Minimum for negative film processing

[fairchild]

Hey everyone

Is there any lab in the U.S that does not have a minimum for negative processing? I have one roll of Vision 3 I would like to shoot as I have never shot neg before and bought one with my last S8 order. I also have a bunch of 16mm short ends I re-spooled to 100' that I would like to shoot as well. It seems most labs are 400' for 16...should I just process at home?

thanks,
Joe

[Will2]

What labs have you tried?

You may want to just say it's a camera test (which it sounds like it is) and they could even process for free. I know the last lab in Dallas here would process it for $.18/ft (not a great deal but not horrible) and probably transfer it for you cheaply if you just tell them its a test.

http://dallas.filmworkers.com

Try Alphacine in Seattle maybe?

In general however you will get a better deal if you just save up your 100' reels and process a bunch at a time. What will get you is the "prep" costs where they add leader and a core and charge like $30 just for that but its the same whether you do 100' or 1000' feet.

[woods01]

Niagara Custom Lab in Toronto caters to the small client. Not the cheapest per foot but they do all film gauges and stocks and don't charge extra for things like cross processing or push/pull.

[fairchild]

Awesome thanks for the replies! The only two labs I ever used were Dwaynes, and PacLab. I probably should go to Niagara Custom since I can drive there in an hour or so. I just dont wanna deal with crossing the border 8)

Joe

[Will2]

Alphacine has a 100' minimum. I've sent thousands of feet to them over the years. Just print out their PDF order form, fill it out and send it with the film. You can even send it regular mail or Priority mail to save a few bucks.

At $.15/foot they are hard to beat. They will probably tack on a setup fee if you add leader and all that but call them and say you need it done as cheaply as possible and they will tell you what to write on the form.

[Spectra]

Was just checking out the forums and came across this topic.

If you want to process under our color negative 400' minimum we will do it if time is not an issue. Best part is that we can process 16mm for as little as 13 cents a foot if prep is not required (13.00/100' roll). You would get your negative back on your original 100' daylight spool.

To make this happen, we would bundle smaller jobs in with bigger job runs when they occur. This could take as long as a few weeks (more or less), but is great if saving money is the biggest factor.

If you send in your film just enclose a note requesting "no prep" and that we "piggyback" your job with others to reduce the minimum to 100'. Be sure to mention that time is not critical.

You can also send in your own self addressed, postage paid envelope to save on shipping.

[Will2]

If you want to process under our color negative 400' minimum we will do it if time is not an issue. Best part is that we can process 16mm for as little as 13 cents a foot if prep is not required (13.00/100' roll). You would get your negative back on your original 100' daylight spool.

If this is Spectra in LA, I highly recommend them as well. They do a great job and love film. Sounds like you can't beat the price either.

My favorite product from them is the Velvia 50 in Super 8. I never had a chance to try the 16mm version when they had it and I'm kicking myself for not ordering any.

They are a great resource for your film adventure.

http://spectrafilmandvideo.com

[wahiba]

The minimum needed for home processing are flat dishes for developer and fixer and a frame to wrap the film around. And of course a dark room.

[wahiba]

Changed settings. Pictures of basic kit at:

http://8mmovies.yolasite.com