Need new lab for 120

I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined. Dale Labs which I use for my 120 slides just sent my order back,
but they were not my slides. So my sunrise shots that I drove over 250 miles
and got up at 4:30 in the morning ( not to mention the motel bill) of Mt
Witney are now in the hands of someone else. I doubt that I will ever get
them back. What a waste. So I am open to suggestions. Does someone have a
good lab that can do their job ? Thanks, Matt Williams

Matt two suggestions.

a) Go to the Kodak website and look up "Q" labs, its a start
towards finding better lab services in your area.

b) You could process the film yourself....E6 is not that difficult
and can be rewarding if you do enough volume......10 to twenty rolls a
month.


In article ,
"MATT WILLIAMS" wrote:

I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined. Dale Labs which I use for my 120 slides just sent my order back,
but they were not my slides. So my sunrise shots that I drove over 250 miles
and got up at 4:30 in the morning ( not to mention the motel bill) of Mt
Witney are now in the hands of someone else. I doubt that I will ever get
them back. What a waste. So I am open to suggestions. Does someone have a
good lab that can do their job ? Thanks, Matt Williams

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MATT WILLIAMS wrote:
I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined. Dale Labs which I use for my 120 slides just sent my order back,
but they were not my slides. So my sunrise shots that I drove over 250 miles
and got up at 4:30 in the morning ( not to mention the motel bill) of Mt
Witney are now in the hands of someone else. I doubt that I will ever get
them back. What a waste. So I am open to suggestions. Does someone have a
good lab that can do their job ? Thanks, Matt Williams

Where are you, depending on the country and area, there are different
labs everywhere, and different qualities of lab. For under $100 you can
get a developing tank and reel, and a changing bag, get an E6 kit, and
process those slides yourself. The one issue, is temperature, but a
tray of water the right temperature can deal with that issue. There are
also tanks that have temperature control built in JOBO builds all kinds
of this stuff.

Paul

MATT WILLIAMS wrote:
I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined. Dale Labs which I use for my 120 slides just sent my order back,
but they were not my slides. So my sunrise shots that I drove over 250 miles
and got up at 4:30 in the morning ( not to mention the motel bill) of Mt
Witney are now in the hands of someone else. I doubt that I will ever get
them back. What a waste. So I am open to suggestions. Does someone have a
good lab that can do their job ? Thanks, Matt Williams

Where are you, depending on the country and area, there are different
labs everywhere, and different qualities of lab. For under $100 you can
get a developing tank and reel, and a changing bag, get an E6 kit, and
process those slides yourself. The one issue, is temperature, but a
tray of water the right temperature can deal with that issue. There are
also tanks that have temperature control built in JOBO builds all kinds
of this stuff.

Paul

I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not
make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined.

I have had good luck with A&I Labs in Hollywood, CA (www.aandi.com).

I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not
make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined.

I have had good luck with A&I Labs in Hollywood, CA (www.aandi.com).

Many of us medium format users are facing the same problem. I can get first
rate prints or slides from two local labs. They are very good. I like both,
but I can't afford to send my snapshots in to them. I like using my larger
cameras, but often shoot with a 35mm because I can take them into Wal- Mart
and and get a lot of cheap prints. I"ve recently found that I can send them
into Sam's Club and with a longer wait, get pretty good prints. When aI
talked to someone at the lab, they say they like 120 film, but the volume is
not there. If all of us with closet medium formats sent our "fun" shots into
the Wal-Mart store, we might be able to ensure a reasonable prints in the
future. Try shooting a roll and stick it in one of those 35mm envelopes. You
might be pleasantly surprised.
"MATT WILLIAMS" wrote in message
...
I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not
make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined. Dale Labs which I use for my 120 slides just sent my order
back,
but they were not my slides. So my sunrise shots that I drove over 250
miles
and got up at 4:30 in the morning ( not to mention the motel bill) of Mt
Witney are now in the hands of someone else. I doubt that I will ever get
them back. What a waste. So I am open to suggestions. Does someone have a
good lab that can do their job ? Thanks, Matt Williams

Many of us medium format users are facing the same problem. I can get first
rate prints or slides from two local labs. They are very good. I like both,
but I can't afford to send my snapshots in to them. I like using my larger
cameras, but often shoot with a 35mm because I can take them into Wal- Mart
and and get a lot of cheap prints. I"ve recently found that I can send them
into Sam's Club and with a longer wait, get pretty good prints. When aI
talked to someone at the lab, they say they like 120 film, but the volume is
not there. If all of us with closet medium formats sent our "fun" shots into
the Wal-Mart store, we might be able to ensure a reasonable prints in the
future. Try shooting a roll and stick it in one of those 35mm envelopes. You
might be pleasantly surprised.
"MATT WILLIAMS" wrote in message
...
I need some help. I have been using Vermont Color for my 120 negative
prints, but they just sent my pictures back and the minilab guy did not
make
some adjustments so the prints were printed on a 4 inch by 5 inch and
cropped. The negatives were developed correctly but now I have to scan all
the negatives. Two of the negatives have some kind of goop on them so they
are ruined. Dale Labs which I use for my 120 slides just sent my order
back,
but they were not my slides. So my sunrise shots that I drove over 250
miles
and got up at 4:30 in the morning ( not to mention the motel bill) of Mt
Witney are now in the hands of someone else. I doubt that I will ever get
them back. What a waste. So I am open to suggestions. Does someone have a
good lab that can do their job ? Thanks, Matt Williams

"DEAN HOFFMAN" wrote in message
. ..

I like using my larger
cameras, but often shoot with a 35mm because I can take them into Wal-
Mart
and and get a lot of cheap prints.

My experience with Wal Mart and Sam's Club, in the Philadelphia area, has
been that their prints are absolutely awful.

1: Unsaturated, washed-out colors

2: Unsharp prints (cheap enlarging lenses?) Tree branches often tend to
blend into fuzz, as an example of what I mean.

3: Color balance often not right. Tree leaves that are printed looking like
they are Kelly Green, for example.

4: Poor flesh tones.

5: Personnel that look like they have no prior photographic experience.
Some of them look like they might have been living in a homeless shelter as
recently as a week ago . . .

It has been my experience that to use Wal Mart/Sam's Club is tantamount to
throwing my film into the garbage. The only thing consistent about their
photofinishing is that something is consistently WRONG with each roll
printed.

I can't speculate upon whether my experiences are typical of Wal Mart in
general, but I have given up on them. What is the point in buying good
equipment, using proper technique, and then having one's prints botched up
to the point that they look like they were captured by a disposable camera?

I have gotten MUCH better results by using BJ's Warehouse Club's processing,
which is done by Kodak. One-day turnaround, good color saturation, sharper
prints (better enlarging lenses?), prices only slightly higher than
Wal-Mart's.

I believe that Costco also uses Kodak (Qualexx) processing.

For my important stuff, I still mail the film to Dale Labs
(www.dalelabs.com). They're pricier, but worth it.

When shooting MF, when I presume that you are looking for quality results,
what sense does it make to try to skimp on the photofinishing costs? The
money you may save is offset often by a marked decrease in quality. To me,
it is a bad bargain.

"DEAN HOFFMAN" wrote in message
. ..

I like using my larger
cameras, but often shoot with a 35mm because I can take them into Wal-
Mart
and and get a lot of cheap prints.

My experience with Wal Mart and Sam's Club, in the Philadelphia area, has
been that their prints are absolutely awful.

1: Unsaturated, washed-out colors

2: Unsharp prints (cheap enlarging lenses?) Tree branches often tend to
blend into fuzz, as an example of what I mean.

3: Color balance often not right. Tree leaves that are printed looking like
they are Kelly Green, for example.

4: Poor flesh tones.

5: Personnel that look like they have no prior photographic experience.
Some of them look like they might have been living in a homeless shelter as
recently as a week ago . . .

It has been my experience that to use Wal Mart/Sam's Club is tantamount to
throwing my film into the garbage. The only thing consistent about their
photofinishing is that something is consistently WRONG with each roll
printed.

I can't speculate upon whether my experiences are typical of Wal Mart in
general, but I have given up on them. What is the point in buying good
equipment, using proper technique, and then having one's prints botched up
to the point that they look like they were captured by a disposable camera?

I have gotten MUCH better results by using BJ's Warehouse Club's processing,
which is done by Kodak. One-day turnaround, good color saturation, sharper
prints (better enlarging lenses?), prices only slightly higher than
Wal-Mart's.

I believe that Costco also uses Kodak (Qualexx) processing.

For my important stuff, I still mail the film to Dale Labs
(www.dalelabs.com). They're pricier, but worth it.

When shooting MF, when I presume that you are looking for quality results,
what sense does it make to try to skimp on the photofinishing costs? The
money you may save is offset often by a marked decrease in quality. To me,
it is a bad bargain.