C41 processing inconsistancies

[Robert1947]

Hi everyone, I'm new here but not new to photography. I haven't touched my old Spotmatic for a few years now having been enjoying great success and quality with my digital SLR but I lucked into an old OM1 with some nice Zuiko lenses recently and I'm starting to "wax nostalgic".

I used E6 for the majority of the 30 years that I used film because I could not get consistantly good results with C41 but I have scanned all my slides and don't have a projector any more. So, if I want to use this OM1 I'll have to use C41 and that's my issue. I work part time (retired) at Black's Camera and I've seen the crap that comes off the C41 processer and printer. The results are all subject to the guy running the process and whether or not his monitor is in a good mood that day. Mostly they don't even know enough to leave a shot with an 81A or B alone. They try to "color correct" and screw it up.

So I'm looking for some ideas from you guys as to what options I might have for getting consistant and good quality C41 processing.

Thanks
Robert

 

[CSR Studio]

A pro lab. They know what they are doing and keep the maintenance up on their machines.

 

[Robert1947]

Thanks for the reply and certainly the pro lab idea had crossed my mind, however, I wanted to avoid having to use the mail.

As it turns out, the store I work for has hired a new lab man and he's really good. He knows what CMY is and he allows me to monitor him as he prints my negs. He's also very dilligent about daily calibration and chemistry replenishment. He discovered that his film scanner monitor was in need of calibration in order to get matching results from the printer (Fuji). Word is getting around the city that our store provides the best neg printing of all the stores in our chain and now we have other branches in the city sending us their film to process. My manager has also promissed to train me in the lab ... woohoo

So, for now things are working out OK and this part time retirement job is looking pretty good. I'm loving the old OM1 even more than my Spotmatic.

Thanks
Robert