Mail order film processing recommendations?

[fenderslash]

E6 processing has become impossible to find for a realistic price in my part of the country. The only (to the best of my knowledge) local lab that still does it quoted me $21 to develop a roll, and that doesn't even include mounting! So I was hoping to get some recommendations for alternatives. Does anyone here have a lab that they use regularly and are happy with from a mail-order perspective?

Cheers,
Carl

[finn]

I can recommend Vision Graphics (http://www.visiongraphics.com.au/film_processing.php) in Sydney which I used a number of times.

They will do a 36 exposure for $13 (unmounted) and $26 (mounted). Their prices have gone up since I last used them, but that is to be expected.

To this, add postage to Vision Graphics and also add return by mail (probably another $15/$20), so your better off sending a few rolls at once to cut costs a little.

Not sure how that would suit you, given your at Townsville. Someone may be able to recommend one closer, like in Brissy ?

[fenderslash]

Thanks for the reply finn. I had nearly given up on this thread :-)

Thanks also for the Vision Graphics tip. I have also found another place in Brisbane that was recommended to me elsewhere. The Brisbane vs Sydney thing isn't really an issue since I'd have to use the post to use either service, so I think I might try both to get a feel for which has the better service and results.

Thanks again,

Carl

[JC_PHOTOGRAPHY]

great help thanks guys

[Tony]

Hello Fenderslash, I would imagine Photo Continental in Bris would be a good place to start for E6. Howell what I'm thinking of doing is develope my own B&W then scan the negatives onto my computer. Even Paint Shop pro has plenty of control re Density, Gamma, colour balance and so on. All you need for B&W negs is say a Patterson tank and change bag then it's into normal light from then on. There seems to be plenty of chemistry around (mainly overseas) for E6 developing though, I have never tried myself therefore don't know the complexity involved. All the best Tony Rockhampton.

[TOM]

No reason why the above suggestions won't suit you, but just to throw another option at you; Atkins Technicolour. Carl, curious, do you show your chrome up on a projector?

[fenderslash]

Thanks for the extra suggestions.

Tony: That's exactly what I do with my b&w film... develop at home in a Patterson tank, scan on my Nikon Coolscan V Ed, adjust in Photoshop, and get any required enlargements or normal prints done at the local lab from the scan. That system works great for me. There seems to be a bit more involved with colour processing though and I've got the impression that it's a bit less forgiving with temperature, etc, so that's why I'd like to get the pros to do my E6 and C41. Especially the E6 because the film is so expensive and I don't want to waste it.

Tom: Yep I do project my slides. I have to admit that I don't do it very often, but when I do it's a real treat to have my photos shining so big up on the wall. When I get the films processed I'll probably just have them returned to me uncut, then I'll scan the strips before cutting and mounting them myself.

It has been a long time since I started this thread and the stockpile of exposed E6 films has been steadily building up in the freezer. I'm definitely going to send them away in a couple of weeks time though, so I'll report back here with all the details of how I got on.

[TOM]

Very nice. I've got a heap of mounts somewhere, I'd be glad if you took them off my hands.

[fenderslash]

Thanks, that'd be great!

[ameerat42]

Yeah, I had a look at the reasoned replies to your post and I wasn't going to answer, because I had been trying to rely on memory. But, from that fractured field, aren't E4 and E6 reasonably easy to do at home? Hardly even 2c worth, but just a thought. (Sure! Your desire to project them would mean mounts, but...) Am.
Pre-edit PS. Why can't you use (do you have ) a large TV to "project" them with?

[fenderslash]

I thought I should update this thread with the latest developments (hee hee)...

There were a few good recommendations that I received both here and on another Aussie forum and of those I chose Prolab in Brisbane. I sent nine rolls of 35mm E6 and three rolls of 120 C41 to them on Thursday 22nd July and Aus Post delivered the finished product back to me on Wednesday 28th July. Actually they left a "missed delivery" card in my letterbox on Wednesday and I picked them up from the post office today, which is a good thing - I'd rather them be sitting in the post office waiting to be signed for than waiting in the heat at home for half the day or longer while I'm at work. I reckon a four-working-day turnaround is really good considering that includes shipping time. The cost was $10 per roll plus $16.50 for return shipping, which I thought was reasonable considering the size of the parcel, the cost of the packaging, and the fact that it was registered mail.

I asked for them all to remain uncut because I want to scan the transparencies before mounting them, and each roll of film arrived back in one long strip slotted into a long plasic sleeve, which were in turn rolled together and fitted inside a few cut-down post-pack tubes to protect them from crushing, and those tubes in turn were inside a padded post-pack bag

So far I've only had a really brief look at the transparencies and negs, but on first impressions I'm really happy with the job and I'd highly recommend Prolab to anyone here.

On a side issue some of the transparencies were shot with an old early '70s Spotmatic SPII and a range of Takumar prime lenses. I've always loved the results from this camera and lenses for black and white, but to see the colour trannies from it blew me away!! Awesome!! I even metered with the camera's internal meter and every shot turned out perfect!

Time to fire up the scanner I think.

[GlennSan]

Great to see it went well for you. I hadn't looked at this thread previously but had I done so, I'd possibly have suggested Prolab as well since I've used them for 120 colour processing and printing. Not cheap but their work seems to be of a high standard.

Looking forward to seeing some of your scans.