2$ per b/w print?


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freebsdntu

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I was really excited since I finally dived into the world of b/w photography as I have taken two rolls of b/w film. So anxiously I went to ruby today for the development.
I got the shock of my life, for each print, the fee is 2 $, oh my gosh...
Why is b/w print so expensive? I am really in need of pointers and advice on b/w solution. I am pretty much in the b/w photography world now, I don't want to be kicked out just because I cannot afford it.
So keep the advice and pointers coming!Thx!
 

It's expensive because they get people to manually print it! It's not like those prints that pop out from a fuji digital frontier.

Oh,ok,i got it,thx!

Keep the advice and pointers coming!
 

Yeah.. as mentioned, it's all done by hand for black and white film.

To get it cheaper, consider getting home labs or frens to do this. Or else just develop the film and scan it yourself or get the developer to scan the negatives. Then you can print them off any machines.

Note that some black and white purists will dictate the type of print required and also type of paper as there are differences. Read more about them.
 

i tink in this digital age, if u shoot b/w film and dont actually print them yourself, u are better off shooting digital.

b/w printing for the general photography hobbiest, is literally of no concern anymore. many photographic societies which taught b/w or color hand printing had had their darkroom removed.

i was from spore poly (1994 - 97 batch). back then, everyone had to go through basic darkroom lesson. some actually became quite good. although i tried, i was such a horrific printer that soon, i concentrated on shooting color slides.

the last time i heard, the darkroom had dried up and become store room already.

also, if you are on a budget, the cost of shooting film will inhibit u from shooting as often as u'd like. which is a v v v bad and sad thing :cry:.

i find that if one can do something much cheaper and of equal quality (in this aspect, i'd say the quality of output created in computer will be much much better than that in the darkroom by the avg person), then, why do it the hard way?

of course, u may ve specific reason to want to go into film b/w.

care to share them?
 

My advice , shoot b&w, get the film developed or develope urself,best to develope urself , then get the negative scanned , if have budget then get ur own scanner, then give them the digitial file to print :D I know it is not classical and some may say " why the hell u shoot bw film for if you dont print it urself" .... well ,i'm not sure but i think some ,like me, not the jack of all trade hobbyist, the not-so-bad-at-PS-digital-bw-convert group but still prefer to shoot bw film.
 

if u wan to scan, can consider shooting color slides.

at least, on the light box, they look much more stunning than b/w negatives.

after scanning, u can convert or do watever u like.

color can become b/w, but not vice versa.
 

My advice , shoot b&w, get the film developed or develope urself,best to develope urself , then get the negative scanned , if have budget then get ur own scanner, then give them the digitial file to print :D I know it is not classical and some may say " why the hell u shoot bw film for if you dont print it urself" .... well ,i'm not sure but i think some ,like me, not the jack of all trade hobbyist, the not-so-bad-at-PS-digital-bw-convert group but still prefer to shoot bw film.

Thank you guys, for all your precious inputs.

Hi bahibo, thank you so much for your advice, it is very helpful.
Yes, I have sent the film to ruby for development since it was my first time and I don't have any idea of how to do it on my own, so sending them to a lab is the better option for me. I will get the development next Monday, I am pretty much anticipating the results:)
Yes, I just love photos taken with b/w film.
Regarding scanning, yes, I am thinking of how to get it scanned, actually the scanning is also pretty much expensive,I mean the price is higher than what I have expected, 17$ per roll, if i do it in Ruby. So I am really stuck on it, where can I do the scanning at a lower price? Or should I go buy a scanner? If yes, which one to get?

Pls keep the advice coming up!:)
 

I do suggest getting the scanner , scanning at shop very expensive,cost me like 90$+ for a few rolls so i decided to buy the scanner and develope myself, and they push the contrast very high,the quality also not so good , you can research on those canoscan model,good for money,price from 250-600 i think. :) To develope urself is pretty easy on basic level which is quite enough , cost you around 60$++ to start.
 

i tink in this digital age, if u shoot b/w film and dont actually print them yourself, u are better off shooting digital.

b/w printing for the general photography hobbiest, is literally of no concern anymore. many photographic societies which taught b/w or color hand printing had had their darkroom removed.

i was from spore poly (1994 - 97 batch). back then, everyone had to go through basic darkroom lesson. some actually became quite good. although i tried, i was such a horrific printer that soon, i concentrated on shooting color slides.

the last time i heard, the darkroom had dried up and become store room already.

also, if you are on a budget, the cost of shooting film will inhibit u from shooting as often as u'd like. which is a v v v bad and sad thing :cry:.

i find that if one can do something much cheaper and of equal quality (in this aspect, i'd say the quality of output created in computer will be much much better than that in the darkroom by the avg person), then, why do it the hard way?

of course, u may ve specific reason to want to go into film b/w.

care to share them?

I'd like to refute some of your comments above.

First of all, there are alot of photographers our there who still shoot film and do not print out themselves. Many still scan the images and treat them as digital files after scanning. With proper scanning (meaning good scanners and scanning softwares and proper tweaking of scanning output), the results of film + scan can still be better than digital, or at least the images look different from digital files. Try pointing your digital camera directly at the sky and see if you can find any details at the blown out areas. Also look at the wierd looking bands that appear around them. Film is often more tolerant than digital in the highlights.

Secondly, i don't think that the inhibition of shooting alot cos of the cost of film is bad. In fact its good. It forces the photographer to really think before pressing the trigger. I have found that to be so for myself as my film images often turn out better than my digital files.

My 2c :)
 

Thank you guys, for all your precious inputs.

Hi bahibo, thank you so much for your advice, it is very helpful.
Yes, I have sent the film to ruby for development since it was my first time and I don't have any idea of how to do it on my own, so sending them to a lab is the better option for me. I will get the development next Monday, I am pretty much anticipating the results:)
Yes, I just love photos taken with b/w film.
Regarding scanning, yes, I am thinking of how to get it scanned, actually the scanning is also pretty much expensive,I mean the price is higher than what I have expected, 17$ per roll, if i do it in Ruby. So I am really stuck on it, where can I do the scanning at a lower price? Or should I go buy a scanner? If yes, which one to get?

Pls keep the advice coming up!:)

The scanner is probably the most valuable equipment i have bought. Let say you get a minolta dimage of the B&S at 300 bucks. Each roll of scanning (high res) is about 20 bucks. 15 rolls and you get back the cost of the scanner. Did i mention the vast difference in the quality of the scanns? If you are not so sure about the formats of film you are going to use, now or in the near future and are not so anal about the quality of the scans, you may like to look at the Canon Flatbeds, think the 8600f? (~$300)
 

I'll like to echo and add on to what enghong has said. Shooting film isn't as expensive with what other ppl think. Yes, per roll is costly, but if one wants to work out the math.. unless u shoot alot of frames in a digital format, the cost/frame can even be lower for a hobbist. Also, there no need to worry about whether your camera is able to work after a decade. As for film, can always hang around here to source for cheaper film :) try to pick up on developing of film, it ain difficult. I do my own developing and scanning. I am happier than when I was shooting digital! But its jus myself..

Besides shooting itself, you may wanna try to read more abt the works of other photographers. U might also wanna attend art exhibitions and even to the extent of foreign films, all will be able to contribute to ur growth. Enjoy your journey!
 

i am not saying shooting film is bad.

jus that if anyone is prepared to go through the hassle of shooting, developing and scanning, he/she may seriously want to consider shooting medium format.

the difference in quality between 120 and 135 can be drastic.

a well exposed and pin sharp Velvia is absolutely stunning.
 

ruby is definitely not the only lab that does b/w developing + scanning.

KT at hong lim complex and Grace at Sunset Way are 2 labs which also provide b/w services.
 

Hmm Im also interested... what other alternative shops are there to B&W scanning besides the mentioned
And their prices?
 

ruby is definitely not the only lab that does b/w developing + scanning.

KT at hong lim complex and Grace at Sunset Way are 2 labs which also provide b/w services.

Thank you for this information,how about the prices?
 

Also would love to hear advice on film scanners,i am thinking of getting one.Thanks!
 

Anyone can answer...?
 

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