Buy which prepaid mailer? Kodak, Fuji, or A&I???

[udefinephotography]

Hello everyone!

I'm a beginner now, and I am tring to shoot slide. I've heard that we

can send our films to pro labs, which is a cheaper way to get good

quality. I am student in US, so I need to save money as much as I can.

:)The places I know to send my films to are Kodak, Fuji, and A&I. The

most expansive one is A&I. Is A&I the best one? How is the quality at

Kodak and Fuji? And one more silly question, I can't send Fuji slides

to Kodak have them processed, right? :)

Sorry about poor my English.

Thank you guys!

[cbender]

You can send any E6 film to all three, and they should process it.

 

A&I is the best, but that may not matter so much because the Fuji processing is quite good and reliable. I use Fuji E6 mailers and the results are great. A&I may be slightly faster and the returned slides will be extremely dust free. Fuji will take 2-3 weeks and the slides will have some dust on them from the cardboard mounts. But for me, the cost savings with Fuji is worth a few seconds of my time to remove dust.

 

Others here can address Kodak processing - I've never used them. However, a lot of people on photo.net have issues with Kodak's processing.

[craig_shearman1]

I've used Kodak processing for 30 years and never had a single problem. I send them Fuji and they process it without any problem.

[rich815]

Chad's got it right. I've used both A&I and Fuji and have been pleased with both but he is right about Fuji sometimes slightly dusty or taking longer. I have mailers for both and use the A&I for special stuff or when I want it back fast, otherwise saving the money for Fuji is definitely worth it in general.

[r.t. dowling]

A&I is exceptionally good. Fuji is good. Kodak is mediocre.

[joseph_smith3]

Fuji experience--my daughter sent a box of 40 rolls of 35mm with each roll in a separate mailer to Fuji labs for E6 processing by registered mail. She got proof that the box was delivered and received by Fuji. Three weeks later and no slides back so she called. Fuji had no record of receiving the box or the mailers. This went on for six months. Fuji claimed they had never received anything from her. However, they mailed her slides that were not hers. Eventually she got all of her slides back from Fuji labs. Fuji never could explain anything and still claimed they never received anything from her. Others I know have had good experience using Fuji mailers. Joe Smith

[manjo]

Fuji mailers are 4.25 on B&H, I have just started to use them, and they are very good. The problem is there is 2-3 week wait regardless how many rolls you send at once.

 

Another problem is fuji mailers dont do any push and pull. You might want to check if A&I does that for an extra fee. If you wont be doing any push and pull, then go for it, fuji mailers are cheapest.

[udefinephotography]

Thank all you guys!!!

 

This is the first time I post question here. And I got so many replies and it's so fast! I like here! :)

 

Thank you! I think I'll get some Fuji mailer. :)

[discpad]

Fei, you didn't say which city you are in/near: You may be able to find an E6 lab in your location that will provide reasonable service (i.e. a couple days turnaround) for the price of a mailer, especially if you give him any kind of volume and pay cash.

[udefinephotography]

Hi Dan,

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

I'm in Seattle. I know that there is a good photo lab which name is called Ivey in Seattle. Many pro photographers send their films to there. They provide good service. You can get the slide with plastc mount after you send it in 4 hours. And I think the price for 35mm E6 is reasonable, which is $9 per roll. I am a beginner, which makes me think that I don't deserve that kind of service. :) And it is more expensive than the mailer. So I think the mailer fits me.

 

What do you think?

[andrew_pike1]

It's not a question of weather or not you deserve it, it's a matter of what you want. Joe-Schmo with his point-and-shoot 35mm is just as entitled to good processing as any pro-it's really a matter of how much you want to pay.

 

We have a pro lab in Cleveland called Dodd camera. They provide good E-6 processign for about $8.88 a roll. I too am an amateur, and I found that their services, though good, were too expensive for my meager budget.

 

Eventually, I discovered mailers, and I haven't looked back since. Fuji's processing is so good and so cheap that I use it almost exclusively, unless I use Kodachrome, in which case I have to use a Kodak mailer, which is more expensive, but still good.

 

If you live in Seattle, I would estimate a turnaround of about 2 weeks, as the Fuji lab is in Phoenix, Arizona. Kodak mailers will take longer, as they have to go to Massachusetts. A&I will be the quickest turnaround, only going to California.

 

I say go for the mailers. Why pay double for comprable quality processing if you can afford to wait?

[warren_stephens]

I use mailers only when I am on the road. For my recent summer vacation I checked in at B&H and noted that Kodak mailers are around twice what they once were and are what my local pro lab charges for two hour service. I purchased half Fuji and half A&I. Have used Fuji before and they do come back dusty but that's no big deal. I have to give A&I an A+. The last batch of mailers I sent to Kodak - post Fairlawn - came back butchered! Cut in the center of the frame, mounted where the sprocket holes showed and don't get me started on the scratches! The price was the last straw. I'll never use Kodak mailers again.

 

Warren

[discpad]

I have a surplus of both PK24 and PK36 mailers: I use them for Kodachrome (D'oh!) and occasionally for E6 when I don't feel like firing up the Jobo. I have found that I have no scratches whatsoever... But then, I request DO NOT MOUNT OR CUT FILM in bright red ink on the envelope.

 

Problem solved.

[dglickstein]

Dan,

 

How difficult is it to do E6 with the JOBO? Is it a lot of work? How long per roll? Thanks.

 

dG

[discpad]

Derek, it depends on which Jobo series you have, and your developing skill. I have a pair of ATL-3 processors, which are fully automated -- The big plus with the ATL's are that they change the rinse water every 30 seconds, saving a lot of babysitting.

 

The hardest part of any color film developing is temperature control of the first and color developers; and the Jobo's are pretty good at this with their built-in tempering baths.

 

I have processed as many as eleven 35mm rolls, and four 35mm + four 120 & 220 rolls all at once.

[dglickstein]

Dan, Thank you.

 

Depending on the photo-shoot, I can come back with 50+ rolls of 35mm slide. How long would it take to handle these?

 

Is it all an automatic/automated process (i.e. stick the roll in and wait)?

 

If money wasn't an issue, is there a processor model you'd recommend? (Note, money is an issue, but I am considering doing the E6 for slides myself.)

 

Thanks again!

 

dG

[discpad]

Derek, I'll be starting a new thread entitled "Processing 50 rolls of E6 in a Jobo" in about an hour... And it'll have a lot of pertinent questions for you.

[dglickstein]

Dan, thank you.

dG

[discpad]

<p><b>

Please click <a href = "http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00D823" target = "_blank"><u>here</u></a> to go to "Processing 50 rolls of E6 in a Jobo"

 

</p></b>

[udefinephotography]

Andrew Pike:

 

Thank you for your reply. You are right! I'll use the mailer too. :)

[jbq]

Just FWIW, if you mark your rolls sent to Fuji "Do not cut, do not mount", they come back sleeved and uncut. I mark mine by wrapping the sticky part of standard post-it around my rolls.