Film Workflow/Consistency

[colorspace.am]

Complete noob, so apologies in advance if I'm missing something that's painstakingly obvious.

So my local Fuji lab can process 120 C-41, but are unable to scan it - which is totally ok, because I've managed to get my hands on a Coolscan 9000ED for just shy of $3000.. and it's NIB. Granted, not a drum scanner but.. such is life.

I've been reading around and about that the lab matters re: achieving consistent color/a certain aesthetic (a la Jose Villa/Elizabeth Messina). Is a negative not a 'just' a negative until it's printed? Where does the variation come in? Or are they talking about having a lab develop -> print and then scanning from that.

..Do they yield completely different results?

Just haven't yet wrapped my head around 'the look of film' if it's winding back up on a computer anyway and where, exactly, this 'look' begins/ends :|

[marfa.tx]

the look, begins with light...

but as to consistent control -- your processing lab should do QC -- meaning they run Quality Control strips. They maintain chemicals at their proper state (temp / ph / specific gravity) --- and they should be able to handle the film without Fnitup.

to check them out, shoot a frame of a "test card" -- when the film returns and you scan it, the readings should be the same roll to roll, run to run. How much? you should not be able to SEE the difference. you will be able to measure the difference.

[dergiman]

Well, if the lab can´t run a good C41 process, i doubt they will do better with RA4.

Scanning the print adds the optical defects of the enlarger lens and the grain of the paper. I´d prefer to scan the negative with the LS9000.

[colorspace.am]

But assuming that all they're doing is developing the negative - I'd have thought a developed negative is a developed negative, no? Provided their Frontier is well maintained, having it developed there is going to be no different from having it developed anywhere else?

Or am I missing something huge :/

[KevinA]

Get Vuescan, scan at 48bit dng and marvel at the quality, any slight variation in film development should be so minor not to make a big difference.

Kevin.