Are E-6 Machines Getting Old and Feeble?

[wgerrard]

I've access to two local labs that do E-6. In the last few weeks, processing has been delayed three times out of three. On each occasion, the lab said their E-6 machine was down and waiting for repairs.

Are these machines prone to breakage?

Is anyone making and selling new machines? If not, where do labs get spare parts?

I'd guess E-6 processing is not a growth industry. Could a lab expect enough E-6 business to cover the cost of a new machine? I'd imagine a lab, especially a small lab, would think twice about investing in a new E-6 machine if their current machine took a permanent dive.

Anyone have experience with a lab that did not replace a broken E-6 machine?

[rogue_designer]

The lab I used to work at had part of it's E6 machine mostly paid for by our chemical vendor. They made back the money in the contract costs.

I don't know how new machines are. I would guess there are still leasing agencies for the larger processors. But if I already owned one I'd probably do everything I could to not incur new costs unless I knew I'd have quantity to make it up.

[Thardy]

The lab I used to work at had part of it's E6 machine mostly paid for by our chemical vendor. They made back the money in the contract costs.

I don't know how new machines are. I would guess there are still leasing agencies for the larger processors. But if I already owned one I'd probably do everything I could to not incur new costs unless I knew I'd have quantity to make it up.

The local lab shut down last year rather than spend around $200k to upgrade to new machines. They were advised that the machines could not be serviced any further.

[drewbarb]

It's more likely the lab techs and management getting feeble with regard to the costs of keeping this stuff running, relative to how much use they get. Labs are getting less E6 all the time, so they are cutting all sorts of corners around this stuff. They may wait to fire up the machines until they have enough film to warrant a run, which might be days or weeks; they are less likely to keep the chemistry in stock and up to date all the time, which can cause problems- these things need regular maintenance and use to stay running in top shape. Worse yet, there seem to be fewer and fewer lab techs who know how to properly maintain the machines- and these folks are hard to employ since many labs don't want to pay them decent wages to stick around. All of this is based on the drastic reduction of E6 film being shot, and the consolidation of much of the processing to the few remaining real pro labs who handle it well. It's a symptom of the tecnological times changing. Don't look for this situation to get better any time soon- look for a good lab, even if it's not local, and hope they stay in business.

[shadowfox]

This is very sad and frustrating. Slides are something that must be experience to be appreciated. No, don't say digital image replaces it, it's not just the image, but the tangible quality of the "positives" themselves. Viewing them through a loupe on a light table is amazing experience.

Too bad young ones in the next generation won't be able to produce these themselves. By then both the machines and the chemical supply would probably be gone.

I wish there are billionaire "angels" who appreciate slides enough to keep producing even for a small niche.

[rogue_designer]

You can always get a jobo and process your own. The Chemistry isn't terribly mysterious.

I imagine that their will be a few large labs around that will provide the kind of service Dwaynes does for k14. Everyone else will ship their E6 to them for processing and take a price markup.

[wgerrard]

They may wait to fire up the machines until they have enough film to warrant a run...

I wondered about that at the larger of the two labs. They don't smile when I show up with a role or two. Their latest downtime is a day and counting. The smaller lab seems able to repair their machine quickly.

The unavailability of commercial labs that process film will have a lot more to do with film's survival than any of the aesthetic issues that always pop up in the digital vs film debate.

[drewbarb]

The unavailability of commercial labs that process film will have a lot more to do with film's survival than any of the aesthetic issues that always pop up in the digital vs film debate.
Damn straight. It's not a question of aesthetics- it's economics.

[sjw617]

Slides are something that must be experience to be appreciated. Viewing them through a loupe on a light table is amazing experience.


You are right, nothing like putting a 6x17 transparency on a light box and seeing magic.

Steve

[ClaremontPhoto]

I routinely put my E6 through a standard C41 minilab.

[Trius]

I routinely put my E6 through a standard C41 minilab.
9999 times out of 10000 ... I HATE XPRO!!!

[shadowfox]

You can always get a jobo and process your own. The Chemistry isn't terribly mysterious.

I imagine that their will be a few large labs around that will provide the kind of service Dwaynes does for k14. Everyone else will ship their E6 to them for processing and take a price markup.

Yea Rogue, but when the jobo breaks, what now? :D

[steverett]

The heater on my Jobo just broke,and Jobo USA told me they don't do parts or service any more. Anyone have an idea how to fix it or if I can use an aquarium heater?

[erikhaugsby]

Yea Rogue, but when the jobo breaks, what now? :D
The heater on my Jobo just broke,and Jobo USA told me they don't do parts or service any more. Anyone have an idea how to fix it or if I can use an aquarium heater?

Oh, the irony. :rolleyes:

[rogue_designer]

d'oh!

Hmm - maybe an aquarium heater would work...

[toyotadesigner]

As strange as it might sound in this thread - Kodak does have a lab list for almost any country on this planet.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/hub/photographer/locators/search.jhtml

Make sure to check E-6 and Q-Lab E-6 - there should be a bunch of good labs coming up.

I've contacted Kodak as well as Fuji to supply me with some lab lists in Spain. Kodak was just fantastic, and Fuji just sent one pro lab <sigh>.

However, not all labs are listed, because it's a volunteer list. If the labs don't know about it, you can't find them. We have a lab nearby which is not listed, but it took a while to located it.

C41 is widespread, but hardly with pro labs. Almost 100% is done by mini labs, in most cases with a lousy quality, particularly in tourist areas.

Kodak and Fuji are selling slide films like hell. It appears to me that these films are used by pros, and the demand must still be very high - real professional stuff is still being shot with slide film.

To answer the question: yes, new machines are still built, old ones are still serviced, and for most machines you can get spare parts. The problem is the service - it's hard to find a service technician these days to repair them.

The market is consolidating. Our lab purchased the machines from another lab that went digital and C41 only. During the last year the have acquired more and more customers for E-6. We've done everything we could to support them, spreaded the word, and today it's a profitable niche for them.

[shadowfox]

Oh, the irony. :rolleyes:

Erik, I didn't want to rub it in :D

[jan normandale]

I think I'm going to shoot all my E-6 as soon as possible, then buy some more ;- )

[Jamie123]

Luckily I have a very good pro lab in my neighborhood that does E-6 in ~2 hours for the lowest price in town.
I once asked the guy at the lab if their contact prints are analogue or digital to which he replied: "We don't do anything digitally" :)

[shadowfox]

Jamie, which town is this?
If they can do $5 including shipping per roll of E-6 (development only, no mount), I'll send my stuff to them rather than Wallymart.

[Jamie123]

Jamie, which town is this?
If they can do $5 including shipping per roll of E-6 (development only, no mount), I'll send my stuff to them rather than Wallymart.

The town is Zurich, Switzerland so I don't think it would be worth your while :)

I pay around $6 for a roll of E6 for 120 film and around $9 for 135 if I want it on the same day. It's cheaper if I pick it up the next day but I don't have the patience.

This is probably still quite expensive compared to US prices but for Switzerland this is quite cheap. All the consumer labs in town charge around $22 (!) for developing a roll of E6. That's because they all send it to the same pro lab and simply double the price.