Warning: FUJI Labs from HELL

[stonely0]

i have the most darkest photography experience in my life today... ok here goes the story, i finish expose a roll of Kodak TC400 black & White film and on my way for dinner at Chinatown, i decided to send it for Index Print and have the negative film process at a FUJI lab opp Chinatown Point. after dinner, when i go and collect the index prints and negative films, i was shock that on the index prints some frame are yellowish, some are reddish and some siepa tone... worst still on some frame, a third of the pics are render more red, some with a red thick streak on both left and right side. i ask the girls and guess what she say?

she say this is normal as they don't touchup for index print and they ask whether i use any color filter... that was absurd, it's a B&W for god sake. i ask them did they do something on their chemical and she say her chemical is fine then i ask so does it mean my camera? as i did a B&W roll just last week and it's fine and she say could be my cam but i say not possible but she say it's all in the negative, the machine see what it prints so not their machine problem... i ask did u spoil my negative? she say no it's just the way it is. ****!!!!

i send the same films to another lab on my way back home but i think the negative film are already spoil by them... do u think they have use the wrong chemical for the B&W film by mistake?

cheers

[clive]

index prints cant tell much actually

[LCT]

Lesson Learnt- Don't take chance and just send your C41 Black and white film to any neighbourhood / or non familiar shop. In my case, I give to people whom they are know what they are dealing with, and of course knows what i am talking about.

[stonely0]

Originally Posted by LCT Lesson Learnt- Don't take chance and just send your C41 Black and white film to any neighbourhood / or non familiar shop. In my case, I give to people whom they are know what they are dealing with, and of course knows what i am talking about.

so does it mean my films are gone case?

[canturn]

Take a look at the negative, contact sheets only tell part of the story.

If you could post a pic or scan the negative and let us have a look, might not be as bad as you think.

obviously those people doing the printing/developing for you know peanuts about photography...and for me, I certainly won't send my hard work to these folks and pay them $$$ to screw it up for you.

[moos blues]

hi.

I'm not sure if u know this but C41 process BnWs do give tints... like illford, its green blue and TCN is magenta. It happens when the exposure latitude is exceeded, or rather the film's tolerance is exceeded etc.

it may not purely be the labs fault...may be the severe red marks that i dunno..

but usually i specify its TCN and they know or if its illford C41, but i still get color tints.

If u prefer, go for TMAX or some other true black and white flim, then everyone will be happy, we cant expects evey lab to be run by a photographer. haha...



relax lah... its okay lah..

[Kira]

Originally Posted by moos blues hi. I'm not sure if u know this but C41 process BnWs do give tints... like illford, its green blue and TCN is magenta. It happens when the exposure latitude is exceeded, or rather the film's tolerance is exceeded etc. it may not purely be the labs fault...may be the severe red marks that i dunno.. but usually i specify its TCN and they know or if its illford C41, but i still get color tints. If u prefer, go for TMAX or some other true black and white flim, then everyone will be happy, we cant expects evey lab to be run by a photographer. haha... relax lah... its okay lah..

I though Kodak TC400 need to use the normal colour negative process and not C41.

[stonely0]

Originally Posted by Kira I though Kodak TC400 need to use the normal colour negative process and not C41.

Sorry i'm using Kodak T400CN (process C-41) not TC400 typo error. so actually what's happening here? if it's BnW how can it comes out tinted with blue, red and yellow???

[Kira]

Originally Posted by stonely0 Sorry i'm using Kodak T400CN (process C-41) not TC400 typo error. so actually what's happening here? if it's BnW how can it comes out tinted with blue, red and yellow???

Emmmm... Process C-41 is the development process for colour films. If your kodak film is the T400CN, then it should be development by the C-41 process and not the black and white process. What happen here could be that the lad used the black and white process instead of C-41.

What is unique about the T400CN is that it allows of sepia prints using colour paper.

[Kira]

The answer you seek lies within

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...?msg_id=003hvi

[stonely0]

Originally Posted by Kira Emmmm... Process C-41 is the development process for colour films. If your kodak film is the T400CN, then it should be development by the C-41 process and not the black and white process. What happen here could be that the lad used the black and white process instead of C-41.

i see... so will it affect the negative? if it's only the print then it's ok i can always re-develope it in another better lab but if the damage are done on my film then all my effort this morning are wasted.

[CaeSiuM]

Originally Posted by Kira Emmmm... Process C-41 is the development process for colour films. If your kodak film is the T400CN, then it should be development by the C-41 process and not the black and white process. What happen here could be that the lad used the black and white process instead of C-41. What is unique about the T400CN is that it allows of sepia prints using colour paper.

T400CN has C-41 written very explicitly on the roll itself and would be a real blunder for them to process it as b&w negatives. Not much places does in-house b&w processing except KT, Fee Fee and RGB so you can rule out that possibility that they process it using the b&w process. (There may be more but these are the places I remember )

If they select the T400CN film to be scanned/printed as color negative, your scans/prints will definitely come out with weird color toning depending on how well exposed the frame is.

Last but not least, Sepia prints from negative is not what T400CN is for. Any film can be printed in Sepia as long as the lab assistant knows how to dial in the correct CMYK adjustments. (Minus twice as much cyan as you add yellow or something like that)

[canturn]

Originally Posted by Kira Emmmm... Process C-41 is the development process for colour films. If your kodak film is the T400CN, then it should be development by the C-41 process and not the black and white process. What happen here could be that the lad used the black and white process instead of C-41. What is unique about the T400CN is that it allows of sepia prints using colour paper.

Labs primarily have only C-41 process, whether it is B&W or colour. Unless the lab chap doesn't have any sense to even read off the canistor that says C-41 process.

[stonely0]

Originally Posted by canturn Labs primarily have only C-41 process, whether it is B&W or colour. Unless the lab chap doesn't have any sense to even read off the canistor that says C-41 process.

ok, so suppose that the lab chap is a blur king or queen and make a mistake by not processing it in C41, does it mean that the rolls are useless and damage? i mean, looking at the index prints now it sure look wierd... one frame is BnW the other more magenta the next more Yellow some even have a Cyan hue... worse, on some slightly over expose shots i have 1/4 of the frame in Magenta tint on both left and right... it's a joke really as i'm in the printing industry myself that jobs like this standart are being handle out to customer... i guess all the lab chaps have to be chain and face a firing squad!

[Azure]

Originally Posted by CaeSiuM ....Not much places does in-house b&w processing except KT, Fee Fee and RGB ....

Since when has KT gotten to do in-house B&W.

[headlesschook]

RELAX!
The lab more likely than not, processed your roll C41. They'll charge extra if they didnt.

The inconsistent tint/cast is due to the "bo-chap" way they did the index print. They basically allowed the machine to colour correct a b&w roll like it was a colour roll. There shouldnt be any problem with your negatives.

Send it to a more professional lab for printing.

Hotprint, KT photo, RGB, Colourlab are all quite popular amongst the enthusiasts here.

[headlesschook]

Originally Posted by Kira What is unique about the T400CN is that it allows of sepia prints using colour paper.

nothing unique abt that. Any processed b/w negative can be printed in sepia by a colour minilab. or any tint that you choose.

[CaeSiuM]

Originally Posted by Azure Since when has KT gotten to do in-house B&W.

Try sending in your b&w negatives and prove me wrong then.