Photo Lab Review #3: Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Blue Moon Camera & Machine
http://www.bluemooncamera.com/
Location: Portland, OR
Formats: 35mm, 120, 220, 126, 127, Minox, 110, 4×5, 5×7, 8×10
Chemicals: B&W, C-41
Just like Sharp Photo & Portrait, I was first made aware of Blue Moon through the Film Photography Podcast. Given that they were in Oregon, I originally figured there was no point in ever using their services, since there were a ton of photo labs between here and there. Then I had a look at their services page.
What first jumps out at you is that Blue Moon develops just about every format under the sun. If you’ve got a quirky Minox camera or are looking for a place to send your Ektar sheet film, Blue Moon can process it. The only thing that’s disheartening is that they don’t offer E-6 transparency processing. I’ve seen some very striking cross-processed images that actually run C-41 film through the E-6 chemicals, and the results make me want to try it on my own. But I’m getting sidetracked.
The second thing that Blue Moon offers, and what makes them particularly unique, is their optical printing process. In case you didn’t know, virtually every film processor nowadays runs the film through a scanner and then uses that digital information to make a print through most likely an inkjet (or giclée, if you’re trying to be an artist) process. You’ve still got the beauty of film, but that digital step really irritates us analog purists. What Blue Moon is able to do is the classic method of shining light through the film to enlarge on photo paper. The result is an image that’s even more pleasing… But let’s get to the review!
I sent in two rolls of 120 film: a roll of 6×6 Hasselblad shots on Portra 400 (C-41) and a roll of 6×6 Holga shots on Ektachrome 100 EPP (E-6). Opposite ends of the spectrum – a high quality camera vs. a low quality camera, and straight print film vs. cross-processing. I ordered proof prints, which come as 5×5 with a border which makes the effective image area 4-1/4″ square. The order form indicates that matte is the best finish, so I took their word for it and ordered matte. I also ordered medium-resolution scans so I could see how their digital output stacks up against mine.
I placed the order on Jan. 7, and got my package back Jan. 20, so you’re looking at a turnaround of 2 weeks, which is about average for mail-order services in my experience.
Item #1 – The Prints. Quite frankly, the prints are the nicest-looking prints I’ve ever seen in my life. The matte finish is smooth and velvety. The white border is a bit thick for my tastes, but that’s the only little issue that I have. Also, the color balance is spot-on, with the obvious exception of a bit of blue shadow shift once you have an underexposed frame (d’oh). Of course, the C-41 film looks better than the cross-processed Holga stuff, but they did a fine job on the Holga images, too. The color shifts are acceptable and everything looks fairly consistent. If you shoot 35mm, they offer a cool Blue Moon print that’s 5×6, with extra white space on the top and bottom, resulting in a cool white-letterbox effect. I will definitely order a set if I send them any 35mm in the future.
Item #2 – The Scans. Before I even try scanning the negatives myself, I can notice that the scans of the C-41 negatives look almost identical to the prints. The primary difference is in a few underexposed shots. In this case, though both exhibit a shift of the shadows towards blue, the prints look much better than the scans, which are very saturated. For the cross-processed Holga shots, the results are mixed. Few scans, if any, look like the prints I received. I’m still relatively new to having other people present my cross-processed film, but I think that this is one of the classic problems of cross-processing. If there’s a scanner involved, you’ve got to do your own work in order to get consistent results. The scans for both rolls were a bit over 3600 pixels along each side, and both rolls came back on the same CD.
I will probably post a follow-up entry to see how my scans match up against the lab scans. I’ll bet that the lab will beat me for the C-41 scans, and I’ll beat them for the cross-processed stuff.
Item #3 – The Price. Developing was $4 per roll (so $8 total), prints are $0.90 per frame (so $21.60 for 24 frames), medium resolution scans are $13 per roll ($26) and return shipping was $6.50. Since I promised a few portraits to people, I also got 4 duplicate prints at $0.45 each (so $1.80). Add it all up and the price for this little test is $63.90. Yikes! I certainly wasn’t expecting such a big bill for my test of their photo lab, but I guess it’s not unreasonable considering what I received. And they’re very open about their pricing, so be sure to check their services page for details. 35mm is cheaper for some services, so do the math before you send your film out. It would be nice if their order form had a do-the-math sheet like most other places, though I like how simple their current design is, too. Perhaps they could offer a supplemental PDF with all the prices listed at once for ease of calculating order totals, rather than having to take a few clicks to find out the price for each item you’re paying for.
Item #4 – The Extras. My negatives were returned to me ready to be stashed in my binder in PrintFile sleeves. This is awesome, since they are what I usually use and now I get to keep some of the ones I have in my stash.
I received a note on one of my envelopes which said “black spots in frame #5 indicate debris in camera – most likely cause of scratch in that frame.” This tells me that even though my order is pretty standard, they are looking at the results and making sure everything’s kosher with what they send back to me.
I also e-mailed them a few times, and the replies were always prompt, informative as you could ask for, and nice. All in all, a nice focus on the customer.
Final Verdict – I feel that Blue Moon has given me the best prints I’ve ever seen. That said, the prices and results for developing and scanning are ok, but for less important work, I would much rather save my money by doing my own developing and scanning, or have the folks at Sharp do it if I’m too lazy busy. Blue Moon is like a rich ice cream. They’re great to splurge on, but too much could be unhealthy.
Now, if we’re talking client-oriented work, such as weddings or portraits, then all bets are off, and my rolls are going to Blue Moon. The quality of their proofs are amazing, and would probably help to sell print enlargements, which Blue Moon can also do for you. An 11×14, for example, is $35.00, but I can’t even begin to imagine how good it would look.
Photo Lab Review #2: Sharp Photo & Portrait
Sharp Photo & Portrait
http://www.sharpphoto.net/
Location: Eau Claire, WI
Formats: 35mm, 120/220, APS
Chemicals: B&W, C-41
I first heard of Sharp Photo and Portrait on the Film Photography Podcast. An employee named Spencer had arranged for certificates for free processing scans and prints to ten winners. Michael Raso, the host, supplied the film rolls of frozen Ektar 25. But I digress…
The key allure of Sharp photo is the price of development only—C-41 rolls (and cross-processed) are a mere $1.49 while B&W is $4.99. Return shipping is a low $2.50.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting Sharp to be all that great. The website leaves a bit to be desired, since the order forms take a few clicks to locate (but you can find them here) and honestly, I consider a cartoon mascot to be a bit unprofessional.
I ordered a roll of C-41 development (120 film shot in my Hasselblad), the “high resolution” CD, and an index print. The grand total for everything was $10.94.
I’ll start with the index print. I wasn’t expecting an 8×10 contact sheet like I make in the darkroom, but I was at least expecting the full square image area. Instead, the index print gave the rectangular aspect ratio that you’d expect from 35mm film. A minor downside, though.
The scans themselves were in the correct aspect ratio, and they were really good quality. No dust or scratches, and the color was spot on. I shot a few frames underexposed, and as expected, the shadows started turning blue in order to save the image. But they still looked good. I decided to pit the results from the photo CD against the results from the basic workflows I use for my three photo scanning software options—EpsonScan, Vuescan, and SilverFast SE. I used an Epson V700, and you can see the results below:
The photos are:
A (Top-Left): Silverfast SE
B (Top-Right): Vuescan
C (Bottom-Left): EpsonScan
D (Bottom-Right): Sharp Photo & Portrait
The color balance of the Sharp scan is spot-on. I do like the warmer colors of the Vuescan image—notice the landscape in the far background—but the overall effect is far too orange. Also, there are seems to be no dust or hair marks on the scans.
I also noticed that the negatives were cut into small strips of two frames. Personally, I buy the PrintFile negative carriers that hold three frames each, so it would be nice to have 4 strips of 3 rather than 6 strips of 2. However, I don’t know if this is cut via machine at the time of scanning. I had placed an order with Richard Photo Lab and they did the same thing.
So, what’s my final verdict? Well, I don’t really have one per se. I sent in my order before I decided to do a thorough review of all these photo labs. I will have to see what their print quality is like, and also how well they scan cross-processed film. In short, though, I definitely underestimated Sharp before I saw their results. I’m looking forward to trying them out a second time, and at their prices, I can definitely afford to.
EDIT: I forgot to comment on the customer service. Well, I didn’t actually have to interact with customer service, but I wanted to show you what I received in the mail.
That’s a handwritten note. It says, “Your film & CD, sir… Please carefully tear into this package w/ unbridled joy & excitement.” I can’t offer any firsthand accounts, but intuition tells me that anyone who’s going to take the time to hand-write a humorous message on your return packaging is probably going to have a good customer service department.
Photo Lab Review #1: The Camera Shop
In the modern age, you’ve got a lot of options for where to send your film. There’s a lot of contenders for your business out there. Right now, I’m getting my film processed as cheaply as I can and doing all my own scanning, since I trust no one. The question is, is there someone out there I CAN trust to scan my film and have it look nice? This series (which I hope can continue for a long time) is intended to look at the products (processing, proof prints, and digital scans) that I receive from various labs. Because you never know when you’ll have to call on a professional to do your dirty work…
The Camera Shop
http://www.statecollegecamerashop.com/
Location: State College, PA
Formats: 35mm, 120
Processes: B&W, C-41, E-6
For my first photo lab review, I thought I would go local. The Camera Shop in State College, PA is a pretty small business that is pretty obviously stuck between two different identities. They offer a number of digital items, and DSLRs and lenses are pretty steeply priced, when you consider the primary competition is online vendors. However, they stock a number of film photography supplies, from developing tanks to chemicals to a pretty decent amount of film. Sometimes the markup will even be cheaper than ordering from Freestyle, Adorama, or B&H with their shipping costs, and you get the added satisfaction of supporting local business. For this reason, they have the highest odds of getting my C-41 development business.
Development: A roll of 120 is $4, and that’s made quite attractive by the fact that there’s no return shipping for me to pay. I can’t remember whether 35mm is cheaper to develop or it’s also $4. The downside is that the C-41 machine only gets run about one day a week. Orders are allowed to accumulate so that they’re processed all at once. You could end up waiting anywhere from thirty minutes to five days. E-6 development is even more variable. First, there were color balancing issues with the chemistry, and the owner is now having to test a new, smaller batch from his distributor. Thanks to these problems, the current batch of E-6 processing that’s about to happen includes rolls that have been waiting for months. The bottom line is, there’s no set turnaround time for anything. There have also occasionally been an odd spot or two left on a few of my negatives – odd dots here and there that look like a clear, sticky substance was on the roll. Easily photoshopped. B&W processing is also available. I’ll try to remember to mention this for all labs
Scans: The one time I had them scan me some film, I gave them cross-processed 35mm. Not really a fair fight, surely, but see my scan comparison that I did once I got my own Epson V700 below. This was made after maybe thirty minutes of learning the EpsonScan software. I also got some C-41 prints at one point, meaning those were also scanned, and the color balance seemed a bit off. I have yet to try them with images I’ve submitted digitally, but their printers would certainly beat the piece of crap I have. Bottom line: for printing and scanning, I’d seek alternate methods.
Top: My scan. Bottom: Lab scan. The cloud presence alone justified using my own scanner.
Shopping: This feature won’t be included in other lab reviews, but I feel like The Camera Shop really deserves to be commended on their (film) products for sale. Being a regular customer, I can usually get a few bucks off some recently expired film if there’s any in stock. There’s a ton of photo chemicals and supplies lying around, too, so if I need a color correction filter, storage bottle, or a batch of HC-110, I can definitely get it from the Camera Shop before waiting for FedEx to drive here from California to deliver a Freestyle order.
The Bottom Line: The Camera Shop, the only truly local photo lab available, is a great option for basic film development and purchasing necessary chemicals.
