Film came back with no canister?

[gil_segev]

<p>I went to Walmart (in Canada) today to get a roll of 35mm film exposed onto a CD. The photos came out.. fine, but when I looked in the envelope I received I realized I'd been given the film back, but without the canister that it came in. I'm wondering if A) this is a standard practice, and B) if I need to buy some to store the film in - will it get damaged if kept in the envelope they gave me? If so, would a Black's or Henry's have single canisters for purchase? Thanks for the help!</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>You don't want to store processed film in the little can, it will develop a horrible curl, and be a pain to print or scan in the future.<br>

Be grateful that Walmart Canada returns negatives, Walmart US doesn't!<br>

There are many good archival film storage pages available. Different ones depending on whether you want to cut the film into strips of 4, 5, or 6 exposures.</p>

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Never heard of film being returned in a canister (at least at USA Walmart). The biggest problem with USA Walmarts is that that when film is developed, printed, and scanned, they don't even bother to return the negatives.</p>

[gil_segev]

<p>Wow, I had no idea this was the standard way! I think you should always get your negatives back. As for storage, I would prefer not to cut them - I understand that this is the practice, but I'm a humble beginner and feel as if I would mess it up terribly.</p>

[diegobuono]

In facti it is not a standard practice jot returning the film, it happen only on low cost non professional lab. Give your film only to pro lab,

you will get cleaner undamaged film other than more consistent result and durable negatives.

[gil_segev]

<p>Thanks Diego, I'll keep that in mind for future rolls.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

Up until the 1960s some enlargers were equipped

with trays to handle uncut spools of negatives.

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time,

but as other folks mentioned storing the spools

leads to curling that makes the negatives harder

to handle, especially for scanning. I have some

uncut spools of 35mm and 120 negatives from the

1960s that are curled so tightly I'm worried the

negatives will crack if I try to straighten them

now.

[wblynch]

I got a roll of negatives stored in the Dan since 1937. After refixing them, washing and drying with weights, then cutting

them and putting in negative sheets and placing all that under a stack of encyclopedias for three years they still won't lay

flat. Maye another 63 years will straighten them out? :)

[Colin O]

<p>35mm film (or 135 film to give it its proper photographic name) comes in the canister to protect it from light and for ease of loading into your camera, but for developing, the film gets removed from the canister (in the dark) and doesn't go back in.</p>

 

<p>When you collect your order from the lab, you should receive the developed film (i.e. negatives), and optionally also a set of prints and/or a CD with your images on it. Some labs in the US seem to have stopped returning negatives, and only provide the prints/CD. If you encounter a lab with this policy, take your business elsewhere - you need the negatives for highest quality reprints/rescans. Of course, you need to check this <em>before</em> giving them your film.</p>

 

<p>To store your negatives, my recommendation is <a href="http://www.clearfile.com">Clear File</a> pages stored in ring binders. Don't be afraid to cut your negatives if necessary - just use a normal amount of care to only cut the film strip <em>between</em> images.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>In the last thirty years or so, I can't remember <em>ever</em> getting the can back without asking for it.<br>

Sometimes when you ask for the whole length uncut, they will cram it into the can, carefully scratching it, putting fingerprints all over it, and causing it to take on a permanent curl, even when you take it out as soon as you get it.<br>

How long has it been since you shot some 35mm? :)</p>

[Colin O]

<p>I just realised - most people here (including the OP I guess) are talking about the plastic canister that the metal film cassette comes in. I thought the OP was expecting the metal cassette to be returned.</p>

 

<p>JDM, don't forget that many in their teens and twenties have never shot film, and shooting film now is their first experience of the process.</p>

 

<p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/FUJIFILM_PN400N_Pkg.JPG/640px-FUJIFILM_PN400N_Pkg.JPG"></p>

[peter_simpson1]

The briefly available Kodak APS format was returned in a cartridge...maybe this is what the OP is remembering?

[ellis_vener_photography]

If you are worried about being able to use scissors to cut straight across a roll of 35mm film practice with strips of stiff

paper. You will very quickly get the hsng of it.

 

To store the cut strips of film look up "PrintFile" they are a company that makes (or made) archival quality plastic sleeves

for storing film of the various size film formats pages:35mm, 120/220 (medium format), 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10. Also look up

Light Impressions.

[hjoseph7]

<p>I have never received developed film with the canister and I have been shooting film for at least 20 years !<br>

Cheers -</p>

[SCL]

<p>I never gave the cannisters to the processors. Took the film out and put it in their envelopes.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Stephen, the catch is that they already have dozens of cans in the recycling (?) bin. So they still try to do the works on uncut film.</p>

<p>I prefer to cut my own so it fits in the scanner, so I just try to be there when it comes out of the machinery.</p>

<p>Dwayne's, as I recently found out in my trial with them, return 35mm film in strips of 4 in an accordion holder. Flat as could be desired, although I'd prefer strips of 6. I'm sure they will return the film uncut, but I wouldn't try to guess whether it might be in a can or not.</p><div></div>

[glen_h]

<p>For some years, I sent my C41 film to the usual lab (maybe Qualex) asking to be returned uncut. It did often come in the plastic can, never in the 135 cartridge. I would then cut into strips of five for PrintFile sheets. <br>

I did one time have them cut the negatives in strips of 4.5, (that is, through the middle of some frames). I asked for free copy negatives, which I got. <br>

Otherwise, two rolls of (about) 38, in strips of four, usually fit into three PrintFile pages. Not a bad way to file them.</p>

[dave_jonsson3]

<p>There are two types of commercial photofinishers these days; those that use the wet process and those that have so-called dry labs. The traditional wet processors rinse and dry your negatives and return them to you. The dry labs use a short-circuited process that doesn't finish the processing and leaves the negatives non-printable and essentially, destroyed.<br>

When you use a lab, find out which process they use, i.e., whether you will get your negatives back. </p>

[wblynch]

There are three essential steps to processing the color negatives. Color development and bleach are essential to get the

colors out. The third step, fixing, could be short circuited to save a few minutes, and washing plus stabilizer bypassed

too.

 

As long as you get your negatives back, they can be re-bleached and fixed to clear them up. Then a proper washing

followed by the stabilizer can save them. There's no reason to think them destroyed.

 

You can re-Blix them yourself with a home processing development kit, even in the light, so don't give up.

:)