Where do you have your photos processed and printed?  How satisfied are you
with the quality & what are your expectations?

I recently submitted 4 negatives to 3 different shops, one medium-high priced
and two low priced.  (Med-hi = Huron Camera, low = Dexter pharmacy & K-mart's
lowest priced).  Results hands down better quality from Huron.  Both the others
were muddy in color, lacked clarity (focus?) and had very dark corners.

20 responses total.

I've been using "Precision Photographic" in Ann Arbor on 830 Phoenix Dr. 
I'd consider this a commercial-quality provider, but they take any walk in
business.  They offer a full range of services.  I've developed slides
there and the normal turnaround is about 3 hours (36 exp E-6, mounted:
$7.20). Everything is in-house.  When I was experimenting with some high
contrast b/w title slides I botched my first 2 rolls which I had asked to
be mounted.  When the technician saw the shape they were in he skipped
mounting and they didn't charge me for the negatives, although some were
usable with masking.  If I were doing reprints I'd look for a local,
nonchain lab like this which seems to have reasonable prices and warm
bodies. 

I know a photographer (serious amateur) who shot weddings and used Precision.
He ranted and raved about them and his work looked very good.  I've always
thought they were top notch.

In the middle of the processors is Ivory Photo, good solid black and white
work.

Thanks, I am looking for someone to print 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 negatives.  I'll
try them.

After living down here in NC for 5 years, I'm finally happy with a place
where I get my photos done at.  Though currently I'm not happy with
one of the CAMERAS I own, though! [seems ever since I had another
camera store FIX the darn thing, its been nothing but trouble!]

What kind of camera and what is it doing (or not doing)?

Marc, I was using a very basic camera, a Nikon 400, one of those 35mm
aoutofocus cameras that have a zoom lense. About a year ago, I started
having problems with it not advancing the film when I'd put a new roll 
of film in [once it 'caught', then it'd be ok but getting it started 
was a pain]. And the pictures would come out fuzzy/unclear. When I took
it in to a camera shop, they said it needed a new crank-something-or-a-
nother and it was fuzzy because of some sand that got in the camera.
I'm not sure how it got sand in it... But after $80some dollars to
get it fixed, the only thing that's improved is that the film will
now load properly. More often than not--probably 80-90% of the itme,
the pictures are blurry. And I know its not from the developing because
I've been to many different places to get it developed. And since I've
been taking pictures for years and years [maybe 25 or more], and this
being an autofocus camera, I sincerely doubt the problem is with ME.
Especially since my pix from my Pentax [manual focus] come out just fine.

Just a long shot, but you might try tightening the film once it is loaded.
Do this by cranking on the rewind lever, without pressing the rewind button.
One of the possibilities is that your pressure plate is not holding your film
flat, thus allowing it to be out of the plane of focus.  If this works, you
may want to experiment with bending the pressure plate spring.

Hmm, will give this a shot; thanks!

  I just got back a roll from York, and I'm very pleased with the quality and
the price. About 10 days roundtrip. 

So what do y'all think of the 'mail-in' film development places?? Like
York that IOmni mentioned? Or, in a photo magazine I have, there's an
envelope for a place called Mystic [in Mistic, CT].  I know there-oops
these places are inexpensive, but are they GOOD at what they do? Or do
you typically get what you pay for?  Thanks for any feedback!

Two different times, I sent the same negatives to several places and compared
the prints.  The earlier time, I compared places like "Hite over Nite",
a few mail order (cheap) places, and Kodak mailers.  Kodak won hand down.

Recently I did the same thing using a local drug store, K-mart cheapie, and
K-mart mid-price, and Huron Camera.  Huron was excellent.

The others had dark corners (vignetting), poor focus, and washed out colors.
most had an overall muddy look.  

I believe any place with a well maintained automatic processer is pretty good.

I use Huron Camera in Dexter currently because they are good but expensive.
I am tempted to use the Meijers because they also look very good, are better
on cost, but are not as convenient.

Prints only cost something like $.37 ea so if you have two or three places
you are considering, try it.  My experience says you will be shocked by the
difference.

Well, I do have a favorite place here in Durham-one of the nurses at
Duke that I work with--she and her husband have a photo studion
[oops] studio that does a fabulous job.  However, they're not cheap,
either. Since they're in business for themselves, I like to be able
to give them my business--thgough sometimes when I think I have just
a so-so roll of film, I'd rather get them done inexpensively. 

 I like York for a various number of reasons.

 1. Pictures are done within a reasonable amount of time.
 2. They have an e-mail address and they read thier e-mail and answer
    with intelligent answers, and will make things right
 3. Dealing with them helps the state ecomomy of WV which as one of the
    poorest of the 50 states, needs it.
 4. They are about 1/2 of Meijer's.

I think Studio Center on S. State in Ann Arbor still does custom processing
too.  The owner is a professional photographer (Andy Pearch) and the staff
are very knowledgeable.

I have never had pictures processed at Studio Center, but they appear to
really know what they are doing.  I figured the owner was a pro because of
the technical detail in his answers.  (He goes to the photo shows).

Studio Center doesn't actually process film.  they send it to Precision
Photographic (?) and you could take your film to Precision directly...but
Studio has a regular (daily?) pick-up/delivery service with Precision.

Precision _does_ good work.

For those "so-so" rolls of 'snapshots' I go just about anywhere that's either
fast, cheap or convenient (or all of the above, heh).

I just read this entire item and it's time to bring it out of a year's sleep.

Any opinions on Foto 1?  Is their quality any better or worse than Precision
and Huron?

I have had two rolls processed by Foto 1, both over a year ago.  One was
standard prints and it was outstanding!  The other roll was printed as
enlargements and it, too, was outstanding.  Both seemed expensive but there
was no compromise in the quality.

My experience is mostly with York.  First, very low prices.They'll develop
Seattle Filworks' film.(most places won't)  Seattle Filmworks has decent
colour, but is expensive.  I initially used them for their "pictures on disk"
service which gives you your prints, and a floppy with the scans.  Now I have
a scanner though.  And York now also has a "FotoFLoppy" service, which I
assume is similar.
     My mother has used CLark a lot in the past, with some nice results.  They
have the option of geting your entire roll printed on 5x7 size paper.  I've
had some very nice shots from this.
     I've used WAl-Mart's 1 hour developing a few times when I was in a hurry.
I've had varying results.  OFten the colours seem too read, or too yellow,
etc...

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