From: betsys@cs.umb.edu (Elizabeth Schwartz)
Newsgroups: ne.general,rec.photo
Subject: SUMMARY: good cheap photo developing (LONG!)
Date: 23 Aug 92 19:24:33 GMT
Distribution: ne
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Boston


Here's how I read the vote. I counted a recommendation without
adjectives as a "good."

                        GREAT   GOOD   OK    MIXED    BAD    VERY BAD

Lechmere                         1
Ritz                             4
Bokland Custom Visuals,NY    1
CVS                                                     1
York                         1    1      1
Clark                        1    2                            1
Mystic                       2                 1         1     1
Customer Quality Photo                         1
SBI, Harvard Square                            1

Here are the messages, slightly trimmed:

=========================================================================
From: monty%roscom@think.com (Monty Solomon)
Lechmere does a good job.

==========================================================================
From: cmr@world.std.com (Charles M Richmond)

I have had good experiences with the RITZ CAMERA in the Galleria in
Cambridge. If you get their discount card, you get 2nd set free OR
fresh film OR 10% discount. They also do good work and you can discuss
the pictures with them in advance.
==========================================================================
From: kassover@ra.crd.ge.com (David Kassover)

I use Bokland Custom Visuals & Display.  They are local to me,
and I am well pleased.  So are my friends, who do moderately
serious astro photography, and museum recording work.

My work with them has been strictly 135-24 and 135-36 C41
processing, with 4x6 glossies, with the occasional monster order
of reprints.

I pay $2.00 per roll for processing, $0.40 for each 4x6 glossy
print.  The second prints at processing time are $0.23.

4x6 glossy reprints were $0.75 each; they work out price breaks
for multiple prints of the same image.

Don't know what you'll pay extra, if any, for mail order.

Oh, yeah, these paragons are at
122 Industrial Park Road
Albany, NY 12206
518 482 3137

And if you contact them, please mention where you heard about
them;  I doubt it would have any effect on their service or
prices to you or me, but it doesn't hurt, either.

==========================================================================
From: alexm@cipr-server.MGH.Harvard.Edu (Alex Milshteyn)

CVS have never been good at developing (Whoever they send the films to)
If I want good results fast I go to Ritz or (forgot the name) photoshop
next to Ritz on Boylston St, across from Boston publick library (smthg
like Moto-Photo - do not recall).  If I am in no rush, I send stuuf to
York Labs (mail).  My experience with Clark Labs was reallly bad.

==========================================================================
From: edwardp (Edward P. Piecewicz)

CVS uses Konica photo labs for their processing, and I believe the CVS brand
film is also Konica.
Walgreens, Caldor, and Purity use Qualex (aka Kodalux).

But you might want to give Ritz Camera (also Ritz Camera @ Underground) a try.

==========================================================================
From: leo%leo@leo.clearpoint.com (Leo Cierpial)

I have been using Clark Color Labs for years.  That's mailorder.  They
are cheap, and do a great job, including putting the date on the back
of prints.  It usually takes one week to get the prints back in my 
mailbox from the time I mail the film to the Boston PO Box address on 
their mailers.
I use Kodalux for all my slide processing, though.  NOT their mailers
- it takes  forever to get them back.  Lechmere's gets them back in
2-3 days, but we have a Qualex service here where I work ( a pickup
and delivery station, that is), and slide film placed there goes to 
Kodalux in NJ - back in 2-3 days.

==========================================================================
From: lmf@soft.gtech.com (Linda M. Fitzpatrick)

I usually send them to CLARK for processing.  I get the mailers out of the
newspaper Sunday editions.  Usually quite cheap, I do 4x6 and double prints
most of the time.  

To be sure of a GOOD place, check that they do KODAK colorwatch (tm) 
processing.  (CLARK does.)   I once sent a roll to a place that didn't,

==========================================================================
From: alexm@cipr-server.MGH.Harvard.Edu (Alex Milshteyn)

Ritz: I have not tried Cambridge, but Ritz seems to be consistent from
place to place so far.
==========================================================================
From: venus::leo (X7445)
Cc: LEO@nighthawk.clearpoint.com

Clark's mailers show up in TV guide and in junk mail coupon packages from
time to time.  The phone number I have for their customer service is:
	(301) 595-5300

That's in Beltsville, MD.  That's where their processing plant is.  As I
understand it, when you send your mailer to their "closest address to you",
the film is Fed-X'd (or some such delivery method) to MD and back again to 
your area.  It seems to work fine.  If you call them, I'm sure the'll send
out mailers.
By the way, I think most of the drug stores, discount stores, etc. use Qualex.
They should be able to tell you, if you ask.
==========================================================================
From: rbhank@wsl.dec.com (Ron Bhanukitsiri)

I've been sending my film to Mystic Color Labs recently and have been
very happy with them.  They're also rated very highly by Consumer's Report.

==========================================================================
From: jwg1@gte.com (James W. Gish)

I don't know if CVS uses Mystic, but I highly reccommend using Mystic
directly.  I've been using them for about 5 years and am extremely
satisfied.  They do good work, don't abuse the negatives (as many of
the drug store processing places do!) and are reasonably priced.  The
mailing envelopes are postage paid and on the very rare occasion when
they misplace your photos, the customer service folks are very
responsive, helpful and skilled at finding your order (I have had two
orders misplaced in 5 years, both of which were recovered within three
weeks of reporting them missing.)  

The only disadvantage is the post office sometimes causes bigger
delays than one would like.  
==========================================================================
From: jwg1@gte.com (James W. Gish)

In last two or three years I have tried Dale Photo Lab, Seattle Film
Mystic, Lion Photo and Customer Quality Photo, and several local drug
stores. The best results are from the Customer Quality Photo in
Chicago, they advertise in Pop. Photo. and other magzines. The service
I have used including C-41 processing, enlargement and E-6 processing.
They do a really good job on the negative enlargement with bargain
price. However, I am no satisfied with the results of slide printing.

==========================================================================
From: jwg1@gte.com (James W. Gish)
Mystic Color Labs
Mason's Island Road
P.O. Box 144
Mystic, CT 06355-9987

Customer Service: 1-800-367-6061 

Just call customer service and they'll send you the mailing envelopes.

==========================================================================
From: saldort@jade.tufts.edu (Scott M. Aldort)

I have thoroughly had it with Mystic Color Labs. I used to send my film
there because they *were* quite good, but when the company grew, the
quality (at least for me) went straight down the drain. Among the
problems I've had were:

	- funny discolorations on the prints that were not on the
	  negatives
	- they actually cut my negative strips in the middle of the
	  frames. they then tried to splice the frame together, leaving
	  a line in the middle of several of my most beautiful 
	  pictures from Nice, France
	- they screwed up an order for two enlargements, doing one and
	  forgetting the other

I've been meaning to write them a nasty letter, especially about the
negative cutting bit, but I never got around to it. Do you know what
they did? They send me this little "dear customer" slip of paper, told
me they understand how valuable my pictures were, that they are terribly
sorry, and gave me a credit of about $1.00. That was the end of it. I
haven't used them since December, and I'm still looking for a regular
place for developing. (I tried SBI in Harvard Square but they were
awfully expensive for the quality of the pictures I got back.)	

Scott
==========================================================================
From: alg@is.morgan.com (Al Guintu)

fyi, this is a copy of a reply posting that i made re: your
question.  since you're in boston, i want to know if you have 
ever run across york photo labs.  they're pretty cheap at 
$2.99 for 24 exp 4" prints, $4.69 for 36 exp 4" prints.
however, if your trip had especially good quality photos,
take your film to a place that you can trust. 

i used mystic in the past, believing their ad claims of high
quality work.  then i realized that:

 (1) mystic's quality was *worse* than the 7-hour photolab 
     around the corner from my work (o'henry's film works).
 (2) mystic charged almost as much money.  

o'henry's packages the negatives in individual protective slipcases, 
whereas mystic simply sticks them all on top of each other in an 
envelope.

every once in a while, i shoot simple "fun" snapshots, esp when i and
a bunch of friends get together.  when i'm not too paranoid about
quality, i go all the way, and send the film to be processed by york
color labs.  they're *very* cheap, but using them is like being in a
shooting craps.  it's not that they're bad, it's just that the quality
ranges from good to excellent.  sometimes, i'm stunned by their work,
and at other times, i'm just mildly satisfied.  i found that their
frequency of scratching film is no better/worse than others.

york photo labs has offices in: parkersburg wv, boston ma, 
orlando fl, hartford ct, etc.  their main offices are in parkersburg,
and i don't know if their other "offices" are simply forwarding 
the mail to parkersburg.  

==========================================================================
From: edwardp@ra.cs.umb.edu (Edward P. Piecewicz)

York Photo Labs is a subsidiary of Nashua Corporation.  York's offices and main
lab are in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and I was told by a co-worker who used 
to work for Nashua that the P.O. Box addresses are picked up by a courier
service and brought down to Parkersburg.

I have done business with York for many years and have been completely
satisfied with their services.  
==========================================================================
From: James_J_Kowalczyk@cup.portal.com

As far as cheap film developing goes, I have been using Clark Color Labs
for about a year now, and I have been very satisfied.  As with *any* 
mail order service (and this includes most pharmacies, supermarkets, etc.),
you are taking a bit of a chance:  film might get lost in the mail,
negatives might get scratched, etc. (though these have not happened to me
yet).  However, Clark's quality is at least as good as any of the 
others I tried (CVS, Shaw's, Brandlee's), at LESS THAN ONE THIRD the price.

About 2 weeks ago, I sent Clark 5 rolls of 35 mm film (24 exposures),
and got my 4x6" double prints in about a week, all for $24.50 + $4.25 shippin
& handling + $2.03 postage = $30.78.

I have not noticed too much of a problem with color on my prints, but I 
have only ever sent them Kodak "Gold" and their own "Clark" brand (which
was not too bad, actually).

They have P.O. boxes in about 12 cities across the country.
(P.O. Box 991, Boston, MA  02103).

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