.

It’s definitely worth trying out.

Phil.

[Votesh]

I've looked over their reviews a few times. It's a lot of info to take in, what with all the recommended and not recommended ISOs to expose the various films at. I'll have to make a note card with all that stuff.

The results look great though, and next time I ship a load of film off to Dwayne's, I'll probably send some B&W to dr5 too.

[ChrisPlatt]

The dr5.com website FAQ claims their transparencies are easy to scan.
However I found no additional information, instructions or tips there.

I see dr5.com offers scans too. I wonder if their results would be better?

Chris

[gofour3]

They probably would and I think I'll get the whole roll scanned at the time of processing next time I send some in. Phil.

[artobest]

It appears that you're getting some outstanding mid-range tonality, but the scans (I assume) are blocking up the shadows quite severely. All the same, this process looks like something to be excited about.