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Recommended Labs
Processing and Proof printing
"Process and proof" turns exposed film into something that can be evaluated by a human being. In the
case of slide film, "Process and mount" is what you want. For 35mm film, these services are available as
close as your nearest drugstore or 1-hour lab. Why consider a pro lab for basic processing? Pro labs are
useful in the following cases: when you need 3 hour service, when you have 120 or sheet film, when you
want your film pushed or pulled in 1/3 stop increments, when you want plastic slide mounts.
Mass market and 1-hour labs use roller transport processors. If a bit of grit gets into a roller, these
processors can scratch every frame on a roll of film. Any pro lab worth its salt will have a dip-and-dunk
processor. Film is pulled out of its cartridge or off its spool, clipped at both ends, and then hung on a
rack that can dip the whole roll at once into a vat of chemistry tall enough to accomodate the length of
the film. There is no part of a dip-and-dunk machine in which frames can be scratched en masse. Most
good pro labs subscribe to a remote chemistry monitoring program in which data are periodically
uploaded to Kodak or Fuji. Look for a "Kodak Q-Lab" or "Fuji Labnet" logo.
One worthwhile pro lab luxury is the ability to get enlarged proof sheets. The lab develops negatives or
slides normally and then arranges them to fit into an 8x10 enlarger. Using this monstrous contraption,
the entire roll is projected at once onto a 16x20 or 20x24" sheet of paper. Thus you have the advantages
of a contact sheet, e.g., only one piece of paper to go with each roll and frame numbers clearly marked
next to each proof, coupled with the advantages of proof prints, i.e., the image is large enough to
evaluate without a magnifying loupe. This whole process can cost $30-40/roll but sometimes the results
are so good that you can frame the end-result and hang it on your wall as an example of the "small
multiples" espoused in Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information.
http://www.photo.net/photo/labs (7 of 10)7/3/2005 2:24:23 AM