Film Processing Resources for M3.

Hi,

 

I have a Leica M3 with a Summilux 50mm 1.4 and Summaron 35mm 3.5 that was given to me by an uncle. I also have a Fuji X-E2 that I use with Lightroom.

 

I don't use the M3 because of the film processing requirements. I would very much like to use the M3 on a regular basis. The last time I had film processed it was by a local drug store. At the time they no longer processed black and white and had to send it off site.

 

I live in a condo and don't have the ability to make prints. I could develop my own black and white film but I would still need to utilize an outside service for prints.

 

So, I'm seeking advice/opinions as to the available options. 1. I live in the Boston area and am looking for a reliable film processing service that will develop and make prints. I am also open to mailing film. 2. I see many posts of scanned film which leads has me wondering about the viability of having film developed and scanned as opposed to developed and printed. The goal here would be to do my own printing through Lightroom. I know this is a hybrid approach and may not be a good one. Alternatively, I suppose I could have the film developed, printed and scanned. In which case: 3. I'm wondering what the best scanning options are; i.e., have a service do it or buy a film scanner.

 

Ultimately, I would like to use the M3 much more and am seeking advise on how to bridge the flim/digital gap insofar as I can't print from negatives at home.

 

I'm open to all recommendations. Thanks.

 

John

One I have used - they will process &scan also.

Photographic Services - Film processing and printing - Slides Kodachrome and Ektachrome - Movie film developed

If you shoot B&W, you are better off to process it yourself. It is simple, and the time and temperature requirements are not extremely critical (as for color). While minilabs can make decent prints, their scans are typically low resolution, over-saturated, and barely adequate for making 6x4" prints. I have never been satisfied with B&W prints from local processors. They are washed out, and nothing at all like I can produce in a darkroom, or on an inkjet printer.

 

In lieu of a darkroom with a sink, trays, enlarger and all the accouterments, you will want to scan your film. Since Nikon discontinued their Coolscan scanners several years ago, there aren't affordable scanners of that quality, other than used. Flatbed film scanners work to a point, but only half the resolution, very slow, and awkward to use. A good alternative is to "scan" the film by copying it with a digital camera. If you have a suitable camera, preferably 24 MP or more, the cost of a macro lens and film holder is only slightly more than a good flatbed, and far less than even a used Coolscan.

 

Why eoulfd you use a digital camera to copy film rather than use it directly? Well, you can do both. But if you are up to the challenge, film can be rewarding in other ways. It is nearly impossible to reproduce the "look" of film with a digital camera, but the same camera used to "scan" film produces faithful reproductions of the film "look."

 

Before you go all in, try a few rolls, preferably color, and see if you like the results. Check out the services. While minilab scans aren't very good, you can pay ($25-$50) to have high-res scans made professionally. I went through the same thing three years ago. I had a Leica M2 since college, and inherited a pristine M3. I had a good set of lenses, 28 mm to 135 mm, and 40 years of film experience before going digital in 2003. My take was that film was too expensive (about $20/roll for film and processing), and the quality didn't approach that of a 12 MP camera, much less one with higher resolution. That said, you have to see for yourself. Good luck and have fun.

You might try Hunt's Photo/Video. They have several outlets in the Boston area but their ads don't make it clear if they still do film processing. I've used them in the past. the one on the Malden/Melrose town line, just beyond the Oak Grove stop on the Orange line

To me having B&W done well enough out of house was always out of reach. The color processing offered via (not by) drugstores around here isn't bad and seems affordable.

I'm very reluctant to recommend getting film scanners because they are generating work. It takes up to 15 minutes to scan a color neg with an old Minolta at exaggerated max res running digital ICE. - After the scan you'll have to spot it etc.

A cheap and that way reasonable approach might be getting a crappy film "scanner" basically consisting from a tiny P&S photographing your film. Labs charge quite a bit (5 Euro?) for the low res CDs they are offering. - You can get 4x6"s from those and that 's all. A local supermarket sold the "scanners" for 20 Euro/$ or less. results are of course not really great but most likely good enough to post here or send to family as a mail attachment, I'd call them the really needed essence of digital.

Rigging up a copy stand for your Fuji should get more out of your film, but I'd wait till Fuji offer a fast focusing macro lens and skip their 1st version of the 60mm, if you are planning to use it for normal photography too.

Shooting film is a quirky luxury these days.

Most mini-labs do a credible job developing B&W film, although they may send it out, with a substantial delay. I have never seen a good B&W print that wasn't a custom job, however. With machine prints, it doesn't matter if you use a Kodak Hawkeye or a Leica. They all look the same. CDs of mini-lab scans fare no better. They are low resolution, and the colors exaggerated to the extreme.

 

You can scan B&W film in a variety of ways. The best and simplest is with a dedicated film scanner, like a long-discontinued Nikon LS-4000 (or LS-8000 up to 6x9 MF). Flatbed "photo" scanners are not even a close second, but are inexpensive and widely available. In lieu of a film scanner, a digital camera can be used with excellent results. You need a macro lens good to 1:1 magnification, and a means to hold the film. For film strips, the Nikon ES-2 film holder is the best choice, but has been on back order since its announcement last Summer. Film holders that use a +10 "closeup" lens are worse than flatbeds. Save your money.

 

You can print the scanned image yourself on any of a variety of photo printers. A letter-size printer can cost less than $100. For prints larger than 13" wide (my limit), I take them to a local pharmacy, which does a very good job if you give them a good image.

 

A 13 MP camera has resolution on a par with most film, and a 24 MP camera matches that of a Nikon LS-4000, and is ideal for the task. Including sorting and cleaning, I can do up to 5 rolls an hour, using a camera as a "scanner." Cleaning is best done with an anti-static brush under a strong, oblique light (halogen desk lamp), with occasional use of a blower, canned or compressed air.

 

I posted an example comparing digital capture with both Nikon scans and using a 24 MP camera (Sony A9) in another thread.

 

medium format film "scanner"

I spent quite a few years developing film I shot with my Leica M3. I've been digital for a long time and my M3 is long gone. If I started shooting film again I would get ahold of some Tri-X or one of the several newer Kodak and/or Ilford ISO 400 emulsions, shoot it at 200 to 400, develop it with probably something like Kodak HC110 or Ilford Ilfotec HC. All you need is a changing bag, a good stainless steel tank with 2 to 4 stainless reels and an accurate thermometer. Once the film is developed and dried you can pick out the frames you want and send them to digmypix.com using a good loupe or one of the Leica lenses. They are in Arizona, will scan your negatives to digitize them and return them to you on a CD so that you can process them yourself or have them printed at Costco or some lab, or print them yourself with a reasonably good Epson or Canon printer that won't take up much room on a desk. Good luck!

I am using Ilford Lab US in San Clemente, CA and use priority mail that takes 3 days. Not perfect but better than giving up film. I hope to get back into doing my own black and white but haven't yet. It might be under Harmon Lab US but it is the same lab.

Develop yourself, and scan the negatives either with your Fuji camera with a macro-lens, as mentioned above, or a simple 35mm film scanner from Plustek or Pacific Images (called Reflecta in Europe). You can then print the resulting files just like you handle your other files. I use this hybrid setup all the time, and it works just fine.

 

Most people here complaining about these cheap film scanners have never used them and insist that only a Nikon will do - having tested a CoolScan V side by side with my Reflecta scanner, I am not too convinced, and the Reflecta is a whole lot cheaper. So there is no reason to dismiss those scanners at all.

Anyone interested in scanning B&W film should browse the rangefinderforum.com website for images over time posted by Eric van Straten, who seens to have the process down pretty well with the ANR glass..

 

Epson V600 and ANR glass - Rangefinderforum.com

 

I've since purchased the glass but haven't done much to work on my process yet.

Film developing depends upon where you live and how much effort you want to put into developing your own negatives. For me I use a professional lab to develop my film and print the images (4x6 matte finish with a small contact sheet). I go there when I have several rolls of film to process & enlargements. The store provides three levels of scan. All three levels are easily uploaded to my computer. I use the lowest and least expensive scan. When I want to enlarge an image I provide t\he company with the negative.

Definitely "old school", and most certainly the least available to the general public as a whole today. I'm not sure where I'd take a roll of print film to develop locally, and I'm not sure there's a place within 100 miles that does E-6 processing.

A bit late to the party but here goes. If you opt for an Epson V600, or other model, look into the Better Scanning negative carriers with the ANR glass inserts. A bit pricey, but well worth it. Once aligned, the carriers provide an order of sharpness the OEM plastic carriers from Epson can not offer. With both my V600 & V800, I scan the negs emusion side down & "flip n flop" post production. Bill