Another one bites the dust

On Dec 5, 6:59 pm, Michael wrote:
Maybe not. Look at this website:http://www.ilfochrome.com/index.html

I was having B/W prints done commercially something like 30 years ago
in a fairly small town. It seems like there were lots of small one
man labs that would make prints. These were for where I worked and it
worked very well for me since I would drop off the film and in a day
or two have the prints. Back then there was not much of any other way
to get prints done so if you were a company and needed prints from
time to time you would use one of these small labs to get prints
made. But I believe that during this same time frame almost all
amateur photographers doing B/W had either a darkroom or access to
one.

I sure that there is still some work for small labs making B/W prints,
but it can't be like it was 30 years ago.

Scott

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
.com...

So that makes two (in this thread) so far. Maybe someone should compile a
list of current extant color printers ...

Does Gamma still have a lab in the BA?
Chicago?

On 12/3/2007 9:51 PM David Nebenzahl spake thus:

So I talked to the person today who I am pretty sure was the last to
operate a commercial wet color darkroom here in the San Francisco East
Bay, and sure enough, as I suspected since he just recently moved, his
darkroom didn't make the move. (His business was previously called
"Clone Art".) So as far as I know, that leaves nobody on this side of
the bay who makes "real" color prints. (Dunno about the South Bay or San
Francisco, but I don't hold out much hope there either.)

Just a little clarification, in case it wasn't clear: There are plenty
of places around that still make "wet" color prints: they're known as
your local drugstore/"photo" store that makes quick prints. The
difference is that all these processors are "hybrids", meaning that the
front end is digital (scanning negatives), and the print is exposed
digitally (w/laser) and then wet-processed. I'm talking about all-analog
processing, making optical prints the old-fashioned way.

And yes, I can tell the difference. While the quality of the digital
prints is pretty good, I can definitely see artifacts due to
digitization, particularly in certain kinds of textures. A well-made
optical print brings it to a higher level of clarity (while a
poorly-made optical print looks mushy).

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
s.com...

Just a little clarification, in case it wasn't clear: There are plenty of
places around that still make "wet" color prints: they're known as your
local drugstore/"photo" store that makes quick prints. The difference is
that all these processors are "hybrids", meaning that the front end is
digital (scanning negatives), and the print is exposed digitally (w/laser)
and then wet-processed. [... SNIP generous information ...]

Our local photo place has always dumbed down printing so that no matter how
sharp prints are, everyone gets the same damned diminished outcome. I swear
they have Artifical Anit-Intelligent software. All their prints have sucked
from the old totally wet days to the scan-to-digtal stuff today.

On 12/12/2007 7:59 PM jjs spake thus:

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
s.com...

Just a little clarification, in case it wasn't clear: There are plenty of
places around that still make "wet" color prints: they're known as your
local drugstore/"photo" store that makes quick prints. The difference is
that all these processors are "hybrids", meaning that the front end is
digital (scanning negatives), and the print is exposed digitally (w/laser)
and then wet-processed. [... SNIP generous information ...]

Our local photo place has always dumbed down printing so that no matter how
sharp prints are, everyone gets the same damned diminished outcome. I swear
they have Artifical Anit-Intelligent software. All their prints have sucked
from the old totally wet days to the scan-to-digtal stuff today.

Well, I have to say that I'm getting pretty good results from my local
"service provider" (aka Longs Drugs), with their Fuji Frontier. I do see
the artifacts I mentioned above, but other than that the prints are
pretty damn good.

Do you know what kind of equipment your people (with their AAI software)
use? A lot seems to depend on the organism sitting at the controls.

David Nebenzahl wrote:
So that makes two (in this thread) so far. Maybe someone should compile
a list of current extant color printers ...

I'm amazed that it sounds like there's more than a very small handful, as
I'd thought it was basically a dead business! Though for an established
lab that's processing RA4 anyway, keeping an enlarger with a color head
around for the oddballs who want it isn't much of an investment.

It's basically just morbid curiousity on my part, though; if I care
enough to want to do a direct enlarger print instead of scan+digiprint, I
care enough to print it myself.

At his point, it is hard to keep opened most of business based on
photo-chemical processes so it is difficult to find suitable places to
develop our "old" films and prints. Affortunately, we still have films
and chemicals in order to work in our darkroom, the only place where I
have got best results for my shots.

andrew m. boardman wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote:
So that makes two (in this thread) so far. Maybe someone should compile
a list of current extant color printers ...

I'm amazed that it sounds like there's more than a very small handful, as
I'd thought it was basically a dead business! Though for an established
lab that's processing RA4 anyway, keeping an enlarger with a color head
around for the oddballs who want it isn't much of an investment.

It's basically just morbid curiousity on my part, though; if I care
enough to want to do a direct enlarger print instead of scan+digiprint, I
care enough to print it myself.

"Alvaro" wrote in message
...
At his point, it is hard to keep opened most of business based on
photo-chemical processes so it is difficult to find suitable places to
develop our "old" films and prints.

Speaking as one who does custom B&W printing, I do not welcome more
business. I focus upon customers who are successful in their B&W work and
appreciate the prints, and can pay.

The field of custom printing has become narrow as the digital nutz go their
way and a highly select group of qualified clients continue to work in
conventional B&W film.

Fewer custom printers is a good thing. It simply reflects the field vs. the
digital mavens. It has come to the point that persons wanting quality B&W
printing have to show us that their work is worth the $$ or bedamned .I
don''t care how mucn money you have. There is no shortage of qualified
photographers looking for good printing. Amateurs should look to Walmart or
something.

Life is very good here in the film world.

"jjs" john wrote

Speaking as one who does custom B&W printing, I do not welcome more
business. ... It has come to the point that persons wanting quality B&W
printing have to show us that their work is worth the $$ or bedamned.
... There is no shortage of qualified photographers looking for good
printing ...

I'll be glad to take your overflow ...

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters
http://www.darkroomautomation.com/index.htm
n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com

"Nicholas O. Lindan" wrote in message
...
"jjs" john wrote

Speaking as one who does custom B&W printing, I do not welcome more
business. ... It has come to the point that persons wanting quality B&W
printing have to show us that their work is worth the $$ or bedamned.
... There is no shortage of qualified photographers looking for good
printing ...

I'll be glad to take your overflow ...

Nicholas, there is plenty of room for another custom B&W printer. Given your
experience, I am certain you know some pros who would be happy to have you
as a printer. Warning - your spare time will vanish.